The Fame Monster

Miley Cyrus. Just her name elicits a strong reaction.

If I were to say, “Hey, did you hear what Miley Cyrus did?”
You would probably assume I was going to say something negative. And why shouldn’t you?
After all, it seems like every time she pops up in the news, Miley is in hot water for something. Or, as much hot water as ET can cook up.

I’ve noticed something though, poor Miley isn’t alone. It seems as if young celebrities are continually making the news for all the wrong reasons.
Many of my friends would tell you they can’t stand Justine Bieber, Miley, Selena Gomez or the Jones Brothers.

Yet when I see one of these stars. I can’t help but feel a sense of pity. Because if history proves true, most of them are in for a tough adulthood.

Two tragic examples of this are Michael Jackson and Garry Coleman.

Michael Jackson’s life is really a very sad story. As a child he was physically abused by his father and all the fame in the world couldn’t heal him. As an adult, his mental health was never fully assured. After spending years in a questionable mental state, Jackson finally died because of a drug overdose.

Gary Coleman couldn’t even begin to compete with Jackson, however the two men were not so very different. Coleman became famous in the late 70’s as a TV star. After which, he faded out of the limelight. Over the years Coleman suffered from drug addiction and depression. It is known that he attempted suicide at least once.
Just this past month in Coleman died of a brain hemorrhage.

There is a great Christian artist named Bebo Norman who wrote a song which deals with this topic. Here is an excerpt from an interview he gave about the song:


I was up late, couldn’t sleep, watching some news channel, when yet another story about Britney Spears came on. My first instinct was to scoff and write it off, but then there was this freeze-frame shot of a look on her face of utter and absolute despair and confusion and brokenness—a look that I recognized. And I remember thinking “This girl is a child of God.”

I think that night I saw her through the eyes of Jesus for the first time. I imagined what Jesus would say to me in my darkest hour and realized that those are the words we should speak to this world, to this culture, and even to Britney Spears in their darkest hour. “I’m sorry. Hope is here.” –Bebo Norman


Britney I’m sorry for the lies we told

We took you into our arms then left you cold

Britney, I’m sorry for this cruel, cruel world

We sell the beauty but destroy the girl

www.ccmmagazine.com/just_for_you/story_behind_the_song/11581817&r=cat&cat=2,3,4,6,7,


Sometimes when I see a child star make headlines, it irritates me. More often than not, I look at the sad lives of young celebrities in the past and shake my head. All that wealth and fame will soon be gravel in their mouths.
I love what Lady Gaga named her recent album: “The Fame Monster.” How appropriate.

Thanks for reading

Levi