It has really been feeling like the year 2012 around Westwood lately. In one week we’ve been hit by thousands of girls screaming through the streets and police in riot gear setting up barricades for throngs of protesters.
The premiere of the new Twilight film, “New Moon,” has made people do some crazy things. The fans have been treating the cast like gods when really, both parties are total strangers to one another. Celebrities are people like anyone else and should be treated like everyone else. In Los Angeles, you never know who it is that you might be talking to so it’s best to just treat everybody with the same amount of respect.
It’s a special kind of person who will camp out on the streets for four days to see a person they will have no interaction with. I have to ask them, what did you think was going to happen?
Were you planning to catch Robert Pattison’s eye and have him walk off the red carpet to ask you your name? Did you think that Taylor Lautner was going to rip off his shirt in slow motion just for you after taking you out after the movie? You had to know that unless you were holding a microphone in the press lineup that the stars weren’t going to stop to chat.
Another thing I don’t understand about the Twilight movie hype is the stars being tight-lipped about the plot line. Spoiler alert: You can find out exactly what is going to happen if you read the book.
Maybe I’m hyper critical because I have never read any of the books in the Twilight series or seen the movies. However, I’m still going to use it as a means of judging people. Sure, this whole Twilight craze is a lot like Harry Potter-mania, but Harry Potter was the “It” book to read when I was in the sixth grade and J.K. Rowling came up with some seriously awesome wizard toys. An invisibility cloak has been at the top of my wish list for years.
If there’s one thing that people should learn quickly in Los Angeles, it’s to be apathetic toward celebrities. Whether you just moved here in the fall or grew up here, you need to know they’re just people. And, most likely, strangers.
That being said, you need to treat them like everyone else. And that being said, you should treat everyone like you’d treat a celebrity. It’s not cool to talk down to people or undermine someone because of job or social status.
The Starbucks barista may one day become a famous actor or actress that you might one day really want to get with. Wouldn’t you feel terrible that you yelled at them over some petty whipped cream when they’re telling the story to Jay Leno?
The most surprising thing about the Twilight premiere’s takeover in Westwood is that a 35-year-old woman from Arizona started it. Four days before the movie was scheduled to premiere, she marked the beginning of the line with a sign declaring her as the start so people could line up behind her. When I read this, I just think, “Wow.” I’m a pretty big nerd, but I wouldn’t do that. I guess it’s cool because she embraces it, but really, that’s crazy.
Clearly, that’s a woman who doesn’t know that the stars in the movie are just normal people who would never camp out for four days to meet her. Even the film’s stars don’t understand the fans. In an interview with the Associated Press, Lautner said about the fans lined up in Westwood, “It’s the amount of passion. It’s not normal.” If you were in that crowd, you must be so embarrassed right now. Your werewolf lover thinks you’re weird.
Thus proving my point. They deserve the same amount of admiration and respect as they give you. So mull that one over next time you think about getting a shirt with Edward Cullen on it.
E-mail Jagerman at njagerman@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.