According to Talia: I think we need to focus here, people!

If you have been on myspace or AOL Music or just on planet Earth lately, then you've probably heard of Tila Tequila. I'll be honest, I don't know a hell of alot about this woman (I think she is a woman, anyway) but the story appears to go like this: Unknown chick joins myspace, posts several scantily clad photos of herself, accepts friend requests from everyone and their brother's half sister, and now she's been in Stuff Magazine, has cut a terrible "album", has scored a guest commentary spot on AOL Music, and, in my opinion, has way more attention than anyone with no real talent deserves. Is this the new American Dream? Are the real artists doomed to take a back seat on the recognition bus to someone who has given herself a name that conjures gagging imagery of past Spring Breaks in Cancun (why is the tequila so much smoother down there?)??As much as it irks me, she has made it work....whatever "it" is.

Am I jealous? Hell yeah! I'd like to become a household name too, but I'm not exactly willing to use my ass (my ass ain't all that marketable anyway) to get me fame! Ahhh, hell, maybe if I had her ass, I'd examine her marketing scheme a little closer. What I am questioning is the effect the internet has on actual real talent. Have the talented people been replaced by these side show freaks (Tila Tequila) who are usurping the media's attention with absurd gimmicks and a complete lack of skill for the arts? I am a fan of myspace (though we fight every so often), and I think it is incredible how talented new musicians have been able to make a legitimate name for themselves in the music world by using myspace as a marketing tool. Remember Lily Allen's story? Look at her now!

The internet offers options for artists and obviously non-artists alike who otherwise would have no means of rising to stardom. My only qualm is that the internet, in it's role as the virtual land of opportunity, has had the effect of lowering the bar in many instances, for those who will actually achieve fame. Would I be saying all of this if I had my big break already? Probably not, but then again, not unlike good old Tila, this forum is my desperate ploy to be recognized for my keen eye and the visceral wit, with which I dissect all things pop culture- in essence, my skill as a real live writer.

Just to play fair, and in efforts to debunk any suggestion that I have misrepresented Ms. Tequila, I will leave you with her very own words, as she has carefully and strategically posted on her myspace page:

"I'm not gonna sit here and babble about my whole life and the shit I've been through however I will tell you this.....I like to have fun and I like to stay away from violence cuz I grew up with nothing but violence. That's all I knew. That's what was in my blood and I moved away to start a new life for myself...violence is retarded"