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VOA慢速英语2013 一度知名而如今默默无闻者

时间:2013-08-21 12:52来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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Didn't You Use to Be Famous? 一度知名而如今默默无闻者

Welcome to the VOA Learning English program This Is America.

This week Barbara Klein and Christopher Cruise tell about several American actors who were widely recognized years ago. But they now are not big stars or famous like they once were. We ask them how they dealt with these changes. 

Imagine you are one of the most-famous movie stars in the world. Millions of people pay to see your films, and everyone seems to know your name. Thirty years later, you are attending a comic book convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You sit alone, almost unrecognized, waiting for people to come and shake your hand.  

Richard Roundtree played the part of police detective John Shaft1 in three movies in the early 1970s. The movies made him an internationally-recognized movie star. Since then, he has had a good career on television shows. But he has never been as famous as he was when he played John Shaft.

Richard Roundtree was so well-known for the part that he was chosen to play few other roles in the 1980s and 90s. That was because casting directors believed that movie goers could not see him as anyone other than John Shaft.

The actor told VOA the fame that came from the Shaft movies was not easy for his family. But he says he missed the recognition when it went away.

“I used to hate it when I was out with my kids at dinner, and whatnot, and being asked for autograph when I really wanted to just enjoy the company I was with. And now that it doesn’t happen, there are times when I say ‘Wow, you know I’m not getting the best seat in the house, I’m not getting the best table.’ But I look at the people who are going through that and I said, ‘You know, that’s a blessing2.’ I’m still working, I still have a career. And I’m still (a) viable3 entity4 in the industry. So I got the best of both worlds.”

Richard Roundtree says he once told his father that he was unhappy to be known only as John Shaft. He says his father told him that many people would want to be in his position. The actor told VOA that his father told him to “shut up” and stop complaining.

Vivica A. Fox

Actress Vivica A. Fox was at the same event in Philadelphia as Mr. Roundtree. She appeared in many movies and television shows in the 1990s and in the first few years of the 21st century.

Back then, Vivica A. Fox was known for her good looks. While still beautiful, she is no longer as busy or as famous. Younger actresses are given parts she once played. She says she is not surprised by that.

“Everyone has a turn. And, and I’ve never been a person that’s been bitter or jaded5 about a person shining and getting their moment. I believe that there’s room for everyone. Everyone has a turn. And how you work your moment is up to you. Because, you know, in a career you should be able to discover several moments, if you transition into different chapters of your career -- being a young ingénue, playing a mom, playing a producer, playing a director. There’re different genres6 for you to get into. You can’t always be ‘the one.’” 

Ms. Fox has taken her own advice. She has moved away from the roles that beautiful, young actresses play to being a beautiful, older actress. She does not appear in as many movies as she did when she was younger, but she stays busy in acting7. And for many actors, that -- and not stardom -- is what matters.  

Adam West

Adam West is known as Batman to many people in the United States. He played the role in the Batman television series in the 1960s. The show can still be seen on television stations around the world.

Adam West says that after the show was cancelled, he had a difficult time being less famous than he once was. But he says that period lasted just a short time. Then, he got back to work.

“It’s a matter of not really examining it. You know, just going along putting one foot in front of the other and not thinking too much about it. And, when work comes along, think about the work. It’s no big thing. It’s easy. What the heck.”

Mr. West told VOA that as long as he is paid for his work that is all that matters. He says being famous does not pay for food, housing and other costs, but work does. 

Burt Ward8 played Batman’s young helper “Robin9, The Boy Wonder” in the television series. Like Adam West, Burt Ward appears often at fan conventions. Many people pay to see their childhood heroes, and are happy to have their picture taken with them. Mr. Ward told VOA his fame has never really gone away.  

“Well actually, the fame is there -- it just takes a different form. I mean, you know, you, you think of our show being prime time, but when I come out here and I meet people, they’re just as excited as I was during Batman days. So, it’s not that the people change. Maybe, you know, the, the perception is different, but it, honestly, nothing has changed – I’m the same person I was before I made the series that I am now.”

Reports say Burt Ward was paid very little to play Robin in the television series. But he says he has made a good living appearing at fan conventions over the past 45 years.     

Lou Ferrigno      

Lou Ferrigno also is known for playing a superhero. The former bodybuilder was “The Incredible Hulk,” a green-skinned comic book character on the television series of the same name. The show was popular in the late 1970s and early 80s. Lou Ferrigno says he has dealt with the ups and downs of fame by doing different things.  

“Well, for me, I never really peaked because my life is still growing because I shoot different paths, like bodybuilding, like the movies, like I became a deputy sheriff. So everything is spread out.”

John Schneider

Finally, John Schneider is best known for playing the role of Bo Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard.” It was one of the most-watched television series in the United States in the early 1980s. John Schneider was in his early 20s when the series began. Now in his early 50s, he is still tall and good-looking. Mr. Schneider says he has a difficult time dealing10 with the idea that he will never be as famous as he once was. 

“Part of me still believes that my best days are ahead of me. I see it happen all the time to people. I have a lovely wife, I have lovely children. They get you through a lot of it. But it really, it is devastating11 to have gone up to bat and hit a grand slam, and hit doubles and triples from that point on. None of it’s good enough. So, I can’t remember who said it, but I just recently heard somebody say, ‘I started at the top and worked my way down.’ Sad but true.”

John Schneider told VOA he thinks the actor James Dean got it right: die young and when you are most-famous. The actor died in a car crash in 1955 at the age of 24. Mr. Schneider said that if Dean and the actress Marilyn Monroe had lived, they would probably be making appearances at fan conventions like he does.

Fame 101

Maggie Jessup and her husband Jay operate a business called Platform Strategy. It helps people become and stay well-known. Maggie and Jay Jessup wrote a book called “Fame 101.” She says actors can avoid losing their fame by being willing to accept different parts -- and by not letting others to define them. 

“The ones that seem to get pigeonholed12 are the ones that are so convincing in one character that you can’t possibly see them in another. They bring themselves into it instead of become the character. What you need to do is choose a role that is so polar opposite from the one that you’re known as and do it convincingly and then people will look at you as an actor.”

Maggie Jessup says a lot of the stars of today are making the same mistakes as those who have gone before them. As a result, they are not as marketable as they once were.

“Especially the younger ones. It seems that they have gotten their start because they’ve got a really cute face, a very cute personality, they’ve got the dimples and all the little ‘tweens’ fall for them. But they never quite break out of that role and at some point you grow out of that role and those little tweens have, you know, grown out of you.”

Ms. Jessup knows of actors who were once famous, but are no longer as in demand like they once were. She says many of them have a difficult time dealing with the new reality. So she tells her new clients to separate themselves from what others are writing and saying about them. In her words, if you believe everything others say about you, there is nowhere to go but down.

“So, if people can go into the business understanding this is a job -- all the publicity13, all the press, all the hoopla and all the compliments and the yes people and those people. If they can understand that that is just part of the job and not let it go to their heads, they stand a possibility of making it. And if they look at it as a business they’ll treat it as a business. If they look at is as part of their personality and expect people to bow to them everywhere they go, that’s not going to happen!”  

The Price of Fame

Over the years, a lot has been written about the price of fame. The early Christian14 philosopher St. Augustine said, “The desire for fame tempts15 even noble minds.” The writer Henry David Thoreau said he would rather have truth than love, money or fame. And Ardelia Cotton Barton called fame, “a bubble on life’s wave,” that is “tossed about,” “a worthless thing.” She noted16 that, “all in nature must decay.”

Perhaps David Nicholls put it best when he said, “to have had fame, even very minor17 fame, and to have lost it, got older and maybe put on a little weight is a kind of living death.” 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shaft YEtzp     
n.(工具的)柄,杆状物
参考例句:
  • He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
  • This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。
2 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
3 viable mi2wZ     
adj.可行的,切实可行的,能活下去的
参考例句:
  • The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
  • The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。
4 entity vo8xl     
n.实体,独立存在体,实际存在物
参考例句:
  • The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
  • As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体,公司必须纳税。
5 jaded fqnzXN     
adj.精疲力竭的;厌倦的;(因过饱或过多而)腻烦的;迟钝的
参考例句:
  • I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
  • Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 genres f90f211700b6afeaafe2f8016ddfad3d     
(文学、艺术等的)类型,体裁,风格( genre的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
  • But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆,古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
7 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
8 ward LhbwY     
n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开
参考例句:
  • The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
  • During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时,我要点根火把,抵挡蚊虫。
9 robin Oj7zme     
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
参考例句:
  • The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
  • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
10 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
11 devastating muOzlG     
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
参考例句:
  • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
  • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
12 pigeonholed 35ddc4a05870d634b45c6d392d733094     
v.把…搁在分类架上( pigeonhole的过去式和过去分词 );把…留在记忆中;缓办;把…隔成小格
参考例句:
  • This document was pigeonholed for quite some time. 这份公文压了不少时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The scheme has been pigeonholed. 这个方案被压下来了。 来自辞典例句
13 publicity ASmxx     
n.众所周知,闻名;宣传,广告
参考例句:
  • The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
  • He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事,只当它是一种宣传手法。
14 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
15 tempts 7d09cc10124deb357a618cdb6c63cdd6     
v.引诱或怂恿(某人)干不正当的事( tempt的第三人称单数 );使想要
参考例句:
  • It tempts the eye to dream. 这种景象会使眼睛产生幻觉。 来自辞典例句
  • This is the tidbit which tempts his insectivorous fate. 就是这一点东西引诱它残杀昆虫。 来自互联网
16 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
17 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
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