Instant Celebrity

"The Hills" star Heidi Montag took the stage at the Miss Universe pageant and the world is abuzz about her performance. Unfortunately for Heidi Montag, the buzz isn't terribly positive.

If you are unfamiliar with Heidi Montag, she is one of those people who are mostly famous for being famous. Sure, she was a star of the MTV series "The Hills," but there was no talent required to be on said program. "The Hills" is a reality series following the exploits of a handful of attractive Southern California ladies who are living their life. Sure, there is drama on the show, but let's be serious here, "The Hills" only requires that Heidi Montag, et al. are dating, working, partying, and hanging out. It's not like these are classically-trained actresses performing Shakespeare.

Anyhow, Heidi Montag wants to exceed her fifteen minutes of fame and become a pop star. Who can blame her? Pop stars have it pretty good and everyone, deep down, wishes they were a rock star. So she took the natural step of performing at a major pageant which is viewed worldwide. Her ambition is terrific, but perhaps she should consider taking smaller steps first.

Now, besides "The Hills," there are plenty of other reality shows featuring wanna-be pop and rock stars. Heidi Montag is not completely original in wanting to launch her career following the being-famous-for-just-being-who-she-is platform. A question she should probably ask herself, though, is how many reality stars (not counting American Idol) have gone on to have successful careers in the entertainment industry?

Since the caveat of "not counting American Idol" was thrown into the mix, the question is raised "Why didn't Heidi Montag just try out on Idol?" Perhaps she feels like something along those lines would be "beneath" her. As a society, we've taken to catering to the demands of even D-list celebrities. We love to watch them dance for us or go to rehab or try to resurrect their careers.

Heidi Montag's embarrassing performance at the Miss Universe pageant clearly illustrates the ridiculous nature of the younger generation's desire to "just be famous." Accomplished actresses, musicians, and artists pay their dues. Once upon a time, Aerosmith was just a local Boston band. Before moving to large productions, Brad Pitt took un-credited roles. Great artists are great because they take time and hone their craft. They don't start out in front of multimillion member audiences.

The aftereffects of this, though, is young people know that Heidi Montag was on "The Hills" and is now being shown on an international program. They might not realize how sad the performance was, but they want to be on television. They want cameras to follow them around as they bounce from club to club.

What has happened is we now have a glut of worthless "reality" shows, featuring people who are trying to find an easy way to become famous. These people are not spending their time becoming serious artists. They are choosing not to accept the reality that they need to actually work to achieve their dreams.

Now, perhaps Heidi Montag will become a success. Perhaps her status as "The Hills" alum will be enough to propel her into the Beyonce and Britney realm. For the sake of children who want not only get-rich-quick, but also to become world famous though, here's hoping it doesn't quite work that way. If she is going to put time in at small clubs and work her way up to big television events, more power to her. But if she thinks just because she's Heidi Montag from "The Hills" and she deserves it, then it is a completely different story.