Our generation is obsessed with celebrities. Television channels, magazines and other media outlets are exclusively devoted to following their every move. People magazine, for example, touts readership of 7.6 million people per month in addition to 803 million pages viewed per month on its online Web site. We are a celebrity-obsessed nation and OU students are no different. Think you disagree? Would we really wear those ugly, '80s-throwback, Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses in neon orange if Lindsay Lohan or Ashlee Simpson would not?
Regardless, Athens is experiencing a celebrity drought.
Just like most girls (and some guys), I am guilty of being obsessed with celebrities. I faithfully find a copy of People magazine or read the online content while watching the E! news network. University Program Council (UPC) is in charge of bringing celebrities to campus, and OU is experiencing a celebrity drought in 2008.
Who remembers when Sarah Jessica Parker came to town in 2004 in support of John Kerry? Or more recently, who remembers the Clintons and Michelle Obama? Most of our celebrities as of late have been of the political variety. Admittedly, we have seen performances by the casts of Rent and The Producers. However, we lack that upper-echelon of recording artists. Call me crazy, but Fabolous and Vanilla Ice G? why did UPC ask them to visit, anyway? I expect more. But even for the lowest of D-listers, we will flock to their events and stalk them before and after their shows. We live in Athens and we have nothing better to do. I know my friends and I waited outside Blue Gator until we got the chance to have a conversation with former C-lister Teddy Geiger in 2006. What a rush.
Like you haven't.
UPC does not leverage OU's proximity to Columbus. It does not attract that higher level of celebrity such as Will Ferrell, who visited OSU this past fall. Why couldn't we pay him to travel about an hour south? We are forced to look elsewhere to get our celeb fix. Since Athens is not exactly a celeb hangout (and the best UPC can do is Fabolous), Spring Break 2008 was my only opportunity to do a little celeb-stalking.
I have a confession. I snuck into Las Vegas nightclub and celebrity hotspot LAX at the Luxor before it opened a few Fridays ago. Illegal? There's a good chance. Funny? Without a doubt. Could I help the hole in the door was large enough to fit through? Don't think so. I wanted to find an area where celebrities (such as Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera) gather just so I could imagine the lifestyle. I blame UPC because the lack of celebrity events on campus made me resort to such an extreme measure to find a way to be in the vicinity of celebrities.
CoEdMagazine.com lists the college campus concert tour of Carrie Underwood as one of 14 Can't-Miss College Concert Tours of Spring 2008. Wouldn't UPC rather pay huge money for a performer like this instead of several concerts such as Fabolous, Sara Evans and Jimmy Eat World?
I expect more from UPC. Even OU-Chillicothe was able to get the GRAMMY award-winning artist Taylor Swift to perform at its campus last fall quarter. Seriously, we are even being trumped by our Chillicothe branch.I expect more because Ohio University has hosted celebrities of the caliber of Led Zepplin in 1969 (Led Zepplin official Web site) and Neil Young in 1983 (sugarmtn.org).
I do not think it would have been such a rush to be in LAX if UPC would get a better celebrity than Fabolous to come to campus. And don't even get me started on Sara Evans. Please.
Until UPC realizes that it would be better to spend its budget on one major celebrity rather than several mini-celebrities, you will have to settle for begrudgingly attending D-List celebrity events in Athens. See you at the Sara Evans concert.
And by the way G? the next time you're in Vegas, check out LAX. It's a sight.
Emily Smith is a senior marketing major. Send her an e-mail at es303004@ohiou.edu.
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Emily Smith
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The Athens drought of 2008
