Prince and the Price of Fame.

When Prince, the greatly talented musician died suddenly the other week, the memory of Michael Jackson’s equally sudden death flashed across one's mind. The manner of their deaths was as tragic as it was weird. In spite of their larger-than-life public image, each one of them was all alone, helpless and pathetic at the time of death. And both of them had drug issues. Why not? When fame and riches go together in the life of a person, there is often a huge price to pay. Sadly, such consequences include, but not limited to acute loneliness, emotional disturbances and sadness. They can’t afford to cope with the reality of life. After all, they are “superstars”. It’s considered an entitlement for the famous to be in high spirits on 24-7 basis. Alas, that is not possible according to the law of nature. So, what do the insanely rich and famous do? They get their “high spirits” anyhow, unnaturally.  

 

Now, the drug dealer that had been supplying “the stuff” to Prince for about 25 years had come out to state that, the superstar once spent $40,000 at one time on drugs. When poor folks indulge in hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances, they are called drug addicts or worse, “crack heads”. They also get thrown into jails. It’s however a different ball game for the famous. Society excuses them for being on “pain killers”. They are cast as victims of the pressure of being filthy rich and famous. In fact, ordinary people are supposed to sympathize with them whenever this happens. 

 

Let’s hope the up-and-coming artistes learn from the sad ends of Prince and some others before him - Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, James Brown and a whole lot of others. It’s alright to dream and aspire for stardom. But there is a need for those with such an aspiration to make provisions for the future consequences of fame. Right now, there are millions of young people turning their backs on basic education. If they are not aspiring to become sports stars, they are struggling in the music industry and each of them is aspiring to become another “Prince”. What a pity!

 

Oprah in Her Own Words.

The Hunger to Become Somebody.

Many, including some fans of Aerosmith, don’t know the history and the motivation behind the song, “Dream On”. It was written in 1969 by Steve Tyler, long before the formation of Aerosmith. Always dreaming of the day he would make it big in the music industry, Tyler wrote the song as a personal affirmation that success was a matter of time for him.

As he and the Aerosmith’s band mates continued to tour and toil in the early 1970s, Tyler never lost his sheer determination to succeed and (in his own words) “the hunger to become somebody…” The “hunger” ultimately drove the songwriter/lead singer to suggest to his band mates, the re-release of the song, “Dream On” in 1976.  The song rose instantly to number 6 and became the band’s first major single and the biggest hit so far. Steve Tyler has since become “somebody” in the music industry and the rest is now history.

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Not Everybody Can be Famous.

"Not everybody can be famous. But everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service." - Martin Luther King.

Marilyn Monroe in Her Own Words.

“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.” -  Marilyn Monroe.

Like Kutcher, like Cannon: The Marriage Games in Hollywood.

In the entertainment industry, ageing female celebrities have a way of dumping themselves on available young men as soon as they realize that old age is creeping on them. It’s often a case of a much younger man being used to brighten up the fading glory of an older woman. Such was the life story of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore in the aftermath of the latter’s divorce from actor Bruce Willis.

And so it was with Nick Cannon whose youthfulness “helped” boost up the public image of a much older Mariah Carey.



Lest we forget, Mariah Carey (in her younger, glorious days) got married to record executive Tommy Mottola who was about 20 years older than her. The man had earlier dumped his erstwhile wife for Mariah Carey. And as soon as her singing career hits the peak, the woman promptly dumped Mottola. But whatever goes around always comes around.



As Ashton Kutcher’s movie career got a major boost with his marriage to the older Demi Moore, so also did Nick Cannon’s career in the entertainment industry galloped upon his marriage to the older Mariah Carey. And like Kutcher who eventually dumped Moore, Cannon has also decided to crawl his way out of the marriage to Carey.

In a recent media interview, Nick Cannon tried to further shore up his image by declaring that the break-up with Mariah Carey was something initiated by him. The young man went on to state that he was ending the marriage because of Mariah's emotional state.

Marriages among celebrities have always been very low on love but very high in the uplifting of careers, egos, money and other mundane stuff. This factor alone has contributed enormously to the lowest ebb in which the sacred institution of marriage has been kicked in the entertainment industry.

 

Beyoncé, Jay Z and the Judases Around Them.

Lately for Beyoncé and Jay Z, “there is always something”. However, that “something” is rarely good to the ear. The more the power couple wishes ordinary folks (like me) will mind our business, the more we keep getting “bombarded” with arsenals of rumors about their marriage. And if we are to go by the popular adage, “there is no smoke without fire”, one has no choice but to “pay mind” to the "delicious" stories.

In my humble opinion, the biggest problem confronting Beyoncé and Jay Z is not really the alleged acts of cheating on the part of the guy. And neither is it because their marriage appears to be fast and furiously heading in the opposite direction of “Till death do us part”. These are serious issues but the "fire" in them would not have continued to burn without the "oxygen" of the catalysts to the issues.  

Rather, the biggest problem facing both husband and wife are the families, friends and associates that hang around them. It’s from among these very close individuals that some "Judases" spring forth to play the role of “reliable sources” to the nosy media.

Naturally, the worst bane of the rich and the famous are their poor families and relations. Remember what Oprah Winfrey’s relation did to her some years back, selling the famous woman’s story to the National Enquirer?

For some fast cash, a typical "Judas" from the enclave of Beyoncé and Jay Z will “spill the beans on them” without batting an eyelid. Unfortunately, fishing out such treacherous culprits from among a retinue of “ass-kissing” hangers-on will be a hard nut to crack.