The malls in Manila may already be swathed in tinsel, but before we open our wallets and celebrate the longest Christmas season in the world most of it is just foreplay, don’t you think? we still need to address the all-important issue of Halloween. Fortunately for us, pop culture never fails to remind us that there are individuals out there who, no matter the month, are more than willing to give us a good scare.
First of all, there’s the ever-reliable Taylor Momsen. Who would’ve thought that the Gossip Girl starlet would ditch the headband and schoolgirl uniform for a pair of tip jar stilettos and racoon eyes? A few months after admitting she liked to carry knives, the Pretty Reckless lead singer was next spotted posing for the cover of Revolver magazine with a bunch of guns. Way to go, Jenny Humphrey!
Somewhere in Malibu, Courtney Love is strumming “I’m Miss World, somebody kill me!” as a single tear streams down her hollowed-out cheeks. After all, she used to be Taylor Momsen 20 years ago. Next is Willow Smith. Will and Jada’s daughter has starred in I Am Legend, voice-acted in two Madagascar movies, become a youth ambassador for Project Zambia to help children orphaned by AIDS and just signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label, through which she released her annoyingly catchy single Whip My Hair.
So, what’s so frightening about that? Get this: She is nine years old. “This kid has done more stuff in a decade than most will achieve in a lifetime. Just think what the future holds,” writes the UK’s NME, who recently included the celebrity offspring in their hotly-debated “50 Coolest People in Music” list. Okay, she looks awfully like a mini-Rihanna, but seriously?
Last but definetely not the least is Michael Buble. In the video for Hollywood, his latest single, the Canadian crooner paid tribute to Tinseltown by dressing up as James Dean, Clint Eastwood and — deep breath — Justin Bieber.
Perhaps it was meant to be cheeky, but seeing the 35-year-old singer in a hoodie, high-top sneakers, and floppy hair — he’s even got the nervous head twitch down pat — is both creepy, quite funny, and a bit poignant.
“So don’t go higher for your desire,” he sings. “Put it in your head, baby, Hollywood is dead. You can find it in yourself.” I may be reading into it too closely, but was this his way of offering some brotherly advice to the entertainment industry’s pocket-size monsters?
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