Fame and Its Price

Ah, the first day of summer. Everybody got up late, and here it is, 11 am, and everyone's out in the pool while I observe from a safe distance with my electronics.
So many exciting events during the past two days. But I need to get this off my chest first.

I struggled between exhilaration and worry Wednesday night when I heard the results of American Idol. I'm trying not to whip a dead horse here, but this has really been bugging me, so bear with me. When Kris Allen's name was read, two thoughts simultaneously flashed: He's got his big chance. What's going to happen to his cute little wife?

No one really knows what their relationship is like. But this much we do know: they are newlyweds, and they're pretty young. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic, but more than Kris's career, I want their marriage to succeed. How often does that happen with Hollywood? I can count on one hand the rich and famous and their true marital successes: Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Jon Bon Jovi and his wife (don't even know her name), George and Laura Bush, Bill and Melissa Gates, and . . . that's all I can think of.
This is my issue: Is fame worth the price? Is it worth the toll it takes on your family? Look at the latest casualties: Mel Gibson and his almost 30 years of marriage and seven kids, John and
Elizabeth Edwards, and perhaps the most tragic in my eyes, Jon and Kate Gosselin.

Jon and Kate Gosselin break my heart. I can see myself in her actions sometimes, and I don't like what I see. But it takes a lot of time and organization to run a big family. And all spouses bicker (I would hope it's not just me and Brad), but how many of us could survive the scrutiny of the lens all day? I'm trying not to pass judgment on them (going totally against my judgmental nature), because no one knows the full story. My heart just aches for them and their family. Who knows what would have happened if they had just struggled along in their unusual lives, not involving the world in their exploits? Sure, they never would have made it to Hawaii. No huge farmhouse to roam. Are those the things that truly matter in life? Do you think they would have been happier in the long term? Struggle and strife can bond a family together in ways that fame and ease cannot.

What is it that consumes some people that they need fame? Is it all people that want that moment in the sun? I know that I occasionally crave the attention that comes to Sheri Dew for her amazing speaking abilities or JK Rowling for her gift with the written word. But would I really want to give up privacy for fame? Is it worth the price?

Constantly being stroked for your genius only feeds that inner vanity beast--like a fire, the bigger it gets, the more it needs. If ten people think you're fantastic, what would it feel like to have 100 blog followers or 1000 speaking engagement, or 100,000 screaming fans? Look at the freaks of the entertainment industry that have been ruined by their own fame--Michael Jackson is a prime example. My kids can't understand how anyone could have liked him, but in his day, he was IT. No one was bigger, and no one fell harder.

All of this boils down to Kris and his little wife. He was given a talent, one meant to be shared with others. But what will happen to his relationship with her? Is there a chance in heaven or hell that it can survive the scrutiny, the pressure, the temptation that will surely come? There is enough pressure on the family in today's society, without fame and temptation that there is "something better just around the corner."

Good luck, Kris. I'm afraid you're going to need it.