Anti-James Corden Wicked petition is a result of pop-culture overexposure

Mic

The Change.org petition asking Wicked producers not to cast The Late Late Show host is "a fascinating case study in pop culture, and it’s not the first time this particular flavor of resistance to a star has happened," says Chloe Stillwell. "Many remember the great Anne Hathaway banishment circa 2013, after an insufferable Oscar-courting press cycle promoting the film adaptation of Les Miserables left us all never again wanting to see rich people sing aloud with the fake muck of industrial revolution smeared on their faces. After some time off, Hathaway had the correct response, admitting when she reemerged, 'My impression is that people needed a break from me.' She read the room, something that Corden — who has now appeared as a singing rodent, a singing cat, a singing non-gay gay person and a singing baker — is not doing. Perhaps Corden believes that singing is his brand after the success of his Youtube sensation 'Carpool Karaoke,' beloved by moms everywhere. Maybe with the blind encouragement of stars courting the free, endearing press of riding around in a car belting their hits alongside him, Corden feels that if there’s a character that sings, it is his duty to step into whatever shoes that character wears, whether they fit or not. And that seems to be part of the rub — in all of the big screen musicals Corden has appeared in, he is more Corden than character. He just does his faux queer, overly excitable, body positive big guy in costume schtick, and expects it to stick. There’s also the issue of who Corden really is as a person. Much like the public bristle against Ellen DeGeneres and Lin-Manuel Miranda after their prolific careers of selling saccharine entertainment for the betterment of humanity proved both hypocritical and advantageous, people might be against Corden now because he’s secretly an a**hole too."