Published: May 09, 2008 10:06 am            

Citizens want the scoop on celebrity and candidate scandals

Everyone loves a good scandal. From Rob Lowe’s nanny to Miley Cyrus appearing in Vanity Fair, people can’t get enough of the dish on celebrities.

Of course, let’s not forget the political scandals.

Barack Obama’s pastor went on a speaking tour recently, apparently to illustrate that he really does have ideas different from most Americans.

Once the primaries are over, John McCain’s past will come up, from his temper to being involved in the Keating Five scandal during the late ‘80s. These scandals are not relegated to the national scene, either.

Currently, a big scandal involves whether or not Gov. Joe Manchin’s daughter got her master’s degree from WVU because of who she is or because she earned it. She’s employed by a pharmaceutical company that reportedly has made several large contributions to WVU. It’s not like there would be any conflict of interest there or anything.

From most reports, it appears that the governor’s daughter got a few free credit hours at WVU. I’d love to get a master’s degree without having to complete all the credit hours. Not to mention I wouldn’t have to complete all the course work. I can be quite lazy sometimes.

It goes without saying that scandals such as Obama’s pastor, Hillary’s tenure as first lady, and McCain’s temper detract from what people should be really worried about. Where do the candidates stand on the issues? What will they, or can they, do about the soaring gas prices, unemployment and the economy? With this being an election year, all three will probably talk about some vague sort of change. When I hear candidates talking about some sort of change, I think just because someone changes something doesn’t mean that it’s for the better.

Even “American Idol,” as hallowed as that institution is, isn’t immune to the sort of scandal-mongering that happens in today’s saturated pop culture. Paula Abdul apparently got confused over whether a contestant sang two songs or one. I admit those karaoke renditions of other people’s hits do tend to run together after so long. I don’t have anything against the show and have never actually watched an episode (I have an aversion to reality television), but I keep up so if anyone starts a conversation on it I won’t sound like a complete idiot.

As much as I hate to admit it, I love a good scandal as much as the next person. I generally enjoy ones concerning celebrities more because I can have a vicarious thrill in watching what happens. Political scandals usually make me angry, but I don’t know why, because politicians are rarely the most upstanding citizens.

One of the stranger scandals involves teen star Miley Cyrus who recently appeared in a revealing Vanity Fair photo spread. Her dad is Billy Ray Cyrus, whose name is much more recognizable to people like me, who don’t know Miley from Milli Vanili. Billy Ray had a huge hit in the early ‘90s with “Achy Breaky Heart,” and then went on to have a few more hits before appearing in some television shows.

There was a big backlash to the Achy Breaky phenomenon, and I used to annoy people by playing it in a restaurant before I left. I didn’t have to put up with it, anyway. Back to Miley, for some, the photos are not becoming of someone who is looked up to by 10- and 12-year-olds. She said she’s embarrassed, and officials with the magazine said she and her handlers knew what the pictures would be. Why would she appear in Vanity Fair? Her audience doesn’t read Vanity Fair. I don’t even know what kind of magazine Vanity Fair is (shows my ignorance, I realize.)

It seems we’re always waiting for the next celebrity or anyone who has some importance to fall, be it because of a sex scandal or because they’re doing naughty things at parties. I could probably say more, but I’ve got my “National Enquirer” to read.

Mark Blevins is a Princeton Times reporter. Contact him at mblevins@ptonline.net.

        

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