Ever since the advent of
high-definition television (HDTV), viewers see on-screen details in a much sharper and more realistic fashion than is the case with regular TV.
Unfortunately, for some celebrities, HD also reveals how they look in real life, which means blemishes, wrinkles, puffy cheeks, baggy eyes, and all manner of features that are usually covered up by the fuzzy, grainy look of standard definition television (much like the
airbrushed celebs we see on magazine covers). Well, after days and nights of watching nearly every
Blu-ray disc and
Oscar telecast we could get our hands on to pick out the celebs who don't fare well in HD, we found a few doozies. We also talked to Phillip Swann, president of HD news site
TVPredictions. who has been analyzing the high def experience and mailing lists of who looks great and who looks awful in HD for years. Here's what we found.
Cameron Diaz"Once upon a time
Cameron Diaz was regarded as one of the most beautiful women on the planet," says Swann. And who among the male population didn't agree after seeing her in '
There's Something About Mary' and '
Charlie's Angels?' Well, unfortunately for Cameron, things changed with better picture quality. On last year's HD Oscar telecast, her
puffy cheeks and dark-circled eyes stuck out; this year was no exception, as Diaz also looked a
wee bit tired and overly tanned in the Academy Awards HD telecast. "She's had acne issues since high school, a lot of pock marks on her face and it's really visible in high def," says Swann. Perhaps that's why her biggest role these days is the voice of Princess Fiona from '
Shrek.'