Do you think it’s fair of stars who publicize things when they feel like it, when it’s in their best interests, to then turn around and say “respect our privacy at this time” as in the case of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorce?
I mean he was the one jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch. They were the ones who had a fairy tale wedding in a castle. It seems to me that Tom Cruise orchestrates everything to his advantage when he needs the press but is it now fair to say “leave us alone at this “private” time?”
I know that everyone hates the way the paparazzi is. I sure do. I feel sorry for these people that they follow in cars at high risk speeds and they take pictures in their bedroom windows from trees. They block them while they try to get in their cars. They follow their children to school and follow them through grocery stores. I know some of it is unavoidable given their profession and some people like to read this stuff but I do feel they go too far sometimes.
Then on the other hand you have people like Sylvester Stallone who was never a media whore and his son has died and he recently said this: “When a parent loses a child there is no greater pain. Therefore I am imploring people to respect my talented son’s memory and feel compassion for his loving mother Sasha.” He went on, “This agonizing loss will be felt for the rest of our lives. Sage was our first child and the center of our universe and I am humbly begging for all to have my son’s memory and soul left in peace.”
You can’t have it both ways so do you think the press should leave some alone and not others? There are a lot of celebrities who are hardly ever in the press. They seem to lead very private lives. But then you have others, like Tom Cruise who almost acts like his life is a movie.
What do you think? Do you think they should be left alone? Do you feel because of what they do, they ask for it? How do you feel about the paparazzi? Do you think they should be allowed to follow people causing high-speed chases or follow them through grocery stores or take pictures of them bbq-ing in their back yards?
Us Girls..Our Views 
I can’t really judge, because I don’t know how the paparazzi decides whom they are going to follow. I mean, it seems to me they pick on certain people they think we “love to hate” and they never let up. Yes, stars put up with it because “there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” but putting up with it is not the same as signing up for it. I don’t believe that just because you choose an acting career, you give up all your privacy whether you want to or not.
I think everyone should back off when someone loses a loved one. People need to be able to grieve away from cameras, regardless of how rich, famous, or obnoxious they are.
Now as for divorce, I think that is different, because it’s something the individuals chose, they had time to get used to the idea, etc. They can always say “no comment” if they don’t want to discuss it. Yes, I’m sure there is grief involved, but I don’t feel it’s the same thing.
I never watched any of those Tom Cruise interviews etc., but he sounds like a real piece of work. He doesn’t seem to have normal reactions to things. So maybe this divorce + paparazzi stuff will bring out the worst in him. Time will tell. If he has any sense, he’ll just say “no comment” and keep on moving. If he decides to make a spectacle of himself, he pretty much only has himself to blame.
I’m a fence-sitter on this one.
Tom Cruise is a jackass. I had little respect for him previously, and then he did that couch-jumping thing, and I lost any respect that might have existed. I’m ok with some of his movies (“take me to bed or lose me forever,” is still a great line…except that was Meg Ryan in a TC movie), but him, as a person, No respect. None. And then the Psychology is VooDoo bit on … what was it? Dateline? The man could use a couple of pills…
So. Having said that, I think people like him DO follow the “any publicity is good publicity” mantra, and regularly “leak” stuff to the press about where they’re going to be. It will be interesting to see now, once the Divorce stuff dies down a little, just how much Katie and Suri are in the tabloids. Once she’s completely away from “Tom’s People”, if that leak will remain. I hope, for Suri’s sake, it doesn’t. In the meantime, he’ll try to alternately gin up sympathy and continue to court the Pap with his, “give us privacy” bs.
I also think that the “any pub is good pub” is a load of crap. Look at people like Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks. Bigger celebs you could not find, but you rarely, if ever, see either in the tabloids. They don’t have Pap swarming around them at all times… of course, I suspect that, in Ford’s case at least, they stay away out of fear… that man strikes me as the type who will walk up to one of them and drag him to the barn, shove a pitchfork in his hand, and set him to work mucking out stalls… They stay away out of self-preservation.
But then you have the ultimate tragedy… Diana. While she might have had that same “press leak”, she certainly didn’t ask for what she got. You’d think that, after that disaster, that laws would have been put in place. But no. Anything for that “first picture of…”
I find myself feeling bad for people like Justin Bieber recently, who was trying to drive somewhere when a paparazzi planted himself in front of Bieb’s car and wouldn’t allow the vehicle to move. So Beibs “bumped into” him. ‘Course then, the pap cried that Bieber had “run him over” or some such nonsense. The Celebs can’t win in these situations.
I agree Laura. There are so many “normal” stars, if that’s possible that we never hear much about. Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Brodrick or Ben Afflack and Jennifer Garner are a couple more. They do somewhat live a “normal” life but do take their kids to routine things. It’s not like this Tom Cruise stuff. Instead of getting married in castles they’re walking their dogs in the park. Some of them are so different that I do feel for them.
I also felt very bad for Justin Bieber during this latest thing. He has to take an awful lot.
Another good question. I don’t think anyone deserves to be chased down like an animal or have camera’s shoved in their faces – there should be laws against that kind of personal invasion. Losing Diana in the high speed chase was so heartbreaking and yet- the paparazzi are still out there hounding people trying to get that big $$ money shot or that down and dirty story.
I don’t like when someone is literally down & out- (i.e. Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Spears, Michael Jackson, or Amy Weinhouse (forgive spelling errors, I have no clue how to spell their names and don’t really care to google it). But, obviously they are (were, in Amy & Michael’s case) down & out and to be in their face that way is just exposing them raw. It goes against everything decent and just breaks any moral compass. Makes me sick.
And, I wholeheartedly agree, there are celebs who are successfully private – how is that? Different personalities I’m guessing. So, if they put themselves out there, they will hound you. If they are more “normal” and try to keep it more dignified and private, seems like they are not all that interested in that “boring lifestyle”.
For some reason I’ve had a hard time opening the comment area on your blog. I was thinking it was my computer or maybe my weak internet connection. I defraged and ran a couple of programs to clean up my computer. It does seem better today! Yipeee…. Where was I? Oh right let see…. I have heard stars say It was part of the price they paid for fame. As far as photo’s and losing their privacy. The speeding and following in a car I think that should not be allowed it’s way to dangerous remember Lady Di? Sad, I think Sylvestor Stallone’s family should be left alone. His quote and his pain are apparent. It’s so gut renching to lose a child wheather you are famous or not.
Great topic!
I think anytime, no matter who they are, if kids are present they should be off limits. Take your pictures, fine. But don’t mob them, or chase them down in their cars. Personally, I don’t think they should ever be allowed to chase them in cars. That’s dangerous to anyone on the road. Some celebs throw themselves in to the lime light, like Tom Cruise, who I have zero sympathy for. But Katie Holmes has always been pretty quiet. And they have a daughter, who didn’t ask for any of this. Most is to be expected, but I think there is always a line that should be drawn in the sand for anyone with kids.
Now for a death, I think they should be left alone for the most part. Pictures will always be taken, they will always be followed, but when they lose a child I think there should be a level of respect (for anyone, famous or not.)