The world famous, awesome comedian, Kerri Pomarolli!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Oh Baby, Baby
Remember the immortal words of Britney Spears' pop single "Oh Baby Baby, What am I supposed to do?" Who would have thought she'd be taking those lyrics literally as a full-fledged mom of two small children? It's been the talk of Hollywood with the custody battle between Britney and Kevin Federline. I never thought I'd be rooting for Kevin as the better parent but with the recent events surrounding Brit's behavior, he seems to be the lesser of the evils. How sad. Since becoming pregnant with our own little starlet my view of the Hollywood jet-setting parents has become more scrutinizing. I'd like to think these children should be cared for in the same loving manner as any child anywhere would be.
I believe celebrity parents are getting a pass and who is it hurting? After all, they're just kids and they don't care if Mommy is on the cover of magazines and all over television, especially if she's all drugged up at the photo shoot and stealing clothes as in Britney's case. Instead of holding her accountable as an unfit parent, the media decided to make a spectacle of the incident and keep digging deeper for more mistakes. They called her old assistant to get the details of her late night parties. They didn't do this to help her but to sell the story. When is it enough? If this type of woman were your neighbor anywhere else would you not report her to child services? Would you not care what her post-baby abs looked like? It's getting ridiculous the way we're treating celebrity parents such as Nicole Ritchie who will be pregnant in prison and others with kid gloves. No wonder many stars have moved their families outside of Hollywood. Michael Douglas and his family live in the Caribbean. Demi Moore bought a ranch in Idaho and many others have followed that
trend. Is that the answer? Abandon ship? Or is it that we start taking these situations with celebrity parents who are unfit as serious and getting them help. And I'm not talking 30 days in a posh rehab center.
The best punishment for someone like Britney would be that she would be forced out of the media's watchful eye, banned from producing more records and doing more photo shoots until she gets her act together as a mom. I think we as a culture have made a mockery of motherhood when it comes to these careless, party-loving parents in Hollywood. People magazine brags when a new mom is out at a "Club Premier" 3 weeks after giving birth calling her "A Modern Day Glam Mom!" What about the rest of us up at 3:00 AM breastfeeding who haven't showered in 4 days?
As Christians what is our responsibility, if any, to these pop culture nightmares and how we react to them? Do we just pretend Hollywood and all its debacles don't exist and mind our own business? Do we pray for them? Do we believe our prayers would be fruitful to people that seem so lost? I myself am living here in the thick of it and find that I am getting desensitized to the severity of the possible dangers of these "Glam Babies" might face. I pray I can have a more compassionate heart to take time to pray.
I'm not sure what the answer is but I believe it's important that we as Christians pose the question. What do we do?
We're concerned for children in other countries because they're far worse off than we American's are. I hope we can be concerned for children out here in La La land when we find out their parents are on drugs and neglecting their basic needs as well. It's not the charmed life the E Network makes it out to be.
These are real kids not movie characters and for their sake I pray we take that fact seriously.
Labels: Mommyhood, Parenting, pop culture, The Chronicle
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
What is Joy?
As I was watching Oprah being interviewed in one of her more private moments in 2007 she was asked what she wanted out of her life. She said, "I want more joy!" Then I turned to People magazine and gazed at Nick Lachey divorced from Jessica Simpson with his new girlfriend whom he's living with bi-coastally in NYC and LA and the couple was saying their goals for 2008 included "More peace within themselves."
I find it funny hearing that because from the outside wouldn't you think someone like Oprah Winfrey could have "Joy" picked, purified and delivered to her door? She's so wealthy there is literally nothing she can't buy. But she doesn't have enough joy and neither do most of the Hollywood celebrities we spend our lives obsessing over. Don't pretend you don't do it. We're all guilty to some degree of daydreaming of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I'm with you. I mean who wouldn't want exotic vacations, lavish homes and staff that caters to their every need? I always seem to think these people have some secret to a more contented life. They always look so happy and thin don't forget thin!
But at the end of the day these "celebs" lay their heads on the pillow and go to sleep in their fancy beds just like we do. Their sheets may just have higher thread count. And here's the revelation folks, "They are no happier than we are in the long run!" I'll take it a step further and say most of them are so caught up in "the Hollywood machine" their anxiety is so high they're actually unhappy. Why do I bring this to your attention now? Why am I bursting your bubble about your favorite stars? Because I think we all need to stop the hero worship just a little bit, and now is the time to make some changes for the New Year.
I don't know what we can do, but if each one of us took a tiny step back and stopped empowering the media I think we'd be better off. Do we really need to encourage entire programs called "Brittany Spears: What Went Wrong?" Listen, I know it's tempting. I watch those shows like a bad train wreck...sometimes I just can't look away. But I'm trying to make myself a promise not to spend my time listening to speculations about celebs trying to figure out "who's the hottest" in 2008. I really don't care. I don't get more joy living vicariously through imperfect although good-looking strangers. I just think I've been brainwashed by too much entertainment news that I just need to know what's going in Justin Timberlake's love life. Do I? Do you? That's just my food for thought as we start out the New Year and think about what real joy means. I think it all boils down to the little poem I learned in 1st grade: Joy=Jesus, then Others, then Myself. (I don't think it means reading all the tabloids in the supermarket line or at the hair salon.) But I'll leave that for you to figure out for yourself.
Happy New Year!
Labels: Joy, pop culture, The Chronicle
Thursday, October 11, 2007
What Everybody's Not Doing In Hollywood!
A few months ago I wrote a piece on the current "Baby Bump" trend in Hollywood and how it's hip to be "round" these days. From Nicole Richie to the newest addition, the beautiful Halle Berry, Hollywood ladies are pregnant and loving it. I turned on the all great and powerful Oprah the other day because her episode was the big "baby announcement" by Halle Berry. In the midst of her joy she proudly declared she found no need to be married to have a baby and Oprah nodded her head accordingly with full support.
Oprah has been with her "Partner Stedman" for over 20 years and she's absolutely opposed to marriage. Stars like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell & Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have been setting the "no marriage" trend for years now. The latest announcement came from comic actor Jim Carey about his romance with Jenny McCarthy. "We're never getting married so we never have to get divorced." I'm sure that's sending a great message to Jenny's 4 year old son.
Speaking of messages, what is this the "summer of free love 1967?" Have we evolved so far as to think that marriage is an outdated cliche? It seems to me that Hollywood is setting the tone that marriage is something only the homosexual community wants to do. The gay stars are thrilled about the prospect of marriage but the traditional male- female couples could take it or leave it.
Now I know I've said this before but we as Christians can't hold non believers to our moral standards because they have no accountability in their lives higher than themselves and maybe their press agents. But does that mean we have to think it's ok for celebrities like Oprah to be championing the un-wed mothers and making it seem "Strong –n- sexy" to be just living together and making babies? I'm sure young people have enough struggles today with all the wrong choices laid out before them. It's got to be confusing for an average young American girl who gets pregnant and feels totally alone and fearful to think "Well Halle Berry can do it. Why can't I?" What's next? Will today's moms "to be" start thinking that having the father in the picture is unnecessary?
I write to you to give you food for thought about what we're taking from Hollywood and how we may be letting those values or lack thereof slowly sink into our everyday consciousness? It's something to think about. We can't let our guard down and we have to just be careful and pray that we're doing the best we can to set a Godly example for our future generations right here at home. That's how we are going to help these kids change the world for God, one conversation at a time.
Kerri Pomarolli is an accomplished actress, published author, contributing writer in many magazines, veteran of television with credits that include The Tonight Show, Comedy Central, General Hospital, ABC, FOX, TBN, CNN Headline News and ABC Family. She tours extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada performing comedy and inspirational speaking. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, comedian Ron McGehee.
Labels: Family, Hollywood, Marriage, Pregnancy, The Chronicle, Trends
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
"Everybody's Doing It!"
I know that Hollywood is just like anywhere else and trends come and go. The latest buzz around town is that we're "Bringin' Pregnant Back" to la la land. Motherhood is now back in style!
I succumbed not only to my mother's pressure since our honeymoon but the likes of Angelina, Tori Spelling, Britney, and all the other "Hot Mama's" this year. That's right folks I'm 6 months prego! Now Nicole Ritchie has joined our ranks. So I have all these "maternal role models to look up to?" Not really. It seems most of these women are as clueless as I am. The big difference is that for once in their lives they are actually allowed to eat real food. If you read about the pregnancy weight gains for these stars it's pretty high. Tori told me she gained over 60 lbs. Of course when we see their pictures in magazines they are as airbrushed and fresh looking as ever before. They don't show the real pregnancy glow that the rest of us are experiencing in the form of skin blotches and teenage acne! Once again Hollywood refuses to let the public see women, even pregnant women, as they really are.
So there is absolutely no celebrity who a woman can look to for any real representation. All the magazines concentrate on "Jennifer Anniston's supposed baby bump" when she's literally just had a milk shake and is a little bloated. So now, bloated equals pregnant? That's a great message for women across America! And what about all those articles with pictures of new mom's post delivery back in their bikinis in 6 weeks? Heidi Klum was back on the fashion runway in lingerie in 3 weeks after her son's birth. That is the most unrealistic standard I've ever seen! What is she a superhero and can make baby fat disappear in a single instant?
I'm learning more and more how the media is so unforgiving. When Debra Messing came back to work on her show "Will and Grace" after her baby's birth, she was about 120 lbs and they told her she was too fat! I'm not sure what the answer is especially for us Christians trying to live in this culture and building the self-esteem of our young daughters today. My own daughter will be arriving soon and I certainly hope there will be more ways to show her that what she sees on TV and magazines is all a facade and while these images can't be ignored we can see them for what they really are. Images based in some photo shopper's imagination. These pictures don't even have hair on the women's arms! Take a look and see what I mean!
I say "Bravo" to all the women out there that are doing the grandest duty of all by carrying children in their wombs into this world! The ones with stretch marks and swollen feet. It's a badge of honor and God says we are "Highly Favored!" So why don't we get our own calendar? I'd call it "Bringing Pregnant Back! The Real Hot Mamas!" We could all be eating cake and ice cream. What do you think? Ok ok.work in progress but we have to start somewhere! Right? Who's with me? I have to go now. I think my friends Ben and Jerry are calling me from my kitchen. I'm going to eat as much as I want because I'm pregnant and I CAN! You have to take the perks when they come! Now if we could only get special parking spaces...hmmm....
Labels: Pregnancy, The Chronicle
