2010年ESL之日常生活 21 Being Famous and Anonymous

21 Being Famous and Anonymous 1

GLOSSARY 2

getup – an unusual outfit 3; strange clothing that one does not normally wear

* Did you see the getup that Dan wore to the costume party?

to stay under the radar 4 – to be unnoticed; to not draw attention to oneself

* The boss gets angry very easily, but if you do your work quietly and stay underthe radar, you won’t have any problems.

mob – a large group of people who want the same thing

* The store’s customers usually stand in orderly lines, but sometimes they form amob, fighting over the things that are on sale.

disguise – something that changes one’s appearance to hide one’s true identity

* In this movie, undercover police officers use disguises to become part ofcriminal gangs and learn more about how they break the law.

to recognize – to identify something; to know what something is because onehas seen, heard, or read about it before

* When Penny got a new haircut, I didn’t recognize her.

famous – very well known, often recognized by people whom one has never met

* The actor became famous all over the world after being in only one popularmovie.

to have (one’s) name in lights – to have one’s name displayed on a large, lit-upboard in front of a theater when one is performing, letting people know whichshows they can see

* He dreams of having his name in lights, but so far he has been in only oneschool play.

privacy – the state of having information about oneself kept secret so that fewpeople or no one knows it

* If we value our privacy, we should stop post personal information on socialnetworking websites.

fame – being famous; the state of being very well known, often recognized bypeople whom one has never met

* Many writers dream of fame, but few of them actually become famous.

to overestimate 5 – to think something is bigger or in larger numbers than itactually is

* We overestimated 6 the number of people who would come to our party, so nowwe have a lot of leftover 7 food.

adoring public – fans; the people who admire and respect a celebrity 8 and wantto know everything about the celebrity’s personal life

* When he was first elected, the president liked to interact with his adoring public,but as his popularity decreased, it became less enjoyable.

plastered – hung or displayed in many places; easy to see because somethingis everywhere

* Her bedroom walls are plastered with certificates for her academicachievements.

anonymity 9 – the state of being relatively 10 unknown; without other people knowingone’s name or identity

* Yurok grew up in a small town where everyone knows each other, so when hemoved to Houston, he struggled with the anonymity of a big city.

incognito 11 – in disguise; without letting people know one’s identity

* Restaurant reviewers go to restaurants incognito so that they can experiencethe food and service without being treated differently than other customers.

fan – a person who admires and respects a celebrity very much

* Sean is a big fan of Britney Spears and tries to learn all he can about her.

review – an article written in a newspaper or magazine stating why the authordoes or does not like a book, TV show, movie, play, song, or restaurant

* Let’s read the reviews before we decide which movie to go see.

infamous 12 – famous for the bad things that one has done; very well known, but ina negative way

* The school cafeteria is infamous for serving bad-tasting food.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why is Juliana trying to stay under the radar?

a) Because she’s hiding from the police.

b) Because she thinks radiation is dangerous.

c) Because she doesn’t want to be recognized.

2. Why does Juliana think she’ll have to say good-bye to her anonymity?

a) Because she’ll have a lot of money.

b) Because everyone will know who she is.

c) Because she’ll have to move away.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

getup

The word “getup,” in this podcast, means an unusual outfit, or strange clothingthat one does not normally wear: “Do I really have to wear this getup to go to thewedding? Can’t I just wear jeans and a t-shirt?” The phrase “to get up” means towake up and get out of bed: “It’s almost 10:00! It’s time to get up!” The phrase“get-up-and-go” refers to the high level of energy and determination that one hasfor doing something: “We need to hire someone who has the get-up-and-go toget the job done without much supervision 13.” The phrase “from the get-go” meansfrom the beginning, or from the first time one saw or did something: “We all knewthe class would be challenging from the get-go.”

plastered

In this podcast, the word “plastered” means hung or displayed in many places,and easy to see because something is everywhere: “The walls of the artist’sstudio are plastered with his favorite paintings.” When talking about construction,“to plaster” means to put a sticky, wet substance over the walls, which dries tobecome the final surface that is painted: “They plastered the walls in the newhome, but they forgot to do the laundry room.” The verb “to plaster” can alsomean to cover any other surface with something thick: “The little boy’s arms andlegs were plastered with sunscreen.” Finally, “plastered” is an informal wordused to describe someone who is very drunk and/or has taken a lot of drugs andcannot think clearly: “Give me your car keys. You’re plastered and you shouldn’tdrive home tonight.”

CULTURE NOTE

Andy Warhol was a very famous American painter, “illustrator” (one who drawspictures to go with text or words), filmmaker, and author. In 1968, he once said,“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” That phrase“inspired” (gave someone the idea and motivation for) a movie called 15 Minutesof Fame. Since then, it has become a popular “expression” (saying) that is oftenused to talk about people in the entertainment industry.

The phrase can be “interpreted” (understood in a particular way) in two ways.

First, it could mean that people are famous for only 15 minutes. Thisinterpretation means that fame is “fleeting 15” (temporary; something that is presentor true for only a short period of time). Certainly, many actors and musicianshave fleeting fame. They may be very popular for a short period of time, but afew years later they are “virtually” (almost) forgotten. Relatively few people“attain” (achieve; get) fame that lasts beyond their lifetime.

The second interpretation 14 of the phrase is that everyone will be famous in thefuture, “whereas” (although; in contrast) in the past it was more difficult tobecome famous. This, too, seems to be true. New technologies like YouTubeand other social networking websites allow “unknown” (not famous) people topost videos of themselves doing unusual things. Links to the video are sharedwith many other people very quickly, and those people become famous for ashort period of time in ways that would not have been possible in the past. Ofcourse, this fame, too, is fleeting.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 16

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 625: Being Famousand Anonymous.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 625. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Support this podcast by becoming an ESLPodcast member or by making a donation on our website.

This episode is called “Being Famous and Anonymous.” “Anonymous” is theopposite of “famous,” no one knows who you are. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Erik: Why are you wearing that getup?

Juliana: I’m trying to stay under the radar. I don’t want to create a mob by goingoutside without a disguise. People are going to recognize me.

Erik: So? Are you trying to tell me that you think you’re famous after being inone play?

Juliana: Of course! I’ve had my name in lights and I have to expect people toknow who I am. Losing my privacy is the price of fame. Everybody knows that.

Erik: I think you may be overestimating 17 the size of your adoring public. Howmany people went to see your play?

Juliana: Enough. By tomorrow, the newspapers will have my picture plasteredacross their pages and I’ll have to say good-bye to my anonymity.

Erik: If the papers don’t come out until tomorrow, why are you going aroundincognito?

Juliana: I’m just getting ready to meet my fans.

Erik: Depending on whether the reviews are good or bad, you may be famous –or infamous.

[end of dialogue]

Erik begins our dialogue by asking Juliana, “Why are you wearing that getup?”

“Getup” (getup – one word) is an informal way to say an unusual set of clothing,an unusual what we might call “outfit” (outfit). Your outfit refers to the clothes thatyou are wearing. I could talk about my shirt, my pants, and my shoes as beingpart of my outfit. My dress could be part of my outfit. Well not my dress, Imean…well, you know what I mean! Well, a getup is a very unusual outfit,something strange that someone is wearing.

Juliana says to Erik, “I’m trying to stay under the radar (I’m wearing this getup tostay under the radar).” This expression means to not be noticed, or to beunnoticed, not to draw attention to yourself. “He’s trying to stay under the radar,”

he doesn’t other people to pay attention to him. Juliana, who apparently 18 isnormally famous and people know who she is doesn’t want people to recognizeher. She says, “I don’t want to create a mob by going outside without adisguise.” A “mob” (mob) is a large group of people, often people who are angryor are very emotional about something, and they’re together in one place andthey are making noise or they are causing problems. That’s a mob. “Mob”

actually has a couple of different meanings in English; none of them areexplained in the Learning Guide however. But you will get an explanation of theword “getup.” That does also have additional explanations that are in theLearning Guide.

So, Juliana doesn’t want to create a mob by going outside without a disguise. A“disguise” (disguise) is something that changes the way you look so that peopledon’t know who you are. “People,” Juliana says, “are going to recognize me(they’re going to identify me if I don’t wear this disguise).” Erik says, “So(meaning so what, why is that important)? Are you trying to tell me that you thinkyou’re famous after being in one play?” “To be famous” means that you are verywell known; people know who you are. If you walk down the street, they’ll say,“Hey, there’s Lucy Tse! I saw her picture on the Internet.” Really? Well, it’s justan example. So, Juliana thinks that she’s going to be famous because she wasin a “play,” which is a performance – a public performance at a theater typically.

You could be in one of Shakespeare’s plays for example.

Well, Juliana says that she is in fact famous because she was in a play. Shesays, “Of course! I’ve had my name in lights and I have to expect people to knowwho I am.” The expression “to have your name in lights” means literally 19 that yourname is being displayed typically on a large board – a large area in front of a theater so that people can see your name, people know who is performing in thatplay or movie. That’s to have your name in lights, to be a famous actor oractress and for people to know who you are because you’ve had your name inlights. She says, “I have to expect people to know who I am. Losing my privacyis the price of fame. Everybody knows that.” Your “privacy” (privacy – what inBritain they would pronounced as privacy) refers to keeping information aboutyourself secret, not letting other people know about your personal information.

“Fame” (fame) means being famous, it’s when people know who you are. That’sto have fame. There was a popular television show many years ago called Fameabout young students who were trying to become famous in the world of danceand theater. There was a song from that show that many people wouldrecognize: Remember my name. Fame! I’m gonna live forever. I’m going tolearn how to fly. High! “Remember my name,” meaning I am going to befamous. “Fame! I’m going to live forever.” The idea is that if you are famouspeople will always know who you are, even after you die. “I’m going to liveforever. I’m going to learn how to fly. High!” If you could learn how to fly byyourself, you would definitely be famous – and I don’t mean smoking marijuanapeople!

Back to the dialogue: Juliana thinks that she is now famous. Erik says, “I thinkyou may be overestimating the size of your adoring public.” “To overestimate”

means to think something is bigger or larger than it really is. “To adore” (adore)someone is to show them a lot of love. So, “adoring public” refers people whowould love you, your “fans,” people who think that you are a celebrity.

Erik says, “How many people went to see your play?” Juliana says, “Enough,”

sufficient numbers to be famous. She says, “By tomorrow (before tomorrow), thenewspapers will have my picture plastered across their pages and I will have tosay good-bye to my anonymity.” When we say something is “plastered”

(plastered) in this context we mean displayed in many places, easy for people tosee because it is everywhere. Here in Los Angeles when there is a new movie,many times the movie companies will put up big signs announcing the movies.

They plaster them everywhere – they put them everywhere. “Plastered” has avery different meaning – a couple of different meanings, and those can be foundin the Learning Guide.

Well, Juliana thinks that she’s going to be famous, and therefore she will have tosay good-bye to her anonymity. “Anonymity” (anonymity) means that no oneknows who you are, to be anonymous in other words. She’s saying that I will nolonger be anonymous; people will know me. Erik says, “If the papers (meaningthe newspapers) don’t come out until tomorrow (meaning they won’t be published – they won’t be released until tomorrow), why are you going around incognito?”

“Incognito” (incognito) is another way of saying in disguise, without letting peopleknow who you really are.

Juliana says, “I’m just getting ready to meet my fans,” the people who love me somuch. Erik says, “Depending on whether the reviews are good or bad, you maybe famous – or infamous.” “Reviews” here refers to an article in a newspaper ora magazine that tells why someone likes or didn’t like a particular book, or TVshow, movie, song, restaurant, play. Reviews are any descriptions of someone’sopinion about a certain thing. People often look at the reviews for books andmovies before buying them; they want to know what other people think. Well,Erik says that depending on whether the reviews of the play are good or bad, youmay be famous if they are good reviews, or if they are bad reviews you will beinfamous (infamous). “To be infamous” means to be famous in the sense thatyou are well-known, but for bad things that you have done. Everyone knows whoyou are, but they know about the bad things you did. So if you say someone isinfamous, you mean that they are well-known but they are well-known for havingdone something wrong or something bad. A similar word would be “notorious”

(notorious), which is the same thing, to be famous for something that is bad ornegative typically. Although, I’ve noticed in recent years many people usingnotorious to mean the same as famous instead of infamous, so the meaning ischanging in the language, but the dictionary definition would tell you that it isbeing famous for something bad.

We hope you’re not famous for anything bad. In either case, even if you are, let’slisten now to the dialogue at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Erik: Why are you wearing that getup?

Juliana: I’m trying to stay under the radar. I don’t want to create a mob by goingoutside without a disguise. People are going to recognize me.

Erik: So? Are you trying to tell me that you think you’re famous after being inone play?

Juliana: Of course! I’ve had my name in lights and I have to expect people toknow who I am. Losing my privacy is the price of fame. Everybody knows that.

Erik: I think you may be overestimating the size of your adoring public. Howmany people went to see your play?

Juliana: Enough. By tomorrow, the newspapers will have my picture plasteredacross their pages and I will have to say good-bye to my anonymity.

Erik: If the papers don’t come out until tomorrow, why are you going aroundincognito?

Juliana: I’m just getting ready to meet my fans.

Erik: Depending on whether the reviews are good or bad, you may be famous –or infamous.

[end of dialogue]

Our scriptwriter tries to stay under the radar for sure, but it’s not possible. We allknow she is a wonderful writer, and her name is Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I am Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening.

Come back and listen to us again, won’t you, on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.