邻家男孩已长大，乖乖“B宝”也变坏？

by Paul Harris

成长从来都不是件容易的事，特别是娱乐圈。这一次是“万人迷”——贾斯汀·比伯。自从将标志性的厚刘海换成一头凌乱短发开始，“B宝”便开始像脱缰的野马般“离经背道”起来：飙车、和狗仔队吵架、派对闹事、演唱会迟到、拒绝粉丝拥抱……种种顽劣行径，让媒体不禁揣测他是不是就要步小甜甜布兰妮和林赛·罗翰后尘了。

娱乐圈的孩子们有着不为人知的苦；面临着成长转型的童星更有难以宣泄的痛。其实他们过得并不快乐。想象你生活在镁光灯和放大镜下的日子，一笑一颦都会被肆意解读。发生在任何孩子身上的年少轻狂都会被顷刻忘记，但对于名人，言行举止都会被记录在案，这些记录就像颗定时炸弹，难保哪天会被捧到你面前，让你感受“悔恨”和“羞辱”。

但是，世上总是有无数男女前仆后继，奋不顾身投身其中，因为他们渴望被赞美、被簇拥、被标榜，所以即使比伯倒下了，还会有另一个比伯诞生，一颗布兰妮之星陨落了，另一颗更年轻更美丽的布兰妮会冉冉升起。在这庞大的造星体系之中，无数的经纪人、公关公司和行业领头羊出谋划策，指导这些可人儿如何说话，如何讨人欢心，而他们是否超负荷，是否精神崩溃，则不是他们最关心的事。“粉丝”是健忘人群，当下的尖叫和膜拜才是利益转换的有力保证，下一刻，会有新的“比伯”诞生，到那时，这个“比伯”就可以慢下来，享受巅峰过后的“恬淡人生”。

——Mac

He has had 1）brushes with the law， embarrassed himself over a girl and been caught driving a car in a way that might give his parents sleepless nights. In other words， pop star Justin Bieber is now behaving like any other just-turned-18-year-old struggling to find a place in the adult world.

Except， of course， Bieber is one of Americas biggest child stars of recent years and his 2）run-ins with police involve clashing with 3）paparazzi， the girlfriend problems are reported to millions of fans on gossip website TMZ and the car in question is a fantastically expensive Ferrari.

And then there is that question of a new adult 4）persona. For Bieber， who has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of records， is now fully embarked on one of the most difficult 5）makeovers in Americas all-too brutal and ruthless celebrity industry： trying to change from a child star to a mature artist.

“You cannot prevent growing up. But at the moment Justin Bieber still looks like a child star， even if he is of age. We are going to have to wait and see what happens to him. It is not easy，”said Noah Levy， a senior news editor at In Touch Weekly. “The best way to do it is do it gradually.”

That might be true. But it is rare for massive child stars like Bieber， who in 2012 again won artist of the year at the American Music Awards， to have too much control over their own destiny. They lie at the heart of a money-making machine of family， management， agents and industry executives， all of whom have a 6）vested interest in the stars career， but not necessarily their desires and interests.

Indeed the road to adult 7）stardom is 8）potholed with potential disasters. Miley Cyrus， a child star of Biebers generation who was a huge TV hit on the show Hannah Montana， is now regular 9）tabloid fodder. Her thin frame has sparked health fears， her numerous new tattoos have been 10）derided online by one-time fans and her problems with her family are played out in public.

Or look at Britney Spears. The young songstress appeared to crack under the pressure of too much fame in 2007 and 2008， eventually cutting off her hair and being hospitalised， and all of it covered by hordes of TV cameras and photographers. Or consider the current plight of Amanda Bynes， a one-time teen star who is now beset by legal problems and drunk-driving allegations and rarely works.

Of course， Biebers troubles are nowhere near that severe. Prosecutors recently decided not to pursue allegations that he physically tussled with a photographer. His relationship with singer Selena Gomez may have been a tabloid staple but there has been no premature rush to the 11）altar or early parenthood. And so far Bieber and his Ferrari have been stopped for speeding， but nothing worse.

“If this is bad as it gets， then he is lucky，” said Levy.

There are also examples of successful transitions. The career of Justin Timberlake offers a great deal of hope for Bieber. Like Bieber， Timberlake was a baby-faced child star， in his case as part of the hit boy band N Sync in the late 1990s. However， as Timberlake grew older， he successfully transitioned into being an adult star—and a successful film actor—with a series of smart career moves.

Timberlake went solo， changed his music to reflect a more sophisticated RnB feel， collaborated with successful artists and become linked with a succession of famous women， from Cameron Diaz to his current wife， Jessica Biel.

Bieber already seems to have embarked on that path. His latest album has a much more adult feel to it than his previous efforts. He most recently collaborated with more mature artists， like Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. He has even launched his own fragrance， called Someday， and showed a shift away from his 12）teeny-bopper image by getting a tattoo and being spotted with a 13）Victorias Secret model.

Ironically， the one thing most experts say will not be so important， as Bieber seeks to replace his 14）legion of young screaming fans with a horde of more sophisticated club-goers， is his actual talent.

“It is not really them. It is about their team. At the end of the day it is their team all along，”said Gayl Murphy， an author and Hollywood correspondent who has interviewed hundreds of top stars.

Bieber does have a powerful team behind him. His manager is Scooter Braun， who was responsible for discovering Bieber on YouTube and then helping guide him to global fame. Braun also looks after a stable of other teen stars.

Like any major celebrity i n m o d e r n day America， Biebers life is minutely controlled by assistants and publicists. His enormous fame renders day-today activities， that most other teens 15）take for granted， virtually impossible. There are few people who really know what that is like， especially as one deals with the dramatic personal and professional changes Bieber is now going through.

But Charles Korsmo has an idea about it. Korsmo was a child acting star， landing plumb roles in the Dick Tracy movie and the Peter Pan film Hook， which starred Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams. He knows how weird fame can be.

“Robin Williams was jealous of me that I could still go out to 16）Taco Bell and pick up some 17）tacos. He had not been able to do that in 20 years，” Korsmo said. Korsmo dealt with the fame by keeping his head， continuing to pursue a 18）topnotch education and， ultimately， choosing a different path. He is now an accomplished law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

Korsmo laughed when asked about what advice he might give to Bieber， and repeated the advice that Hoffman once—jokingly—gave to him. “Get out while you still can. There is a certain amount of truth in that，”he said.

However， that is not likely to be a very realistic option for Bieber. Like many other young stars， such as Spears， too many other people have a vested interest in his singing and his success.

“He is a product. That is what he must understand，” said Murphy. That sounds deeply cynical， but Murphy explained：“There is a lot of money on the table and that is what matters. Is show business more brutal than any other business？ I dont know. Look at Wall Street.”

Those sentiments make it easy to feel a little sympathy for Biebers current situation， even though he is talented， wealthy beyond imagining and a global sex symbol. Bieber himself hinted at exactly that when giving his AMA acceptance speech.

“Its hard growing up with everything going on，” Bieber said. “With everyone watching me.”

他违反法规，又因与一个女孩的风流韵事而出糗，然后被抓飙车，那种疯狂程度恐怕会让他的父母好几晚睡不着觉。这样说吧，流行歌星贾斯汀·比伯现在的表现就像任何刚满18岁的小青年，在成人世界苦苦挣扎，希望找到自己的位置。

当然，与一般孩子所不同的是，比伯是近年来美国最红的童星之一，他因与狗仔队的冲突多次与警方发生口角，女友问题被八卦网站TMZ向千万“粉丝”追踪报道，而那部备受热议的车是超级矜贵的法拉利。

然后就是新的成人角色问题了。对于比伯来说，他的专辑已经赚得上亿美元，现正全身心地开始在美国残酷无情至极的娱乐工业中进行其中一项最为艰难的改造：尝试从一名童星转变为成熟艺人。

“你不能阻止人的成长。但此刻贾斯汀·比伯看上去仍然像一个童星，尽管他已经成年了。我们得等一等，看看他会有怎样的变化。这过程不容易，”《全接触周末》的资深新闻编辑诺亚·莱维说道，“最好的方式就是循序渐进。”

这可能是对的。但像比伯这种超级童星（在2012年的全美音乐奖中他又再次摘得“年度艺人”的头衔），他们是很难自如地控制自己命运的。家人、管理人员、经纪人公司以及产业高层围绕着这些童星们，构成一台巨大的赚钱机器，他们所有人都是明星生涯中的既得利益者，但这些并非是童星本人的意愿和兴趣。

事实上，在通往成年巨星的道路上是布满各种潜在荆棘的。麦莉·塞勒斯是跟比伯同时期的童星，她曾经因为电视剧《汉娜·蒙塔娜》而一时风头无两，现在也成了八卦小报上的常客。她消瘦的体型引发大众对其健康的担忧，她多得数不清的新文身被曾经的“粉丝”在网上冷嘲热讽，她与家人之间的矛盾也成了公众谈资。

或者看看布兰妮·斯皮尔斯。2007到2008年间，这位年轻的女歌手似乎在过大的名利压力下崩溃了，最后剃掉了头发，还得入院治疗，而这所有的一切都被电视摄像机和相机一一记录下来。又或是看看阿曼达·拜恩斯现在的处境，这位曾经的少女偶像，现在被各种法律问题和醉驾指控缠身，已经很少工作了。

当然，比伯现在的麻烦事还没到那种严重的程度。检控方最近不打算就他与摄影师肢体的冲撞予以指控。他与歌手塞琳娜·戈麦斯的恋情可能会一直是小报的追踪焦点，但他们之间还不至于冲动到要结婚或生孩子的地步。到目前为止，最糟糕的就是他驾驶法拉利超速被停牌，仅此而已。

“如果这就是最坏的情况了，那么他挺幸运的。”莱维说道。

但同时也有成功转型的例子。贾斯汀·汀布莱克的事业发展给了比伯很大希望。就像比伯，汀布莱克曾经是一名孩子脸的童星，就他的演艺生涯而言，上世纪九十年代末他是红极一时的男孩组合“超级男孩”的成员。然而，随着汀布莱克日渐成长，他成功地从童星转型，成为了成熟的明星，还是成功的电影演员，迈出了一系列精明的事业发展步伐。

汀布莱克单飞，改变音乐风格，体现更有深度的蓝调色彩，和大牌艺人合作，还和一系列知名度高的女性传出绯闻，从卡麦隆·迪亚兹到他现在的妻子——杰西卡·贝尔。

比伯似乎已经在朝着那个方向发展。比起之前的作品，他最新的专辑风格更具大人色彩。他最近和更成熟的艺人合作，像妮琪·米娜以及李尔·韦恩。他甚至推出了自己的香水，名为“某日情怀”，通过文身和与“维多利亚的秘密”内衣模特约会来展示自己少年偶像的转型。

具有讽刺意味的是，在比伯寻求法子把身后的年轻疯狂“粉丝”换成更成熟的夜店常客追随者的同时，大部分业内人士却认为他的真实才华其实不太重要。

“其实不是‘粉丝，而是团队。说到底，是一直追随的团队。”盖尔·墨菲说道，他是一名作家，还是好莱坞的记者，采访过成百上千的大牌明星。

比伯背后的确有一支强大的团队。他的经纪人是斯古特·布莱恩，他是最早在视频网站YouTube上发现比伯并辅助他成为全球巨星的人。布莱恩麾下还有其他一堆童星。

就像现今美国的任何大人物一样，比伯的生活是一分一秒都处于助理和媒体公关的监控之下。他巨大的名气意味着很多其他青少年理所当然的活动他是几乎不可能去做的。其中的苦况极少人能体会得到，特别是比伯现时经历的重大个人和事业途径转变。

但查尔斯·科斯莫对此有自己的看法。科斯莫曾经是一名儿童动作演员，接连在电影《至尊神探》以及小飞侠彼得·潘电影《虎克船长》里面担任角色，这两部电影分别是达斯汀·霍夫曼以及罗宾·威廉姆斯主演。他知道名利会是多诡异的事情。

“罗宾·威廉姆斯对于我仍然能到‘塔可钟买墨西哥卷饼很是嫉妒，他都有20年不能这样做了，”科斯莫说道。科斯莫对于名利，处理得相当低调，继续进修，上大学，最终选择了一条完全不同的道路。现在，他是位于俄亥俄州的凯斯西储大学的一名成功的法学教授。

被问到能给比伯什么建议时，科斯莫笑了，他重复了当年霍夫曼开玩笑似地给出的建议——“在你能选择的时候脱离这个圈子。这句话中有很多真理，”他说道。

但是，对比伯来说，这可能不是一个现实的选择。像许多其他年轻的明星，例如斯皮尔斯，在他的歌唱事业以及成功中有太多既得利益者了。

“他是一件产品。这点他必须清楚，”墨菲说道。这听起来十分讽刺，但墨菲解释道：“涉及太多的金钱了，而这才是最重要的。娱乐产业是不是比其他行业更残酷？我不知道。看看华尔街吧。”

这样的观点会让人对比伯现下的状况感到有点同情，尽管他很有才华，难以想象地富有，而且是一个全球的性感符号。在“全美音乐奖”颁奖礼上，比伯在自己的获奖感言中精确地暗示了这一点。

“面对周遭的一切，我的成长很艰难，”比伯说道，“因为所有人都在看着我。”