A Thought About “Showbiz” Rumors

Last night, Denise showed me a one-shot Arashi fanfic featuring the dear leader, Satoshi Ohno. For those who follow her LJ frequently, you should know the fanfic that I’m referring to. Unfortunately she had to start all over because somehow the format of her fanfic got screwed up somewhere while we were going through some basic editing and proofreading (for grammar, spelling, etc.). But never fret, folks, the fanfic will be back up again.

I will be honest. This is another thing that I do not miss during the J-Pop/Drama fan days (to be more specific, Johnny’s and Arashi). It cringes me big time whenever I hear about these rumors being spread out, thanks to the notorious types of publications known as Friday and Bubka. To be more specific, it’s not the rumor itself that cringes me. It’s the reactions from the public that cringes me, most especially the notorious fan girls who feel they should kill themselves or abolish their absolute loyalty to their favorite idol once they hear this particular rumor, scandal, whatever.

First of all, people seem to forget that all these idols in general are working humans like all the professionals and the freeters (freelancers) and the arubaito-jin (part-timers). We all make mistakes in the long run, but at the same time they got their own lives too. If you hear some crazy rumor/scandal you happen to read in tabloids like Friday and Bubka, there are a few steps that you need to do:

• Take a deep breath.
• Laugh at the article. (I said ARTICLE, not the actual idol(s) involved!)
• Don’t question anything about that article because an article is an article. The article itself won’t answer your questions automatically because it’s just simply an article. And adding to that, it’s none of your business anyway. The rumor regarding your favorite idol has got nothing to do with you.
• Find something else a lot more interesting than that pointless rumor/scandal and move on. Dwelling over it can really kill you, especially if you are a complete idol convert. Nuff said.

If this particular rumor/scandal was confirmed to be true, then here are some things that you can do:

• If your idol happens to have an address or an email address that a fan can contact, go ahead and send a message showing your support for that idol. Why? Because you know your idol still rules and that your idol is not perfect. It’s best if your idol has an official site of some sort and has a message board. In the case of Japan, it’s called a Bulletin Board Service (BBS).
• If your idol doesn’t have any form of contact, then move on and don’t bother about this whole case.
• Please don’t make this particular rumor/scandal as if it’s the biggest issue in the entire world. Sure, it may be for many rabid fan girls, but believe me, the world isn’t going to die just because some idol is caught in a scandal.
• Continue your support as much as you can! There are many ways that you can do without spending a single coin, like drawing fanart or write fanfics or write some drabbles in your blog and show off your utmost support. Sure, your favorite idol may not be able to see it, but I’m sure that idol would feel appreciated to know that he’s got fans to back him up through thick and thin.

Now, I want to mention something about Asians in general (I’m Asian too, so don’t think I’m being stereotyping or anything like that). Many Asian fans in general are serious conservative traditionalists. Many believe in innocence, purity, chastity, and the “clean cut” idea of what an ideal idol should be like. This is the 21st Century, people. Times change, trends change, habits change, and of course, people change. Everyone has a different definition of what a clean cut idea should be like in a person. In other words, there is no such thing as a perfect person. Even people who aren’t involved or aren’t at fault make mistakes too.

I know I’ve only heard about Ohno’s nasty case recently, but what I’ve written is basically how I feel about it. He had true guts to stand up for himself and courageously apologized wholeheartedly to everyone, even if he wasn’t exactly at fault. What happened wasn’t intentional for Ohno’s side because he was under influence. And those who were involved should seriously get sued for intentional libel and/or slander of a well-respected artist.

Rumors and scandal at Hollywood Tinsel Town land aren’t taken seriously here in the U.S. because many Americans (unless if you’re a hardcore right-winger) believe that Hollywood stars themselves aren’t always perfect. Many of us don’t even care what’s printed in those supermarket-sold tabloids. The only time that a rumor/scandal is confirmed true throughout Hollywood is when it’s announced in the TV news or in entertainment news. Even if that was the case, many of us simply don’t care.

It’s sad that people in Japan, as well as many parts of Asia, aren’t like the fans of Hollywood stars. When it comes to rumor/scandal handling, then deal with it and move on. Ohno’s case? Seriously over. Leave it alone and move on.