So I was reading that Julia Roberts twins just celebrated their 18th birthday. It seems like only yesterday that Julia Roberts announced on Oprah that she was having twins and now they are legally adults!
I noticed that in alot of the comments of the article, alot of people were making very unkind comments about Julia's past, mainly that her husband and the twins father was a married man when she met him and that it was their affair that led to the end of his marriage. In many of the comments people said that they used to be a big fan of Julia's until her affair and after that they didn't want to watch her movies. This seems a little immature to me. I mean Julia Roberts is a great actress who makes really cool movies. And you don't want to watch her movies because of what she did in her private life? That makes no sense to me. That's like my boss firing me because he doesn't agree with my political beliefs or what football team I support (its the Seahawks btw!) even though I'm doing a good job and always professional at work. That's so unfair.
I know it's not just Julia. there are other celebrities who people stopped caring about because of things that happened that the public don't agree with. Does everyone else think that this is right? And I'm not talking about celebrities who have committed serious crimes like R Kelly or Ian Watkins. I'm talking about famous people who made choices that weren't popular with their fans. The way I see it, as long as they're doing a good job, does it really matter what they do in their private life?
A lot of people on here are saying that we shouldn't judge a celebrity for what goes on in their private business. We should judge them on the work they do i.e. - did they make a good/bad movie? Was their latest album a hit? How good is their new product line etc. But as human beings it's in us to judge people on the things that they do whether we know them or not, whether we're right to do that or not. It's human nature and that's what happens. So we're all going to have an opinion on what celebrities do as we do with anyone else.
I do think it's a bit immature to boycott a certain celebrity because they took drugs, drank a lot, got in a fight, slept around etc. as that's not anything to do with the rest of us. However with people like R Kelly, I don't feel comfortable listening to his stuff anymore because of all the disgusting things he's done. I think in this case, it's understandable. I also couldn't listen to Chris brown anymore after he hit Rhianna - something I just can't condone. Many years ago, there were rumours that Tevin Campbell was seen with a transvestite prostitute. This was before he came out as gay, and even though back then being gay was seen as something scandalous (especially within the urban community) it never stopped me from listening to his music because that was his own personal business.
That would depend on what the scandalous situation is. In America it's not uncommon for TV stars and movie stars to fall in love on set even if one or both is with someone else. I'm sure it's the same story wherever in the world you go when it comes to actors. I'm not condoning cheating or anything but if we start calling for all of these stars to be fired then who would we have left to watch?
But there are other situations where I know it would be weird seeing or listening to someone's work because they've committed a very serious crime.
I don't actually think it's 'fair' when anyone's career is ruined - unless your name is R Kelly or Gary Glitter in which case you brought it on yourself! But I do think that people need to differentiate in other circumstances between people's personal and professional lives. Let's face it, how many of us are perfect? The difference is that when we mess up, the whole world doesn't get to know about it. We're not going to lose fans or support. We may not necessary lose work because of something that's gone on in our private lives. In the world of entertainment there's always something controversial going on. So what are you going to do? Stop watching movies, buying books or listening to music? All heinous acts aside, I don't think we should overly involve ourselves in other people's business.
After reading this post, Anthea Turner immediately sprang to mind. As the British contingent here will remember she really was the golden girl of TV during the nineties. Was there a show she hadn't presented??? Plus she was married to Radio One DJ Bruno Brookes who came across as a really lovely man. But once she cheated on him with the husband of a friend, that was it for her and her TV presenting career was never the same again. In fact she seems to do more reality type shows than anything else these days. I work in television and I've met people who have worked with Anthea and it seems that there's still a lot of respect for her. It's just a shame that her private life got in the way of her professional life.
Unless a star has committed a serious offence, I don't see why the public should be so bothered. Everyone knows that famous people live by a different set of rules and a lot of things that go on are just part of that world. I certainly wouldn't stop watching a TV show or movie because the main actor has become headline news due to some nonsense in his private life. People have to accept that some things are just none of our business. My mum was around in the sixties and seventies and what stars got up to back then was definitely a lot more shocking than what they get up to today!
Hmm... I think it depends on what the scandal is to be honest, Chipmunk. In Julia Robert's case I think what has triggered a lot of people is the ruthlessness and insensitivity she showed towards the first wife of her now husband. Let's not forget, he's hardly blameless in all of this either and I don't buy the excuse that Julia stalked him relentlessly. Um, you can still say no. LOL!
But I remember when news broke about their affair, there was a report that Julia had phoned his house and asked his wife in a seemingly jokey way if she could 'borrow' her husband - when she was already sleeping with him. And then of course there was that t-shirt. Talk about kicking people when they're down! While there is no denying that Julia is an incredibly talented actress and has made some fantastic films over the years, all of the above makes her come across as a very unlikable person. I would still go and watch her films, I don't see why I shouldn't. But I do agree with others when they say that she seems mean and spiteful. Even though this happened many years ago, people have long memories and they don't forget so easily.
But that said I don't believe that Julia's career suffered as a result of her being labelled a 'marriage wrecker' and fair play to her and her husband for making their marriage last when everyone said it wouldn't. Plus they've got a beautiful family together so maybe it really is the real deal after all. It's just a shame that the first wife had to get hurt in all this.