If every major sports figure who’d committed multiple infidelities were to take a penitent ‘leave of absence,’ the stadiums and golf courses of the USA would soon be deserted. Why was Tiger Woods driven to such a step?
“I’m Tiger Woods,” worshipful-looking children of all races declare on a TV ad from Tiger’s prime. As a superstar athlete with a carefully cultivated Mr. Clean image, placed on a pedestal and celebrated for breaking color barriers in professional golfing, Tiger Woods had all the further to fall.
He may have been hitting bottom with an alleged insta-porn movie about him coming soon, called TIGER’S WOOD. Perhaps his ‘leave of absense’ will prove a career-saving move from the canny pro. Or perhaps, as PEOPLE speculated, Tiger’s wife Elin may be receiving millions in exchange for not divorcing Tiger just yet.
Author Judith Podell used the ‘sch’-word on this blog in regards to Woods’ fall: Schadenfreude. When celebrities have been built up so high, of course, there is a certain ferocity and even glee that possesses the public when they take a tumble.
Will Tiger ever shake the indelible image, accurate or not, of his wife chasing him with a golf club? Though he’s hardly the first big-time athlete to succumb to fast-lane temptations, he’s used
his lovely family more than most to bolster his reputation. Is it ‘fair game,’ when stars rake in millions in endorsements, to hold them to the fire when they fail to live up to the airbrushed family-man images many of them work overtime to project?
Or are we charging certain stars like Woods an unfair ‘Penalty,’ due to our own naive need to imagine that good athletes must also be good people? Of course, Tiger has now been linked to numerous ‘other women‘ and his wife may still walk out. Is the media’s reaction to this not-uncommon celebrity situation overkill? Will the leave of absence ‘work’? Will the stress of scandal mess with his putting-green concentration? Will a tarnished Tiger rise again? WDYT?
PS: THANKS TO CAITLIN FOR THIS TIGER UPDATE…
You’re making a deal with the devil when you use your family and private life to bolster your career and image. As a former PR flack, I learned that it’s better in the long run to keep the media’s focus on the work. Private life is off limits. Besides, mystery sells. Jackie O was famous for not granting interviews later in life, and that fueled everyone’s interest in her even more. My advice for future celebs: Keep ‘em guessing about what goes on behind closed doors; don’t pretend to be squeaky clean (no one is!); be human and humble when speaking with the press; and by all means, never, ever, EVER pose for one of those cheesy PEOPLE Magazine photos where you’re frolicking in a bubble bath with your latest amour. Whoever tells their PR client that such a photo is a good idea needs to get off the drugs!
Hi Caitlin:
A deal with the devil: yep, I second that emotion.
Live by the PR sword (and live mighty well) and you can die by it too.
And yes too: celeb.s these days don’t understand the value of Mystery (and of course the 24/7 media doesn’t allow for that, as they did in the era of Jackie…)
You should write up your PR adventures; I see a great insider film comedy in the works…And is there some star you have in mind who was photo’d in bubblebath in PEOPLE?
E
Here’s a photo of Alyssa Milano and Scott Wolf in a bubble bath (when they were engaged): http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20107729,00.html
The bubble bath shot in PEOPLE is the kiss of death for celeb couples…right up there with getting their name tattooed on you and saying how happy you are together in HELLO! Magazine. Here’s an item about the HELLO! curse: http://www.supanet.com/entertainment/the-hello-magazine-curse-6087p3.html
THANXX Caitlin–
I’d somehow missed this magic moment!
LOL
yeah, these guys have got it good and no reason to complain at blow ups of their own making.
live by the sword as you say.
I agree with the Live By the Sword, though it’s a little harder with the kids of celebs; they do get the benefits but they have that same sword hanging over them too–
Sometimes honestly I think it should be made ‘harder’ somehow for celebs to marry and breed children…
but maybe I’ve just been blogging too much!
YES, LET’S HAVE A ‘DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE’ ACT AGAINST CELEBRITIES
I’m with you, Antistar.
And with your avatar, you could be just the leader America is seeking…
This may not be a popular view, but it’s an honest one.
Regular readers of my webforum and blog will already know my openly polemical opinion of golf, and the charisma-free, sartorially-challenged bastards who play the game; and perhaps my attitude towards the complete absence of logic which resides in the fan-blind who occupy the school of thought that thinks that the more money you’re worth, then the greater the person you are, and that any sin/error/fuck-up you make may be forgiven – no questions asked.
Woods is just another Jackson-esque jerk who, perhaps predictably, began to believe his own PR; and to whom anyone making any sense stopped saying “No!” a long time ago – leaving only the money-blinded and jealous to exhort “Hey! He’s Tiger Woods! And, like, d-u-d-e, he’s worth a ton of money!”
Alas, in the ensuing avalanche of platitudinous fan-gushing, all reason stopped there.
To me, it’s always been a peculiarly US condition from which to suffer, as over here (the UK), we tend to be inherently, and pointedly, more cynical about anyone (sportsman, rock star, politician etc.) who assumes the rarefied atmosphere of their own self-importance and makes the mistake of thinking it’s a safe place to hide.
Had this jerk, Woods, been an American footballer, or a baseball or basketball player, then this may have attracted less coverage than it has (certainly outside the US, where these sports are not played and are consequently viewed as having no importance), as this kind of cock-centric behaviour is all-but expected of them and their “it’s-OK-we-can-do-what-we-want-as-we’ve-got-more-money-than-God” attitude.
And the fact that it’s happened to such a charisma-free and otherwise squeaky-clean non-entity as Woods just makes it all the more delicious.
I say we all just sit back and await the sex tapes, the Oprah “couch catharsis” rehabilitation interview, the attempts at maintaining a straight face as a myriad interviewers try hopelessly to talk about ‘golf’ in relation to anything to do with Woods…
Just sumptuous.
I think Americans want to believe in heroes and heroines, and tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. The press reflects this view.
The British suffer from “tall poppy syndrome,” where anyone who pulls away from the herd and shows any type of ambition is criticized and “cut down.” Many British actors, musicians, etc. have ben quoted in the press saying that they left England and moved to the US for this very reason: they wanted to be left alone by the vicious British press.
It’s typical of many British to look down on the US. They relish the idea of “Yankee baiting.” I won’t feed into the Yankee baiting here, from a poster who previously made cruel comments about American Amanda Knox on this board. It’s clear Linty is a troll, only visiting this site to stir trouble. Could someone please block him?
HI A. Nonymous:
Good to hear you back on the blog–
I went away for the weekend and came back to find a fight erupting here–
I hear what you’re saying about the British Press and ‘tall poppy syndrome’– We were over there this summer and loved it but could feel that in the air. Also I hear you about Amanda Knox; I don’t know, of course, what really went on with her but whatever happened in that terrible matter doesn’t seem to me to be ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’
Yes, Cosmic L. did send in quoted jokes made by British Comedians about the Knox trial. His own opinions were more balanced– but I know that’s a hot-button subject and I understand feelings run high.
Cosmic L. has been sending all sorts of interesting links and comments– I’m hoping we can keep having all kinds of voices on the blog, including yours–
And I’m all for names and avatars and different identities here in the online world. I’m hoping for a truce myself– in the holiday spirit?
Ah, the usual sympathy for and by the meagre post?
OK.
The difference being I have the balls to sign in and not post anonymously.
Stand and be counted or stop whining.
Cosmic– hi and see above for my hopes for a Blog Truce.
On the subject of names: surely you are not saying your Mom named you ‘Cosmic Navel Lint’?
I like secret identities online, myself–
And I like hearing from both you and A.–
Got to head out again but will be back later for the latest from the Tiger Post Front–
E.
To follow up on my comments about celebs in bubble baths, here is the dumbest headline ever from Fox News: “Jennifer Love Hewitt Takes Bubble Baths In a Tiara, Likes Funny Geeks.”
And here’s the article, in case you’re DYING to know about her bubble baths: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2009/04/15/jennifer-love-hewitt-takes-bubble-baths-tiara-likes-funny-geeks/.
How is this news? I don’t know who is worse…Fox News for running this numbie item, or Jennifer Love Hewitt for pitching it to them. The career has to be cooling if this is the best she has to offer!
Meant to say Caitlin’s items. My apologies to Caitlin for “stealing” her thread!
No harm done, A. Nonymous.
Glad that someone else is horrified by the bubble bath phenom. Also like the use of one of my fave words: numbie.
Thanks for the shout-out. I appreciate it.
I just tried to find a photo of Hewitt bubble bath photo, per A. Nonymous’ post, but couldn’t find one.
I *did* find a sad photo of Hewitt dressed up like Audrey Hepburn a la “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” wearing a tiara: http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrities/hollywood/jennifer-love-hewitt-birthday-breakfast-at-tiffanys-211531/
I wonder if this is the same bubble bath tiara.
I also wonder who is advising Hewitt to do these lame publicity stunts.
I stand by my original statement: It’s better to let you work speak for itself. When you have to stoop to these levels for attention, you’re asking for public ridicule and trouble.
On a totally different note:
You know how some people do a celebrity death pool, to see which celebrity is going to die next? This site should do a celebrity scandal pool, where people vote on which celebrity is going to have a public scandal. It’d be fun to come up with out-of-left-field ideas. The holidays are sure to cause problems for people.
My top three guesses are:
1.) Paul Anka (who just filed for divorce — this one is going to be messy!)
2.) Paris Hilton (she’s been laying low — that can’t mean anything good)
3.) Casey Johnson (she just became engaged to Tila Tequila — let the trainwreck begin)
LOL on JLH– Does anyone but me recall a Made-for-TV movie in which Jennifer Love H. portrayed Audrey Hepburn? Kind of a trashy/classy gap there, but I think it’s where JLH picked up her tiara fixation–
And on the Celebs in Disgrace prediction counter– I like Caitlin’s nominees (oh no– is Paul Anka gonna become another Bing Crosby where we will learn Too Much Info about his slimy real-life and never be able to hear White Christmas again?)
Paris H.: I honestly believe folks are ‘over’ her– in fact I think Caitlin or another Blog Star sent in a link on the butterfly-esque celeb. life cycle, positing that we’d all reached Paris-fatigue.
Casey J– yes, can ‘feel’ that one coming.
Also I believe the rumors that Brad Pitt is hitting the sauce; have you noticed recent photos of him with the puffy face and gray goatee? Brangelina is headed for breakdown lane…
Thanks as always Caitlin and keep us alerted on Anka-gate & more– E
I like “pedestal penalty.” Reminds me of something I once read, a discussion of human physics. When someone is down, we lift them up. And when he’s up, we pull him down.
Along the same line, someone else talked about a particular crab used in the south, as bait. Fishermen would fill a pail with the crabs and stand at the surfline, casting. The bait pails had no lids. Any one of the crabs was perfectly able to crawl out of the pail and escape. But whenever one tried, the others pulled him back down. Crab physics.
Michael–
Love this Crab Physics!
Thanks for the words of wisdom, Michael–
E