Fates Worse Than Obscurity: Rebecca Black

I may get banned from Hollywood for saying this, but here goes...

There are fates worse than obscurity.

Case in point: Rebecca Black.

If you don't know who or what I'm talking about... Google it.

In a nutshell, she's in a music video that's gone viral.

Actually, "viral" is an understatement. It's garnered so much attention on the Internet this past week that it's now also being covered by the mainstream media. We're not talking run-of-the-mill viral here. We're talking mega-viral. Every aspiring entertainer's dream, right?

Wrong.

Not for this aspiring entertainer, anyway.

Why am I not envious of Rebecca Black?

Much of the attention she's getting isn't good. Some are saying she's done the worst song/video ever. Rolling Stone called it an "unintentional parody of modern pop".

And it gets worse from there.

Numerous comments on YouTube and Twitter have gone way too far, saying things like "cut yourself" and "go die".

Obviously much more than she (and her mom) bargained for.

It reminds me of an old joke about wanting something "in the worst way", and then getting that thing...

In the worst way.

Of course, this is nothing new. A lot of people have achieved fame "in the worst way".

"Jersey Shore" anyone?

I'll refrain from making an exhaustive list. There's not enough time in the day for that.

Rebecca is just the latest in a long line of people who've achieved fame for something other than their talent. The sad thing is, Rebecca actually does appear to have some talent. I just heard her sing (without Auto-Tune) on "Good Morning America", and I think she has a decent voice. At the very least, her normal voice is a lot more pleasing than the Auto-Tuned version from the video.

But the sad truth is, her talent would never have ever gotten her the huge amount of attention she's getting from the silly song/video that's swept the Internet.

So, what happens now?

There's no way of knowing how all of this will pan out for her. She may actually go on to have a "normal" career in the entertainment industry (as if anything about showbiz can be deemed "normal"?). But for now, this week's latest example of "instant fame" is going into my files under the heading...

"Fates worse than obscurity."