Ok so this has just been announced.
Lily Allen, the pop singer, has been chosen as a judge on next year’s Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, attracting criticism that the organisers were seeking “celebrity over seriousness”.
Allen, who had a number one hit with Smile, is the daughter of Keith, the comedian and actor, and regularly features in the tabloid gossip columns.
“It seems to be another consequence of this obsession with celebrity. We seem to have to have them on panels like this whether they know anything about books or not.
‘If Lily reads a lot, whole books and serious books, then she is a fair choice. But that is not something she is known for.
“If she has just been chosen for her celebrity then that seems to be a ridiculous thing.”
The most serious literary name to be invited as a judge is Philippa Gregory, who has written thrillers, comedies and historical fiction spanning the period from the Reformation to the 18th century.
You can read the whole story at the Telegraph
I’m sorry but who is Lily Allen anyway and why would she even come up in a list of possible ‘celebs’ needed to judge the Orange Prize? I *do* know who she is by the way, but why would she even be considered for the job? Oh wait, she has a show starting soon on BBC3, maybe that is enough to clinch the deal. Maybe that’s enough to attract the young hip people that will watch her diabolical excuse for a show, to then support the Orange Prize? *raises an eyebrow*
Who do we want to judge books? People who read and have some point of reference to be able to judge these books compared to other books. People who know at least a little about books/literature/authors whatever. Not someone who has attended 13 different schoold and been expelled from more than one of them or someone who thinks it’s really funny to be crass on TV quiz shows with her references to her sex life and what her dad thinks about it.� Not someone who is more famous for being in the tabloids than for anything else!
Enough with the so-called celebrity judges, I’m so tired of celebrities telling us what we should read.
