Your Favorite Celebrity Will See You Now - Wall Street Journal
The coronavirus is changing how entertainers relate to their audiences, with brand-name stars stuck at home looking to create intimate connections with fans.
Now is a good time to ask a celebrity for a favor.
Alicia Keys put out a phone number for fans to text—917-970-2001—and occasionally sends back uplifting messages and songs to cheer them during the coronavirus outbreak. John Krasinski helped arrange for the original stars of “Hamilton” to perform a video-chat serenade for a girl who couldn’t see the musical on tour due to the lockdown. And, perhaps the biggest miracle of them all, Beyoncé retweeted one of her 15.5 million followers, which brought Queen B’s total Twitter activity to 17 listed posts. LINK: https://twitter.com/JasmynBeKnowing/status/1239697115527315457?s=20
“I AM DYIIIIIINNNGG SEND HELP!!!!! I AM CRYIIIIIIIIIIIIING,” Jasmyn Lawson wrote on Twitter after seeing that the superstar retweeted her idea to group-watch Beyoncé’s 2019 concert documentary with other fans.
The coronavirus is changing how entertainers relate to their audiences, creating intimate connections that make selfies look like relics. It also has shifted the power dynamic: Where social-media influencers have long clamored for recognition by Hollywood, now it is brand-name stars stuck at home who are competing for extra attention on the internet.
“People are feeling so uncertain and stressed out, so a reply from your favorite artist on a Q&A—it’s like an autograph times a million billion,” says Lara Cohen, Twitter’s global head of partnership solutions. “I think this will only strengthen the need for artists to connect directly with their fans.”
Ms. Keys was lying next to her 9-year-old son after he fell asleep on Wednesday night when she decided to text some fans. Her dedicated cell number, which she has offered audiences in the past, has exploded with more than 15,000 new messages in the last several days. “It’s real—it’s not like a robot,” she says of her recorded replies. “I might just make up a song on the spot, nothing major, a cute, silly song. There are definitely people who reach out to me with sick family members or they themselves are sick, or they’re going through difficult times.”
In a national crisis, striking the right tone is tricky. Celebrities don’t want to look like they’re focused more on maintaining their pop-culture relevance than on the well-being of their admirers.
Many fans called it an unscripted delight recently when the musician Questlove received a phone call from Stevie Wonder while live-streaming Mr. Wonder’s music on YouTube. When Mr. Wonder suggested the musician call back later, Questlove allowed a hint of disbelief in his voice when he asked: “I can call you?”
Hit a self-promotional note during a national crisis, though, and the backlash is swift. When Jennifer Lopez posted glam shots for her new shoe line at the start of the lockdown, calling the pictures “a little something to brighten your day” with the added hope that followers “#StaySafe,” angry comments flooded her feed. “Jennifer people are dying,” one person wrote. A spokeswoman for Ms. Lopez declined to comment.
On Instagram Live, where celebrities can respond to fans with a shout out or impromptu chat, viewership was up 70% in the past month, says Charles Porch, Instagram’s head of global partnerships.
“For the viewer to have an effect on the narrative is a big idea—it’s ‘Jetsons’ style interactive television with live comments,” says Marc Karzen, founder and CEO of RelishMix, a Hollywood social-analytics firm. The more freewheeling format that has emerged in recent weeks may stick around after the crisis blows over, he says, perhaps with monthly subscription fees attached.
With production on most series shut down, Mr. Karzen says, programming executives at TV and cable networks will be scrambling to fill their summer schedules. “The race will be on,” he says, “and unscripted and quickly produced ideas will move to the front of the line.”
Bidding wars are next. Shows like “Bright Minded,” a new Instagram Live celebrity interview series from Miley Cyrus, are seen as blueprints for future screen projects that could continue after the pandemic. Ms. Cyrus has received overtures from TV studios, streaming services and book publishers about continuing what she has started with the show, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.
The new environment means more celebrities find themselves in moments they cannot always control. During a live video chat, Justin Bieber accepted a viewer’s request to talk. “Hello? Why are you hiding?” he asked as a person appeared to dodge out of the frame. “This is weird.” The internet later speculated that the fan was naked. (Nudity violates Instagram’s community guidelines and the platform aims to stop streams that break the rules, a spokeswoman said.)
This format works for entertainers eager to create an aura of spontaneity. Lady Gaga acted caught off guard last week when “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon called to video chat with her, an awkward moment that he replayed during his opening monologue. “Am I on TV?” she asked. Mr. Fallon got mileage out of the bit.
Unfiltered stars are on parade right now. January Jones made a pig-nose while pulling off a facial-treatment mask in one social-media post. “I have no issue with looking ridiculous,” Ms. Jones said in an email. “I’m possibly more extreme in my silliness because I’m not working and it’s one of my only creative outlets!”
Arnold Schwarzenegger sat in his kitchen in one video feeding carrots to his mini-horse Whiskey (“Yummies, huh?”) and praising his mini-donkey Lulu. “Look at that beautiful smile she has,” he said. In another clip, he fed them salad off his plate.
Using his Bafta awards as a backdrop, Ricky Gervais sang, “I’ve got a song that will get on your nerves” several times for viewers on Twitter. Social mentions about the British comedian, who has been taking questions from followers in a daily live show on Twitter, jumped 1,700% in March over the previous month, according to the online media analytics firm Talkwalker.
“Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig had largely abandoned social media after receiving scathing comments—even death threats—over his remake of “Ghostbusters” with female leads. But lately he has been keeping a regular cocktail date on Instagram Live, dancing with his wife and offering inspirational thoughts. He mixes drinks at 5 p.m. Pacific Time every day, a bit of appointment viewing at a moment when streaming seems to have killed that idea altogether.
“Quarantine Cocktail Time” is set at a bar in Mr. Feig’s guesthouse. Mr. Feig is launching his own spirits brand, Artingstall’s Gin, and sometimes he flashes the bottle as he mixes cocktails. He says he treads carefully around that subject on his show to not appear to be promoting it.
He makes a ceremony out of mixing drinks, putting on a suit and tie for the occasion, sometimes even a tuxedo. “I can only look at so many celebrities looking like they haven’t taken a shower in five days,” he says. “Everybody is coping with this the way they can, but at the same time you’re like, ‘You know, we’re still in show business. Let’s try to put on a show.’” https://www.instagram.com/paulfeig/
The Marketing Arm, which examines shifts in the popularity of brands and celebrities, found that stars whose comments weren’t sufficiently thoughtful after the outbreak were losing the trust of consumers. Those like Dolly Parton, who started reading bedtime storiesonline earlier this month, or Mr. Krasinski, who highlights happy stories in his new YouTube show, “Some Good News,” were endearing themselves to consumers, the company found.
When Aubrey Bauman heard that all the coronavirus shutdowns included a performance of “Hamilton” in Jacksonville, Fla., which she was supposed to see for her ninth birthday, the disappointment was real. “She went in her room and screamed,” says her mother, Mary Ann Bauman. On the night they would have seen the show, Ms. Bauman tagged “Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda in a tweet, noting that they would watch the movie “Mary Poppins Returns” instead.
Mr. Krasinski, who is married to “Mary Poppins” actress Emily Blunt, invited Aubrey onto his internet show, where this week she was surprised with a remote performance from “Hamilton.” Mr. Miranda reunited with the original cast in “Brady Bunch” style boxes on the screen while Aubrey covered her mouth in disbelief.
The clip has gone viral. Ms. Bauman sees it as a balm for difficult times. “We’re so glad that she has helped to bring joy to so many people.”
Write to Ellen Gamerman at ellen.gamerman@wsj.com
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