Roundup: U.S. celebrities show diverse feelings amid COVID-19 crisis

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, August 12, 2020
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by Julia Pierrepont III, Huang Heng

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A wide variety of reactions from celebrities in the United States and around the globe, who found themselves having to cope with the same overwhelming stressors as others, were exposed in the public eye, as the COVID-19 pandemic has been getting closer and lasting longer.

Disruption, isolation, boredom, economic impact, fear, and death. Each celebrity put their own unique spin on the reactions they shared with the public. Some are inspiring, some informative, some emotional, and some annoyed.

CROSSING-BORDER SUPPORTIVENESS

As of Tuesday, the latest data released by The New York Times showed that 5.11 millions of infection cases were confirmed in the country with over 163,000 deaths. Los Angeles, where Hollywood was located and many celebrities are living, is one of the hot spots in the global health challenge.

But, early on in the pandemic, when China was encountered with the mysterious virus and suffered a lot from it, Justin Bieber sent donations to the Chinese people.

"Watching the news I couldn't imagine how scary it would be if a new disease was effecting my wife and my family and friends. China we stand with you as a collective humanity and have made a donation to support," the pop and R&B superstar said on his official Instagram page.

Urging her fans to donate to charities and stay home, Barbra Streisand wrote on a note posted online, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love... this disease doesn't discriminate between poor people or rich people. It doesn't care about the color of your skin. A virus doesn't have a nationality. It knows no borders."

In a career spanning six decades, Streisand achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among a small group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Lady Gaga concurred, giving some sage advice about confronting COVID-19 together as a world problem, saying, "We can ... be a part of the solution to a world problem ... I love you world, we'll all get through this."

ADVICE FOR LOCKDOWN TIME

When COVID-19 began to spread in communities in the United States, on the contrary to those in the White House, who refused to take effective measures to contain the pandemic such as wearing masks or keeping social distance, most celebrities encouraged people to follow the guidelines suggested by experts.

Singer Celine Dion, one of the best-selling artists of all time with record sales of 200 million copies worldwide, riffed on the lyrics of her top hit, messaging: "Near, far wherever you are... make sure you're practicing social distancing!"

Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones read an uplifting message to fellow recovering addicts who could not get to sobriety meetings during the lockdown.

Singer-songwriter actress, Hayley Kiyoko, shared part of her therapy session, saying, "We are experiencing grief for the life we imagined, over the life that we currently have. It's okay to feel uncomfortable, upset, lost, frustrated, we have to go through the grieving process but once we do, we will see the beauty of now. And we will triumph."

Even tough guys in Motley Crue, an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981 and has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, got sentimental.

The band's facebook message read: "We're ALL in this together, Please follow the guidelines in your area. A short time of social distancing will mean we sort this out ASAP. Stay safe and make sure to wash your hands and Stay Home Sweet Home..."

Some celebs got sad or cabin feverish from their prolonged isolation.

Christina Aguilera, a singer winning five Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, tweeted, "I feel like I've been locked up tight for a century of lonely nights... waiting for someone to release me" #SoundOn. What day is it?!"

CELEBRITY PATIENTS

John Krasinski of "A Quiet Place," and hit TV shows "The Office" and "Jack Ryan" wanted to share some joy and launched his "Some Good News" online show to showcase only stories of inspiration, kindness and joy during the coronavirus outbreak, featuring heroic healthcare workers, cancer survivors, enduring love and other uplifting tales from around the country and the world.

Grammy Award-winning popstar, Pink, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, tweeted about Krasinski's show: "Easily the happiest I have felt in a long while, watching these episodes. This is what I want the world to look like."

Pink needed a special pick-me-up because the virus struck much closer home when she and her three-year-old son tested COVID-19 positive in March. She donated 1 million U.S. dollars in total to two coronavirus relief funds and sent a special shout-out to first responders.

"THANK YOU to all of our healthcare professionals and everyone in the world who are working so hard to protect our loved ones," Pink said. "You are our heroes!"

Meanwhile, she wrote that she was disappointed in the federal government's response to the outbreak: "It is an absolute travesty and failure of our government to not make testing more widely accessible. The illness is serious and real."

Discovering that he had contracted COVID-19, Bryan Cranston, star of "Breaking Bad," told his fans he "felt lucky to be alive" and advised, "keep wearing the damn mask, keep washing your hands, and stay socially distant."

Anna Camp, the actress from "True Blood" and "Pitch Perfect", also called for extreme caution after she got the virus after one slip up. "One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask in public. One. Time. And I ended up getting it." Enditem

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