Researcher Published by CQ Press, a division of Congressional Quarterly Inc. CQ thecqresearcher.com Celebrity Culture Are Americans too focused on celebrities?
n early February, North Korea’s leader bragged about his nuclear arsenal, the lagging U.S. dollar started climbing and the Prince of Wales announced his engagement. But the serious-minded readers of Bloomberg News were most Iinterested in Charles and Camilla. Americans have an insatiable appetite for celebrity news, and the juicier the better — from Brad and Jennifer’s breakup to Michael Jackson’s trial to Martha Stewart’s jail term. Some observers say it’s harmless to follow the lives of celebrities. Indeed, they even say we are genetically programmed
to care, and that the heavy focus on celebrities simply reflects that The separation of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, here at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival in January interest. But media critics say celebrity coverage is squeezing out 2005, sparked unprecedented media coverage. legitimate news and that, as a result, the United States is becoming I a nation that knows more about the “Battle of the Network Stars” N than the battle for Baghdad. With less attention being paid to THIS REPORT S THE ISSUES ...... 247 informing citizens about government and the world around them, I BACKGROUND ...... 254 the critics warn, a cornerstone of a democratic society — an D CHRONOLOGY ...... 255 informed populace — is being put in jeopardy. E CURRENT SITUATION ...... 259
The CQ Researcher • March 18, 2005 • www.thecqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ...... 261 Volume 15, Number 11 • Pages 245-268 OUTLOOK ...... 263 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 265 EXCELLENCE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD THE NEXT STEP ...... 266 CELEBRITY CULTURE T H CQE Researcher March 18, 2005 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 15, Number 11
• Is fascination with Celebrity Coverage Doubled MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. Colin 247 celebrity bad for society? 248 in News Magazines • Does the media’s atten- But coverage of national affairs ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Kathy Koch tion to celebrities lead to dropped from 35 percent to ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kenneth Jost 25 percent of all pages. poor news coverage? STAFF WRITER: Peter Katel BACKGROUND Celebrities Dominate CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sarah Glazer, 249 Magazine Covers David Hosansky, Patrick Marshall, Nearly 40 percent of U.S. Tom Price ‘Star’ Gladiators magazine covers carried 254 Roman gladiators were celebrity photos in 2004. DESIGN/PRODUCTION EDITOR: Olu B. Davis early celebrities. ASSISTANT EDITOR: Kate Templin Reality TV Rarely Leads to Modern Celebrity 251 Lasting Fame 258 In the 18th century, fa- Few reality TV alums achieve mous writers and thinkers careers in entertainment. became celebrities. Are You Celebrity Obsessed? 252 Psychologists have developed Star System A Division of 258 a test to measure interest in Congressional Quarterly Inc. The first fan magazine celebrities from harmless debuted in 1911. escapism to stalking. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/GENERAL MANAGER: John A. Jenkins Communications Chronology DIRECTOR, LIBRARY PUBLISHING: Kathryn C. Suárez 259 Revolution 255 Key events since the 1880s. Radio and TV helped DIRECTOR, EDITORIAL OPERATIONS: spread celebrity culture. Riding Celebrity Into Politics Ann Davies 256 Celebrities often find it easy to enter politics. CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY INC. URRENT ITUATION CHAIRMAN: Paul C. Tash C S At Issue 261 Do the media devote too VICE CHAIRMAN: Andrew P. Corty Big Business much attention to celebrities? PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: Robert W. Merry 259 Celebrities have become the biggest magazine sellers. Copyright © 2005 CQ Press, a division of Congres- FOR FURTHER RESEARCH sional Quarterly Inc. (CQ). CQ reserves all copyright Science of Celebrity and other rights herein, unless previously specified 262 Interest in celebrities may For More Information in writing. No part of this publication may be re- be biologically based. 264 Organizations to contact. produced electronically or otherwise, without prior written permission. Unauthorized reproduction or Studying Celebrity Bibliography transmission of CQ copyrighted material is a violation 265 of federal law carrying civil fines of up to $100,000. 262 Some college courses deal Selected sources used. CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acid- with celebrity culture. The Next Step 266 free paper. Published weekly, except March 25, July Additional articles. 1, July 8, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Nov. 25, Dec. 23 and Dec. OUTLOOK Citing CQ Researcher 30, by CQ Press, a division of Congressional Quarter- 267 Sample bibliography formats. ly Inc. Annual subscription rates for institutions start Diminishing Democracy? at $625. For pricing, call 1-800-834-9020, ext. 1906. 263 Critics warn that democracy To purchase a CQ Researcher report in print or elec- cannot flourish if citizens tronic format (PDF), visit www.cqpress.com or call are not well-informed. 866-427-7737. A single report is $10. Bulk purchase discounts and electronic-rights licensing are also available. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CQ Researcher, 1255 22nd Cover: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston take their star turn at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. St., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037. Their separation in February 2005 sparked unprecedented media coverage, including a record five consecutive weeks on the cover of Us Weekly. (AFP Photo/Francois Guillot)
246 The CQ Researcher Celebrity Culture BY HOWARD ALTMAN
ty gossip, to fill the bur- geoning amounts of broad- THE ISSUES cast airtime. artha is every- “Television, more than where. For days any other cultural develop- M before and after her ment, has radically changed release from prison, she is our experience of celebrity,” the blazing star around which says David Blake, a profes- television, the Internet, sor of English at the Col- newspapers and magazines lege of New Jersey, in Ewing. revolve. There she is, newly “Television has made celebri- svelte and smiling sweetly, ties both prevalent and ubiq- leaving prison. Waving girl- uitous, and with the rise of ishly and bussing the pilot television came a whole new on the cheek as she boards branch of the public rela- a private jet to return to her tions industry. Public rela- upstate New York estate. tions once focused on Joking with reporters about preparing accomplished in- not getting cappuccino in dividuals for the interest prison and missing fresh and scrutiny that had come lemons. Lovingly stroking her to them. Now it involves handsome horses over the manufacturing celebrities to pasture fence. Addressing meet the culture’s seeming- adoring employees at Martha ly insatiable desire for them.” Stewart OmniMedia and The constant barrage of Billionaire lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart showing off the shawl cro- received heavy media coverage after her release from a celebrity has led more and cheted for her by a fellow West Virginia prison on March 4, 2005. The media say more people to risk their dig- inmate. they cover celebrities heavily because of strong reader nity, and even their lives in Domestic diva, media mag- and viewer interest, but critics say excessive coverage of some cases, for the crack-like nate, hero, outcast, convict, celebrities diverts attention from more serious high of their “15 minutes of journalistic pursuits and gives younger comeback kid and soon-to- readers a distorted view of reality. fame,” as artist Andy Warhol be-star of her own reality famously put it. show — Martha Stewart is among the “Entertainment Tonight” now has a Moreover, some researchers argue few people on Earth (along with Jen- foothold in every part of the media that as the media dishes out an in- nifer Aniston and Brad Pitt) capable business. That’s why there are 1,000 creasingly rich diet of celebrity hype, of diverting the media from the all- journalists camped out in California less and less attention is paid to in- consuming feeding frenzy of the for the Michael Jackson trial. That’s forming citizens about government and Michael Jackson child-molestation trial. why magazines and newspaper gos- the world around them — undercut- In short, Martha is the essence of sip columns breathlessly chronicle every ting a cornerstone of a democratic so- celebrity — and we can’t take our breakup by Ben [Affleck] and Jen [Gar- ciety. Many trace the new emphasis on eyes off her. ner], every Britney marriage, every birth celebrities to the massive consolidation On a very basic, biological basis, to a remotely famous B actress.” of the mass media industry, which began scientists say we humans are hard- Fascination with celebrity has been in the 1990s when newspapers faced wired to be fascinated with celebrity, fueled by an explosion in the num- layoffs and drops in circulation and and that our brains receive pleasur- ber of Internet sites and cable televi- profits. Media companies were gobbled able chemical stimuli when we see fa- sion channels, including 24-hour news up by mega corporations with a greater miliar faces. shows. As the number of shows and commitment to stockholder proftis than “Celebrity journalism has never been Web sites increased, so did competi- to maintaining large, traditionally money- hotter,” says Washington Post media tion for audiences and ad dollars. In losing news departments. critic Howard Kurtz. “What used to turn, that raised the demand for more In many cases, newspapers and be the realm of People magazine and cheap content, such as the latest celebri- broadcast stations owned by family
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Celebrity culture is having other neg- Celebrity Coverage Doubled in News Magazines ative impacts on society. According to The percentage of pages in news magazines dedicated to celebrities British researcher Satoshi Kanazawa, of The London School of Economics and and entertainment doubled from 1980 to 2003, while coverage of Science, children’s mental health suffers national affairs dropped from 35 percent of all pages to 25 percent. the more they believe that happiness comes from money, fame and beauty. Percentage of Pages by Topic He found that the human brain was not designed to handle the constant Percentage bombardment of celebrity-based stim- 35 35 35 uli and that we are losing touch with our friends and family as a result. Mean- 30 31 30 29 while, a study conducted in the Unit- 25 25 ed States shows that we are all just a 23 23 few stressors short of becoming celebri- 20 ty stalkers. 2 And more and more Amer- 15 icans are seeking plastic surgery, the direct result of people either wanting 10 10 to look like celebrities or feeling pres- 88 8 7 sured to look younger and better be- 5 5 44 cause of the very high beauty bar set 0 by celebrities, says New York plastic 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 surgeon Z. Paul Lorenc. The outlook for our celebrity-satu- National Affairs Entertainment/Celebrity rated culture, say many media watch- ers and social scientists, is bleak. “It’s Sources: Time, Newsweek and Hall’s Reports already all-Paris-Hilton-all-the-time, or nearly so,” says Marty Kaplan, dean dynasties — with traditionally strong to celebrities’ legal problems. Indeed, of the Annenberg School for Com- commitments to the local community even as the small army of journalists munications at the University of South- and relatively low profits — were re- camps outside the courthouse in Cal- ern California, “so you don’t have to placed by huge corporations de- ifornia where Michael Jackson is being extrapolate that pathology very much manding that news departments pro- tried, ABC is debating replacing Ted to see the future. duce double-digit profits. As a result, Koppel’s celebrated news show, “News coverage will continue to government and foreign news cover- “Nightline,” with more celebrity fluff. shrink; traditional hard news (like pol- age was slashed and often replaced Part of modern celebrity is the money itics) will package and present itself by cheaper-to-produce celebrity gos- showered upon true stars. In the eyes even more aggressively as entertainment sip, media critics say. of many, Alex Rodriguez, the New York in order to get attention,” Kaplan con- The squeeze on news departments Yankees’ third baseman, took on the tinues. “ ‘Journalism’ will become an even became even more intense when on- aura of a Donald Trump when he more important profit center for enter- line news outlets began to produce signed a 10-year, $252 million contract tainment conglomerates.” even more competition for viewers’ at- in 2001. Some movie stars make that As the amount of news decreases, tention. 1 by working in a few films. citizens’ ability to stay informed — and Yet, as media organizations scale But the fascination with celebrities thus participate responsibly in democ- back coverage of government and and their stratospheric earnings has racy — also will diminish, says David world events — even the wars in taken its toll. More American teenagers T.Z. Mindich, an associate professor of Iraq and Afghanistan — there seems can name the Three Stooges than the journalism and mass communication at no shortage of resources available for three branches of government; more Saint Michael’s College, in Colchester, Vt. celebrity doings. Celebrity “news” mag- kids know who won the “Battle of As pundits, social scientists and media azine shows have sprouted like the Network Stars” than the Civil War, watchdog groups examine the celebri- mushrooms after a rainstorm. One says comedian and pop-culture com- ty culture phenomenon, here are some even devotes a half-hour each day mentator Mo Rocca. of the questions they are debating:
248 The CQ Researcher Is America’s fascination with celebrity bad for society? Celebrities Dominate Magazine Covers Every day, from living-room TVs to Entertainers and other celebrities appeared on the covers of nearly supermarket checkout counters, the 40 percent of all American magazines in 2004. The next largest mass media bombard Americans with category, culture and travel, came in at almost 10 percent, while images of celebrities and their rarified lives. But experts have differing opin- only 6 percent of covers were related to national affairs. ions on whether it is a good or a bad thing for Americans to be inundated with news about the rich and famous — not only accounts of their privi- leged lives but also their battles with Other weight loss, criminal charges, sexual Sports and dalliances, drug abuse, broken mar- recreation 19.0% riages and problem children. Entertainment/ Perhaps the most obvious downside 4.8% Celebrity of celebrity culture is how it has changed whom Americans idolize, says Al Tomp- Culture and 39.6% kins, group leader for broadcast and travel 9.6% online journalism at the Poynter Insti- tute, in St. Petersburg, Fla. * “Celebrity has taken the place of heroes,” he says. 5.9% “When I ask college and high school National students who their heroes are, they usu- affairs 5.9% 7.8% ally name celebrities, such as athletes 7.6% or movie stars, not names that did Home something heroic or noteworthy.” furnishings Business and Food and But Lorenc worries about the dan- industry ger posed by the impact on people’s nutrition self-image. “There is tremendous dan- ger” in unchecked celebrity worship, Note: Percentages do not add to 100 due to rounding. Lorenc says. “A perfect example, is ‘I Source: Hall’s Reports Want A Famous Face’ — the MTV television show in which patients come people want to look like specific celebri- Do they influence people? Of course. into a doctor’s office and say, ‘I want ties but that it perpetuates a worship Patients want to look younger, feel to look like Britney Spears,’ or ‘I want of youthfulness, and increasingly, Amer- better about themselves.” to look like so and so.’ icans are turning to plastic surgery to The youth culture even influences “That shouldn’t happen,” insists capture the youth and glamour asso- the power elite, he says. “A lot of Lorenc, author of A Little Work: Behind ciated with celebrities. According to the men from Wall Street say, ‘I am com- the Doors of a Park Avenue Plastic Sur- American Society for Aesthetic Plastic peting against men half my age, who geon. “No one should aspire to look Surgery, the number of plastic surgery are working for a quarter of my price.’ like someone else. If I have a patient procedures performed in America in- We are a youth-oriented culture.” with a photograph who says, ‘I want creased fourfold from 1997 to 2003 — Psychologist James Houran, of Irving, to look like that,’ they don’t need me, from slightly more than 2 million to Texas, says celebrity worship is more they need a therapy session. It’s very more than 8 million. 3 than skin deep. It is a “gateway drug unhealthy to perpetuate that. I won’t “Even celebrities are in a bind,” toward stalking,” he cautions. operate on them.” Lorenc says. “They have an image Houran is the co-creator of the The danger, he says, is not just that they have to upkeep and are forced Celebrity Worship Scale, which mea- to do that with Botox [a botulism sures an individual’s level of interest * The nonprofit Poynter Institute owns Con- neurotoxin injected to eliminate wrin- in celebrities. “Celebrity worship starts gressional Quarterly Inc., the parent company kles]. They have to maintain an off with normal, healthy behavior,” he of CQ Press, publisher of the CQ Researcher. image and a lifestyle and an income. says. “But it can be transformed into
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 249 CELEBRITY CULTURE more dysfunctional expres- across the board in sions,” where people feel a America right now and connection to a celebrity that on campus in particu- does not exist. lar,” Rocca says. “But I Houran, along with other have a strange faith in British and U.S. researchers, college students. They found that one-third of Amer- are both more opti- icans suffer from some form mistic and skeptical of “celebrity worship syn- than everyone else. drome” in a study published “It sounds like a in February 2002. In its most strange contradiction, innocuous form, the condi- but they consume all tion manifests itself as a sense this celebrity news of emptiness, but the study with tongue planted found it can progress to ob- firmly in cheek, I think,” sessive thinking and, in rare Rocca continues. “No- cases, worsen into behavior body is wide-eyed any — like stalking — that is dri- longer when it comes ven by delusions. 4 to celebrity news. When Houran recalls a teenage I see college students girl who began injuring her- devouring Us Weekly, self after learning that punk they know it is all a singer Marilyn Manson, her fa- joke. There is a hunger vorite celebrity, was getting for something else. married. “She cut her arms, When I go to campus- neck and legs. She was es and talk about my rushed to the hospital. She interest in presidential wanted to be the one to history, while a lot of change him. When she was students may not discharged, she realized what AFP Photo/Robyn Beck know much, they are she did was extreme. But she Pop star Michael Jackson arrives at his child-molestation trial in hungry for something Santa Maria, Calif., being covered by hundreds of media still rationalized her obsession, representatives. An explosion in cable television outlets more substantive than saying, ‘I just want him to be competing for audiences and ad dollars has helped the latest news on the happy. If he is happy, I am fuel the demand for celebrity news, which is a Olsen twins.” happy. He is the only person relatively inexpensive way to fill airtime. Growing up in a I connect with.’ ” celebrity-saturated cul- Everyone, says Houran, is suscep- 16. But these young people were far ture helps turn college students today tible. “You don’t have to be a stalker from being isolated; in fact, re- into experts on how the media work, to have this [affect] your life, nega- searchers found the gossiping children Rocca says. “I am constantly amazed tively and intensely. Those extreme had a stronger network of close at how much the average student knows celebrity worshippers don’t start off friends than their peers who were less about what goes into making a TV that way, but the bad news is that it interested in celebrities. 5 show. Everyone has deconstructed the implies there is a stalker in all of us, The Harvard-educated Rocca, who media, understands the ingredients and given the right set of variables.” appears frequently on CNN’s “Ameri- understands how the artifice is creat- But not all studies have shown that can Morning,” believes saturation ed. Essentially, students know it is all celebrity worship has a decidedly neg- celebrity coverage has had an inocu- BS — the work of celebrity publicists ative impact. In a study published in lating effect on society, particularly and stories they are fed. The students March 2004, a group of British re- young people, and has made college revel in the cheesiness of it.” searchers found that gossiping about students, in particular, extremely Conversely, Rocca believes that peo- celebrities took up most of the social media savvy. ple who did not grow up with con- time of nearly one-third of a sample “There is an overwhelming appetite stant celebrity news are more apt to of 191 English youngsters ages 11 to for celebrity and pop culture news Continued on p. 252
250 The CQ Researcher Reality TV Rarely Leads to Lasting Fame eality TV shows have introduced the viewing public to $2,000 each. He has also appeared on two MTV “Challenges,” instant celebrities like “The Bachelorette” lovebirds Trista which bring back cast members from past seasons of “Real R and Ryan, “The Apprentice” villain Omarosa and “Survivor” World” and “Road Rules” to compete in events like raft build- schemer Richard Hatch. ing and bungee jumping for plastic rings. With a little luck, he The unscripted programs have given all-too-fleeting fame to says, he won both challenges, earning $80,000 and two cars. thousands of average Janes and Joes who helped provide cast- Murray says that was the only compensation he’s received from ing directors with the many stereotypes that make up reality his celebrity. “My financial situation has been less than stellar dur- television, including the hypersensitive minority, the big-city ing the last few years because I’ve been living off the scraps of neophyte, the sex siren. the ‘Real World,’ ” Murray says. “All my high school and college “The vast majority of people on reality TV believe that it is friends are doing big-time, corporate jobs, and I’m still making not only going to bring a bachelor that they can marry or money off appearing at some bar night in Austin, Texas.” $1 million for surviving life on an island, but also that it’s the But someone is getting rich off Jamie’s MTV appearances. beginning of a career that will make them celebrities,” says “Viacom has a multimillion-dollar syndication deal for ‘Real Robert Thompson, founding director of the Center for Popu- World,’ and not a dime was thrown down to the people on lar Television at Syracuse University. the show,” Murray explains. “We signed our rights away.” But most reality alums soon learn that their celebrity has a It’s harsh, Thompson says, but potential cast members know that short shelf life — six months for most, Thompson says. if they don’t sign, there are thousands of others willing to do so. “Now that we’ve had Jon Murray, a co-creator of “Real years to map this out — five World,” understands that it’s diffi- since the first ‘Survivor’ in the cult for his cast members to have summer of 2000 and 13 since empty pockets when they are rec- the first ‘Real World’ aired in ognized on the street. “It’s hard for 1992 — the votes are in,” any of us who haven’t . . . gone Thompson says, “and the on a reality show, to understand chances of making a long ca- what it’s like to be famous for reer in show business from being yourself, but not necessari- a reality show are very, very ly having a lot of money that goes small.” with fame,” Murray said. 2 But there are a few ex- Unfortunately for most reality ceptions. “Survivor” alumna show stars, they rarely have skills Elizabeth Hasselbeck is now that can take them beyond reali-
one of five hosts of “The View.” Getty Images/Frank Micelotta ty TV, Thompson says. “Jerri Man- MTV’s “Real World” is considered the first modern reality And London “Real World” alum they from the first ‘Survivor’ would TV program. Launched in 1992, it follows the lives of Jacinda Barrett recently had seven young strangers living in a house together. love to be a big star, but she’s not substantial roles in the films Above, the show’s Paris cast” visits New York City. a great singer or a great actress. “Ladder 49” and “Bridget Jones: She isn’t a great anything that makes The Edge of Reason.” you a celebrity,” Thompson says. “American Idol” stars Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken also Even for those who are great at something, reality TV is no have found mainstream stardom, but that is largely because guarantee of success. It can even hurt wannabe stars by type- ‘American Idol’ is really a talent show, Thompson says. casting them and showing them in a negative light, Brady says. But for every success story, there are hundreds of cast mem- “A lot of these people end up bartending and waitressing, and, bers who have tried and failed to extend their 15 minutes of fame. hopefully, they’re counting up nice tips because the patrons of “It’s a letdown 99 percent of the time for most people,” said the restaurant or bar recognize them,” he says. Brian Brady, a talent booker for the casts of “Survivor,” “The Ap- But without the talent to keep them in the limelight, most prentice” and other reality shows. 1 reality stars quickly slide into obscurity, Thompson says. “It’s “I get 10 calls a day from cast members trying to get some celebrity built on the foundation of sand, and it blows away.” kind of work,” Brady says. “You can hear it in their voices; they’re desperate. They’re trying to milk their show for anything.” — Kate Templin Jamie Murray was 22 when he appeared as one of the room- mates on the ninth season of the “Real World” in New Orleans. 1 www.concertideas.com. Now 27, Murray has spent much of the last five years using his 2 Kate Aurthur, “Reality Stars Keep on Going and Going,” The New York reality experience to book college appearances, which pay about Times, Oct. 10, 2004, p. B22.
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In fact, Kennedy thinks that today’s Are You Celebrity Obsessed? media consumers are more sophisti- cated than in the past, and thus less A test developed by a group of American and British psychologists obsessed with celebrity. “Large seg- ranks interest in celebrities from harmless escapism to obsessive ments of society have always lived vic- thinking that — in rare cases — may lead to delusion-driven ariously through celebrities,” Kennedy behavior like stalking. observes. “It’s not healthy, but it’s ever been thus. In the 1860s, the wedding Answer yes or no to the following statements: of Charles Stratton and Lavinia War- Yes No ren — better known as General and 1. I often feel compelled to learn the personal habits of my Mrs. Tom Thumb — was one of the favorite celebrity. great media spectacles of the age, with the couple even dropping by the 2. I love to talk with others who admire my favorite celebrity. White House for a heavily publicized 3. When something happens to my favorite celebrity, I feel visit with the Lincolns. like it happened to me. “And I’m not sure that anything we’ve 4. I enjoy watching, reading or listening to my favorite seen today exceeds the bizarre devo- celebrity because it means a good time. tion to Rudolph Valentino in the 1920s,” 5. I have pictures and/or souvenirs of my favorite celebrity, he continues. “For that matter, the media which I always keep in exactly the same place. today may be less celebrity-obsessed than that of 100 years ago — at least 6. When my favorite celebrity dies, I will feel like dying, too. in terms of the [print] press.”
Celebrity Attitude Scale Does the media’s attention to celebrities lead to poor coverage If you answered “Yes” to: of more important issues? Nos. 2 and 4 — Your celebrity attitudes are on the Entertainment- The performance of the American Social level; they are undisruptive and focused on the entertainment media in covering the run-up to the war in Iraq has come in for scathing abilities of celebrities. criticism from press critics — and the Nos. 1 and 5 — Your celebrity attitudes are on Intense-Personal press itself. Many media critics, in- level; attitudes about celebrity are more intimate and obsessive and cluding New York Press columnist Matt can have a negative effect on mood and behavior. Taibbi, castigated the so-called main- stream media for failing to adequate- Nos. 3 and 6 — Your celebrity attitudes are on the Borderline- ly challenge the Bush administration’s Pathological level; attitudes and behaviors are dangerous, rationale for going to war. 6 troublesome and anti-social. And an editorial in The New York Times acknowledged that mistakes in Source: Lynn McCutcheon, et al., “Conceptualization and Measurement of the Times’ coverage were made. “The Celebrity Worship,” British Journal of Psychology, Feb. 1, 2002 world little noted, but at some point late last year the American search for Continued from p. 250 Moreover, says Dan Kennedy, media weapons of mass destruction in Iraq take celebrity news at face value. “I critic at the Boston Phoenix, some ended,” the Times commented. “We will, am betting older people were more heavily played celebrity stories can however, long remember the dooms- engrossed by the Laci Peterson [mur- help make this a better country. “The day warnings from the Bush adminis- der] story,” he says. “That was essen- coverage of the O. J. Simpson mur- tration about mushroom clouds and sin- tially tabloid trash. It had no relevance der trial actually helped foster a na- ister aluminum tubes; the breathless to people’s lives. College kids . . . can tional conversation about race and reports from TV correspondents when draw a distinction between legitimate celebrity that otherwise would not the invasion began, speculating on when news, say the tsunami or Iraq, and have taken place, totally apart from the ‘smoking gun’ would be unearthed; soap operas that masquerade as news, the fact that he got away with mur- our own failures to deconstruct all the like the Laci Peterson story.” der,” Kennedy says. spin and faulty intelligence.” 7
252 The CQ Researcher Weekly magazines like People, Us Weekly, In Touch and Star reel in readers with gossip, interviews and paparazzi photographs of their favorite celebrities. Jennifer Lopez was the most featured celeb in 2004, appearing on 29 covers published by the four magazines. Jennifer Aniston, alone or with estranged husband Brad Pitt, came in second with 26 covers. The February 2005 Aniston-Pitt breakup sparked a celebrity magazine feeding frenzy, with Us Weekly featuring the couple on its cover for five consecutive weeks, the longest for a single news story.
There are many reasons, critics unendorsed pile of plainly obvious about their communities, their coun- argue, why the U.S. media have evidence). But that isn’t the way things try and their world,” Kaplan says. failed to pay more attention to world work in America. “Celebrity news attracts eyeballs. We events or even to cover important “We only cover things around the can’t help it. Fame is mesmerizing. The events closer to home. It is “much clock every day for four or five challenge for responsible media is to easier to land ‘event’-oriented cov- straight months when it’s fun,” and make the [more] important [stories] in- erage (such as spot news, crime “fun” boils down to covering teresting.” news, announcements or events celebrities at the expense of all else, Competing with celebrity news is that occur, scheduled and unsched- Taibbi argues. 8 a tall order, says The Washington uled,” argues Tompkins, of the Poyn- On the other hand, the Annenberg Post’s Kurtz. Celebrity news is ter Institute. School’s Kaplan blames the shrinking “cheap and easy to cover, easier, say, Taibbi is less charitable. “In the “news hole,” or the amount of space than unraveling the president’s bud- run-up to the war,” he writes, “every devoted to hard-news coverage. For get cuts or Social Security propos- major daily and television network in example, the percentage of pages in al,” Kurtz says. “It’s the O. J. syn- the country parroted the White House’s news magazines dedicated to celebri- drome as a permanent feature of our asinine WMD claims for months on ties and entertainment doubled from journalistic culture. Martha Stewart, end . . . “Justice would seem to de- 1980 to 2003, while coverage of na- convicted felon, is about to get a mand that a roughly equivalent tional affairs dropped from 35 percent television show. Need I say more?” amount of coverage be given to the of all pages to 25 percent. (See graph, But Dennis McCafferty, who cov- truth, now that we know it (and we p. 248.) ers celebrities as senior writer for USA can officially call it the truth now, “The smaller the hole for hard Today Weekend, says our fascination because even Bush admits it; previ- news, the less likely that people will with celebrities does not mean the ously the truth was just a gigantic, find out what they need to know death of hard news.
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Is journalism in fects our lives. Celebrity trouble? McCafferty news is hardly crowding asks. “I’m sure a re- that out. There’s simply sponse of ‘Yes! Mercy more of all kinds of news, yes!’ would come period, and that includes from the sanctimo- hard news.” nious types who in- Kennedy, of the cessantly write letters Boston Phoenix, agrees. saying that anything “I’m not so sure that the resembling hard news media per se are obsessed journalism is coming with celebrity,” he says.” to an end,” McCaf- Our culture is obsessed ferty says. “But I don’t with celebrity, and the believe it for a media are a reflection of minute. The last time that, although it’s com- I checked, USA Today plicated, because celebri- and The Washington ty wouldn’t be possible Post and The Wall without the media. Street Journal and the “So you’ve got a non- other usual suspects virtuous circle: The media are still doing some cover celebrities because pretty darn good that’s what a large swath hard-news stories. of the public wants; and And my local Fair- then, in response to fax Journal is still public demand, the media staying on top of how end up covering celebri- local politicos are ties even more. . . . I spending my tax dol- consider my own tastes lars. to be fairly heavily ori- “I also notice that ented toward real news, USA Today’s “Life” sec- yet even I would rather
tion — that’s supposed Getty Images/Paul Schutzer read about Ozzie Os- to be the fluffy one — The mainstream media have long been fascinated by celebrities, as bourne’s latest stint in devotes as many pages shown by this 1962 Life cover featuring superstars Elizabeth Taylor rehab than Social Secu- to health, science and and Richard Burton during the filming of “Cleopatra.” rity reform.” other related topics as it does to Hollywood. The “Style” sec- There are countless niches within the tion [of The Post ] still devotes 80-inch business-magazine industry. If you features to newsmakers, as opposed to want to read about small business, BACKGROUND star machinery.” you have a choice of several com- While there has been a tremendous peting titles. increase in time and space devoted to “The same with mutual funds, per- celebrity coverage, McCafferty says, the sonal finance, venture capitalists, ‘Star’ Gladiators advent of cable and the Internet means CEOs, and, for all I know, adminis- that there is a huge appetite for all trative assistants and the guys who ame and celebrity are nothing new kinds of content — including hard news. change purified water jugs in the of- F to human civilization. As humans “Has there been a huge increase fice everyday. progressed from spending all their time in celebrity-devoted magazines, cable “The same massive increase in on- hunting and gathering, those who ex- shows and the like? Of course,” says going coverage is also reflected in celled at war, sports, politics and the McCafferty. “There’s also been a what’s available when it comes to sports, arts captured the imagination, says Blake huge increase in business magazines health, parenting, community, religion at the College of New Jersey. and 24/7 financial cable shows. and every single other subject that af- Continued on p. 256
254 The CQ Researcher Chronology
1974 September 1999 1880s-1930s People magazine is launched by Viacom buys CBS for $34.5 billion First modern power-generating Time Inc., paving the way for the in the biggest media marriage ever. station is invented, followed by delayed explosion, two decades movies, radio and television. later, of innumerable imitators. •
1879 1980 First radio is developed. Reagan is elected president. 2000s Technological advancements continue to 1910s • change the way people think of Hollywood develops the star sys- news. Reality TV becomes tem . . . Photoplay, Motion Picture major phenomenon. Stories and other fan magazines 1990s Widespread use begin publishing, ushering in the of the Internet revolutionizes 2000 age of celebrity worship. mass communication; media or- “Survivor” airs and becomes a ganizations begin filing news huge hit, triggering a deluge of 1920s continuously on the Web. Tradi- reality TV shows that produce Silent-film comedian Fatty Arbuckle tional media are gobbled up by hundreds of instant celebrities. . . . is charged with murder, becoming megacorporations. In the largest corporate merger in one of the first victims of the history, AOL acquires Time Warner celebrity gossip machine . . . January 1990 in a stock swap valued at $166 Gossip columnist Walter Winchell Warner Communications and Time billion. reaches more than 50 million Inc. complete $14.1 billion merger, homes with his radio show and creating world’s biggest media 2002 newspaper column. conglomerate. Forbes magazine names Jennifer Aniston the nation’s top celebrity. 1922 1992 First public radio broadcasting sta- “Real World” debuts as the first reality 2003 tion opens in Pittsburgh. TV show. Arnold Schwarzenegger sworn in as governor of California. 1939 September 1993 Television is introduced at the New York Times Co. buys Affiliated March 5, 2004 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, Publications Inc. (The Boston Globe) Martha Stewart is convicted of N.Y. for $1.1 billion — biggest takeover four counts of lying to investiga- in U.S. newspaper history. tors and obstructing justice in • connection with a well-timed 1994 sale of stock. Viacom buys video rental chain 1960s-1980s Blockbuster Entertainment Corp. in Oct. 8, 2004 Scientists conceive of the Inter- August for $8 billion. . . . In July Stewart begins her five-month sen- net, but mass communications is Viacom buys Paramount Commu- tence, eluding photographers and dominated by newspapers, a few nications, a movie, publishing and cameramen staking out the federal television channels and radio. sports company, for $10 billion. prison in Alderson, W.Va.
1966 1996 2005 Former movie star Ronald Reagan Walt Disney Co. buys Capital Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt is elected governor of California. Cities/ABC for $19 billion in Feb- announce they are separating on He is re-elected in 1970. ruary, creating a movie, television Jan. 7. . . . Michael Jackson’s and publishing conglomerate . . . trial on child-molestation charges 1972 In October Time Warner and begins on Feb. 28 . . . Martha U.S. computer experts unveil the Turner Broadcasting System com- Stewart gets out of prison on ARPANET, forerunner of the Internet. plete $7.6 billion merger. March 5.
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 255 CELEBRITY CULTURE
Riding Celebrity Into Politics
wenty years ago, when “The Terminator” took movie- ernor of Minnesota). In a USA Today poll taken shortly before goers by storm, who could have predicted that the California’s 2003 gubernatorial election, 34 percent of likely vot- bodybuilder playing the indestructible cyborg would one ers said Schwarzenegger’s lack of experience actually made T 1 day run the most populous state in the nation? them more likely to vote for him. But in today’s celebrity-obsessed society, no one was sur- “Celebrities bring a special credibility that career politicians prised when Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candida- don’t have,” West says. “They haven’t spent their lifetimes cut- cy for governor of California — and, in true celebrity fashion, ting deals and doing things the public doesn’t like.” did it on the “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” Moreover, celebrity politicians operate differently than their It was the latest in a growing trend toward cross-polli- professional peers. For instance, because celebrities are less en- nation between celebrity and politics. “The lines between trenched in the political establishment, West says, they are often politician and celebrity have become increasingly obscured more likely to take risks, trust their gut instincts and support in the past 30-40 years,” says David Blake, a professor of ambitious programs. English at the College of New Jersey, in Ewing. “I think we Jack Kemp, former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, took are only now beginning to see the consequences of that his athletic enthusiasm with him when he went into politics, blurring.” advocating enterprise zones that encouraged entrepreneurship Darrell West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Pol- and job creation in urban America. After serving in Congress, icy at Brown University and author of Celebrity Politics, says Kemp went on to become a Cabinet member under the first that when celebrities run for office, they often win by im- President George Bush and eventually the Republican vice pres- pressive margins, even though voters make fun of them ini- idential nominee in 1996. “Having been a quarterback, I had tially, saying they know nothing about politics. a quarterback mentality,” he said. “In a huddle, you can’t have In fact, elected officials and celebrities need similar skills: everybody talking . . . and you’re willing to throw a long ball connecting with an audience, developing a loyal fan base and on third and one or on fourth and one. Which I was always cultivating the “it” factor that transcends a résumé. willing to do.” 2 Indeed, politicians have learned that showmanship and charis- Likewise, in 2004, Schwarzenegger broke with the Repub- ma can help win elections. Conversely, as the public grows in- lican Party to endorse stem-cell research, which California vot- creasingly skeptical of career politicians, lacking a political pedi- ers supported last November. And when President Ronald Rea- gree can be a plus. Voters are often drawn to celebrities and gan couldn’t get Congress to support his economic program, other political-outsiders, such as actor Clint Eastwood (former he used his charisma to get grass-roots supporters to inundate mayor of Carmel, Calif.), singer Sonny Bono (the late congress- Congress with letters and phone calls. Congress eventually man from California) and pro wrestler Jesse Ventura (former gov- passed the plan.
Continued from p. 254 “Being a celebrity adds a new di- beautiful wife Nefertiti, who lived “Many scholars find it useful to dis- mension to this immortality, for it sug- 3,500 years ago. tinguish between fame and celebrity, gests that one is actively celebrated by The Golden Era of Greece, about connecting fame to the kind of renown the crowd. The original Latin meaning five centuries before the birth of people achieve for extraordinary tal- of celebrity is “to be thronged.” Along Christ, produced great thinkers like ents or achievements, and celebrity for with this comes a sense of visibility, the mathematician Pythagoras and the the kind of meretricious notoriety that a sense of being widely recognized philosopher Socrates. is so prevalent today and so frequent- and known. How frequently are you Perhaps not surprisingly, one of ly criticized — the state of being seen? How visible is your face? As one the earliest celebrities was an athlete: known for being known,” notes Blake. wag put it, God may be famous, but Milo of Kroton, a five-time Olympic “I’m inclined to see fluidity between Jesus is the celebrity.” wrestling champion whose fame was these two terms, to see them as hav- The first celebrities may have at its height between 532 and 516 ing differences in degree rather than been the cave dwellers who began B.C. Hans van Wees, a lecturer in an- kind,” Blake continues. “For someone leaving their artistic marks some cient Greek history at University Col- like Alexander the Great, or Caesar, 40,000 years ago, but there are no lege, London, says such athletes were fame was an important, motivating records identifying any of them. The accorded the same high status en- force. Ovid compared fame to a spur, first known celebrities probably were joyed by today’s superstars. 9 propelling men to greater accom- the Pharaohs, such as the first “They were not only widely talked plishments. “power couple,” Akhenaten and his about but also given red-carpet treat-
256 The CQ Researcher But celebrities aren’t magi- “After two years in Washing- cians, cautioned Marty Kaplan, ton,” Thompson quipped, “I often dean of the Annenberg School long for the realism and sinceri- for Communication at the Uni- ty of Hollywood.” versity of Southern California, America probably has not seen which studies the impact of the last of the celebrity candidate, entertainment on society. “Only Blake says. Actor Ben Affleck seems magicians can make things to be laying the groundwork for like red ink disappear by wav- a political run, making appear- ing a wand,” he said after ances on Capitol Hill to support Schwarzenegger’s election. an increase in the minimum wage, “People had the mistaken im- a proposal supported by his friend pression that all our problems Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. got solved now that we have Affleck also was seen as a ubiq- a famous superhero in place. uitous wonk during the Democ- In truth, that was just the be- ratic National Convention in 2004, ginning.” 3 when he stumped for presidential Celebrity politicians also candidate Sen. John Kerry. can have trouble adapting to “We’re seeing more and more the snail-like pace of the po- athletes and actors winning elec- litical world, and their role tions,” West says. “And sometimes within that world, West says. they even turn out to be good After his 1998 election, Ven- AFP Photo/Stephen Jaffe governors.” President George Bush greets California Gov. Arnold tura grew weary of the mun- Schwarzenegger, the latest celebrity to combine — Kate Templin dane realities — and the heavy popularity and politics. responsibilities — that came 1 with the job; he did not run for re-election in 2002. Susan Page, “Lack of Political Resume Can Actually Boost Newcomers,” USA Today, Sept. 29, 2003, p. 1A. Lawyer-turned-actor-turned-senator Fred Thompson also re- 2 Ibid. tired from politics in 2002 to return to acting on NBC’s popu- 3 John Broder, “Even Celebrity Has Its Limits,” The New York Times, July lar “Law and Order.” 25, 2004, p. D5. ment,” van Wees says. When they re- By 65 B.C., as Caesar was pitting Tacitus’ description of Roman con- turned home, for instance, part of the 320 pairs of gladiators against each sul Caius Petronius, for instance, sounds city wall was demolished so they did other in an amphitheater at one time, like a precursor of the recent TV not have to use the gates like “ordi- news of gladiators’ battles spread by show, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Fa- nary mortals,” he says. word of mouth. 11 Boys idolized them, mous:” “His days he passed in sleep, The athletes also won the lifelong often taking lessons at gladiator schools, his nights in the business and plea- right to free meals and would adver- while women were known to have sures of life. Indolence had raised him tise their fame by commissioning hymns affairs with them. 12 to fame, as energy raises others, and of praise from famous poets that A year later, Cleopatra, history’s en- he was reckoned not a debauchee would be performed in their honor during icon of sex, beauty and polit- and spendthrift, like most of those — probably “the next best thing to ical intrigue, was born. She lived for who squander their substance, but a appearing on TV,” van Wees says. 10 39 years before famously committing man of refined luxury.” 13 During the Roman Empire, other suicide by raising an asp to her breast. Tacitus’ nuanced examination of “athletes” — including the slaves who One of the first writers to win Petronius is just one of many instances became gladiators — achieved fame. fame and celebrity was the Roman where the writer investigated the machi- And Greeks were followed by the con- historian Tacitus (55-120 A.D.). His nations and foibles of the power play- text of their celebrity, which speaks seminal work, The Annals, chroni- ers of his day. “The love of fame is volumes about the political and social cled the nexus between fame and the last weakness which even the wise order of the day. power in Rome. resign,” he observed. 14
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In the ensuing centuries, artists, ath- gy and scholars may have disapproved Tesla, who made alternating current letes, writers, rulers, discoverers and con- of such “corrupt” entertainment, but it usable, and Edison, whose inventions querors became celebrities — until the turned Shakespeare into London’s most included the phonograph and moving nature of celebrity changed drastically. celebrated playwright. images, gave the masses the sounds Other writers gained recognition and images of the famous or the soon- as literacy rates improved. 15 And the to-be famous. Modern Celebrity more people read, the more they The increasing popularity of mov- wanted to know about the writers. ing pictures in the second decade of y the time William Shakespeare “Celebrity, as we know the term, be- the 20th century proved pivotal in B arrived on the scene in the mid- gins to appear in the 18th century with making celebrities ubiquitous in Amer- 16th century, times were changing. the increasing importance of the pub- ican society. England had a very famous woman lic sphere,” Blake says. “As people came — Elizabeth I — making history, and to recognize the public as an entity sep- dramatic shifts in science, religion and arate from the government and the Star System culture were occurring. church, as newspapers began to turn The Elizabethan era saw popular their attention to items of public inter- theater become a major source of en- est, a new class of people emerged as n 1910, producer Carl Laemmle trig- tertainment for the masses. The cler- the recipients of widespread attention.” I gered the rise of the American Although these in- movie-star phenomenon by creating dividuals, were most the first movie star through a massive frequently known publicity campaign. Now forgotten, for their exceptional Florence Lawrence was known coast skill — Alexander to coast as the “Vitagraph Girl.” 16 Pope, Jean Jacques That same year, film companies Rousseau, Lord began to move to the area later known Byron — people as Hollywood, and director D. W. Grif- were frequently in- fith and Biograph Studios released “In terested in their pri- Old California,” the first film made in vate lives and their Hollywood. personalities, Blake In 1911 Photoplay, the first, true says. By the middle movie fan magazine debuted and of the 19th century, gave rise to the whole idea of a celebri- the notion of celebri- ty culture. Soon afterward, Motion ty had grown to em- Picture Stories, The Moving Picture brace well-known World and The Motion Picture News people in society also offered interviews and gossipy who were glamorous columns about the personal lives and or fashionable. Dur- careers of the stars. 17 ing a trip to England, Fascination with the private lives of for example, Ameri- public figures fueled a feverish inter- can poet Ralph est in the 1921 arrest and subsequent Waldo Emerson de- trials of silent-film comedian Roscoe scribed meeting “Fatty” Arbuckle, presaging today’s “celebrities of wealth media frenzy over Michael Jackson. and fashion.” Arbuckle was charged with the rape Inventors Nikola and murder of actress Virginia Rappe Tesla and Thomas during a wild party in San Francisco. Edison amped up Tabloids sensationalized the crime and the public’s new- concocted stories about Arbuckle’s AFP Photo/Jorge Uzon AFP Photo/Jorge found fascination “bottle party.” Although he was acquitted Singer Britney Spears is a popular magazine subject as much for her marriages and peccadilloes as for with the private lives in multiple manslaughter trials, Arbuckle her talent and glamorous appearance. of the well-known. saw his career end, while Hollywood
258 The CQ Researcher was forever linked in the public’s view television,” he says. “Before TV, the lic affairs, so it is much more possible as wild and scandalous. 18 only way for people to have ‘imagi- to watch television all day long, and In the wake of the Arbuckle scan- nary friends’ was to watch a movie, not get any news.” dal, efforts were made to police the in- or read a magazine. So the effect of dustry, including the creation of the Hays the exposure to “imaginary friends” Office, designed to clean up Hollywood was minimal. TV changed all that. It through censorship and public relations. is in your living room, you can watch CURRENT Inevitably, the nation’s fascination it every day, and, nowadays, 24 hours with Hollywood doings gave rise to a day. So we should feel a lot clos- Walter Winchell, the Jazz Era’s most fa- er to our imaginary friends than we SITUATION mous, and influential, gossip columnist. used to before the spread of TV.” Each week he wrote six fast-paced columns that appeared in nearly 2,000 Big Business newspapers. In the 1930s he added Communications Sunday radio broadcasts. With his Revolution columns and his distinctive, staccato rad and Jen. They are so big that radio voice, he reached 50 million homes. B movie fans know them simply “Feeding the public’s craving for oday’s celebrity culture is large- by their first names. Brad Pitt and Jen- scandal and gossip, he became the T ly possible because of changes nifer Anniston have long been in the most powerful — and feared — jour- in how we communicate. The print- pantheon of celebrity newsmakers. And nalist of his time,” wrote biographer ing press helped spread The Word, the amount of press coverage devot- Ralph D. Gardner. “His articles were as well as a love of words. In 1776, ed to the recent breakup of their mar- loaded with snappy, acerbic banter. it helped spread a revolution in Colo- riage is a textbook example of the Broadcasts were slangy, narrated with nial America. A century later, the de- economics of celebrity. machine-gun rapidity, a telegraph key velopment of electrification begat the People, Us Weekly and In Touch clicking in the background. ‘Good modern era of movies, radio, televi- Weekly took the unprecedented step evening Mr. and Mrs. North and South sion and, ultimately, the Internet. of rushing out a second issue in less America and all ships at sea,’ his pro- But even as recently as the late 1960s, than a week to splash the split-up on grams began, Let’s go to press!’ ” 19 the world of communications was a their covers. “We’re in a far more com- Winchell helped foster the rise of very different place from what it is petitive environment than ever,” said such modern, gossipy publications as today. In every major city, there were People Deputy Managing Editor Larry People magazine, launched in 1974. usually at least two daily newspapers, Hackett, explaining why his magazine But it was the unveiling of a techno- three networks and no cable or Inter- could not afford to wait another logical marvel at the 1939 World’s Fair net. The big story of the day did not week.” 21 that almost single-handedly ushered in have to fight for attention with myriad The breakup has created a cottage a whole new world of celebrity cul- other media outlets, argues David T. Z. industry, including the first-ever instant ture. The future rival to radio and film Mindich, an associate professor of jour- book from the publishers of Us Week- — television — was formally intro- nalism and mass communication at Saint ly — Brad & Jen: The Rise and Fall duced to the world when the Radio Michael’s College, in Colchester, Vt. of Hollywood’s Golden Couple. When Corporation of America (RCA) displayed “On Feb. 27, 1968, when [CBS grainy, long-lens photos of Aniston the first TV sets for sale to the Amer- anchorman] Walter Cronkite made his kissing friend Vince Vaughn, surfaced ican public. 20 famous remark that ‘we are mired in recently, they prompted a bidding war Kanazawa, at the London School the stalemate of Vietnam,’ he was com- between upstart celebrity magazine Life of Economics and Science, says TV peting against two or three other news & Style and Us. “Kissing Brad Good- had a profound influence on society. and public-affairs shows, two movies bye?” asked a recent Life & Style cover, Kanazawa studied television’s role in and a couple of sitcoms — ‘F-Troop’ while the cover of Us Weekly won- creating “imaginary friends” — celebri- and ‘I Love Lucy,’ ” Mindich says. “There dered, “Dating Already?” ties who are seen increasingly as re- were seven TV stations in New York Indeed, during the breakup brouha- placements for real friends. City at the time, four of them devoted ha, Us featured the couple on its cover “The major change in the history to news and public affairs, three to en- for five consecutive weeks, the longest of celebrity worship was the inven- tertainment. Today, much less of the TV run ever for a single news story. The tion, and then subsequent spread, of universe is devoted to news and pub- Feb. 7 issue, with a cover article, “How
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 259 CELEBRITY CULTURE
Jen Found Out,” was the magazine’s racious celebrity media beast. In 2004, celebrity culture can be summed up highest-selling issue, with 1.25 million there were 1,006 launches of new mag- with the debate over the future of Ted copies. People, which has an exclusive azines, many focused on celebrities, ac- Koppel’s “Nightline,” which has seemed first photo this week of Julia Roberts’ cording to Samir Husni’s Guide to New almost sacrosanct since its launch dur- twins on the cover, also includes a Magazines. 24 ing the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. mug of Pitt with the teaser “Brad & Celebrities are hot, said Husni, a “ABC News last week shot a pilot Angelina: Their Movie Wedding!” 22 professor of journalism at the Univer- for one possible ‘Nightline’ replace- “Anything involving hope that sity of Mississippi. Hotter, even, than ment, a freewheeling show hosted they might get back together or signs sex, which once was the leading sub- by Washington reporter Jake Tapper that either of them is moving on is ject among new magazines, especial- and Bill Weir, the co-anchor of the fascinating to our readers and the ly fast, cheap, new magazines. Now weekend edition of ‘Good Morning world,” says Sheryl Berk, editor-in- sex doesn’t dent the top 10 categories, America,’ two network insiders re- chief of Life & Style. The Johnny- Husni said. “In 1997, sex was the ported recently. “One of the pilot’s top stories was about the Michael Jackson child-molesta- tion trial — exactly the kind of tabloid-friendly fodder that the “The problem is that Americans have grown too fond generally sober-minded ‘Night- line’ has tended to avoid.” 27 of sweets, both on their tables and in their newspapers. At the Associated Press Man- aging Editors convention in And the new tabloids, such as the Tribune Company’s Louisville, Ky., last fall, much of the discussion was about the RedEye, that are aimed at the youth market seem decline in newspaper readers. As recently as 1997, 39 percent geared to the attention of a mayfly.” of Americans ages 18 to 34 were reading papers regularly, writes — Evan Cornog, Publisher, Evan Cornog, publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review, Columbia Journalism Review but by 2001 the number had dropped to 26 percent. Similar declines have been reported in TV news viewing. 28 come-lately among the nation’s high- No. 1 category, with 110 start-ups. Last Cornog says many editors pursue ly competitive celebrity magazines has year, there were only 20 new entries celebrity coverage not just because featured Aniston on the cover four [focusing on sex]. readers want it, but because they see times since the split. “Celebrities are becoming the sex it as a way to regain new, younger However, as popular as the celebri- of the 21st century,” according to readers. Nonetheless, one of the con- ty world’s pre-eminent couple have Husni, a self-proclaimed magazine vention sessions focused on “Celebri- been of late, they were second-rate in junkie who has been tallying launch- ty Coverage — Where’s the Line . . . 2004 — at least in terms of how many es since 1985 and is known in the And Have We Crossed It?” covers they graced. A recent Daily industry as Mr. Magazine. 25 And while “It is a common lament of news- News tally showed that Jennifer Lopez, that may be good news for maga- rooms that readers often skip over the either alone or with Affleck or hus- zines, it’s bad news for broadcast long, thoughtful series on important top- band Marc Anthony, led all celebrities television, he says. ics in their haste to read the latest on in 2004, as the dominant subject on “TV is surrendering its mass audi- the Hilton sisters or the specs on the a total of 29 covers published by Peo- ence,” Husni said. “With cable and best high-end cappuccino makers,” ple, Us, Star and In Touch. Aniston, satellite, [broadcast] TV has been con- Cornog writes. “Still, why not include alone or with Pitt, was a close sec- verted to a narrowcast medium.” 26 some of that fluff? The occasional con- ond, on 26 covers. 23 In broadcast television — where fection is fine as long as one eats a And there seems to be no end in the networks have seen steadily di- healthy, balanced diet. sight when it comes to feeding the vo- minished ratings — the influence of Continued on p. 262
260 The CQ Researcher At Issue:
Do Yesthe media devote too much attention to celebrities?
JAMES HOURAN, PH.D. DENNIS MCCAFFERTY COAUTHOR, “CELEBRITY WORSHIP SCALE” SENIOR WRITER, USA WEEKEND MAGAZINE
WRITTEN FOR THE CQ RESEARCHER, MARCH 2005 WRITTEN FOR THE CQ RESEARCHER, MARCH 2005
nequivocally yes. Having idols and heroes is a natur- s a confessed newsy newspaper writer turned celebri- al part of identity development, but it’s indicative of ty scribe, I hear this question quite often. Now, the u a problem when individuals shower attention and af- a response that any self-respecting journalist is sup- fection onto people whom they do not even know — and es- posed to give is, ‘Heavens! Mercy yes!’ At least that’s the one sentially can never know personally. This trend strongly sug- that I can only imagine that 99 percent of this fine publication’s gests that we’re a media- and entertainment-saturated culture readership would give. that treats celebrities akin to religious icons. The media give When it comes to hard news versus celeb fluff, I’ve been celebrities a powerful pulpit and encourage the public’s fascina- hearing the “sky is falling” uproar for some time now. But I tion and preoccupation with celebrities. don’t buy it for an instant. Undoubtedly, celebrities are more accessible than ever be- Newspapers and other media outlets are certainly cutting fore due to the advent of the Internet, the myriad “real life” budgets, along with, unfortunately, a shockingly large number stories about celebrities shown on entertainment news pro- of both “designated award winner” hard-news staffers as well grams and even in the mainstream press. We even have reali- as the incredibly undervalued grunts who deliver the nuts and ty shows that turn normal people into stars, and these mass- bolts of day-to-day news gathering as a career calling. (By the produced “celebrities” are also given inordinate amounts of way, I have no doubt that readers and audiences place far media attention. The media are clearly giving the public “what more value in the latter kind of coverage rather than the for- it wants,” butyes in doing so the media are exacerbating the mer. As humor nocolumnist Dave Barry put it, those notebook- problem. emptying newspaper series presentations should come with a This media attention does two counterproductive things. warning to readers: “Caution! Journalism prize entry!” First, it reinforces the status and prestige of celebrity in our This budgeting trend is sad to see and, unfortunately, does society, even as it objectifies and trivializes celebrities them- not appear to be reversible anytime in the near future. But selves. People no longer need special talents or abilities to be that said: I’m still completely unconvinced that hard news is famous — they only need to do something that gains the falling victim to celebrity coverage. The last time I checked, media’s attention. Also, devoting too much space to celebrities USA Today, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and arguably undermines the credibility or relevancy of the media the other usual suspects continue to produce some pretty outlets. The private and professional lives of celebrities are not darn good hard-news stories. legitimate news topics, unless their actions affect society in a If anything, reporters have more tools than ever to produce meaningful way, as in the case of Arnold Schwarzenegger serious news on a daily basis, thanks to modern technology. running for and winning political office. And let’s face it — most reporters early in their careers gravi- What constitutes a “meaningful” story is clearly a subjective tate toward hard news. That’s where you make a reputation. standard, but it should be a red flag when media are report- You show the older veterans that you can dig it out with the ing on a person simply because of his or her celebrity. That best of them, and then you move on to the (hopefully) more resembles voyeurism, not journalism. lucrative and less taxing “lighter” stuff. Second, overzealous coverage of celebrities decreases the Oh, and let’s not forget sports, either. Why, Tony Kornheis- psychological “distance” between fans and celebrities. This er alone represents a vast media industry unto himself, with reinforces the false and unhealthy notion that the public can his Washington Post column and radio and TV gigs. really come to know stars — that we can establish real, The same, massive increase in ongoing coverage is also re- personal relationships with them. The media are often a flected in what’s available when it comes to health, parenting, vanguard that informs us of significant occurrences that have community, religion and every single other subject that affects real implications for society. our lives. Celebrity news is hardly crowding that out. There’s But the news media can also act like a drug dealer, de- simply more of all kinds of news, period, and that includes voting far too much space to superficial stories about the hard news. rich and famous — information that has little real value but While it’s more fashionable to wring our hands about the that has tremendous power to reinforce society’s addiction mass of celebrity news, I view it as part of a larger, expand-
to celebrities.No ing appetite for content in general. What’s wrong with that?
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 261 CELEBRITY CULTURE
Continued from p. 260 “There are two factors at work in iarity triggers those same pleasure cen- “The problem is that Americans have our ‘biological’ reaction to celebrities,” ters,” he says. “It’s as if being exposed grown too fond of sweets, both on he says. “The first is the ‘beauty’ fac- digs a neurochemical groove in the their tables and in their newspapers. tor. Simply put, celebrities tend to be brain, that when activated, triggers a And the new tabloids, such as the Tri- physically attractive, and there is a biochemical cascade that’s experienced bune Company’s RedEye, that are aimed whole host of literature showing that as pleasurable. That’s why we like see- at the youth market seem geared to physically attractive people are at an ing things we’ve seen before. the attention of a mayfly.” 29 advantage in virtually every avenue “It’s been postulated that there is a of life.” survival instinct behind ‘liking’ things When exposed to an attractive face, that are familiar, because the familiar Science of Celebrity he says, the so-called pleasure cen- is safer than the unknown,” he says. ters of the brain — those associated But researcher Kanazawa, at the umans have a biological predis- with the release of adrenaline, epi- London Institute for Science and Eco- H position to celebrity interest, ac- nephrine and other endorphins — nomics, worries that the constant cording to James Bailey, a research “light up.” That reaction to beauty, celebrity images bombarding our brains fellow at the Center for the Study of he says, has been consistent over time, may be harmful. Learning at George Washington Uni- even as the concept of what is beau- “Celebrity interest didn’t evolve; it versity, in Washington, D.C. tiful has changed. is an exaptation,” says Kanazawa, Although beauty who studies evolutionary psychology. is culturally condi- “In other words, the adaptation, the tioned and changes evolved trait, was our genuine inter- over time, there est in friends and family. When arti- seem to be certain ficial images of photographs, films, “golden propor- TV, video and DVDs were invented, tions” — such as our adaptation was co-opted by these from hips to bust evolutionarily familiar stimuli, and our to shoulders, or interest in celebrity was born. Now from the eyes to we cannot tell the difference between the forehead, mouth our ‘real’ friends and family, and ‘imag- and nose — that inary’ friends and family.” transcend both cul- The result, he says, is that “We are ture and time. “I living in an entirely evolutionarily novel, guarantee that Paris strange place, which our human brain Hilton’s face and fig- — adapted to the conditions of the ure are described by African savanna 50,000 years ago — a mathematical cannot comprehend.” equation that could also model Mozart’s music,” Bailey says. In addition, he Studying Celebrity says, the repeated exposure to ome college courses are trying to celebrities’ faces S help students understand, and deal can also have an with, the reality of celebrity culture. organic effect on At Central Michigan University in the human brain. Mt. Pleasant, Lorrie Lynch, an editor “Basically, if a per- at USA Weekend, is teaching a course son is exposed to in celebrity journalism this fall. The ad- a stimulus over and vanced course is aimed at students al- Getty Images/Arnaldo Magnani British actress Kate Beckinsale, who starred recently in the over again, that ready proficient in journalism who want “The Aviator,” greets fans in New York after appearing on stimulus becomes to learn how to cover celebrities. They’ll the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Dec. 16, 2004. familiar, and famil- learn how to cover big events, like
262 The CQ Researcher Oscar night, report on the business of Kurzman wants his students to un- and the opportunities for demagoguery, entertainment, conduct a celebrity in- derstand the historical and anthropo- which depends on mass ignorance, terview and write a celebrity profile. logical context of celebrity status. will increase.” Lynch says she will cover celebrity “Celebrities appear to play a role in Given current trends, the long march journalism ranging from staged events to today’s society similar in some ways to toward diminishing democracy is very uncovering scandal, including figuring out the role that the aristocracy played in likely to continue, he says. As the how celebrities’ publicity operations earlier eras,” he says. “Ordinary folks news hole continues to shrink, he work and meeting stars’ demands with- treat them with awe and exaggerated says, traditional hard news will have out abandoning journalistic integrity. rituals of respect when they come across to present itself as entertainment so “Rather than texts, I plan to have a celebrity in person. We peons take “journalism” can become an even big- the students reading the news and a bizarre interest in the mythologized ger profit center for entertainment con- entertainment magazines, columns on details of their lives, and we willingly glomerates. the Web and looking at entertain- grant them a portion of our harvest, Washington Post media critic Kurtz ment-oriented TV shows so they im- as it were, in the form of movie tick- agrees. “Given past trends,” he says, merse themselves in this niche of the ets, CDs, live shows and products as- “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was profession and get very familiar with sociated — even if only contractually a Celebrity Channel on TV — sever- what’s out there,” Lynch says. — with this modern aristocracy.” al of them, actually — not to men- “We’ll have weekly discussions about tion even more magazines and Web how big stories are handled,” she says. sites devoted to the pointlessly fa- “For example, the week of the Brad mous.” Pitt/Jennifer Aniston breakup we would OUTLOOK Social scientists say rapid advances talk about the timing of their an- in technology will only make matters nouncement, how each publication worse. “I don’t think celebrity worship played it, who had the best stuff. We will ever abate,” says psychologist might analyze the coverage looking for Diminishing Democracy? Houran, coauthor of the Celebrity Wor- fairness and accuracy.” ship Scale. “We’re a media- and enter- Lynch’s course is among a grow- edia pundits and social scien- tainment-saturated society, so I predict ing number of university-level offer- M tists, already concerned about that we’ll become increasingly obsessed ings focusing on celebrities and celebri- the proliferation of celebrity, worry with celebrity culture over time as tech- ty journalism, from England’s University about the future. nology advances further and allows us of Gloucestershire to Australia’s Uni- “Thomas Jefferson said that democ- to feed more efficiently the addiction versity of Queensland, whose Centre racy’s strength depends on an informed — and false sense of connection — for Critical and Cultural Studies ex- electorate,” says the Annenberg School’s we have to celebrities.” amines celebrity culture in depth. Kaplan. “Public education and quality Moreover, says George Washington At the University of North Carolina journalism are essential channels for University’s Bailey, “Hollywood, ad- in Chapel Hill, Charles Kurzman, an delivering that information. In both vertisers and others in the selling game associate professor of sociology, is those enterprises, need-to-know has are gaining a greater understanding of teaching a course called Celebrity Sta- taken a back seat to need-to-make- brain functioning, which means that tus, which examines whether celebri- dough. If that continues, the prospects their persuasive attempts will be all ties constitute a “status group” in the for robust democracy will diminish, the more effective and compelling.” sense described by Max Weber, a founder of modern sociology. “It may be that celebrities usurp About the Author honor, command authority, engage in Howard Altman is the courts and cops team leader at a distinctive lifestyle and pass along the Tampa Tribune. He was formerly Mid-Hudson Regional their status (sometimes in diminished Editor of the Times Herald-Record, in Middletown, N.Y., form) to their children, just like the and editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper. His work aristocratic elites whom Weber ana- has appeared in The New York Times, Newsday, American lyzed a century ago,” Kurzman writes Journalism Review, wired.com. and salon.com, and he is in his course description. “At the same the recipient of more than 50 journalism awards. He grad- time, celebrity may be unlike Weber- uated from Ithaca College with a B.S. in communications. ian status in other ways.”
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 263 CELEBRITY CULTURE
In addition, he notes, “the com- munication media are part and par- cel of modern life — the Internet, FOR MORE INFORMATION digital on-demand programming, Center for the Study of Popular Television, S. I. Newhouse School of Public portable entertainment — I-pods, Communications, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244; (315) 443-4077; miniature DVD players and so forth. www.newhouse.syr.edu/research/poptv. Studies the role of entertainment television Hence, there will be a greater prob- in shaping popular culture. ability of encountering these in- Hall’s Reports, 733 Summer St., Suite 503, Stamford, CT 06901; (203) 363-0455; creasingly sophisticated and clever www.hallsreports.com. A leading provider of editorial content analysis for magazines. messages and imagery.” But not everyone worries that Amer- Norman Lear Center, Annenberg School for Communication, University of ica’s flourishing celebrity culture will Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089; (213) 821-1343; www.learcenter.org. hurt our democracy, or others. English A multidisciplinary research and public policy center “exploring implications of Professor Blake at College of New the convergence of entertainment, commerce and society.” Jersey, says the election of Arnold Poynter Institute, 801 Third St. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; (888) 769-6837; Schwarzenegger, one of the world’s www.poynter.org. A school for journalists, future journalists and teachers of journalists. most popular celebrities, actually spread The nonprofit institute owns the St. Petersburg Times as well as Congressional hope around the world. “In what we Quarterly and CQ Press. might think of as our peer democra- cies, there was comic disbelief that the Samir Husni, P.O. Box 2906, 231 Farley Hall, University, MS 38677; (662) 915-1414; Terminator had won” election as gov- www.mrmagazine.com. Husni teaches journalism at the University of Mississippi and is a nationally known expert on the magazine industry. ernor of California, Blake says. “This did not seem to portend well for American democracy.” 2 Lynn McCutcheon, et al., “Conceptualization 15 BBC News, op. cit. 16 But, in several developing coun- and Measurement of Celebrity Worship,” British Timeline of Greatest Film Milestones and Journal of Psychology, Feb. 1, 2002. Turning Points, www.filmsite.org. tries, the recall process that resulted 3 17 in Schwarzenegger’s election signaled The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Ibid. Surgery, www.surgery.org. 18 Ibid. the openness of our democracy, he says. 4 McCutcheon, op. cit. 19 Ralph D. Gardner, The Age of Walter Winchell, “Newspapers in Swaziland, Zambia and 5 John Maltby and David Giles, “The Role www.evesmag.com/winchell.htm. the Philippines saw in his victory a of Media in Adolescent Development: Rela- 20 Timeline of Greatest Film Milestones, op. lesson for their own political situa- tions between Autonomy, Attachment, and cit. tions,” Blake says. “Some compared Interest in Celebrities,” Personality and Indi- 21 Paul Colford, “Mags Do Double Duty on his campaign to that of their own vidual Differences, Vol. 36, p. 813, March Brad-Jen Breakup,” New York Daily News, celebrities — the pop singers, soccer 2004. Jan. 12, 2005, p. 54. players and beauty queens — who 6 Matt Taibbi, “WMDUH,” New York Press, 22 Karen Thomas, “Magazines Can’t Break Up were trying to channel their fame into March 9, 2005. With Brad and Jen,” USA Today, Feb. 15, 7 “Bulletin: No W.M.D. Found,” editorial, The 2005. public service. The ‘meaning’ of 23 Arnold Schwarzenegger was open to New York Times, Jan. 13, 2002, p. A34. Paul Colford, “Hot Copy: Four Top Mags 8 Taibbi, op. cit. Take Circ Honors,” New York Daily News, broad interpretation. 9 Gregory R. Crane, ed., “Perseus Digital Library Jan. 29, 2005. “In the next 15 years, the impor- Project,” Tufts University, www.perseus.tufts.edu. 24 Keith Kelly, “We’re Ga-Ga for Glam-a,” tance of those varying interpretations 10 Ibid. New York Post, Feb. 25, 2005. will only grow in significance.” 11 Classics Technology Center, http://ableme- 25 Ibid. dia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gladiator1.html. 26 Ibid. 12 “A Brief History of Celebrity,” BBC News, 27 Scott Collins, “Signs That ‘Nightline’s’ Days April 4, 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/en- May Be Numbered,” Los Angeles Times, Feb. Notes tertainment/showbiz/1777554.stm. 7, 2005. 13 The Annals, translated by Alfred John Church 28 Evan Cornog, “Let’s Blame the Readers: Is 1 For background, see Kathy Koch, “Jour- and William Jackson Brodribb, in “The Tech it possible to do great journalism if the public nalism Under Fire,” The CQ Researcher, Dec. Classics Archives,” http://artemis.austincol- does not care?” Columbia Journalism Review, 25, 1998, pp. 1121-1144, and David Hatch, lege.edu/acad/hwc22/Rome/Pagans_v_Chris- January/February 2005, pp. 43-49. “Media Ownership,” The CQ Researcher, Oct. tians/Tacitus-Petronius.html. 29 Ibid. 10, 2003, pp. 845-868. 14 GIGA quotes, www.giga-usa.com.
264 The CQ Researcher Bibliography Selected Sources
Books fer from “celebrity worship syndrome,” which in its most benign form manifests itself as a sense of emptiness but can progress Braudy, Leo, The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its His- to obsessive thinking and — in the rarest of cases — stalking. tory, Vintage Books, 1997. An English professor at the University of Southern Califor- Colford, Paul, “Four Top Mags Take Circ Honors,” New nia explains the historical relationship between the famous York Daily News, Jan. 29, 2005, p. 50. and their audiences. In Touch Weekly, the juggernaut of celebrity magazines, was among 2004’s top circulation gainers. Lorenc, Z. Paul, and Trish Hall, A Little Work: Behind the Doors of a Park Avenue Plastic Surgeon, St. Martin’s Colford, Paul, “Mags Do Double Duty on Brad-Jen Press, 2004. Breakup,” New York Daily News, Jan. 12, 2005, p. 54. Plastic surgeon Lorenc argues that the nation’s celebrity The breakup of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston ranks as the culture is spurring people to seek plastic surgery. mother of all celebrity news stories.
Orth, Maureen, The Importance of Being Famous: Be- Gardner, Ralph D., “The Age of Winchell,” Eve’s Magazine, hind the Scenes of the Celebrity-Industial Complex, Henry www.evesmag.com. Holt and Co., May 6, 2004. Despite his fame, entertainment columnist Walter Winchell Vanity Fair’s veteran special correspondent describes Amer- — the prototypical Hollywood gossip — was a foreign concept ica’s evolution from a society where talent earned attention to Ralph Gardner’s students at Baylor University. to the modern era, when the star-making machinery of the “celebrity-industrial complex” creates “a war zone of million- Innes, John, “Middle Class Teenagers Hit By Stress,” The dollar monsters and million-dollar spin.” She takes special Scotsman, March 24, 2003, p. 9. aim at personalities — such as Tina Turner, Judy Garland, Tom Low, senior educational psychologist for the North Lanark- Madonna and Michael Jackson — whom she says portray shire Council, in Great Britain, believes today’s youth face ris- themselves as victims just to hold the limelight. ing everyday demands not just to achieve academically but also to look good, attain wealth and “have it all” in a society Rojek, Chris, Celebrity, Reaktion Books, 2004. increasingly obsessed with celebrity culture. A sociology professor at Britain’s Nottingham Trent Univer- sity argues that celebrity culture is an integral element in every- Kelly, Keith, “We’re Ga-Ga for Glam-A,” New York Post, day life, and that — like the myths of the gods in ancient so- Feb. 25, 2005. ciety — celebrities provide the public with role models. He When it comes to new magazine launches, “celebrities are also examines why the desire for celebrity can drive some becoming the sex of the 21st century,” said Samir Husni, a people to any lengths to achieve fame or notoriety. University of Mississippi journalism professor who has been tallying launches since 1985. West, Darrell, and John Orman, Celebrity Politics, Prentice Hall, 2003. Reports and Studies The director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University (West) and a coauthor examine why celebrities like “A Brief History of Celebrity,” BBC News, April 4, 2004, Arnold Schwarzenegger become politicians, and how politicians http://news.bbc.co.uk. like President John F. Kennedy become celebrities. This comprehensive collection of articles looks at the history of celebrity and its role in shaping our society. Articles “Greatest Film Milestones and Turning Points,” www.film- Aurthur, Kate, “Reality Stars Keep on Going and Going,” site.org. The New York Times, Oct. 10, 2004, p. B22. A decade-by-decade brief history of film and its role in society. A growing number of television-savvy men and women seem intent on pursuing careers as serial reality stars in order McCutcheon, Lynn E., Rense Lange and James Houran, to extend their time as television stars and make more money et al., “Conceptualization and Measurement of Celebrity from their fleeting fame. Worship,” British Journal of Psychology, February 2002, Vol. 93, p. 67. Brooks, Carol, “What Celebrity Worship Says About Us,” The authors, all psychologists, developed a questionnaire and USA Today, Sept. 14, 2004, p. 21A. accompanying Celebrity Worship Scale to measure whether a per- A team of researchers found that one-third of Americans suf- son’s interest in celebrities is healthy or potentially pathological.
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 265 The Next Step: Additional Articles from Current Periodicals
Celebrity and Consumerism Chicago Tribune, Nov. 7, 2004, Arts and Entertainment Section, p. 1. Gritten, David, “BBC’s Mock Stock Market Puts a Price on American entertainers must face their failure to influence Celebrities,” Los Angeles Times, April 14, 2003, p. E13. and persuade their fellow citizens of the value of their opinions, A British television show has taken the metaphor of the which usually favor Democrats. valuable celebrity brand at face value, giving real celebrities a “share price” and encouraging viewers to “invest” in them Winn, Steven, “If Politics Equals Showbiz, Candidates by predicting whether their “stock” will rise or fall. Face Same Scrutiny as Celebs,” The San Francisco Chron- icle, Aug. 19, 2003, p. D1. Kot, Greg, “Material Girl,” Chicago Tribune, Nov. 16, 2003, A new picture of celebrity politics may be emerging in Arts and Entertainment Section, p. 1. which celebrity campaigns present a fusion of entertainment The new music business revolves around performers whose and government. every activity generates “news” and marketing opportunities to sell everything: television shows, movies, DVDs, video Covering Celebrities games, T-shirts and soft drinks. Caro, Mark, “Money for Nothing,” Chicago Tribune, July Piccalo, Gina, “The Science of the Shill: Are You Talkin’ 11, 2004, Arts and Entertainment Section, p. 1. to Me?” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 2005, p. E1. Ditzy blondes are longtime cultural fixtures, but they’ve Celebrity has become so integral to the cultural experience never been so inescapable, not only dominating entertain- that an advertiser who ignores star power risks losing relevance, ment TV shows and celebrity magazines but also so-called but the star and the brand must match perfectly or modern, serious news outlets. savvy consumers won’t find it credible. Carr, David, “Gossip Goes Glossy and Loses Its Stigma,” Williams, Alex, and Eric Dash, “At Celebrity Nuptials to The New York Times, Aug. 4, 2003, p. E1. Die For, Vendors Give Themselves Away,” The New York Celebrity tabloids line grocery-store checkout counters, but Times, Jan. 13, 2005, p. A1. many potential readers are turned off by the grimy tabloid pre- The words “wedding” and “commerce” have become linked sentation, so Star magazine is going glossy to reel them in. for lovebirds in the upper branches of the socioeconomic tree, as one of life’s most sacred rituals has become an opportunity Jensen, Elizabeth, “Quest for ‘The Get’ Intensifies,” Los to trade marquee appeal for free or discounted favors. Angeles Times, Nov. 8, 2003, p. E1. As network competition has escalated, grabbing a celebri- Witt, April, “Acquiring Minds,” The Washington Post Mag- ty interview has become more important. azine, Dec. 14, 2003, p. 14. Luxury-brand consumers have the wealth to buy much of Miller, Martin, “No Hard Questions — We Promise,” Los what they see on their favorite stars and are constantly bom- Angeles Times, Nov. 12, 2004, p. E27. barded with media images of the lush, celebrity-like lifestyles The mainstream media now rely on more stylized inter- that their money can buy. views that feed the readers’ voracious modern appetites for gossip, entertainment and brevity. Celebrity Politicians Smith, Lynn, “The New Society of the Socialite,” Los Gabler, Neal, “Recall Campaign: Lights . . . Camera . . . Angeles Times, Dec. 10, 2004, p. E31. Election!” Los Angeles Times, Aug. 24, 2003, p. M1. Since the 1980s, society writing has shifted focus from the After 50 years of politics cozying up to entertainment, it Muffy Potter Astons of the world to the Paris Hiltons, P. Diddys is understandable why even experienced political observers and Jessica Simpsons, as reader interest turns from socialites can’t distinguish between the two, and Arnold Schwarzeneg- to celebrities. ger’s election is a case in point. Obsessing About Celebrities Jones, Chris, “Star Power,” Chicago Tribune, Oct. 19, 2003, Arts and Entertainment Section, p. 1. Caro, Mark, “Split Decisions,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 14, The election of Arnold Schwarzenegger might be a peek into 2005, Tempo Section, p. 1. a future where being a celebrity is one of the few certain ways The explosion of media coverage about the Brad Pitt-Jennifer to get elected and the most effective way to govern. Aniston split raises questions about society’s obsession with celebrity and whether stars have opened the doors to such Jones, Chris, “When Artists Talk . . . Does Anyone Listen?” scrutiny with their revealing interviews and red-carpet poses.
266 The CQ Researcher Freydkin, Donna, “ ‘Leave Me Alone!’ ” USA Today, July While many reality-show participants return to their every- 7, 2004, p. 1D. day lives a little richer, both financially and emotionally, oth- Celebrities feel assaulted by the paparazzi and the main- ers crumble under the public scrutiny. stream media, both of which are fueled by the public’s un- wavering appetite, and many celebs are trying to restrict ac- Nussbaum, Emily, “The Woman Who Gave Birth to cess to their personal lives so they can maintain some privacy. Reality TV,” The New York Times, Feb. 22, 2004, p. B17. Horovitz, Bruce, “The Good, Bad and Ugly of America’s Mary-Ellis Bunim, the co-creator of the “Real World,” dies Celeb Obsession,” USA Today, Dec. 19, 2003, p. 1B. of breast cancer at the age of 57. She is considered the America is entrenched in a harmonic convergence of mother of reality television and built a career engineering celebrity infatuation. Celebrities fill U.S. magazines and TV human behavior into addictive story lines. screens and tell Americans what books to read, what shoes to buy and what perfume to wear. Strauss, Robert, “As a Path to Fame: ‘Reality’ Bites,” Los Angeles Times, Aug. 24, 2003, Part 6, p. 1. Le Beau, Emilie, “Fascinated With the Famous,” Chica- Though reality TV celebrities dominate the television landscape, go Tribune, Feb. 22, 2005, Tempo Section, p. 10. few have made much progress in translating their reality An Illinois child psychologist says developing a crush on stardom into mainstream entertainment career success. a celebrity is a normal part of growing up for kids, who admire celebrities because they seem to live in perfect worlds Rise and Fall of Celebrity where their clothes and hair are always just right. Achenbach, Joel, “Bennifer: Why Are We Hoping for a White, Tanika, “All Broken Up,” The Baltimore Sun, Jan. Flop?” The Washington Post, Aug. 13, 2003, p. C1. 12, 2005, p. 1C. The pre-breakup difficulties of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Celebrity watchers mourn the breakup of the marriage of Affleck were a source of cruel amusement for many, but Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and say the couple’s com- whether the thrill was a reflection of a larger, pathetic love- bined beauty, star power and “relate-ability” will be hard to hate relationship with celebrities or an objection to a spe- replace by another star couple. cific coupling is debatable.
Reality TV Jensen, Elizabeth, and Greg Braxton, “Celebs Jam Docket for Court TV,” Los Angeles Times, Jan. 19, 2004, p. E1. Carr, David, “Major Stars Not So Crucial As Concept Trumps Court TV hopes that trying times for famous names will Celebrity,” The New York Times, June 23, 2003, p. A1. mean a boost in viewership. Entertainment producers are relying more than ever on reali- ty television shows and manufactured concepts and projects, Ostrow, Joanne, “The Celebrity Fame Game: We Love to tilting the balance of power away from celebrities in favor of Watch Them Rise and Fall,” The Denver Post, Feb. 6, franchises that make, rather than require, famous faces. 2003, p. F1. People follow stars’ lives because celebrity brings with it Goldman, Leslie, “TV Reality,” Chicago Tribune, Aug. 10, built-in suspense: There is so often a very public flameout 2003, Section Q, p. 8. for those elevated to fame.
CITING THE CQ RESEARCHER Sample formats for citing these reports in a bibliography include the ones listed below. Preferred styles and formats vary, so please check with your instructor or professor.
MLA STYLE Jost, Kenneth. “Rethinking the Death Penalty.” The CQ Researcher 16 Nov. 2001: 945-68.
APA STYLE Jost, K. (2001, November 16). Rethinking the death penalty. The CQ Researcher, 11, 945-968.
CHICAGO STYLE Jost, Kenneth. “Rethinking the Death Penalty.” CQ Researcher, November 16, 2001, 945-968.
Available online: www.thecqresearcher.com March 18, 2005 267 In-depth Reports on Issues in the News
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