Monday, March 03, 2008

Wednesday I'm in love


I've long had a furtive thing about Christina Ricci. OK, maybe not so furtive. She's all growed up now, and anyway, Small Boo says I'm allowed Lucy Liu and Christina if she's allowed Steve Buscemi and Daniel Auteuil.

But I've just discovered something devastating. Ms Ricci, in direct contravention of my own first rule of the modern intellectual, has admitted to owning more shoes than books.

So, over to you lot. Have you ever felt an intense admiration (intellectual, moral, carnal, your choice) for a famous person, only for the scales to fall from your eyes when that person was exposed as categorically second-rate?

21 comments:

Annie said...

Yes, many times:

1. Discovering Juliette Lewis is a scientologist
2. Realising Kurt Cobain was just a whiny brat
3. Jack Bauer isn't real?

I have more books than shoes but that's only because I own hardly any shoes, not because I have loads of books. Books are heavy when you keep moving country. Wasn't "Books are Heavy" an L7 album?

Anonymous said...

Does it count if the carnal admiration came about even when you knew the person was categorically second-rate to start with?

Rimshot said...

A qualified 'yes'.

Since I, myself, would have to work long and hard to make it UP to being considered second-rate, any such admiration and subsequent revelation wouldn't really be altered.

amyonymous said...

Thom Yorke hasn't disappointed me yet. Viggo Mortenson also hasn't, as of yet. Even my guilty pleasure - Billie Joe Armstrong - just keeps getting better. Beck. I would have to say Beck because, like Annie said of Juliette Lewis above, he is a scientologist.

Charles Edward Frith said...

Lucy Liu is obviously one of Charlie's Angels too Tim so do please tread carefully.

patroclus said...

Hm, I was a big fan of Christina too, to the extent that if Winona wasn't available to play me in the film of my life, Christina would have been next on the list. I guess it's going to have to be Helena Bonham-Carter now.

Almost everyone I like turns out to be in some way suspicious (e.g. anti-semitic (Dorothy Sayers), Nazi collaborator (P.G. Wodehouse) etc.) or second-rate (e.g. Johnny Depp - lovely he may be, but not all that bright, and not always on brilliant acting form), to the point where I've started defending my choices by saying 'yes, but I like them *because* they're flawed. Flawed people are more *interesting*'.

Tim F said...

Books are heavy, Annie, but shoes tend to be heavier. (Although, before anybody says anything, some books are heavier than some shoes.) L7! Blimey, I'd forgotten them and their pants-dropping antics.

No, Pleite. That's just low standards on your part.

Everyone creates their own rating, system, Shot. I used to be NC17, but I haven't got the energy.

Yes, Beck's Scientology is a big problem for me too, Amy. Same with Isaac Hayes.

The sad thing is, Charles, LL has made worse films than Charlie's Angels.

I think you and Pleite should get together, Patroclus. Although I'd turn things round - flawless people are utterly tedious.

Anonymous said...

OK, will gently recalibrate my crushometer and try to come up with someone who might have been acceptable before blowing it. Can I pretend to have a crush on that Cotillard woman? Oh, or what about Morrissey? Will he do? I used to hang on his every word (when 15), but hasn't he turned out to be a total arse?

red said...

I am disappointed to hear that about Ms Ricci. I have loads of shoes but far far more books.
I find both quite cumbersome to move house with but I find it easier to part with shoes than with books.
L7's LP was about bricks though not books- I'd forgotten about them mooning on The Word too.

Geoff said...

Moral - I suppose Christopher Hitchens and Julie Burchill. I tried staying on their side for a while but I couldn't keep up the hypocrisy.

Intellectual - I used to hang onto Elvis Costello's words till he stopped writing tunes. The tunes were always more important.

Carnal - When Kelly Rowland started going out with Reggie Yates.

Tim F said...

Morrissey, definitely, Pleite. My rationalisation is that I'm not so much paying homage to him, as to the memory of my own neurotic youth, in which he loomed large (although not quite as large as he is now).

Is it still called mooning when it's your front bum that gets flashed, Red?

Never knew you had the hots for Reggie Yates, Geoff.

Billy said...

I agree with Patroclus there, flawed is always best.

Spinsterella said...

Not a crush object, but discovering that Alison Janney is not remotely interested in politics and had not idea what she was spouting on about for much of her reign as CJ on the West Wing was a terrible disappointment.

9/10ths Full of Penguins said...

As a fashion-challenged man, my shoes-to-book ratio isn't even worth discussing. Except to say that for each pair of shoes I possess, I own at least 45 books.

I remember that when i was younger, I had a crush on Rosanna Arquette. Not sure why, but there you go.....

Rosie said...

Jeremy Clarkson... *sigh*

indefensible, i know.

Tim F said...

Always agree with Patroclus, Billy. Otherwise she'll set the Cornish pasty voodoo on you.

But would it be worse to discover she's a Republican, Spin?

But doesn't Rosanna Arquette have a penchant for elderly rockers, 9/10? Like Mick Jagger, Peter Gabriel and someone out of Toto?

At least you dopn't bother to defend it, Rosie. Uuurrggh. Although... I have the opposite reaction to Clarkson. I thought he was the antichrist, a sort of postmodern golf-club Nazi; and then, after his programmes on Brunel and the VC, I realised he was a really good Reithian broadcaster, in the tradition of Attenborough. Which, of course, makes me even more annoyed that he plays to the troglodyte gallery so much.

9/10ths Full of Penguins said...

The elderly rocker thing is true. I'll give you that one. Plus her face is getting progressively sharper with time.

oh well.

Rosie said...

i base my attraction on his animal magnetism, Tim. your big words just confuse me.

FirstNations said...

I've had the exact opposite happen more often....thought some celeb was a total moronic ass, until they did something undeniably cool, like turn up wearing an 'Invader Zim' t-shirt, and I had to like them. its a confusing world.

Tim F said...

While mine gets blunter, 9/10.

And JC's purported animal magnetism just confuses me, Rosie.

Having been a total moronic ass for the last 39 years, I think I now have a solution. The wonders of Invader Zim...

llewtrah said...

Johnny Depp - except he smokes and did too much self-medication and apparently once wrecked a hotel room.