Scraping the Barrel since 2007, by Tyler Smith

Celebrity gossip has been around since the early days of theatre. When movies and television came along, America’s interest in Hollywood gossip skyrocketed. People were intrigued to know more about the performers that they tuned in to watch every night. Public interest in a performer could turn him into a star, to the point that talent was rendered almost completely moot. A person’s career could shatter if public opinion turned against him (see the unfortunate case of Fatty Arbuckle for heartbreaking evidence of this).

Tabloid gossip is certainly nothing new, but the tone of it seems to have changed in the last ten years or so. What used to be curiosity about Hollywood’s biggest stars turned darker, more hostile. Seeing celebrities’ lives was all good fun and everything, but what about us? While these people are enjoying the good life in their Beverly Hills mansions, we’re toiling away at our crappy jobs to be able to pay the mortgage on our tiny houses.

Suddenly, gossip wasn’t enough. We wanted to know about scandal. We didn’t want to know about these people’s interests or lifestyles; only what they were doing wrong. Perhaps it came from a desire to feel superior to people who appeared to have everything. Because, sure, they have eight cars, but their marriage fell apart, so it all comes out in the wash.

The apex of “gotcha” celebrity journalism came with TMZ, a website solely devoted to actively seeking out and provoking celebrities. With a belligerent cameraman in her face, the more likely a Hollywood starlet would say something profane or rude. And if such a thing happened, TMZ would be there to show the world just how awful these Hollywood types truly are.

When TMZ branched out into a half-hour television show, things got even more judgmental. Now, along with the usual celebrity footage, we were treated to a nasal, condescending narrator and a collection of attractive “journalists,” whose sole talent seems to be looking good while being snide. And, of course, heading it all up is Harvey Levin, the Professor Xavier to this school of vapid youngsters. As the gang gets together to discuss the footage and snapshots, we get one snarky comment after another, punctuated by derisive laughter at these dumb celebrities who have the audacity to be famous.

There are billboards here in Los Angeles trumpeting the supposed motivation behind the TMZ empire. “Keeping Hollywood real since 2007.” Oh, is that what they’re doing? And here I just thought that they were trying to make themselves feel better by bringing down others who did them no wrong.

Don’t get me wrong; there’s a lot of bravado and ego in Hollywood. There are plenty of celebrities whose sense of self worth has inflated in proportion to their visibility. However, provoking and perpetuating rumors, gossip, and scandal does nothing to fight against that. In fact, instead of “keeping Hollywood real,” TMZ has adopted an attitude that is decidedly more Hollywood than that of many of the stars they’re attempting to expose.