• Registered: 2005-03-07

Topic: Celebrities Doing More Voiceovers

Has anybody noticed that celebrities are doing more and more voiceovers for commercials on TV?  It's a trend that I've seen building for about two or three years, but it's really picked up speed. 

I have a knack for recognizing voices, and every time I turn on the TV, it seems, I hear another Hollywood superstar telling me to buy something.

Today I heard Julia Roberts in an AOL commercial.  Tommy Lee Jones does the SBC phone company commercials.  I heard Antonio Banderas selling prescription drugs.  Patrick Stewart selling prescription drugs.  Charlie Sheen selling Taco Bell.

It's been around before, too.  Back in the 50s and 60s, if you watch old archived commercials, you'll see Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnez pitching cigarettes.  But the market it larger now, and there are more commercials (and, I suppose, more celebrities).

I've seen the same trend with animated movies, too.  The voices in animated movies used to be done by people you'd never heard of, but now they're all seemingly voiced by celebrities.

I try not to listen to commercials at all (I usually mute), but I swear I'm hearing fewer and fewer voices on TV now.

You can't change a tiger's stripes,
but you can avoid its teeth.
  • lyra
  • lyra
  • Naked Emperor Pointer Outer
  • Offline
  • From: my own private idaho
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: Celebrities Doing More Voiceovers

It's the cult of the celebrity.  Further enforcing how powerful and wonderful celebrities are and to convince us that they are God-like.

Honestly....just toss your TV in the trash.  Out with it!   smile   I don't know people can even stand watching it.   ugh.

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit ... what a ride!"  - Anonymous
-----
"I get by with a little help from my (higher density) friends."
-----

lyra's Website

  • Registered: 2004-05-21

Re: Celebrities Doing More Voiceovers

You know what...I was thinking the same thing the other day.  Like I've noticed Keifer Sutherland is doing more voice overs for car commericials.  And usually in the past, that was the kind of job the B actors usually got not people who have hit TV shows and movie star status....yes I would agree that it is the power of the "Star" ..the gods among men... "Oh He's a god ..hes so dreamy" People will buy it hook line and you know what......

What we need is our own celebrity...just one big name....with a 30 second spot...."Noble Realms.....cue annoying music..."

  • From: zerone
  • Registered: 2004-08-16

Re: Celebrities Doing More Voiceovers

wierd, i replied to this but it never showed up!

anyways- take a look at the utterly obvious play on words / fake symbology

instead of looking up to the stars in the sky, we are given fake "stars" to watch on the tube....

and another things i noticed is that they will match up commercials with the shows (programs <---- get it, "programs" your mind?) for example during the OC you will see commercials with actresses from the OC... during Nascar all the ccommercials will be nascar related... etc etc

it all adds up and they just keep stacking the sh!t higher and higher!

"...i was taken by the hand, from the ocean to the sand..."
nitin sawhney - 'eastern eyes'

zonabi's Website

  • Registered: 2004-12-06

Re: Celebrities Doing More Voiceovers

More celebrity voice-overs could also be a sign that the movie, and TV industry has come to a cultural cul de sac. There is no further to go artistically, so our "stars" are needed to sell the very products the whole shabang was set up to sell in the first place.

Watch out for more big name stars doing the modern TV B movie - which is "reality TV", aka Anna Nicole Smith and The Osbournes. Its a simple matter of economics for many I think when "big" names do the voice-overs. Until the media machine starts to reflect the true reality of our illusory lives more, watch out for more "big name" selling of little inconsequential things. An actor has to eat eh?


Vuyiswa

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

6 Reply by Human Being

  • Human Being
  • Guest

Re: Celebrities Doing More Voiceovers

I mostly agree with Vuyiswa, that economics play a large part in the dynamic of
celebrity voiceovers. However, there's also a surreptitious angle to the practice.

Much of today's animated features are chock full of symbolism, and what better
way to "incite" people to take their kids to see these productions than to have a
bunch of "grown-up" movie stars doing the characters' voices? Furthermore, the
"height" of a "star" is proportional to how "in the know" they might be. Example:
certain male actors are Freemasons. Thus, they are the ideal "candidates" for a
production which will be conveying particular symbologies. That's my opinion....