My favorite new guilty pleasure The Walking Dead ended its final zombie-rific episode last night. I shed a little tear too … because, in only six episodes, the show has become a national phenomenon. Bummer. I typically only like things that only a handful of people enjoy. Now I find out The Walking Dead’s ratings have grown exponentially each week. Everyone and their (undead) dog is watching the show. It’s become water cooler fodder.
That’s sad. Now I may be forced to find another outlet for my zombie fix.
In my early college years, I discovered Toad & The Wet Sprocket LONG before they became a popular alternative-rock band. Once they became a Top 40 staple, I immediately stopped listening to them. Same goes for Bjork. And, for the record, I knew of Ashton Kutcher light years before anyone else had heard of him. (Okay, so maybe I’m not so proud of that one.)
Admit it, you have a movie, a song or an actor where you feel like you can take ownership. And since virtually no one else has discovered it/them yet … you can take pride in their burgeoning popularity. You own them … in theory.
In this day and age of social media and viral videos, it’s possible for things to go from complete obscurity to worldwide phenomenon in about a week. I have two words for you: Susan Boyle. Her shooting star just went Supernova. My 70-something mother just bought her Xmas CD, for Chrissake. And my mom has not bought an album of any kind since Tommy Dorsey played Big Band music. Seriously. Ah, the power of media overkill. And while I enjoy Susan Boyle, she is officially off my Xmas card list thanks to her mass appeal.
A few weeks ago, I posted a blog asking why singer Lisa Donnelly wasn’t a star yet. Oops. Seems that blog sparked some furor. Who knew? Now Lisa’s got more Facebook requests and YouTube hits than she knows what to do with. Just wait … next year Lisa will win a Grammy for Best New Artist for her amazing vocal talents. I’ll take partial credit. And blame. And then I’ll have to disown her too. Dammit.