Montclair and Glen Ridge have their share of minor and major celebrities. But those aren't the people who grab Francesco Paladino's attention. The host and producer of the new online video series "The F Word" is more interested in the star-watchers -- those neighbors of yours, the ones who linger on streetcorners and crane their necks to see who's shooting the latest commercial or TV episode here. Or who hungrily scan the covers of "Star" and "Us Weekly" while waiting in line at the A&P.
Paladino, who lives in Montclair, is fascinated by America's obsession with celebrities and how it cuts across cultural and socioeconomic lines. At every party, no matter who is there, he says, "it’s always the conversation. You could be talking about something as ordinary as what you're eating, and someone says, 'Yeah, it was in Martha Stewart's magazine, Jennifer Garner was making this for her baby shower...' Suddenly, now, we're not in reality anymore. We're talking about people we don't know, as though we know them."
In the first installment of "The F Word"...
...Paladino and his Jersey-based crew venture into Manhattan to talk with fans camped out in the hope of glimpsing Madonna in the flesh. He doesn't praise or judge them, which is what makes the show compelling. He just documents their devotion and tries to understand it.
There are more episodes to come, and some are likely to feature local faces and places.
All this exploration of the subject of celebrity may come in handy -- Paladino is an actor himself and he's got an appealing on-screen presence. If his videos happen to get major viral exposure, he may end up experiencing celebrity rather than chronicling it.
(photo credit: Laura DeSantis-Olsson)
Comments (23)
talk about not having a life...he's documenting the people who don't have a life who vicariously live through people magazine...he's stalking the stalkers...yikes.
oh, i don't know about that. i checked out the madonna episode and i found it pretty interesting. but then again, i used to work at a fan magazine, and i can see the fascination with what makes some people take fandom to a whole new level.
we came in contact with obsessive fans on a daily basis. people's devotion to celebrities seems to fulfill a variety of needs for them--some harmless, others not so much.
I think the whole issue of celebrity worship is worthy of study - so many spend money, time and effort on people they will never "know" - and it seems to be more common that ever before.
Its not the interest in talented people that makes me wonder. It the interest in the faux celebrities, like the hotel heiress and the someones kid celebrities.
Cathar, would you put down those binoculars you have focussed on Madonna's compound and please post a "Slow News Day" comment? Thanks.
Semi-interesting but a little too much about Paladino. It would have been better if he asked at least one fan to explain what being a fan does for them and why they've kept it up for so long. Like the girl with the license plate, since she's built her whole identity around being a fan and has a pre-packaged spiel about the birthday etc. I'm more interested in that than I am where he's allowed to stand.
Well noted, Conan. Very. But at least it's not another hopefully-they-might-advertise sort of item about Stew Leonard's.
(But I was actually staked out outside Wendy Williams' place this morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hitmen she's interviewing coming in and out.)
I went to the guy's website. And yes, he's basically an actor seeking to draw attention to himself, not someone who studied sociology under, say, Erving Goffman. Why does that not surprise me?
The fascination with "being famous" is similar to "being rich" in that many Americans dream of such goals. It is excellent material for psychological exploration, as the reality of achieving those goals is usually met with disappointment: celebrity brings lack of privacy for ordinary "to-do's" such as grocery shopping or even driving your car; wealth brings lack of trust of other's motivations, natural tendency to continue wanting more than you have, etc.
I say, get rid of most of the crappy reality shows on TV, and give us something along these lines that documents the dreamers and those that live the dreams. Great juxtapositioning.
I just watched "Episode 1" ... all I can say is, get that guy a Steadicam! I'm dizzy-sick now ...
WOW: Wendy O. Williams! The woman who made "Band-Aids" into a generic term for brassiere. Keep up the good work, Cathar. And I hear you, Jim. I think "Shaking the Camera" is an advanced course now taught at the Modern School of Cinematic Nothingness and Stuff. That technique got old about a third of the way through "Blair Witch Project."
Wendy Williams is one talented woman!
Wendy O. sadly offed herself several years ago. The usurper, she of the bad wig, fake boobs and homophobic radio show, is another glob of protoplasm entirely.
Her radio show couldn't be further from homophobic.
Jim,
You say: "get rid of most of the crappy reality shows on TV..."
And then you have the great idea for a show that features "dreamers and those that live the dreams"...
Have you heard of American Idol, Top Chef, Project Runway, America's Next (insert cool job here).....
How about a tv show, late night where someone makes fun of the news. That's something I'm sure folks would want to see----
spew about what you think "they" should "give" us.
From your silly "get r
Ah, the other Wendy Williams. I thought Cathar was referring to the late lead of the Plasmatics. Gotta get back on my regular meds...
To the best of my aging memory, Conan, I once saw Wendy O. Williams live (at the still-lamented Creation in West Orange). She was terrible but had a certain nuisance value. A woman with a chainsaw is a worrisome thing...who will leave you to do a lot more bleeding than just singing the blues in the night.
Whereas the recently indicted Wendy Williams has a certain, if very base, amusement value. So much so that Fox (indeed, where else?) is giving her her own TV show.
Her radio show couldn't be further from homophobic.
Posted by banana split | June 26, 2008 2:08 PM
But she can be especially for her outing mania.
(Spot the MF'er worried about outers? Funny to me....)
Ignore the scribble at the end of my last post, I was busy watching Wendy O. on youtube.
I seem to remember her live on the ABC late night show, Fridays.... Can't find it though....
Dear imbecilic prof, you amaze me with your idiocy. Who's worried? What the hell are you sniffing when you read this blog?
Such anger, Spot (unneeded, really. But typical from you....)
Those evil, loud, name-calling MHS kids were right on the money with ya, huh?
Base, yes, at times, but I thoroughly enjoy her radio show. I am curious to see how her personality translates into an hour-long tv talk show.
Have you heard of American Idol, Top Chef, Project Runway, America's Next (insert cool job here).....
You mean shows that have drama added-in by the director, and edited to make "characters" look evil, stupid, or hot-headed? Thats not the kind of programming I had in mind.
What then Jim, all that's "real" on TV is sports and the news.
But even by your definition everything-- a documentary or even the news is not "real" because there are directors and editors at work.
News? Ever wonder how on earth every night, there is exactly 22 mins. of news on the national broadcast networks.
Weird.
Sports is all we have.
Thank God it's Baseball season!!!!