LIMINAL HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY
My college Latin teacher’s favorite English word was liminal, and I was recently thinking about how I don’t use this word enough.
LIMINAL:
Etymology: Latin limin-, limen threshold
1 : of or relating to a sensory threshold
2 : barely perceptible
3 : of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition
There are many opportunities to use this word on a daily basis. All you have to do is start to step through a doorway, and then hesitate, and while you’re between one room and the next… You’re a liminal creature! You’re neither in one room nor the other…. You’re a creature of the threshold… you might not exist at all! It’s just that fun!
I was thinking about using the word “liminal” to demarcate the space between a cool celebrity and a lame celebrity. If the celebrity in question took one small step towards coolness, he would be completely safe from the “lame” realm. If, on the other hand, he stumbles the other way… it’s too late, he’s no longer liminal, but a full-fledged lame-o. Many celebrities embody both cool and lame qualities, and I’d like to explore this further. So, without further ado, my first Liminal Hollywood Celebrity:
JARED LETO
Jared Leto embodies the nature of a liminal Hollywood creature. He is really teetering on the brink between coolness and lameness.
WORKING FOR HIM:
1. This is a big one: He took an axe in the face as Paul Allen in American Psycho. Anyone who has a starring role in American Psycho wins major bonus points for all of eternity.
2. Has actually had roles in a large number of indie flicks (Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club, Girl, Interrupted).
3. Was in My So-Called Life, and was darn cute while in it.
4. Gained a considerable amount of weight to play Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27, and appears to have lost it again, easily.
5. Seems to have a nice ass.
6. Starring role as Hephaistion in Oliver Stone’s Alexander. This counts as either a liability or a bonus point, depending on who you ask. I’m not even sure myself.
WORKING AGAINST HIM:
1. Vanity band 30 Seconds to Mars – this is a major liability. He wears tons of mascara, dresses in pleather, and wails like a banshee for no perceptible reason.
2. My roommate saw 30 Seconds to Mars today at Lollapalooza, and she said Jared Leto kept encouraging the crowd to shout “Lollapalooza!” and “Chicago!” That’s pretty lame. Also, we saw him on The Tonight Show a couple nights ago, and his singing voice is downright bad.
3. Apparently slept with La Lohan. I shouldn’t even include this – after all, you can’t judge people by who they date (and/or sleep with). If this were the case, I should scorn Chris Isaak for all eternity just because he dated Bai Ling…. That’s not entirely fair, is it?
THE FINAL VERDICT:
So, Jared Leto appears to have more strikes for him than against him. A vanity band is a major liability, and his is apparently gaining some amount of attention. Jared Leto is a true liminal creature: He has shown some true acting chops, and needs to focus on this instead of his band in order to pull himself out of the threshold…
LIMINAL:
Etymology: Latin limin-, limen threshold
1 : of or relating to a sensory threshold
2 : barely perceptible
3 : of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition
There are many opportunities to use this word on a daily basis. All you have to do is start to step through a doorway, and then hesitate, and while you’re between one room and the next… You’re a liminal creature! You’re neither in one room nor the other…. You’re a creature of the threshold… you might not exist at all! It’s just that fun!
I was thinking about using the word “liminal” to demarcate the space between a cool celebrity and a lame celebrity. If the celebrity in question took one small step towards coolness, he would be completely safe from the “lame” realm. If, on the other hand, he stumbles the other way… it’s too late, he’s no longer liminal, but a full-fledged lame-o. Many celebrities embody both cool and lame qualities, and I’d like to explore this further. So, without further ado, my first Liminal Hollywood Celebrity:
JARED LETO
Jared Leto embodies the nature of a liminal Hollywood creature. He is really teetering on the brink between coolness and lameness.
WORKING FOR HIM:
1. This is a big one: He took an axe in the face as Paul Allen in American Psycho. Anyone who has a starring role in American Psycho wins major bonus points for all of eternity.
2. Has actually had roles in a large number of indie flicks (Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club, Girl, Interrupted).
3. Was in My So-Called Life, and was darn cute while in it.
4. Gained a considerable amount of weight to play Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27, and appears to have lost it again, easily.
5. Seems to have a nice ass.
6. Starring role as Hephaistion in Oliver Stone’s Alexander. This counts as either a liability or a bonus point, depending on who you ask. I’m not even sure myself.
WORKING AGAINST HIM:
1. Vanity band 30 Seconds to Mars – this is a major liability. He wears tons of mascara, dresses in pleather, and wails like a banshee for no perceptible reason.
2. My roommate saw 30 Seconds to Mars today at Lollapalooza, and she said Jared Leto kept encouraging the crowd to shout “Lollapalooza!” and “Chicago!” That’s pretty lame. Also, we saw him on The Tonight Show a couple nights ago, and his singing voice is downright bad.
3. Apparently slept with La Lohan. I shouldn’t even include this – after all, you can’t judge people by who they date (and/or sleep with). If this were the case, I should scorn Chris Isaak for all eternity just because he dated Bai Ling…. That’s not entirely fair, is it?
THE FINAL VERDICT:
So, Jared Leto appears to have more strikes for him than against him. A vanity band is a major liability, and his is apparently gaining some amount of attention. Jared Leto is a true liminal creature: He has shown some true acting chops, and needs to focus on this instead of his band in order to pull himself out of the threshold…
posted by ginsoakedgirl at 10:06 PM
1 Comments:
Unless he really pulls it together on his next couple of films, I think the deck is stacked against him. He's yet to prove that he really has any chops as an actor - MSCL required him only to seem dim and aloof, and American Psycho and Fight Club only required him to get beat up or killed. The hotness is really his best asset, and he's blowing it right now. He seems intent on hiding his light under a bushel of greasy hair and bloat.
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