Hollie McKay of FOX News contacted me to comment on the recent falls, antics and strange behavior of celebrities (Miley Cyrus, Nick Bollea et al.)

My reply:

While fame and fortune can be intoxicating, they can also lead to delusions of grandeur and power without any thought about the consequences.  Celebrities have shown time after time that it can become hard to distinguish between a role on TV or film and real life.  The lives of so many celebrities are in much greater turmoil than ever before. So many celebrities lose sight of who they really are. They get carried away by their persona, by their image, and by the grandeurs of delusion and power - and it easily leads to a corruption of power. Time after time we witness another example of celebrity stupidity, entitlement and delusion; the delusion that because someone has fame and fortune they can get away with anything and everything. The constant attention, adulation and power can easily become addictive and overpowering and can lead to narcissism. The rush of the fame and power can prevent someone from stopping and thinking about the possible consequences of one’s actions. The only thing that prevents us from being hypnotized into thinking we are Gods is humility and life always comes along and humbles us – particularly when we least expect it – and it doesn’t matter who you are, how rich, famous or powerful you might be!  - Patrick Wanis PhD, Celebrity Life Coach, Human Behavior Expert & Clinical Hypnotherapist

Maybe these celebrity quotes say it best:

Celebrity is a pretty stunning thing. At first I was like ‘They love me! Oh, I love them, too.’ And suddenly, I was tap-dancing on my pedestal and it was whack! Facedown in the dirt.
- - Sharon Stone, Oct. 14, 1994

There are, I think, three countries left in the world where I can go and I’m not as well-known as I am here. I’m a pretty big star, folks - I don’t have to tell you. Superstar, I guess you could say.
- - Bruce Willis (1998)

People hate me because I am a multifaceted, talented, wealthy, internationally famous genius.
- - Jerry Lewis 

We’ve become so glorified in the movie-star system that it’s become this artificial royalty. The truth is that we’re circus clowns.
– Nicolas Cage

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 7:24 pm and is filed under Patrick in the Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.