A couple of recent bits of celebrity news have caused me to reflect on the topic of celebrity sincerity. Or, perhaps more accurately, celebrity fakeness. Mel Gibson spent years denying that he was not his father's son, that he loved, respected and got along with Jews, he even talked of directing a movie about the Holocaust. Then, in one weekend, all of that gets called into doubt after Gibson gets pulled over for drunk driving and goes on an anti-Semitic tirade--much of which was apparently caught on tape (check out TMZ.com if you want all the juicy, sordid details).
Lindsay Hohan--I'm sorry, er, LOHAN--misses time on the set of her new movie one day complaining of "heat exhaustion", then the movie's producers throw her under the bus by "leaking" a letter they wrote to her in which they basically say that they know she's a lying party girl that can't get her act together and that they'll fire her or worse if she dosesn't straighten up.
Who are the celebrities who are pretty much straight shooters, who's public image and private persona are pretty much in sync and who are the celebrities who are either hiding a very dark side or who are nothing like they are perceived to be by the general public? Having been in Hollywood for a dozen years, I've witnessed some celebs up close and personal and there are still others who's real side has been revealed to me by close friends who have worked with or for them.
As a public service of this blog, I will now reveal the celebrities who are "real" and the ones who are big "phonies". This list will be subdivided into two categories--one group is based on personal encounters/reliable information from trustworthy anonyomous sources and the other list will be based on news reports, press releases, rumors and suspicions. The former list will be italicized. When applicable, I will add a personal comment or two to clarify why a person is in a certain category. Remember, this is not a list of who's naughty or who's nice--every celebrity does good things, and every celebrity has done something they're not proud of, just like regular people. Also, if a celebrity appears straight (or gay) but is probably the opposite, I don't consider that worthy of comment--it's their business and has nothing to do with who they are as PEOPLE.
Now, without further adieu, the lists. Feel free to respond and add your own.
LIST A - The Real Deal
These celebrities I know from personal experience or reliable information that they are pretty much who they seem to be, for better or worse. They ain't fakin'--like them or not, what you see (or often read about them) is pretty much what you get:
Colin Farrell (on the road to recovery and maybe even maturity)
Rosario Dawson (see previous blog)
George Clooney
Jack Black
President George W. Bush (I have one friend convinced that he's really a diabolical mastermind determined to completely sell out our country. I'd believe that if he could actually speak English or if he didn't have such a permanently clueless look on his face)
Lindsay Lohan (yes, she really is a talented but out of control 19-year old party girl)
Meryl Streep
Catherine Keener (but maybe a little more down to earth than most characters she plays)
Charlize Theron
Paul Reiser
Melina Kanakaredes
Allen Iverson (you may not like him, but what you see is what you get...)
Barry Bonds (see Allen Iverson)
Naomi Campbell (yes, she's really an abusive bitch)
Courtney Cox Arquette (the most genuine of the former FRIENDS stars)
Billy Crystal (a ham? Yes. A real Hollywood gentleman? Absolutely.)
Danny DeVito
Paris Hilton (yes, she really is a rich, self-absorbed twit)
Adam Sandler
Tom Selleck
LIST B - Don't Believe the Hype (or their publicists)
Phony, phony, phony, maybe to the core. Some will seem obvious...some might shock you!
Tom Cruise (but I don't think he's an alien. Yet.)
Tom Hanks (never met a self-aggrandizing opportunity he didn't like)
Will Smith/Jada Pinkett Smith (two words: sex freaks. And not just with each other!)
Mel Gibson (funny and self-deprecating on the set, an alcoholic, possibly anti-Semitic control freak off of it)
Oprah Winfrey (gay or straight is irrelevant, but her famous compassion is also a balanced by a ruthless coldness and a large ego)
John Elway (can't go into details on this one, but he's not good to the people close to him. And I don't just mean his ex-wife)
Michael Jordan (great basketball player, incorrigible gambler, notorious p***yhound)
Al Gore (actually very funny and personable. Got a bad rap and raw deal in 2000)
Ben Stiller (jerk)
Tyra Banks (does good work with kids, but there's still a lot of runway diva in her and now her ego may be starting to fill up that space beneath her enormous forehead)
Bill Cosby (his image has taken a hit in recent years, so the public perception is now probably closer to his personal behavior than it was back in the COSBY SHOW days)
Kiefer Sutherland (he drinks...A LOT. But he's also a goofball, which you'd never guess from the superserious characters he plays)
Christopher Walken (everybody loves Walken. He's actually one of the saner, gentler established celebrities in Hollywood)
This is a fun topic...if I don't get sued, I'll come back to it and more to each list, especially if I have any more personal encounters that I can add.
Peace...
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