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Rosie writes: A different kind of detox

I know, I know, you’re sick of hearing about Rosie O’Donnell. But on Sunday, she gave a talk at BookExpo America, the annual publishing convention. She discussed her forthcoming memoir, Celebrity Detox.

With her usual flair for hyperbole, Rosie told the convention attendees that fame is addictive:

“It is, in fact, a drug,” she said of fame, and spoke of seeing peers so radically, and scarily, transformed by celebrity that they looked like victims of “crystal meth.”

Another report says that the crystal meth comment was directed toward some of the female guests on The View:

“Some had lost half their body weight with their hair falling out,” she said. “Some had been totally reconstructed and looked as though Barbie had been stamped on their (rear end).

(Thanks, USA Today, for protecting us from the word ass.)

I’m actually very interested in Rosie’s thoughts on the phenomenon of celebrity, because I feel confused by it too — particularly the “famous for being famous” types. I grew up thinking celebrities were people to admire, people who represented the most of human potential and the best of what life has to offer. Of course, I’m thinking about stars like Katharine Hepburn, Barbra Streisand and Carol Burnett — the great ones. We don’t have a lot of those mega-talented types left; there are only a few left to look up to, like Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon. And they mostly keep their private lives private, which I’m sure is part of the key. Angelina Jolie is getting close to that sort of stardom, but sometimes the paparazzi are too close to her.

Despite all that, I don’t know if I want to read Rosie’s book. I think I’d prefer that she keep blogging (especially the JaHeRo stuff) and giving talks. Maybe I’m just weary of memoirs.

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