The value of fame in society...

Scholarly Articles & Resources

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:54:00 -0400

Altman, H. (2005, March 18). Celebrity culture. CQ Researcher, 15, 245-268. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/

Batchelor, Bob. (2012). Celebrity Obsession in the 2000s. In Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from http://popculture2.abc-clio.com/

Edwards, Leigh. (2012). Do Celebrities Have Responsibilities as Role Models?. In Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. Retrieved April 23, 2012, from http://popculture2.abc-clio.com/

Fraser, B. P., & Brown, W. J. (2002). Media, Celebrities, and Social Influence: Identification With Elvis Presley. Mass Communication & Society, 5(2), 183-206.

Greenblatt, A. (2010, January 22). Sex scandals. CQ Researcher, 20, 49-72. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/

Leslie, Larry Z. (2012). Today’s Celebrities Fail to Lead Admirable Lives. In Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from http://popculture2.abc-clio.com/

Lindenberg, S., Joly, J. F., & Stapel, D. A. (2011). The Norm-Activating Power of Celebrity: The Dynamics of Success and Influence. Social Psychology Quarterly, 74(1), 98-120. doi:10.1177/0190272511398208

Shaw, R. L., Whitehead, C., & Giles, D. C. (2010). ‘Crack down on the celebrity junkies’: Does media coverage of celebrity drug use pose a risk to young people?. Health, Risk & Society, 12(6), 575-589. doi:10.1080/13698575.2010.515736

Film, “Starsuckers” — http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/starsuckers/

Public Blames Media for Too Much Celebrity Coverage

Statistics

Drug Rehab

What is the value of celebrity coverage in the media?

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:29:00 -0400

Who could go without?

The media has conditioned today’s youth to be deeply interested in and curious about other people’s personal lives. They have taught us to be too open about everything we do. Our business is no longer private. The sharing of personal information is now thought to be the ‘norm’ and anyone who holds out is thought to be ‘weird’ and ‘too isolated for their own good’.

“We’re a media- and entertainment-saturated culture that treats celebrities akin to religious icons. The media give celebrities a powerful pulpit and encourage the public’s fascination and preoccupation with celebrities,” (Houran, 2005).

Thanks to a post on social networking den Reddit the man smiling...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:24:10 -0400

Thanks to a post on social networking den Reddit the man smiling at you with his perfect hair and smile in this photo is now being called “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy”. The photo has been viewed millions of times and Zeddie Little is now an internet celebrity thanks to one race he ran in South Carolina.

Everyone can have their fifteen minutes of fame.

A current of materialism runs rampant throughout our society,...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:59:03 -0400

A current of materialism runs rampant throughout our society, often because of celebrities. How many times do we turn on the television or go to the store and encounter advertising featuring celebrities? We find it difficult to ignore the things that are constantly promoted by the rich and famous.

Photo

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:49:19 -0400

Q&A with Orville Gilbert Brim, author of Look at Me!: The Fame Motive from Childhood to Death

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:31:00 -0400

The University of Michigan Press: How big a motivator for people is fame?

Orville Gilbert Brim: National surveys over 40 years show consistently that 2% of respondents say “fame” is their number one desire. (The surveys are from Roper, Peter Hart, LA Times, etc.) So we have four million adults in the United States with fame as their primary motive. Thus, two out of every 100 have this passion for fame. The rest are indifferent, it doesn’t matter to them. Even though they may say they dream about it now and then, it’s not something that is turned on as a primary interest. Which is a good thing, I think, because out of the four million fame seekers, if you look at the Halls of Fame and biographies around the world, there are perhaps only 30,000 entries and of those, perhaps 10,000 are dead. So this leaves about 20,000 slots for four million fame seekers, which is going to leave 3,980,000 people with no openings where they can be famous.

UMP: What types of fame do people seek?

OGB: There are of course many ways to become famous, but I like to think of them as being grouped into four paths or ways to fame. The most familiar one is what we can call honorable fame where achievements greatly valued in our society are rewarded by bestowing fame. There is also fame by associations with families and acquaintances and who you know. One of my favorite association stories is when John Kennedy Jr. moved to New York City many people wanted to get to know him and one woman said: “I don’t know him but my dog knows his dog,” which of course is a real stretch to become famous by association.

UMP: Why, in your opinion, do people want to be famous?

OGB: These millions of people who are so strongly motivated for fame are obviously different from the rest of the population. And what has happened is the fame motive has come out of the basic human need for acceptance and approval and when this need is not fulfilled because of rejection by parents, or adolescent peer groups, or others, a basic insecurity develops and emerges as the fame motive.

Well, it turns out that fame is not the answer for the need for love and acceptance. The desire is never fulfilled. The search for fame remains, driven by that basic need.

The paparazzi following Miley Cyrus.

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:44:50 -0400

The paparazzi following Miley Cyrus.

Does the media devote too much attention to celebrities?

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:40:58 -0400

Starsuckers

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:28:00 -0400

Starsuckers:

Starsuckers is a feature documentary about the celebrity obsessed media, that uncovers the real reasons behind our addiction to fame and blows the lid on the corporations and individuals who profit from it.

Made completely independently over 2 years in secret, the film journeys through the dark underbelly of the modern media. Using a combination of never before seen footage, undercover reporting, stunts and animation, the film reveals the toxic effect the media is having on us all and especially our children.

Chris Atkins presents Starsuckers as a series of five lessons on fame in the modern world: how children are persuaded that fame is something they want, how television and the media reinforces the importance of celebrity and the efforts to attain it, how the mind and body reinforces our need to follow the activities of well-known people and strive to join their number, how the press became addicted to celebrity coverage, and how the art of promoting fame has led to celebrities and their handlers controlling the press instead of the press having say.

Along the way, Atkins demonstrates how celebrity news with no basis in fact gets into print, why newspapers will run press releases almost verbatim, how parents will eagerly sign away the image rights to their kids, how certain mass scale charity events end up helping the performers far more than the causes they designed to support, and how publicists keep accurate but unflattering stories out of the news.

WHAT IS FAME?

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:18:40 -0400

• Fame is why the latest Diet Doctor gets 10 times more press than the world’s most promising stem cell scientist.

• Fame is why the first photos of J- Lo’s baby sold for millions and pics of your child are languishing on Ebay with a one dollar bid.

• Fame is why Paula Deen could run for Congress in Georgia and probably win.

• Fame is why we pay attention to Paris Hilton, cleverly branded as America’s party girl.

• Fame explains President Obama’s election, Governor Terminator’s second term and it’s why the guy who graduated at the bottom of your law school class has a book deal, the very best clients, and is always on CNN.

what does fame mean to you?

HIGH SOCIETY: “Fame is a Hobby”

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:15:44 -0400

HIGH SOCIETY: “Fame is a Hobby”

This is a great depiction of anger stemmed from the paparazzi...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:57:47 -0400

This is a great depiction of anger stemmed from the paparazzi and invasion of privacy. Celebrities sign over their privacy when they make a name for themselves, and it often gets too much to handle. Here you see Jude Law reacting in a negative way at the exposure.

Photo

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:54:02 -0400

Demi Lovato Without Makeup: Revealed on Twitter!

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:39:00 -0400

Demi Lovato Without Makeup: Revealed on Twitter!

Tebow the Jet: Celebrity Backup Meets Media; video attached

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:04:00 -0400

Tebow the Jet: Celebrity Backup Meets Media; video attached

Celebrity Culture

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:00:02 -0400

The celebrity culture refers to the culture of popularizing certain people who have certain attributes that society deem exceptional. In this modern era, these attributes may or may not be genuine. Back in the days of actors, actresses, singers, authors, producers, artists, sports people and dancers and so forth, people needed to have certain talents and virtues to be known throughout society. Now it is common for people to be well-known and in television talk shows and celebrity magazines due to their unethical behavior or belligerent self-promotion. People sometimes attempt at becoming famous by various means such as entering reality TV or dating someone of high status. The glorification of people who seek stardom has made the celebrity culture based on infamy not fame. That is the main reason why many people dislike celebrities.

http://www.celebrityculture.net/

"Amanda Bynes’s dad is standing by his daughter, following her DUI arrest on Friday...."

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:55:01 -0400

“

Amanda Bynes’s dad is standing by his daughter, following her DUI arrest on Friday.

“She was not drunk,” Rick Bynes tells PEOPLE. “I was told that she blew a zero on the Breathalyzer. She didn’t have a single drink that night. My daughter doesn’t drink.”

”

- http://www.people.com/people/article/0„20585517,00.html

Angelina Jolie Extremely Pissed At Brad Pitt

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:57:35 -0400

twism:

According to OK!, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have decided to call off their wedding — the couple got into a fight because Brad told their son Maddox about his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. Brad apparently said some stuff about how he loved Jennifer very much, Angie overheard the conversation, and she flipped out on Brad. Doubt this is true, but even if it is, so what if Maddox finds out about Brad’s past now? He’s going to read about it eventually!

Jenna Elliott: Jersey Shore: Taking Over America

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:46:25 -0400

Jenna Elliott: Jersey Shore: Taking Over America:

jennaleighelliott:

I found this website that has great views on how Jersey Shore is controversial issues such as stereotyping and questionable moral standards. The information is great. I only posted part of it, so use the source if you feel like reading more!

Jersey Shore is the most popular reality TV show on…

"Seinfeld" actor shoots self in apparent suicide attempt

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:52:00 -0400

"Seinfeld" actor shoots self in apparent suicide attempt