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Back in the old days, an outspoken star was an asset to any studio, and having “one too many” was just par for the course. The Rat Pack wouldn’t have the same without a highball in Dean Martin’s hand or a racial slur or two uttered by Frank Sinatra as he turned it over to “Sambo” Davis Jr. But nowadays you can’t let loose one N-bomb or even get loaded without Joy Behar and Larry King crawling up your ass.

Whatever happened to the days when you could call a spade a spade? The Rat Pack were infamous for their onstage banter that included jokes that, albeit with considerably less profanity, were just as heavy as anything that the stars spew forth today. Davis: “Did you know Lincoln was Jewish?” Martin: “Yeah, he was shot in the temple!” Try anything like that today, and your agent drops you, the government asks for your resignation or the NAACP revokes your membership.

Speaking one’s mind used to be one of the perks of being famous; frankness was one of the three “f’s,” along with fame and fortune. Political correctness was only relevant as long as you bet on the right horse, or as long as you didn’t double-down on the wrong one. But what’s considered appropriate behavior for movie stars in today’s day and age is completely ridiculous. We’re talking about movie icons, not religious icons.

Even Catholic priests are given the benefit of the doubt—it’s expected that they’re pedophiles, and when it turns out that they’re not, it’s a pat on the back for good ole’ Father Flynn. But if Britney flashes a beaver shot or if David Hasselhoff has a little trouble eating a hamburger, everybody has to make a big deal out of it.

Errol Flynn’s hedonistic lifestyle was admired by his fans, who, rather than begrudge him, lauded his ability to get “in like Flynn.” But when Paris Hilton lets someone in—especially on video—oh, what a scandal! Flynn considered Fidel Castro to be a close personal friend and a drinking partner, but if Sean Penn dares to criticize George W. Bush, he’s considered “anti-American.”

I know, I know…the Golden Age of Hollywood is over. Things have changed. But it’s not movie stars that have changed, it’s everybody else—at least, that’s what the American media seem to think. Only in this country is more airtime given to scandal than to actual news. So, Li-Lo is going to jail… Am I supposed to believe that the American people are so banal and disinterested in the real world that all they care about is a 23-year-old starlet with a drinking problem? Didn’t anybody catch the article in the Washington Post that describes “The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001” that “has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work”? Does anybody really care?

Apparently not, because Mel Gibson has allegedly been running off at the mouth again, and when Mel rants, people listen. The one-time “Sexiest Man Alive” would probably do better on a “Stupidest Man Alive” poll these days for, if nothing else, continuing to go ballistic on ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva over the phone when she has proven to him time and again that she records all of their conversations (and then sends them off to the media!). Since when is what goes on between lovers public information? Mel Gibson’s abusive and racist rants may be ill-mannered, but Oksana Grigorieva’s recordings are downright illegal! And is anybody talking about that? No, because nobody even knew who she was until Mel went off the deep end and started drunk-dialing her every fifteen minutes.

Here’s what I think: it’s not the times that have changed, or even the stars—it’s we who are different. Once upon a time we admired our stars, and therefore supported them when times got tough; now we envy our stars, and revel in their undoing. I really doubt there’s anybody out there saying, “Poor Lindsay, I hope she gets the help she needs…” although I’m sure there are plenty of people rejoicing. “Haha! Bitch got what she deserved!”

Image courtesy of Miss Shari

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