The Cost of Fame

In our last entry, we looked at how the Wilsons were responding to the new freedoms they were given with the Vacation and Superstar expansions thrown into the mix. Aside from eating a lot of turkey and birthday cake, visiting a couple of vacation spots, and buying a satellite dish, not much changed. Well, not for most of the family anyway.

Kitty wound up seeking work in Studio Town, and for the most part, did pretty well (though she got demoted a few star points here and there for losing famous friends and not visiting Studio Town enough...what a pain!). At first, it seemed like it would be mostly fun and games, visiting the clubs to sing karaoke, doing the occasional modeling job and recording session. Well, it quickly became evident that while it may have started out that way, being on the fame track is still, in essence, just another job, and a grueling one at that.

The first annoying aspect of Kitty's job was having to actually leave the neighborhood view to go to Studio Town to work. This was okay for a while, but was not so fun once it became a necessity and consequences occurred for infrequent visits. The next down side was the fact that even if she was in great shape when she left the house, she'd always be exhausted when it came time to return home, and would spend most of her time recovering for her next visit and building up skills so she could get "promoted". Heck, who has time for family?

One of the most annoying things about being famous, of course, is the obsessed fan. For a while, it was funny to watch him go through the trash and sneak around outside the house or tail my stars in Studio Town, but after a while, it became downright irritating.

Kitty spends some quality time with her obsessed stalker.

Once the novelty of the fan had worn off, and he started walking inside my house and trying to steal awards, I started to hate him with a passion. Several "accidents" were arranged, including removing the ladder when he was in the pool, accidentally building a fence around him he couldn't get out of, and setting him on fire in an enclosed area. None of it worked - he's apparently not only obsessed, but indestructible as well.

Well, since there was no way to destroy the fan (besides some divine intervention of the little white gloved hand, with the help of the "move objects" cheat), it became apparent that the family would just have to deal with him. And so, they went about their business, doing their best to ignore him, which wasn't always easy. But hey...it's the price of fame I guess.

Marty apparently doesn't like being photographed while in the hot tub by the greasy obsessed fan. Kevin appears to be quoting Shakespeare to Kitty and Marty, probably trying to restore the romantic atmosphere.

Not all aspects of the being famous were bad, though. After a while, Kitty was making about $5,000 per visit to Studio Town, which is much better than being a crappy pet groomer for $100 a day. Eventually, she achieved Superstar status, and got a cool little star floating over her head, which I guess was a good thing also (I'm not sure if that was supposed to be symbolic, or if it was actually supposed to be floating over her head).

One day, the family was minding it's own business, when a limo pulled in front of the house. This was odd, since all the Wilsons were home, and everyone knows that visiting sims usually just walk to other houses, even if they're all the way across town.

"Hmmm...she can't be the mail carrier, because the mail carrier wears blue shorts..."

Moments later, Kitty emerged from the house. She just happened to be wearing her one and only formal dress. Does this look like some sort of set up, or what?

Kitty just assumes the limo and stuff is here because of her. Get over yourself!

Well, the entourage was, in fact, there to present Kitty with her first Simmy award. Sure, it would have been nicer to get the award at a special awards show in front of hundreds of fans and fellow stars, but beggars can't be choosers. A drive-by Simmy presentation is better than no Simmy presentation at all.

Kitty: "This is all so...unexpected. I thought that Marilyn Monroe was dead!"

To add to the confusion of the celebrity presenter, limo, paparazzi, and their unexpected visit, a Studio Town tour bus shows up with a bunch of frenzied fans. This is probably the most excitement most of the Wilsons have had in a long, long time, though for Kitty, it's just another day in the life of the rich and famous (well, famous anyway).

"Okay, break it up! There's nothing to see here!"

Later on, after the excitement of the award presentation had faded, Kitty decided to liven things up again, this time with a riveting story about a little treasure chest someone had caught while fishing during their vacation. Everyone was so mesmerized by the story, they didn't even notice when Kitty stopped telling it and left.

"Awesome treasure chest! What did you use for bait?"

Well, it was around this time that J.D. realized he was a lonely, miserable man, despite the fact that he lived with five other people. Kammy and Kevin had been paired off since before they moved in, and Marty and Kitty had been together for as long as he could remember. He'd made some overtures toward Keri, the only eligible female in the house, but for various reasons, the two of them never really seemed to click (maybe it was the do-rag or ever present white undershirt).

Well, at some point, J.D. took an interest in Julie Miller, and the two of them seemed to hit it off fairly well, though she definitely didn't make things easy for him. However, after what seemed like an eternity, the two of them decided they were made for each other, and tied the knot. This is about the point where the Miller family's story began.

JD: "This feels like déjà vu all over again!"

As mentioned before, it was a very small wedding, and nobody was really invited beforehand, least of all the rest of the Miller family. The Wilsons were at least lucky enough to have a little bit of a celebration in the upstairs lounge, officially welcoming Julie to the clan.

"Julie, baby, this one's for you!"

Well, the Wilsons responded quite a bit better to the change in their family structure than the Millers did, and life went on as usually (except for having to divide the three bathrooms among seven people instead of six). The family more or less returned to business as usual, which for most of them, meant the business of hanging out all day and doing nothing. Kitty returned to doing her Studio Town gigs, and the exhausting job of having to maintain famous friendships or suffer the consequences.

Kitty and Branson pose for the camera. What camera?

After all the recent excitement, the gang decided it was time for another vacation. After all, they'd just gained another family member, and that seemed like a great excuse to go check out one of the beach resorts they'd never gotten to see. And so, with little deliberation, they were off to fun in the sun. Unfortunately, just as the forest resort had the ever annoying Archie the Archer, the beach had it's own version, Marky the Sharky.

Kevin: 'What I wouldn't give for a harpoon gun right about now."

Once again, the gang did their best to ignore the costumed "entertainer", and went about their business of pursuing fun wherever it may be found. Here, we see Kammy, fishing in her special way, throwing back the fish and keeping old boots and other junk.

Kammy: "Maybe I can catch a Gucci handbag..."

Overall, it was a much more laid back vacation than the one before. Most of the Wilsons spent their time lounging around on the recliners, which is okay, but probably not worth paying $500 to do. I guess the hot tubs weren't all that exciting, though, since they have those at home.

The Wilsons lay out to work on their tans...which is extra challenging at night when the sun has gone down already.

Well, we'll leave the Wilsons to their vacationing for the time being. There are much bigger things to come, and they'll need their energy for later. Next time, we'll look at something a little different. It's...well...just drop by next time, and you'll see! :-)