The Grammys And Politics (Both are Staged)

I didn't watch the Grammy Awards last night, but something I heard on the radio this morning got me thinking about how entertainment and politics really aren't that different.

(No, this isn't about the Dixie Chicks winning a Grammy).

What I'm referring to -- and what the radio show brought up -- was that there are people who are paid to stand by the red carpet and literally scream and applaud when anyone pulls up and gets out of a car. It doesn't matter if you're a celebrity or not ... you get the same treatment (because it's staged for the cameras).

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said:

"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."

I guess the same thing is true in entertainment. Spontaneous standing ovations don't happen to candidates by accident, and Tom Cruise getting cat-calls apparently isn't spontaneous, either.

And, of course, it's common knowledge now that at shows like the Grammy's pay "seat holders" are paid to occupy empty seats.

For example, say Beyonce has to go to the bathroom, you wouldn't want the camera to span the crowd and see an empty seat. So someone is literally paid to sit in the seat until the original person comes back.

This is the sort of stuff that Jerry Bruno would love!