Fascinating. I’ve examined the last 31 days of searches, mostly via Google, to see what people have searched for the most on this blog.
   Branding? Globalization? Cars? No. The top searches relate to Denise Vasi and Russell Simmons, and folks wanting goss on the pair.
   I suppose this could be one of the few blogs written by someone who actually knows one of the parties, rather than a regular gossip columnist. But it is amazing what people can be interested in.
   I don’t dis these folks: they are giving me hits, and I can provide some truth about the sort of person Denise is. And we, as humans, do seem to have an interest about celebrities and people in the public eye.
   It’s given me some pause for thought lately, too. Last week, I realized that while I have a pretty good reputation, and that I appear on telly regularly, I have no desire to be famous to the point of being hounded. I get recognized for my TV appearances or a paparazzi pic around once or twice a month: that is pleasant and not intrusive. It gives a nice ego boost.
   And I don’t mind more, as long as it was about my work. I believe in what I say and write and how I can help people. But if it were about my private life, then that would be upsetting—but it’s this aspect that fascinates so many. Annoyingly, the fascination comes because of bad news in one’s private life, not because of marital bliss and familial stability.
   The cynic might say that the public enjoys a sense of Schadenfreude, knowing celebrities have messy lives. The optimist might say that because the public is stable and decent, it becomes interested in impropriety because its members would not involve themselves in similar situations.
   I find myself believing the former, which saddens me. Those who spread rumours and gossip (not necessarily about celebrities) do so with malicious intent, which brings me on to my next point: should we believe any of the crap in the tabloids and weeklies?
   I remember how many emails I received at the end of August 1997, after the car crash that claimed Princess Diana’s life. So many people swore they would never touch a tabloid again. Yet their sales indicate that few kept their promise.
   But the fact people are coming to this blog to get information on a celebrity is heartening. This is another area where regular people are getting one up on the mass media. I am a regular person who happens to know Denise. What I wrote was truthful and gossip-free. The public can skip the intermediary of a sensationalist and deceptive headline. If they want to have fun, by all means, they can visit The Superficial; otherwise, individuals hold the real insights.
   I can’t be alone. Most of us know someone famous. We might see how media are changing, and the bloggers are making another gain. Posted by Jack Yan, 13:06  permalink

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