Hello My Edges,
The Will Smith - Chris Rock slap sesh has knocked up more takes than a Michael Bay movie. Forbes published an article blaming white supremacy. Some say it was faked to raise awareness for alopecia, which is cured by…you guessed it, Pfizer!
And others look out for a violent reaction from Chris Rock’s brother, ‘The’.
So, I’ll leave the wrestling over the nature of the slap to others.
But here’s the thing: few of you even knew the Oscars were on. Slap-Gate has hidden something far bigger:
Celebs Are Losing Their ‘Cool’
For Will Smith’s tearful acceptance speech and apology, audience figures rose to 17 million. It’s a 56% increase on last year - but still The Oscars’ second-lowest figures.
After years of COVID, death and war, our appetite for further rewarding and enriching the lives of the rich and rewarded is waning. It seemed to start with Gal Gadot’s re-imagining of Imagine. The misjudgement by celebrities - who couldn’t bear no longer being at the top of our agendas - was jarring at a time when we put loved ones ahead of strangers who dress up as superheroes.
It’s always seemed strange to me that we had such reverence for movie stars in the first place. I love films, I really do. And acting is a great skill. But rather than saving lives, they’re saying lines on a script for Gossip Girl or The Hulk.
Sean Penn suggested he wouldn’t go to The Oscars unless they invited and paraded Ukraine president Zelensky. Zelensky is fighting a very real war, not auditioning for Marvel’s next blockbuster.
For many years, celebs have traded off of their elusive allure and mysterious sex appeal. But in the aftermath of Oscar Slap (sounds like a character from a Spielberg film), it was comedian Jim Carrey who best captured the mood:
‘It feels like we’re not in the cool club anymore.’
Carrey echoes how many of us feel about Hollywood actors; they’re all played out. Let’s forget for a moment that an Oscar is a totally arbitrary award given out by a secret society of creeps as a means of exerting power and granting unearned status. This is an industry that has also long covered up abuse scandals, indulged in the ‘Casting Couch’ and employed flagrant nepotism in deciding who among us might join their club.
As Ricky Gervais told actors at the Golden Globes:
‘You say you’re woke but the companies you work for, I mean, unbelievable – Apple, Amazon, Disney – if Isis started a streaming service, you’d call your agent.’
3 ways the internet is making celebs lose their ‘cool’:
The democratisation of entertainment. Everyone can simply stream their stuff to the world, and if it’s good enough, it’ll rise to the top.
Transparency. Social media has shown us that celebs are human; they type their Twitter passwords in one letter at a time, just like the rest of us.
The omniscient and ubiquitous nature of the internet. It shines a light on the above scandals and hypocrisies.
When we reached peak Beatlemania, nobody knew there’d never be anything like it again in music fandom. My suspicion is that our fawning over movie stars has also peaked. The slap felt like the beginning of the end, with Will Smith symbolising a sect of elites sulking over losing their ‘cool’.
In its stead will rise a broader, more independent market of online creators who give their viewers value, time and respect.
Micro-influencers (1-10,000 social media followers) are considered more niche, tight-knit and authentic than Hollywood stars, making them extremely valuable to marketers. They have a much higher ‘engagement rate’ than celebs. You could become a micro-influencer tomorrow if you wanted.
That’s not to say that we online creators aren’t just as devious and self-interested as celebs - see my last piece about YouTubers being psychopathic cult leaders.
It’s just easier to switch us off - just hit unsubscribe.
Edge News
I was interviewed by Katie Halper, a well-known comedian and commentator in the States for her podcast, The Katie Halper Show. She is very left-wing, but we didn’t talk politics. It was all about exorcism, abortion and Amanda Knox. People over ideologies.
I have redesigned my YouTube channel based on the cult-like course I mentioned last week. Do check it out, as I’d love feedback (and yes, I know you can hear I have a cold in the new trailer!).
I got a one-star review from a non-believer - hooray!
It’s the episodes you least expect that cause the biggest commotion. Colin Freeman is a moderate, centrist journalist working out of Kyiv right now. Yet…here we are.
Here’s a question.
Should online conspiracy theorists and cranks be allowed to give one-star reviews that affect the rating of a podcaster? Well, I suppose it’d be a bit hypocritical of me to say no, after waxing lyrical about the perks of the democratisation of the internet!
I suppose you have to accept the critics…or as the YouTube course I did would say, the non-believers.
For those of you who do believe, here’s what’s coming up:
On the Edge With Andrew Gold Podcast: This Week
Monday: Ep. 105 - Stephen Knight on Conspiracy Theorists
I love Stephen Knight, from the Godless Spellchecker Podcast. I first heard of him through the Ricky Gervais podcast, and have now interviewed him a few times. He speaks with humour and self-awareness about exactly the kind of conspiracy theorist above, and how far down the rabbit hole of Right-and-Left-Wing madness people can fall.
Thursday: Ep. 106 - Trans Person Debbie Hayton
Debbie is a physics teacher who has gained some renown as a prominent trans woman…who doesn’t believe that ‘trans women are women’. I know this will cause some controversy, but I try not to take a particular view - you can decide for yourselves where you stand.
Subscribe to my podcast on Apple/Spotify
Classic Clip
Not so much classic this week, as topical. This clip is from my chat with ‘The Identity Myth’ writer David Swift. The full podcast isn’t even out yet, but will be in the coming weeks.
Join Me Live
I ‘premiere’ every episode on YouTube, Mon & Thu at 9pm UK time. I’m always in the chat beside the video, so come say hi!
Subscribe: https://youtube.com/andrewgold1
Something Edgy
Thanks to my brother Michael for pointing me to this story about a man who has lived in an airport for 14 years just to get away from his family.
Of course, it’s reminiscent of episode 82 of On the Edge with Andrew Gold with Hassan Al Kontar, who lived in an airport for seven months.
I’ll be seeing you On the Edge,
Andrew
I enjoy my music and my movies as well. But I often say if sports stars, music stars, and movie stars fell off the face of the earth we would still go on. But we need doctors, nurses, teachers, etc. And I like the idea of hearing different viewpoints and making up your own mind. I look forward to these weekly newsletters.🙋🏻♀️
Yeah movie celebs and them are becoming a thing of the past, most kids these days just want to be YouTubers or gamers on Twitch. At a guess, I don't really know haha
Really good article that mate, keep them coming.