How did this happen? How did I (we?) turn into a fan?
I remember all the musicians and painters and actors I felt a kinship with in my youth, but I can't say I ever went out of my life to push them along in their careers or cheer for them from the sidelines. That's no longer the case. People my-- and your--age have fallen in love with falling in love with stars, be they singers, dancers, chefs, models, entrepreneurs, whatever.
We agonize, we wince at every misstep. We vote like crazy, hitting the redial button as many times as we can, telling ourselves we're just doing this so the object-of-our-affection gets an even chance.
I have a suspicion this instant news option of the Internet is the genesis of this phenomenon. We don't have to wait for a monthly subscription for a tidbit about our favorite singer. Nor do we have to stand in line for tickets, or travel miles and miles to stand in more lines for a concert. It's all there for us, anytime, all the time.
Add to that the newfound sagacity that comes with turning 50 or 60. At this point, we've done just about everything once. We are pretty good at predicting the ups and downs that parallel success and failure. AFter all, we've been there. We know what will happen. Just ask us. And, if you don't, we'll tell you!
To all the Simonettes out there, vote on! And, vote like Yamin it!
