'Celebrity 'Magazines

One of the trials of supermarket shopping is the checkout where one’s glance automatically falls on the ‘celebrity’ magazines arrayed along the counter. A couple of days ago, while waiting, I was informed via the cover of ‘Grazia’ that ‘Prince Harry is dating rock royalty’ while another headline above a picture of a total nonentity read ‘I was arrested for being too handsome’. I have never seen anyone buying these items of mind-boggling vacuity but by sheer coincidence I later boarded an underground train and saw a woman reading the same magazine. She didn’t look stupid so perhaps she was reading it for a thesis on pointless publications. It occurred to me that there might be people who actually find these magazines worthy of their attention. Is there anyone on the forum who knows of others who read Grazia or similar publications?

No I don't know anybody who reads such things but someone's got to be buying them. I do know a few women who read 'women's magazines' though which are similar if not the same thing, Bella, Chat and junk like that containing articles with headlines such as: 'how I lost 16 stone in one week' 'how to fit into that size 12 dress' 'my psycho boyfriend ate half my face and I still married him' etc, etc. Throw in a little 'celeb' gossip, crossword, sex problem pages and job done, sell a few million.

In the former colonies we have the similiar ephemera where they line the ends of supermarket check-out aisles among the candy, gum, and other impulse purchases, such as nail clippers. Apart from much devoting much ink to an inexplicable (to yours fooly, anyway) fascination with the British Royal Family, these magazines spotlight celebrities, which include principal players in lurid murder cases as well as legitimate show biz personalities--rarely artists known for their accomplishments and not even run-of-the-mill actors and actresses but rather those involved in embarrassing situations, such as "messy" divorces or DUI arrests.

The finger-wagging implication seems to play upon something in our national character, a type of Schadenfreude. Take it from me, after decades of observation: nothing makes an American feel more alive than a hearty rant full of righteous indignation.

Among supermarket periodicals, there is a gritty stepchild, a sub-genre of publications obsessed with outlandish allegations, such as hyped-up celebrity confessions, "Proven!" UFO sightings, and weekly predictions about the End of the World. (That it apparently didn't happen on December 21, 2012 must've sent the editorial boards back to the drawing board, pronto.) And lest we forget, both the celebrity mags and the tabloid pseudo-news paper always offer a new diet, which never lacks popularity. Many women love to read about dieting, but few ever put the info into practice, to judge from the looks of your typical American shopper.

[QUOTE=AuntShecky;1217727] Apart from much devoting much ink to an inexplicable (to yours fooly, anyway) fascination with the British Royal Family, these magazines spotlight celebrities, which include principal players in lurid murder cases as well as legitimate show biz personalities--rarely artists known for their accomplishments and not even run-of-the-mill actors and actresses but rather those involved in embarrassing situations, such as "messy" divorces or DUI arrests. QUOTE]

Thankfully, we haven't reached the stage where checkout magazines incorporate things that have more recently become the province of YouTube, but the triviality of virtually all things royal is also a favourite preoccupation of the British. Yesterday I saw a newspaper item with pictures of Prince Harry( yes the same one) swanning around the White House with Mrs Obama. It's even likely that there are people who consider Harry to be more interesting than that other arch-exponent of the inconsequential, Justin Timberlake: whose name frequently features on the cover of 'celebrity' magazines.
For those of us who consider the monarchy to be the epitome of tedium, it's disheartening to realise that it's the unqualified adoration of their followers that keeps the whole gaudy show on the road and, given that the British government resorted to the cinema industry to stage the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, one wonders how long it will be before Baz Luhrmann is called in to stage the state opening of parliament.
The media in general, and not only celebrity magazines, are all too willing to pander to the obsessional behaviour of royal groupies so that even pictures like this will never persuade them to give up their addiction.

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/738/67...andphilipr.jpg

[QUOTE=Emil Miller;1217790]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AuntShecky

Apart from much devoting much ink to an inexplicable (to yours fooly, anyway) fascination with the British Royal Family, these magazines spotlight celebrities, which include principal players in lurid murder cases as well as legitimate show biz personalities--rarely artists known for their accomplishments and not even run-of-the-mill actors and actresses but rather those involved in embarrassing situations, such as "messy" divorces or DUI arrests. QUOTE]

Thankfully, we haven't reached the stage where checkout magazines incorporate things that have more recently become the province of YouTube, but the triviality of virtually all things royal is also a favourite preoccupation of the British. Yesterday I saw a newspaper item with pictures of Prince Harry( yes the same one) swanning around the White House with Mrs Obama. It's even likely that there are people who consider Harry to be more interesting than that other arch-exponent of the inconsequential, Justin Timberlake: whose name frequently features on the cover of 'celebrity' magazines.
For those of us who consider the monarchy to be the epitome of tedium, it's disheartening to realise that it's the unqualified adoration of their followers that keeps the whole gaudy show on the road and, given that the British government resorted to the cinema industry to stage the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, one wonders how long it will be before Baz Luhrmann is called in to stage the state opening of parliament.
The media in general, and not only celebrity magazines, are all too willing to pander to the obsessional behaviour of royal groupies so that even pictures like this will never persuade them to give up their addiction.

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/738/67...andphilipr.jpg

---

You should try a tarantella and a waltz, alternatively in the METRO. LOL