If youve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of reality TV, youll love Indias hottest novel, Uberstar .Uberstar is Australian author Vaughn Alaine-Marshalls debut novel that follows the lives of eleven hopefuls in the worlds biggest reality TV show. Although the book itself is fiction, Alaine-Marshall wrote it based on the realities of so-called reality TV.
One of his close family friends was a contestant on a popular reality TV show and told Alaine-Marshall about the dark side of the reality TV show business and entertainment industry at large. After speaking with his friend, Alaine-Marshall had the opportunity to hear the accounts of several other people within the reality TV show industry, including former contestants, executives, and producers. These people were involved in big reality TV shows around the world, including Indian Idol, Australian Idol, American Idol, and X Factor. Many of them broke their confidentiality agreements in order to tell Alaine-Marshall their stories.
What Alaine-Marshall learned was that reality TV shows are franchises of nastiness. They are based on a system of bullying, and in order for a contestant to get to the top they must bring others down in the process. When you watch reality TV, you see people getting taunted, teased, and harassed by the judges. Although we have come to accept this form of behavior as family entertainment, the reality is that it has serious consequences. The contestants of reality TV shows are so desperate for fame that they are willing to undergo such abuse on stage and behind the stage in order to achieve their fifteen minutes. What Alaine-Marshall realized through speaking to all of the insiders in reality TV is that this bullying has to stop. Anyone who reads Uberstar will feel exactly the same way.
With all of the information Alaine-Marshall had, he could have written an expose, but doing so would have been far too risky. He could have undermined several people in positions of great power in the entertainment industry. To avoid causing so much controversy that the publishing of his book could be halted, Alaine-Marshall decided to write a fictional story. But when you read this novel, you will get a true sense of what its like behind the scenes of all the glitz and glamour of reality TV shows. Youll get the feeling that a reality TV show set is really no different from a school playground because of the bullying that takes place both onstage and off.
Teen bullying isnt the only topic that Uberstar touches. Alaine-Marshall also uses this book to talk about a whole range of other unexpected topics, including the role of quantum physics in our lives and genius. It took eight and a half months for Alaine-Marshall to write this book once he had gathered enough background information and material to do it. He locked himself into a room, turned off his phone, and wrote his heart away until this compelling novel was finished. The resulting novel gives readers an insiders view of how reality TV shows like Indian Idol is run. With his rich, complex representations of everyone from the hot shot executive producers to the carnivorous publicists, Alaine-Marshall gives readers an interesting perspective of reality TV. He reveals how contrived and unrealistic the reality TV format is, and he slams reality TV shows for legitimizing bullying.
Issues that Uberstar tackles, such as teen bullying, are near and dear to Alaine-Marshalls heart. He is so intent on fixing the wrongs that are legitimized by reality TV that he is donating $1 from every sale of the book to various non-profit organizations that work to alleviate some of these issues. In India, Alaine-Marshall is donating $1 from every sale to Asha for Education, an Indian organization that fights for the education of underprivileged children.
So, what is it that inspired Alaine-Marshall to become a writer? According to Alaine-Marshall, he had absolutely no plans or desires to become a writer when he was younger. He is a chiropractor and ran a successful practice for years before turning to writing. Essentially, Alaine-Marshall fell into writing on accident. His friend was eager to tell him her story, and he knew he had to share her story to the rest of the world.
With the release of Uberstar, its the first time that reality TV has been exposed to the masses. Anyone who wants to understand more about society and human nature would benefit from reading Uberstar ,which gives a fantastic glimpse into the dynamics of reality TV and reveals the reasons why audiences are so fascinated by it. This popular style of TV is certainly far from being real, and Alaine-Marshalls goal is to ensure that people see the truth behind it. Even if youre not a reality TV fan, youll appreciate the insights this book contains about the entertainment industry and society at large.