*Is Madonna the pioneer of “celebreality”?
In 1991 Madonna decided to go where no celebrity had gone before. Shows such as The Sonny & Cher Hour and The Monkees had let the audience peak into the peephole of celebrity life but the scripted shows that imitated life of fame and even glamorized what was the real life of these celebrities by twisting what was meant to be real situations into abstract comedic scenarios were no match for what the Queen of Pop had up her sleeve. For her Blonde Ambition Tour she decided to be followed by cameras documenting everything that happened on stage as well as behind the scenes. The result was a door that was kicked open into what really were celebrities: people like everyone else. With little editing and an almost hazy-dream like feel by the black and white exposing footage that glorified celebrity pedestal was destroyed. Weather a nightmare or a dream, regular folks got to ride in the bus or even tucked into bed with Madonna as she shared personal stories. It broke barriers between who was the celebrity and who was the audience. It also gave celebrities the extra attention that they craved. It screamed “look at me! This is my life! Love me!”

*Have people always enjoyed seeing aspects of their lives projected onto a screen?
Reality television is not a new rage. The 1948 TV series Candid Camera is often credited as the first ever reality show series. It began as a radio show called Candid Microphone and gave people a sense of something “real” rather than scripted entertainment. The 1973 show An American Family was the dramatic soap opera everyone was looking for but the best part of it was that it was real. Important social issues that were topics of discussion at the time and taboo family secrets were exposed right there in “real” time to all other American families. It was a way of people diving into the real private lives of others and find themselves in there too. Their own private home struggles were projected back to them in the privacy of their own homes. And it felt good.