SHOWBIZ & SHOWOFFS

Showbiz life is really all fake,artificial and plastic!
I've seen it from quite a close range and also due to my frequent interactions with the music/glamour fraternity who in turn are closely connected to the Big Bollywood.Of course theres money in it!Infact it is the 'money' which drives it,yet it is all so hollow and fake.

When I was in my college I was fascinated by the glamour industry.I loved to watch those fashion shows on TV.I wanted to be a model myself.However,soon I took up a fashion designing course instead ( along with my normal college classes )at a high profile fashion institute.
It was a 1 year diploma course that I had opted for.Though it was in this institute that I finally learnt that fashion design is nothing but glorified tailoring.I do love clothes & style but do I really wanna become a tailor at the end of the day?A big No!
So,in the end I just framed my 1st class diploma certificate on the wall.I did love sketching the mannequins though,thats perhaps the only best memorable part of these classes that I attended.
Though initially I did want to be a model,and I did a bit of it too.The director of my fashion institute plus a couple of my best buddies encouraged me a lot by saying that I had the right ingredients and the potential to be a model along with my good looks.But I soon realised that it was just not my cup of tea.I'll tell the reason why.
Sure,we see all the top models willing to be a clothes hanger because it pays them very well ( top models gets the cream )just for 'walking' the catwalk.However,even with that kinda money they have to starve themselves to maintain a waive thin figure 24x7.They all look anorexic.I was pretty thin myself too and I was dying to have some flesh around me. ( Isnt natural to always crave for things that we lack? )

I didnot particularly envy the other models at all anymore after knowing about the brutal regime that they have to go through to look the way like they do.Of course,I wanted to look glamorous too,make a lot of money too,but I simply did not want to starve myself or lead the typical lifestyle that these models usually led.
Drugs / Booze / Smoking / Late Nights / Casual Sex are an integral part of a model's life.It'll be a real shocking surprise if any model didnot ever fall prey to any of these.My salute to the rarest of the rare such breeds.It is not as if I am a very 'holy holy' or 'goody goody' person myself that I abhore this habits.I did infact try the drink and smoke a bit ( though not anymore and I certainly would not recommend them either ),however the point that I want to make is that these models get addicted to these habits.Atleast the ones ( almost all ) that I know have become addicts,and I didnot like their lifestyle at all.They may look very glamorous ( usually the makeup does the trick! ) on the runway,but behind the screens their lives were unappealing and pathetic to me.In short accourding to me,a model's life is extremely unhealthy.
A Fashion Show usually lasts about 45 minutes.Everything is choreographed and has to be executed within that time frame without making any mistake.During a show there is only a few seconds for these models to change their costumes from one sequence to another.There are about total 4-5 costume changes or sometimes even more.So,it is quite a stressful job though everything look cool and calm on the outside.On the stage/runway they may make a serious pouty face as they walk,but as soon as they reach the backstage these models are a bunch of nerves in a mad hurry to change their clothes within the few seconds that they get and then run back to the runaway and again sport that sober pouty look ( a pretense of course! ).Sure,it does take a lot of skill and talent to execute everything within such a short period,but at the end of it for someone like me who has seen these backstage happenings often would find it all very fake.

These models are in so much hurry to change into their costumes that they start stripping as soon they exit the stage.This happens in full glare of the other models ( which includes the male models as well ),the organisers,the designers,the crew and almost everyone else present backstage during that time.The models are so used to this that they become somewhat immune to it.And besides that,who can forget or ignore the"(un)intentional wardrobe malfunctions"? ( some of these wardrobe malfuntions during a fashion show have been intentionally done to attrack media attention & publicity )
However,I am a bit conservative minded or rather a private person,so I would be very uncomfortable in a job that required me to strip.Even a little casual display of skin is a big 'No!' for me,so not to mention stripping in a hurry to change costumes as these models often do right in front of everyone.To wrap up this segment,I have learnt that all knowlegde that we have, ( prior to actually seeing the real happenings behind stage ) needs to be thrown out of the window as the reality is not as glamorous as we imagine this line to be.

Now,comming to Film/TV stars.Sure its a very glamour world out there.But,
hay wait!The glamour is only on the screen for public consumption.

Moreover,with paid media its become more of a 'dirty' job.In early times journalist/media reporters would follow the stars around.However,now its the opposite.These days the stars run after the media.Well not literally speaking but keeping a good experienced publicist or PR has become a must have if you want to become a recognised face.Just having talent is not enough.But being spotted at the right places or grabbing a Page3 headline or a bite is a must requirement in today's glamour world.
A publicist or PR is nothing but someone who is closely connected to the media and very often from the media itself.They either freelance or are working for a media house.Needless to say that for a fat pay packet they 'leak' news about the star to the press.They create the hype,the hoopla,the mystery and sometimes even the controversies.It is they who actually run the show by playing with public's imagination.Media/Press is a huge business now.Media makes how big a star is or becomes.They may cover only a few high profile stars for free,but the rest have to pay a price for even a mention in the glossies.And almost all,including the top stars does have their publicist or PR to create and feed news or updates frequently to the public via the media tools such as electronic or print.The PR arranges the star interviews or photoshoots.And it is the PR/publicist who keeps the press updated.So,it is a very much planned thing.

It is perhaps only a Rakhi Sawant who doesnot have to pay the press to cover her,she just smartly makes some outrageous statements to attract them,and they follow her like bees.Poonam Pandey got one step smarter and declared that she'd strip in public during the World Cup.,but though she didnot strip the journos keep following her hoping,expecting that perhaps one day she just might!But then all cannot be a Rakha Sawant or Poonam Pandey.It needs a special outrageous talent to be like either of them.
Many a times even movie or music reviews are paid reviews.Moreover stars including musician /artists have fake paid fans to create hype all the time about the stars.These fake fans throng the social media sites and communities /pages which have large number of members.Then they keep posting about the star or an upcomming movie or a released music album.This is mainly to create curiosity and interest in the star or their product.So,next time you see a bunch of fans continuously posting praises about a star,you can be rest assured that it is a fake paid fan.I know many stars who does this and also few singer/musician.

In fact even I was approached by a couple of people who wanted to pose as my 'fans' and post in various communities/groups about me or my music.Curious I did ask how it works and who else uses their service.I was surprised to learn that quite a number of well known as well as few upcomming popstars used these fake paid fans to hype up their image.So,if some fan is posting an unusually high number of praises at a particular star's fan page,its definately a paid fan.It is all a planned marketing gimick using the social media platform.
However,I declined to use their services.I wanted to do stuff myself and more importantly be genuine in what I do.I may have lesser fans around me,but atleast I can be rest assured that the ones that are there are not fake or paid.So,I am content and happy in my own world.
Look Below for an example email exchange with them :-)


And yeah,these fake fans are also hired to cheer the stars at the airports,movie premiers or releases,red carpets or other public events!! Read Here

Now comming to the red carpet we look at the celebs at awe dont we?All those designer wears,the expensive gowns!It makes us go gaga over them doesnt it?How come these stars wear a different outfit at different events and never seem to repeat the same outfit ever again?We do know that they are paid a lot of money and can afford all of it.Yet it doesnot make sense that they never repeat an outfit ever!
If at all they do at a rarest of the rare occassion then the fashion police will surely catch them in no time ( with all the hell breaking loose ) and *bitch* about how or why the star have repeated an already worn outfit and make a big deal out of it.However,its not the fashion police that these stars are afraid of.Its not a crime anyway to repeat clothes or accessories.But,it is some other reason altogether why the stars do not ever repeat an outfit.

Simply put they dont own the outfit or accessory in the first place.Its all borrowed from the designers or boutiques.It is a clever back handed endorsement that they do and a mutually benefitting one too.The star goes to a mega event wearing a borrowed outfit,and then during the course of the event they make sure that they proudly mention that they are wearing a 'so-and-so designer's creation to the gathered media ( which is actually a part of the 'deal' between them ie the designer and the star,that - you wear my new collection,look pretty and in return you mention my name several times loud and clear so that I can give you more new clothes to wear without you having to buy any of them.Your very mention of my name will ensure that the gullible customers will pour into my boutique ).
The media then gleefully flashes and zooms upon them and their outfit/accessory ( extra coverage to the ones that fed the media as well ).The awestruck and impressed ( or rather fooled? ) audience claps at the extravagant visuals.The next morning though the outfit or accessory is returned to the designer.So,it is all largely planned,paid and what not.

Thats why I say that it is all artificial.Even the smiles on the cameras are fake ones and not genuine.Theres either a motive behind those smiles or could be a stage managed one.
But then thats Showbiz for you,where fake is made to look real.No point in complaining cos thats how they gonna remain - a Showoff!

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I'm including another incident here. Though, it is related to paid media via PR and book publicity agents, it also involves book bloggers/reviewers who are not really paid in the real sense. So, an author/publisher might buy a review package ( e.g 20 reviews@10K to 50 reviews@20K and 30K for managing reviews and FB page etc from a facilitator ), but the actual reviewer don't get paid for it. The controversy here is related to an author's probable 'hurt ego' on a particular reviewer's obvious bad review and he decided to lash against the whole community.

I wont say much on the topic, rather let the picture/screenshot talk themselves. Incidently, I too reviewed the book in question, so that comment did rattle my nerve cells a bit. ( am human too, you see )


The author in question's view regarding this episode >> Read Here
Another author's view regarding this episode >> Read Here

I don't want to involve myself in this controversy, let the reader decide for themselves :-)