Dancing with the Sick: How to Stay Famous
Recently, a former co-star of troubled young actress Amanda Bynes insinuated that her mental health problems were a publicity stunt. The obviously cynical young man pointed out that no one was talking about her until she started acting crazy. He must believe (or thinks Amanda believes) that all publicity is good. But I can think of several politicians, including Anthony Weiner and Jesse Jackson Junior, who would disagree. Certain kinds of publicity can kill careers. And I can't think of a profession where being considered crazy would be a career booster. Until there is a reality show for mentally ill celebrities, probably hosted by Dr. Phil or Iyanla, who likes to fix people's lives, actresses who want publicity should probably find another gimmick.
But Amanda's co-star, who is himself so D-list that I, a pop culture expert, can't remember his name, is not completely crazy when he suggests that illness is a way to capture and hold the spotlight. Two of the current "stars" on the ABC show "Dancing with the Stars," Jack Osbourne and Valerie Harper, were chosen to dance this season because they're sick. Earlier in the year, Valerie announced that she has terminal brain cancer and Jack announced that he has MS. For those who wonder why a woman in her seventies with a terminal illness and a young man with an illness that often affects movement would be asked to dance, let me remind (or inform) you that Paul McCartney's ex-wife, who has an artificial leg, danced on the show several seasons ago as did Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, who is deaf. When I read the rumor that Stevie Wonder was joining the cast, I believed it, and I still wouldn't be surprised to see Stevie cha chaing with pro Cheryl Burke.
But why would Valerie and Jack join the cast? For the same reason that they announced their illnesses. For the publicity and the money. Ms. Harper's career probably peaked in the seventies when she starred in the show that was a spinoff of "The Mary Tyler Moore" show. Later, she was fired (and replaced by Sandy Duncan) from another sitcom where she played the title character. And the only Osbourne less well-known than Jack is his oldest sister, who chose not to participate in the family's hit reality show. Jack was the least interesting personality on that show, and not coincidentally, when the show ended, his career (if he had one) was the quietest. However, when these two "stars" announced their illnesses, they were each featured on the cover of People Magazine and interviewed on several television shows. So it wasn't surprising that they were asked to join the "Dancing with the Stars" cast.
Jack and Valerie convinced their audiences (and possibly themselves) that they chose to go public with their illnesses to help others. But let's get real; unless a celebrity is like Angelina Jolie, who can get publicity just by walking outside and looking up at the sky, we should assume that when celebrities talk to the media it is because they want and need publicity. Just as writers need a gimmick to help sell their books, actresses and reality stars need gimmicks to sell themselves, and there is no better publicity gimmick than physical illness because it insulates the star from criticism. Someone used the phrase "the halo of cancer" to explain why Lance Armstrong was able to hide his wicked ways for so long. Interestingly, Lance joined another cancer patient, Elizabeth Edwards, for a public service announcement during the first StandUp2Cancer telecast in 2008. Although Ms. Edwards' halo had slipped by the time she died in 2010, it is clear now that her early "Saint Elizabeth" image was the direct result of her 2004 breast cancer diagnosis. After the 2004 campaign, Teresa Kerry was portrayed as the wicked witch because she had not yet been diagnosed with cancer while Ms. Edwards' bad behavior (she claimed in her first book that two young aides quit because she was "mothering" them, which apparently meant verbally abusing) was hidden.
As I've watched the coverage of Valerie and Jack's "bravery" and listened to the talk of how "inspirational" they both are, I've thought of those two earlier sick saints. Before MS, Jack had problems with drug abuse, and my memory of the sitcom issues suggest that Ms. Harper was at least partly to blame for the problems on the set, so I wonder how saintly these two sick stars are. I also found Ms. Harper's decision to show the audience a conference with her doctor where he explained that her cancer was miraculously in remission interesting. I suspect that she let us in on that conference because she was worried that people might wonder why she wasn't already dead and if she had lied about the cancer just to get attention. In fact, I remember that after the Edwards sex scandal was revealed, some people started wondering why Mrs. Edwards was still alive and even suggested that she and her husband had lied about the terminal diagnosis, even though she had made it clear when they announced her stage four cancer that death was not imminent. Valerie had claimed when she made her announcement that the doctors gave her three to six months to live, and as she has said several times recently, she has passed her expiration date. So she was probably protecting herself from charges of fraud.
I don't think any celebrity is stupid or crazy enough to fake a physical illness as a career move. But we have to recognize that most celebrities who announce their illnesses are not doing it for the public good. They want to make money, dance with the stars, and appear on the cover of People. They want to become or stay famous.
But Amanda's co-star, who is himself so D-list that I, a pop culture expert, can't remember his name, is not completely crazy when he suggests that illness is a way to capture and hold the spotlight. Two of the current "stars" on the ABC show "Dancing with the Stars," Jack Osbourne and Valerie Harper, were chosen to dance this season because they're sick. Earlier in the year, Valerie announced that she has terminal brain cancer and Jack announced that he has MS. For those who wonder why a woman in her seventies with a terminal illness and a young man with an illness that often affects movement would be asked to dance, let me remind (or inform) you that Paul McCartney's ex-wife, who has an artificial leg, danced on the show several seasons ago as did Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, who is deaf. When I read the rumor that Stevie Wonder was joining the cast, I believed it, and I still wouldn't be surprised to see Stevie cha chaing with pro Cheryl Burke.
But why would Valerie and Jack join the cast? For the same reason that they announced their illnesses. For the publicity and the money. Ms. Harper's career probably peaked in the seventies when she starred in the show that was a spinoff of "The Mary Tyler Moore" show. Later, she was fired (and replaced by Sandy Duncan) from another sitcom where she played the title character. And the only Osbourne less well-known than Jack is his oldest sister, who chose not to participate in the family's hit reality show. Jack was the least interesting personality on that show, and not coincidentally, when the show ended, his career (if he had one) was the quietest. However, when these two "stars" announced their illnesses, they were each featured on the cover of People Magazine and interviewed on several television shows. So it wasn't surprising that they were asked to join the "Dancing with the Stars" cast.
Jack and Valerie convinced their audiences (and possibly themselves) that they chose to go public with their illnesses to help others. But let's get real; unless a celebrity is like Angelina Jolie, who can get publicity just by walking outside and looking up at the sky, we should assume that when celebrities talk to the media it is because they want and need publicity. Just as writers need a gimmick to help sell their books, actresses and reality stars need gimmicks to sell themselves, and there is no better publicity gimmick than physical illness because it insulates the star from criticism. Someone used the phrase "the halo of cancer" to explain why Lance Armstrong was able to hide his wicked ways for so long. Interestingly, Lance joined another cancer patient, Elizabeth Edwards, for a public service announcement during the first StandUp2Cancer telecast in 2008. Although Ms. Edwards' halo had slipped by the time she died in 2010, it is clear now that her early "Saint Elizabeth" image was the direct result of her 2004 breast cancer diagnosis. After the 2004 campaign, Teresa Kerry was portrayed as the wicked witch because she had not yet been diagnosed with cancer while Ms. Edwards' bad behavior (she claimed in her first book that two young aides quit because she was "mothering" them, which apparently meant verbally abusing) was hidden.
As I've watched the coverage of Valerie and Jack's "bravery" and listened to the talk of how "inspirational" they both are, I've thought of those two earlier sick saints. Before MS, Jack had problems with drug abuse, and my memory of the sitcom issues suggest that Ms. Harper was at least partly to blame for the problems on the set, so I wonder how saintly these two sick stars are. I also found Ms. Harper's decision to show the audience a conference with her doctor where he explained that her cancer was miraculously in remission interesting. I suspect that she let us in on that conference because she was worried that people might wonder why she wasn't already dead and if she had lied about the cancer just to get attention. In fact, I remember that after the Edwards sex scandal was revealed, some people started wondering why Mrs. Edwards was still alive and even suggested that she and her husband had lied about the terminal diagnosis, even though she had made it clear when they announced her stage four cancer that death was not imminent. Valerie had claimed when she made her announcement that the doctors gave her three to six months to live, and as she has said several times recently, she has passed her expiration date. So she was probably protecting herself from charges of fraud.
I don't think any celebrity is stupid or crazy enough to fake a physical illness as a career move. But we have to recognize that most celebrities who announce their illnesses are not doing it for the public good. They want to make money, dance with the stars, and appear on the cover of People. They want to become or stay famous.
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