The Camera's Lying

Earth Day: For Treehuggers Only?

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:02:00 +0000

Today is Earth Day. How is one to react?

For several decades, anyone who has shown any type of concern for the environment has been swiftly labeled a treehugger.

However, during my entire, albeit short duration of adulthood, being “green” has become trendy. Car companies brag about their newest development of hybrid cars, grocery stores encourage us to buy reusable tote bags, and even tiny tots are being bred by Disney to “send on” the message of environmentalism (See the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, & other Disney 'Friends for Change' perform an ode to environmentalism here).

The movie “No Impact Man” (released in 2009) keeps the momentum going, shattering the stereotype that environmentalism is nothing but a useless hassle. Producer and main subject of the film, Colin Beavan successfully takes on the challenge of living a year with leaving “no environmental footprint” not as an individual in exile, but alongside a young family in the middle of New York City. The film concludes that if he can do it, anyone can.

No doubt, the film is one of extremes. Giving up electricity, takeout, and motor vehicles are not things anyone beside Beavan would usually be willing to endeavor. From the beginning of the film, Beavan admits that he is embarking on this impossible journey NOT because he expects others to follow unquestioningly behind him. He doesn't even plan to continue to perform all of his “experiments” beyond one year. Instead, he wants to use his experience to raise awareness and inspire others to do whatever small thing possible to lessen his or her negative impact on the earth.

As extreme as Beavan's experiments were, I'm willing to incorporate several of them into my life. Especially when I start a family and have small children, I would love to not have a TV in my house. As the Beavan family demonstrated, such a simple act successfully brought the family together and forced them to get out of the apartment and do more interesting activities together, like go to the park or on more family trips. Besides, if I'm really craving an episode of Glee, there's always Hulu to the rescue.

I was also inspired to buy more locally grown food. I'm a pretty culturally diverse diner, so I don't think I could completely rule out restaurants or imported groceries. However, I would definitely consider getting most of my produce from local farmers. The weekly Farmer's Market in Union Square makes this especially easy to do. Lastly, I absolutely hate taking out the trash, so if I ever had a balcony or a backyard, I would actually give the worm compost bin a fair try. Imagine all that money I'd save on trash bags!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What are some "green" steps you are willing (or not willing) to take?

Jonas Brothers: Candid Conviction

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:01:00 +0000

Grammy-nominated Pop/Rock trio the Jonas Brothers have become much more vocal about their Christian faith lately. Granted, their donning of the infamous purity rings, a symbol of chastity before marriage, has whipped up a good share of controversy surrounding the band (See “Freaked Out Over Standards?”).

In the course of almost three years in the spotlight, these three sons of a Baptist preacher have been relatively low-key about their beliefs, usually opting to redirect interviewers to ask about their music, rather than about their faith.

Yet in mid-March, Nick, Joe, & Kevin agreed to do an interview for Gateway Church, a non-denominational church located in Austin, Texas.

On it, they spoke of their personal relationship with God, and its relevance to their personal lives and careers. For example, as Christians, they see every concert performance as a way to worship God and share their gifts with others. They were also a guest worship band at Saddleback Church's Easter Service at the Anaheim Angels Stadium, of which The Purpose Driven Life's Rick Warren is lead pastor.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Should celebrities keep their beliefs to themselves or openly share it with all?

The Oscar Curse's Next Victim: Sandra

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:52:00 +0000

Photo Credit: www.woodenspears.com

Legend has it that winning an Oscar does wonders for an actress's career, yet horrors for her love life. In 1999, Gwyneth Paltrow won an award for her role in Shakespeare in Love. Just two months later, she and Ben Affleck called it quits. Julia Roberts won in 2001 for Erin Brockovich, and three months later broke it off with Benjamin Bratt, her boyfriend of four years.

The latest edition is Sandra Bullock, who recently won “Best Actress” for her role in The Blind Side. Just two weeks after winning, she moved out of her Southern California home, leaving husband of five years Jesse James just days before rumors surfaced that he had cheated on her.

Sandra's next move is up in the air, whether she will let herself cool down and work things out with her husband, or become another statistic as a divorcée. It seems Jesse has hopes to reconcile, reportedly checking into a treatment facility to deal with personal issues, “a crucial step to help himself, help his family and help save his marriage,” said his rep in a statement.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What would you do if you were in Sandra's shoes? Whip out the divorce papers or work it out?

New Moon: Why I Love What Everyone Loves

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:27:00 +0000

MY ENTRY FOR THE MYSPACE "NEW MOON PREMIERE RED CARPET CORRESPONDENT CONTEST"

Grand Prize: A 4 day / 3 night trip to Los Angeles, CA for the winner and one guest to attend the premiere of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” on November 16, 2009. Winner will assist a co-host or other designated person as a red carpet correspondent.

In 150 words or less, answer the following: "Why are YOU the ultimate ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ fan and why should you be on the red carpet to interview the stars?"

---

In Edward's effort to protect Bella, he inflicts upon her the greatest pain possible, forcing her to live a life apart from him. In Bella's effort to cherish Edward's undeniable love, she goes too far, believing that she's entirely undeserving of his love. New Moon gets to the heart of every love story, the hard balance between knowing how to love and be loved. It's the reason why I love the story.

My name is Marilette dela Cruz, a Media student in New York City. I am passionate about entertainment journalism, because I believe celebrities have a story to tell, and that they are not commodities but human beings. My blog, “The Camera's Lying” is dedicated to this subject:

www.thecameraslying.com. I would be honored to represent the cast of New Moon well.

New Moon Trailer:

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Trailer in HD

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

EXCLUSIVE Someday Static Interview for TheCamerasLying.com

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Members of Someday Static (from left to right): Jeff Weinstein (bass), Malin Bray (vocals), Brian McFadden (drums), Artem Chernorgod (guitar) and Stefanie Eichmann (keyboards)

Listen in on an interview with NYC-based rock band Someday Static EXCLUSIVELY for TheCamerasLying.com.

Ever wonder which sDs band member wanted to be a theology professor? Who got his musical break in Karaoke? Who wanted to be a ballerina? Who sells high-end furniture as his day job? What charitable cause unites them all?

Get inside with Malin, Artem, Brian, Jeff and Stefanie as they talk about their band, their music, and their lives.

(Having trouble? Click here.)

For More Information, visit MySpace.com/SomedayStatic.

All music used in this podcast is the property of Someday Static. © 2009 Someday Static. All Rights Reserved.

Interviewed and produced by Marilette dela Cruz, New York, NY, August 2009 for TheCamerasLying.com.

Stark Naked Souls

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:51:00 +0000

By the time Joe Jonas realized that the camera was there, he and Kevin were already exposed, shirtless. Rather than take the opportunity to flaunt the results of his daily workout, he was unnerved at the camera’s presence: like a deer in headlights, his jaw dropped and his eyes were wide open in shock. He quickly directed his bodyguard’s and older brother Kevin’s attention to the camera, and urged them to take action. With furrowed brows, Kevin grimaced as he swiftly threw a shirt to cover the camera lens.

The sibling pop group Jonas Brothers' first movie Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience has caused hysteria among millions of Jonas Brothers fans in multiplexes across the nation. Nearly a month since its release, it has sparked hundreds of copyright-infringing YouTubers to describe the aforementioned scene as “fantasy,” “bea utiful,” and “the greatest seventeen seconds” of their lives.

Yet a close look at the boys’ demeanor in the film shows that they were not experiencing the same euphoria as their fans.

Joe, lead singer of the band, admitted to MTV News on February 25 that they had allowed the Disney cameramen to “film everything backstage,” but it “just happened to be our quick-change room and they caught us.”

"The thing is, we were in the midst of the show, so we were just continuing like a show," Kevin, backup vocalist and instrumentalist, explained. "So when we went backstage, we didn't realize they were there and we were changing ... we went, 'Oh my gosh! Wow! We might want to get them out of here.'”

MTV Shows

This is not the first time the media have overstepped their boundaries, exposing aspects of celebrities’ lives that they would have rather kept private.

The pop icon Britney Spears has had to deal with the invasiveness of paparazzi for almost a decade now. Her January 2008 single, “Piece of Me” reflects her distress: “I’m Miss American Dream since I was 17/ Don’t matter if I step on the scene/ Or sneak away to the Philippines/ They still got pictures of my derrière in the magazine/… I’m Miss bad media karma/ Another day another drama.”

American law upholds the basic human right of privacy, yet somehow we as a society feel entitled to deprive celebrities of theirs.

In her book The Repeal of Reticence: A History of America's Cultural and Legal Struggles over Free Speech, Obscenity, Sexual Liberation, and Modern Art, scholar and cultural critic Rochelle Gurstein explains that “Intimate matter… because of their smallness and fragility, needed to be tenaciously guarded against curious eyes lest they be deformed.”

Charles Eliot Norton leading American author, social critic, and professor of art of the 20th Century would have agreed. In the preface to Letters of John Ruskin to Charles Eliot Norton, he mentioned that he held “with those who believe that there are sanctities in love and life to be kept in privacy inviolate.”

As Norton further explained in his book, “[v]ulgar curiosity is, indeed always alert to spy into these sanctities [of private life] and is too often gratified as in some memorable and mournful instances in recent years, by the infidelities of untrustworthy friends.” When the Jonas brothers agreed to be filmed backstage, they were no doubt aware of the transparency and vulnerability that it would entail. Yet, nowadays, apparently, dressing rooms are no longer considered to be sacred, at least for the camera. If any individual were to be standing in a famous performer’s dressing room, they would swiftly be arrested and labeled a stalker. Yet these trusted cameramen were given license to violate common courtesy for the sake of the entertainment of the masses.

Gurstein makes clear that “[te]nderness teaches us to forestall overly searching glances and to neglect harsh observations, ensuring that we never view our loved ones distanced, as in a photograph, but through a sympathetic lens that enables us to situate shortcomings within the unfolding narrative of our shared existence.” Celebrities are, in fact, viewed from a distance, and as such are treated as commodities. They are no longer mere entertainers, but entertainment themselves. Yet, as Gurstein warns, we should reconsider the “shared existence” we have with these celebrities.

Our society needs to redeem a sense of discretion, which Gurstein defines as, “the sensitivity that enables us not only to respect another person’s secrets, but also to sidestep knowing something that the person does not want us to know or does not expressly reveal to us…It is discretion that permits us to render truth about our lives sensitively, making a home for ourselves and other who are always only human and therefore not deserving of the brutality of full disclosure.” But our disregard of the humanness of celebrities helps us justify our desire to exploit them for our own selfish desires.

The Jonas Brothers and other modern celebrities have exhibited—as English lawyer, judge and writer James Fitzjames Stephen writes in Liberty, Equality, & Fraternity—this truth: “[t]hat any one human creature should ever really strip his soul stark naked for the inspection of any other, and be able to hold up his head afterwards, isn’t, I supposed impossible, because so many people profess to do it; but to lookers-on from the outside it is inconceivable.”

CASUALties

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:21:00 +0000

Spring break. MTV may not have invented it, but they might as well have. Every year, MTV’s Spring Break celebration draws over half a million college students to a non-stop party location, in places like Panama City Beach, Florida (where it was held last year). It attracts millions more through its television coverage. MTV influenced a generation of hormonal college co-eds who study just hard enough during the rest of the semester to find an excuse to down some Bacardi, and bump, grind, and make out with each other for a care-free week in the Spring. Nothing is more thrilling, they believe, than hooking up with a total stranger, then forgetting all about it, and about her or him. No time is more perfect than Spring Break to feel the exhilaration and excitement of sexuality with few strings attached.

Penny Wrenn, in a recent Glamour magazine article, however, admits that “sex is the big deal you think it’s not.” She cites Dorothy Robinson, co-author of Dating Makes You Want to Die, who explains that “sex is the heaviest thing that everyone does their best to make light of,” and warns that the heaviness can catch up with you as soon as the morning after your sexual encounter. Besides the possibility of irreversible physical consequences like sexually transmitted diseases and a child, there are also life-changing psychological and emotional trauma that usually accompany the oxymoron “casual sex.”

Nina Atwood, a Dallas-based therapist and author of Temptations of the Single Girl “find[s] it ironic that people would rather have sex than discuss the ramifications of it.” Contrary to what many date movies suggest, most of us girls don’t end up like Drew Barrymore’s character in Music and Lyrics, who falls in love with her leading man Hugh Grant’s character, after having sex with him as someone she hardly knew. Atwood warns: “[h]aving sex too soon is the biggest mistake I see women making…We always tout the exception: A woman sleeps with a guy on the first date, and they wind up married and it’s all great. But for every one of those fairy tales, I’ve heard 150 stories from women who’ve started down that road and didn’t end up in the loving relationship that they wanted.”

Dick Purnell, author of Becoming a Friend and Lover and Free to Love Again: Coming to Terms with Sexual Regret, wrote a helpful article to explain this phenomenon. He calls it the “morning-after syndrome” in which we wake up only to find that the intimacy we expected is not really there. The sexual excitement is no longer enough to satisfy us, so we find that what we wanted in the first place was never fulfilled. What we have are two broken people feeding their own insecurities by preying on the other. True intimacy is not something that can be obtained instantly and only physically. “[S]ex may only be a temporary relief for a superficial desire.” Purnell points out, “There is a much deeper need that is still unmet.”

This “deeper need” is fulfilled only when sharing mankind’s most invigorating experience with the one person to whom you are attracted to in every aspect of your being: yes, physically, but also emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, as well. Most people think that sex loses all its fun within a commitment. The same person, the same face, the same body, the same lips, the same everything…doesn’t it get boring after a while? They look at the mating rituals of animals and conclude that it is our biological imperative to disseminate our DNA as widely as possible. Most animals, they argue, do not mate for life, so neither should we. What these people fail to mention, however, is that animals mate out of pure instinct and procreational purposes, yet human sexuality is infinitely more complex: it is brain-oriented. We actively choose a mate; we never pursue a person simply for the fact that they are a member of the opposite sex.

Laura Berman, Ph.D, author of Real Sex For Real Women, reveals a little known fact: “Research shows that the number one component of women’s sexual satisfaction is not orgasm; it’s connection to the person you’re with.” There's a loneliness that pervades those who flee from one partner to the next, a sense that they are missing out on something profound and real. They remain unfulfilled, unaware (or in denial) that the best kind of sex is experienced within long term, mutually exclusive relationships. We fully enjoy the intimacy we create with another person—whose character we love as much as their body—when we bond within a safe haven of sexual pleasure and freedom. The deeper the bond between partners, the better the sex will be.

Freaked Out Over Standards?

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:15:00 +0000

We’ve all heard about it. The infamous Russell Brand comment criticizing the Jonas Brothers and their purity rings.

(However, if you, like me––a college student deficient in spare time and available cable channels–– were unable to watch the VMAs live this year, well you’re in luck: MTV.com. has dedicated an entire page to get you up-to-date on the controversy.)

Nick, the youngest of the group, told People Magazine in June that the purity ring is “a personal choice.” And wondered, as if prophesying the Brand incident two months in advance, “Why is the world so freaked out that we have standards?”

Indeed, it has been a well-publicized fact that the boys have committed to stay pure before marriage, since they are hounded by questions on the topic in almost every interview.

The article in the August issue of Rolling Stone (of which the Jonas Brothers were on the cover) was no exception. In it, Jason Gay summarized the brothers’ views very well:

“If there is one subject the Jonas Brothers are tired of talking about, it’s their purity rings […]
“We’ve talked about it enough,” Nick says abruptly. "We’d rather focus on the music and the movie.”[…]
“Well,” Nick says quietly, “to us, the rings are a constant reminder to live a life of values. It’s about being a gentleman, treating people with respect and being the best guys we can be.”
Was it something you guys all decided to wear collaboratively?
“We all did it at one point in our life,” Kevin says, “On our own personal time.”

Russell Brand was not the first dubious critic of the boys and their decision. Back in March, Michael Buckley of the “What The Buck” YouTube show, poked fun at their virginity, claiming that the only way teenage boys and abstinence could be reconciled was if they were gay.

Conversely, many have also embraced the brothers’ counterculture attitude. In the same Rolling Stones article, Jason Gay claimed that at every concert he attended, fans were showing off their rings. In fact, a “spokeswoman for James Avery Craftsman, a large Christian-based jeweler, [told him] that sales of the company’s ‘True Love Waits’ purity ring are up 25 percent this year. ‘We can’t say for sure why, but it’s up,’ she says.”

But something tells me that these millions of supportive teenage girls may be likely to start practicing regular flossing if the boys chose to promote it. Elsewhere, however, other artists have followed the brothers’ lead. Among these, of course, is Ms. American Idol Jordin Sparks, who albeit in a more forthright manner than the boys, voiced out her view of promise rings later on that night at the VMAs, claiming that “[i]t's not bad to wear a promise ring, 'cause not everybody, guy or girl, wants to be a slut.”

Some may claim that Jordin may be biased, admitting on Hannity & Colmes on Wednesday evening that she herself wears a promise ring. But the real surprise came when self-proclaimed “gossip gangster,” Perez Hilton, defended the boys, expressing his view that “those Jonas brothers are good kids, and we shouldn’t be making fun of them for promoting good values.”

Deep down, I don’t believe that individuals are actually contemptuous towards those who have chosen to abstain from sex until marriage. It’s just that no one can deny that such a goal in the context of our sex-obsessed culture seems quite impossible. Tila Tequila once shared with Fuse the pressure she had to deal with as a teenager:

“I didn’t have my first kiss until I was 15, which was very embarrassing for me, because I had to lie to all my friends…I knew everybody at school and I had guys…that had crushes on me, but I had never made out with anybody, and my friends... were already having sex and stuff, so I was like “Of course I have!” And I was like "Oh my God! I gotta start practicing!”

As undoubtedly inappropriate as Brand’s comment was, I can honestly say that I am thankful that the incident happened. Furthermore, I am ecstatic that it happened on a platform as far-reaching as the VMAs. There could not have been a better place or time, in which such a pervasive issue was allowed to surface before the very audience struggling with it the most. As reflected by most movies, television, and music leading up to the present time, having sex before a lifetime commitment was considered not simply a cultural norm, but more like an unavoidable and inevitable reality. At least now, thanks to the Jonas Brothers and likeminded young stars, there is at least some possibility of an alternative.

P.S.
See Brand’s forced apology here. ;)

Celebrities.

noreply@blogger.com (Marilette) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:16:00 +0000

Especially as an American, it is impossible to get through an entire day without hearing something from or about them. Movies, music, and television shows are saturated with them. Most news shows include a segment about them, and there is even an entire television network dedicated to the subject. Celebrity news flood the magazine racks, so even standing in line at the grocery store becomes yet another platform for the propagation of their life stories.

But what exactly is a celebrity? What are the criteria that set one apart from “normal” people? A basic definition is someone who all the girls want to be, and all the guys want to be with (or vice versa). It is someone whom the public can’t get enough of. It is someone, for instance, like Marilyn Monroe.

Her official website describes her life and legend the most succinctly: “A global sensation in her lifetime, Marilyn's popularity has extended beyond star status to icon. Today, the name ‘Marilyn Monroe’ is synonymous with beauty, sensuality and effervescence. She remains an inspiration to all who strive to overcome personal obstacles for the goal of achieving greatness.” But what does Ms. Monroe say about herself and the life she lived?

Marilyn Monroe Quotes:

"I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful."
"No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't."
"An actress is not a machine, but they treat you like a machine. A money machine."
"Being a sex symbol is a heavy load to carry, especially when one is tired, hurt and bewildered."
"I don't want to play sex roles any more. I'm tired of being known as the girl with the shape."
"[Hollywood is] a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your
soul."
"I don't mind making jokes, but I don't want to look like one."
"Everybody is always tugging at you. They'd all like a sort of chunk out of you. I don't think they realize it, but it's like 'grrr do this, grr do that...' But you do want to stay intact--intact and on two feet."
"It stirs up envy, fame does. People...feel fame gives them some kind of privilege to walk up to you and say anything to you--and it won't hurt your feelings--like it's happening to your clothing."
"She [Sadie Thompson] was a girl who knew how to be gay even when she was sad. And that's important--you know?"
"With fame, you know, you can read about yourself, somebody else's ideas about you,
but what's important is how you feel about yourself--for survival and living day
to day with what comes up."
"Fame is fickle and I know it. It has its compensations, but it also has its drawbacks and I've experienced them both."
"I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."
"It's all make believe, isn't it?"

Decades after she left the world, singer Elton John wrote the song “Candle in the Wind” about her…

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your
name
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something as more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe

When I first learned of Marilyn’s true story, it finally clicked: most celebrities are misunderstood. The media portray such distorted pictures of them, and it is sad to say that most viewers don’t mind. Most of the time we tend to do one of two things: (1) put them on a pedestal, deeming them unapproachable and “above” us, or (2) observe their lives from a microscope, criticizing their every move.

This blog will follow the lives of celebrities, as they share it: through blogs, websites, songs, and interviews. Through this, hopefully you too will discover that they are not immune to pain, loneliness, or the universal need to be loved. Celebrities, after all, are still just people.