PREACH IT! Wanna know the latest from Gabby Sidibe? Come back in five minutes
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When “Precious” came out in last year, it was hailed not only as a triumph for moviemaking in general, but also as the birth of a blazing -- yet humble -- new talent: Gabourey Sidibe. But, turns out, when it comes to Sidibe, only the “blazing” part is true. “Gabourey Sidibe ‘Mean’ to Reporters, Fans,” the HuffPo trumpeted today. “Maybe she was just having a bad day, but Gabourey Sidibe was rude to several reporters at the White House Correspondents Dinner last weekend, according to various media outlets.”
Specifically, one report goes, Sidibe responded to an admirer’s praise by snapping, “I guess I should say ‘thank you.’” Sidibe also reportedly shooed away another reporter during the dinner, telling him to come back “in five minutes.” That doesn’t sound all that obnoxious, but from there, the stories grow a bit more painful. Mediabistro reported the following incident, which took place at an after-party that same night: “When asked for a picture, the less-than-enthused newbie star could barely crack a smile. One photo-seeking fan said jokingly, “That’s all you’re going to give me,” to the pouty Precious. Gabby responded, “You’ll get what I give you.”
We at MOG also have it on very good authority that Sidibe was less than sweet to reporters during the Oscars, shooting them the stink-eye and denying interviews -- during what is arguably the biggest movie press event on Earth.
We tell you all this not because we enjoy shredding your illusions about rising stars -- I mean, not that we enjoy it a whole lot. We’re not even saying Sidibe is the only deceptively sweet-looking person in Hollywood. (“Excuse me, ma’am,” jocular actor John Goodman once snapped at a reporter friend of mine during a routine interview, “do I work for you?”) What we’re saying is this: Know our pain, America! When you’re an entertainment reporter, you never know when a star will be friendly and docile -- or in the middle of a dangerous snit fit. We gossip writers are, like, out there every day, risking our very sanity in the glittering trenches! It’s like a sparkly, Botox-plumped Waziristan out there!
Well, OK, maybe we exaggerate just a little. But we’re gossip reporters. That’s our job. And now you know: When you see Gabby Sidibe, don’t ask her for a photo. Unless you’re willing to take what she gives you.
-- Leslie Gornstein
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