Simon Fuller's If I Can Dream premiered on Hulu this morning, an admittedly groundbreaking program that follows a handful of starry eyed young people as they head off to Hollywood pursuing their decidedly narcistic dreams. Despite the shows obvious appeal to our baser instincts, the format of the program is so unusual and, well, voyeuristic that it is difficult to look away. While it is extremely easy to hate on this show, I can't avoid the fact that I tuned in before I had even gotten out of bed this morning. Anyway, something immediately struck me that I though was worth passing on.
This program is one of the most brutal examples that I have seen to date of something that has been rattling around in my brain about celebrity obsession and Franz Kafka for a year or two. One of his lesser known short stories called Josephine (or the Mouse Singer) is centered around a female mouse who becomes a celebrity for her ability to be banal and average while acting as though she were a great artist or diva. The other mice are not terribly interested in art and are interested in following the trials and tribulations of her ego as they are in listening to her squalid and simple songs.
Sound familiar?
Crane-Fly Orchid (not the best pic) these were everywhere
Putty Root Orchid, or Adam and Eve
The last one is some kind of brown jelly fungus, but that's all I
