In Defense of Entertainment Journalism

Submitted by Nikki Gloudeman on January 13, 2010 - 8:32am
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Recently, I wrote a blog for Mother Jones about the new Sherlock Holmes flick. It wasn't about Robert Downey Jr.'s celebrity comeback, or Jude Law and Sienna Miller's tumultuous relationship. It was about the (possibly) homosexual relationship at the center of the film, and what it revealed about America's attitudes toward sexuality and masculinity. As an example, here was one commentator's response: "Awww, come on folks--I think they scooped TMZ [the online gossip rag]! Unfan."
 
Which got me and my ego thinking: Why do people so readily assume journalism about popular entertainment is unimportant or trashy?
 
The answer is fairly obvious--journalistic writing about Hollywood tends to focus on gossip rather than analysis. All of the big entertainment publications--People, Us Weekly, Variety, Entertainment Weekly--usually provide celebrity and industry news rather than probing pieces about the cultural implications of film and TV. Magazines like Time or Vanity Fair occasionally come out with an insightful piece in this vein, but they're typically short and wedged in among more "serious" content. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with the gossip pieces (escapism has its place too), it means people often approach entertainment writing with a blase attitude. And this in turn means great entertainment writing can be overlooked, or great writers may shy away from writing about it.
 
This is problematic because history shows us popular entertainment is often profoundly tied to the culture in which it thrives. Vaudeville sprung from racial attitudes in the early 20th century; Leave it to Beaver from Cold War conservatism in the 50's; and Brokeback Mountain from shifting attitudes toward homosexuality during the last decade, to name just a few examples. Similarly, it can hardly be a coincidence that two of the most popular films last year were about economic turmoil (Up in the Air) and American imperialism (Avatar).
 
A handful of excellent entertainment writing from the last year further proves the genre's relevance. Some favorites: Virginia Heffernan's piece about hate-filled reality TV; Vanessa Grigoriadas on the depiction of New York City on reality TV (yep, two about reality TV); and Entertainment Weekly's sporadically but genuinely insightful coverage of the The Twilight Saga.
 
All these articles thrive on the premise that if a piece of entertainment is popular, there must be a reason for it. And that reason usually hinges on unique cultural forces. This is no different than what we learn by reading about political movements or popular trends, and should be valued in the same way--even if it is more entertaining to read about.
 
If you enjoyed this article on entertainment journalism, take a look at this piece on how cable news handled the reporting of the Christmas Day terror plot.
 
(Image by Mannobhai; C.C. 2.0)

Comments

Janessa's picture

Gossip seems to be what

Submitted by Janessa (not verified) on February 20, 2011 - 1:09pm.

Gossip seems to be what sells. It's a modern-day form of escapism, one that allows people to compare their lives to others, in an attempt to see where they measure up. I don't think this hobby is necessarily healthy, but I do know that it makes these magazines loads of money. But when we look away from the gossip and focus on the cultural implications of the show or film, we can learn much about our society. I wish more journalists wrote in that direction.

Janessa
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