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Manufacturing Celebrity and Marketing Fame: An Ethnographic Study of Celebrity Media Production by Vanessa J. Díaz A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in The University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Ruth Behar, Chair Associate Professor Kelly M. Askew Professor Arlene Dávila, New York University Professor Daniel Herwitz Emeritus Professor Conrad P. Kottak Associate Professor Barbra A. Meek © Vanessa J. Díaz 2015 ! Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Jean and Woodrow (“Nino”) Díaz. My father was murdered while my mother was a Ph.D. student in political science at UC Riverside. She did her best to raise three small children, work full-time, and complete her doctoral program. Ultimately, she was not able to finish the dissertation. Thus, this dissertation is for all of us. I also dedicate this work to Chris Guerra, who lost his life while working as a paparazzo during the course of my dissertation fieldwork. ! ii! Acknowledgements This dissertation was carried out with the support of numerous individuals and funding organizations. Funding from the following fellowships helped make this research possible: Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Smithsonian Institute Predoctoral Fellowship, Rackham Merit Fellowship, Rackham Humanities Fellowship, Institute for Research on Women and Gender Graduate Student Award, Center for the Education of Women Research Fund Award, and Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) mini grant. Use of the People magazine archives at the Los Angeles bureau also contributed to the completion of this research. This research would be non-existent without the openness and generosity of my research collaborators in the entertainment and journalism industries—from the paparazzi, to the red carpet reporters and photographers, to the staff reporters at the celebrity weekly magazines, and beyond, my life has been thoroughly invigorated from my experiences working with you all on this research. There are too many to name, and several requested anonymity, but you will get to know many of them through this dissertation. A very special thanks to Galo Ramirez. The support of my dissertation committee—my advisor Professor Ruth Behar, Professor Kelly Askew, Professor Arlene Dávila, Professor Daniel Herwitz, Professor Conrad Kottak, and Professor Barbra Meek—has kept me going throughout this arduous process. Ruth Behar’s constant encouragement of my writing, regardless of how little jargon it contained, and my dissertation project, regardless of how many times I changed it, is a central reason I made it through graduate school. ! iii! There are several other professors who have helped me along the way, including, but not limited to: Professor Mark Sawyer, Professor Abel Valenzuela, Professor John L. Jackson, Professor Yeidy Rivero, Professor Jessica Cattelino, Professor Sherry Ortner, Professor Purnima Mankekar, Professor Darnell Hunt, and Professor Sarah Banet-Weiser. Thank you to Professors Elana Buch and Jonathan Rosa who allow me to call on them at any time for advice and support. Thank you to Dr. Elizabeth Kai Hinton who provided me with careful guidance throughout the application process to enter graduate school, and has remained a primary source of support throughout my time as a graduate student. The dedication of former University of Michigan administrator Laurie Marx helped me get through the pre-fieldwork years as a graduate student. Ken Wissoker’s encouragement of and enthusiasm about this project helped keep me motivated throughout the writing process. My friends both within and outside of graduate school helped keep me grounded during my time as a student. Thank you to my dear friend Dr. Loren Nunley, who managed to get an M.D. and MBA before I obtained my Ph.D. Way to make the rest of us feel inadequate! Thank you to Bridget and Joey, who were always ready to welcome me with open arms when I returned home to Los Angeles. Thank you to Alexey and Magia, who were always ready to welcome me with open arms when I returned to Cuba. Thank you to Rafael “Papo” Zapata and my NYU fam. Thank you to my cohort members: Elana, Jane, Luciana, Nick, and Bruno. Lastly, I must thank my family. Thank you to my siblings Woodrow “el tercero,” Larissa, and Angie. Thank you to my grandfather Woodrow Díaz, Sr., who gives me a reason to keep me going back to la isla del encanto—Puerto Rico. Thank you to Jill who was there for me like no other when I went through one of the hardest times of my life. Thank you to my mother who has withstood some of the toughest of times, and yet always manages to wear her heart on her sleeve ! iv! in a way that most people would never imagine possible. Finally, thank you to Ben who served as an editor extraordinaire during my final stage of writing; his assistance has shown me his love, dedication, and belief in my abilities as a scholar. ! v! TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF IMAGES x LIST OF APPENDICES xiv CHAPTERS Section I: Introduction 1 Chapter One: Celebrity Weekly Magazines and Los Angeles as the Cultural Center 1 of Celebrity Manufacturing The Celebrity Weekly Magazine 8 Gatekeepers of Celebrity Culture: The People Behind the Celebrity Weekly 12 Magazines Methodology 17 Living and Researching at Home in Los Angeles 28 Manufacturing Celebrity and Marketing Fame 38 Chapter Two: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework 40 Overview 40 Reflexivity and Accessibility in this Project 45 Anthropology and Celebrity, Starring Margaret Mead 51 Anthropology and Media, News, and Journalism 57 Anthropology and Hollywood 65 Celebrity Reporting 69 ! vi! Gossip, Tabloid, News, and the Shaping of Celebrity 72 Fame and Celebrity 78 A-List Celebrities and the Ulmer Scale 82 Section II: Weekly Magazine Reporters: Their Lives and Workplaces 86 Race and Representation in Across Hollywood Industries 91 Chapter Three: Red Carpet Rituals: Positionality and Power in a Surveilled Space 95 Gaining Entry into an Elite Space 99 Walking the Carpet 110 Questions Asked 117 The Not-So-Glamorous 119 Reporters as Celebrities? 122 Placement 124 We Are Not the Paparazzi: Red Carpet/Event Photographers 127 Chapter Four: On the Job with Weekly Magazine Reporters: Beyond the Red Carpet 131 The Office/Newsroom 132 Sit-down Interviews, Gender Dynamics and Exploitation 136 Inside the Red Carpet Events 141 Informal Spaces 143 Reporting While Black 154 Ethics of Celebrity Journalism 158 Section III: Shooteando: The Real Paparazzi of Los Angeles 162 Chapter Five: Making the Invisible Visible: The Work and the People Behind a 167 Critical and Criticized Media Profession ! vii! Galo, A Pap Profile: An Abbreviated Pap Life History Told on the Job 167 The Changing Demographics of the Los Angeles Paparazzi 179 Cultivating Public Disdain: How Celebrities View Paps 182 On the Job With Paps 186 Chapter Six: The Formal and Informal Economics of Paparazzi Work 201 Meeting the Demand for Celebrity Images 201 Formal Economic Channels of the Paparazzi Business 204 Informal Economy of Paparazzi Images: Paps as Image Brokers 210 Ethics in Paparazzi Work 214 Chapter Seven: Latinos at the Margins of Celebrity Culture: The Politics of Paparazzi 220 Agency and Pride: Creating a Brown Space within a White Industry 220 Skill, Training, and the New Paps 223 Invisibility vs. Visibility for the New, Racialized Paparazzi 226 Symbolic Violence and Gender Dynamics in Paparazzi Work 230 Brown Bodies Shooting White Bodies: The Effect of Race on Market Value 236 Conclusion: Anti-Papp Laws 243 Section IV: Crafting the Media and the Sociocultural Consequences 246 Chapter Eight: “Brad and Angelina: And Now…Brangelina!”: The Cultural 251 Economy of (White) Heterosexual Love The History of Celebrity Couple Name Blending 253 The Effects of Blended Names on Identity and Public Perception 257 Brangelina: Object, Icon, Commodity 263 The Evolution of Brangelina: Meanings and Uses 265 Where are Pellen, Mennifer and Jayonce?: The Marginalization of 268 ! viii! Celebrity Couples of Color and LGBTQ Celebrity Couples Conclusion 272 Chapter Nine: Body Teams, Baby Bumps, Beauty Standards 274 “Bikini Bodies” 280 Firsthand from the Body Team 286 Pregnancy: Body After Baby 292 Responses to Weight Criticism and Body Patrolling 298 Chapter Ten: Conclusion: Celebrity “News” Media: Reexamining and Redefining 305 What News Means Reconsidering News and Journalism 306 Reporters and Photographers Define News 309 Gossip or News? 316 The Next Phases of This Research 321 APPENDICES Appendix A. Image Appendix 324 Appendix B. Interview Source Appendix 383 BIBLIOGRAPHY 387 ! ix! LIST OF IMAGES Image 1: Covers of Hollywood Reporter and People magazines. 325 Image 2: Red carpet for the premiere of The Fighter at TCL Chinese Theater in 326 Hollywood (formerly Grauman’s Chinese Theater and later Mann’s Chinese Theater). This red carpet takes up the entire westbound lane of Hollywood Blvd, between Highland and La Brea. The eastbound lane of the same block is occupied by the red carpet for the premier of the Tempest, which took place at the El Capitan theater across the street. December 6, 2010. Photo by author. Image 3: The reporter for Just Jared stands on the sheet of paper labeled with her 327 outlet. To her left is People en Español and to her right is People. The barricade blocks the reporters from the celebrities and ensures reporters do not have their feet on the exclusive red carpet. This is at the Alma Awards in Santa Monica on September 11, 2011. Photo by author. Image 4: Reporters line up in their spots, sandwiched between two sets of metal 328 barricades. An additional set put up between the reporters and the fans. This is the How Do You Know movie premiere at Mann’s Village Theater in Westwood on December 13, 2010. Photo by author.