Thursday, February 22, 2007

Love, Like, Dislike, Hate, Loathe... no, wait...

It seems that everyone has celebrities they like, as well as celebrities they absolutely can not stand. We don't even have to have logical reasons for our intense dislike, it just somehow happens.
Now and then I hear of someone else's celebrity-hatred, and sometimes it ends up affecting how I feel about that celebrity myself. Sometimes not.
Examples:

Rachael Ray:
I used to think she was "okay." Not great, not horrible, just "okay." Granted, she was a bit too perpetually cheerful, as if there's a tube (hidden from the camera) that feeds her a constant enema of caffiene and speed... still, overall I used to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Then I read some blogs where she was clearly described as a pet peeve. And gradually I began to agree with them. I don't despise Rachael Ray, but I do see how her constant spunkiness could easily get on some people's nerves.

Katie Couric:
Honestly, I used to like Katie. She seemed very nice. Then I heard people describe her as stuck up, snotty, bitchy. Now my opinion of her has mellowed. I no longer see her as the sweet, happy, nice friendly person I once did. It's fascinating that I allow my perceptions to be so malleable, so easily affected by the comments of the person next to me.

Phil Collins:
I love this guy's music. Really. I admit it. All of it. A few months ago, I read a blog in which someone could not stand Phil Collins. Phil was a huge pet peeve for somebody (I forget who). Yet, unlike Rachael and Katie, Phil remains just as popular with me as he always was! Still love Phil. Let's dance to Sussudio!!

Jerry Seinfeld:
I like watching Seinfeld. It's one of those good syndicated shows that will live on into perpetuity. I think Jerry is funny, he has good comedic timing and can think 'on his feet' really well. (A quality I wish I had!!) Then I learned one of my friends can not stand him. (This friend's exact words were "He is evil and must be destroyed.") Yet I still like Jerry! My faith in Jerry has not wavered.

Dr. Phil:
I used to absolutely despise Dr Phil. I thought he was condescending, overly-simplistic about certain things, and always too sure that he was right. I hated his overly-confident demeanor. Then I learned (to my dismay) that my mother likes his show a lot. Often when I visit her, I am subjected to watching Dr. Phil. And I grudgingly admit, after about two years I hated him a lot less. There are actually times when I agree with almost everything he says. (gasp!)
Overall, I've decided that maybe ol' Phil isn't so bad.

Jim Carrey:
This guy used to annoy the HELL out of me. He was a huge pet peeve. I could not stand his weird humor, his insane facial expressions and noises, and everything else that made him Jim Carrey. I forget what started to change my mind. But now I tend to like his humor, for the most part. There's something to be said for the complete chaotic nonsense he can create, at a moment's notice, out of thin air. Robin Williams has the same gift. Give them an empty room, they'll somehow find a way to make comedy out of it. Genius.

So, enough about me and my celebrity revelations.
What about the rest of you?
Who do you positively despise? Who do your friends despise? How likely are you to change your mind, based on what someone else thinks?

4 comments:

Foofa said...

I can't stand Bobby Flay. He is disrespectful, arrogant, and gross (he had this big cold sore and was cooking and tasting things and putting spoons back in pots). Unfortunately, his food tends to look good and I love that Throwdown show (but mostly because he gets beat a lot). I still just think he is a horrible human.

My opinions do change because of friends though. Take Family Guy, for example. I used to think it was rather funny, the randomness of the show made me laugh. Then people (and South Park) pointed out that all the show did was random humor making it a lot less random. I had already tuned down my watchin of the show but now I never watch it.

Roberta said...

Britney Spears makes me want to slap some sense into her. It could take a whole day of slapping, but I would be willing to do it.

I LOVE George Strait. I'm glad that he's so private because then he'll not do or say anything to change my love for him.

Travis Cody said...

Mostly the kind of celebs that bug me are the ones who are famous for no apparent reason.

Mo and The Purries said...

Rachel Ray: YUCK-O

Jerry Seinfeld: yes, he should be flayed, quartered and sprinkled with salt & lemon juice. Despise him.

I liked the "old" Jim Carrey when he was on In Living Color. He could crack me up. His movies and his "star" attitude now: not so much.

My big pet peeve is how much attention some people get for doing NOTHING worthwhile: Britney Spears at least at one time had a music 'career' but K-Fed, he gives me the willies. And Paris Hilton, well she could be a garnish on the Seinfeld-ka-bobs.

At least I can be a Blogebrity, so y'all can start hatin' on me now...