Celebrity refers to popular fame and public attention in the media,usually applied to a person, or group of people (celebrity couple,family etc.), or occasionally, to animals or fictional entities.Celebrity status is often associated with wealth (commonly referred toas fame and fortune) and fame can often provide opportunities to makemoney.
Successful careers in sports and entertainment are commonly associatedwith celebrity status. People may also becomecelebrities due to media attention for their lifestyle, wealth, oractions, or for their connection to a famous person.
History
Throughout recorded history there are accounts of people who attractedthe trappings of celebrity which would be recognized today.
Athletes in Ancient Greece were welcomed home as heroes, had songsand poems written in their honour and received free food and giftsfrom those seeking celebrity endorsement. Ancient Romesimilarly lauded actors and notorious gladiators and Julius Caesarappeared on a coin in his own lifetime (a departure from the usualdepiction of battles and divine lineage).
In the 12th century, Thomas Becket became famous following hismurder. He was promoted by the Christian Church as a martyr and imagesof him and scenes from his life became widespread in just a few years.In a pattern often repeated, what started out as an explosion ofpopularity (often referred to with the suffix 'mania') turned into along-lasting fame: pilgrimages to Canterbury Cathedral where he waskilled became instantly fashionable and the fascination with his lifeand death have inspired plays and films.
The movie industry spread around the globe in the first half of the20th Century and with it the now familiar concept of the instantlyrecognisable faces of its superstars. Public fascination went wellbeyond the on-screen exploits of movie stars and their private livesbecame headline news: for example, in Hollywood the marriages ofElizabeth Taylor and in Bollywood the affairs of RajKapoor in the 1950s.
The second half of the century saw television and popular music bringnew forms of celebrity. The rock star and pop group epitomised byElvis Presley and The Beatles respectively. John Lennon'squote: "We're more popular than Jesus now" gives an insightinto both the adulation and notoriety that fame can bring. Unlikemovies, television created celebrities who were not primarily actors;for example, presenters, talk show hosts and news readers. However,most of these are only famous within the regions reached by theirparticular broadcaster, and only a few such as Oprah Winfrey,Jerry Springer or David Frost could be said to have brokenthrough into a wider stardom.
Regional and cultural implications
Many people around the world know the name and face of the current USpresident, Barack Obama.
Regions within a country, or cultural communities (linguistic, ethnic,religious) can also have their own celebrity systems, especially inlinguistically or culturally distinct regions such as Quebec orWales. Regional radio personalities, newscasters, politiciansor community leaders may be local or regional celebrities.
English-speaking media commentators and journalists will sometimesrefer to celebrities as belonging to the A-List or state that acertain actor belongs to the B-List, the latter being a disparagingcontext. These informal rankings indicate a placing within ahierarchy. However, due to differing levels of celebrity in differentregions, it is difficult to place people within one bracket. ABrazilian actor might be a B-list action film actor in the US, but anA-list star in Portugal.
Some elements are associated with fame, such as appearing on the coverof Time, being spoofed in Mad, having a wax statue inMadame Tussauds, or receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk ofFame.
Certain people are known even to people unfamiliar with the area inwhich they excelled. If one has to name a famous boxer, they are morelikely to name Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson, since their fameexpanded beyond the sport itself.^citation needed] PabloPicasso's style and name are known even to people who are notinterested in art; likewise many know that Harry Houdini was anillusionist, Tiger Woods a golfer, Bill Gates an entrepreneur,Albert Einstein a scientist; Mozart and Beethovenclassical composers; Luciano Pavarotti an opera singer.
The same phenomenon is true for fictional characters. Superman,Spider-Man, and Batman represent super heroes to a far wideraudience than that of the comics and graphic novels in which theyappear. Disney have themeparks around the world which rely on the fameof its creations headed by Mickey Mouse. Sherlock Holmes andJames Bond continue to be portrayed in film, television andliterature decades after the original stories were published. Somecharacters from video and computer games have developed a celebritylife beyond these media, such as Lara Croft and Super Mario.
Becoming a celebrity
Professional athletes such as Kobe Bryant (above) who play forvarious sports teams are one of the most sought after careers in theworld.
People may become celebrities in a wide range of ways; from theirprofessions, following appearances in the media, committing amass murder, or even by complete accident. The term"instant celebrity" describes someone who becomes a celebrity in avery short period of time. Someone who achieves a small amount oftransient fame (through, say, hype or mass media) may becomelabeled a "B-grade celebrity". Often, the generalization extends tosomeone who falls short of mainstream or persistent fame but who seeksto extend or exploit it.
Success
There are no guarantees of success for an individual to become acelebrity. Though celebrities come from many different working fields,most celebrities are typically associated with the fields of sportsand entertainment or a person may be a public figure who is commonlyrecognizable in mass media. With innate talent, passion, diligence,discipline, self-motivation and tenacity, being the core factors ofachieving success to becoming a celebrity, fame and fortune sometimesoccurs spontaneously with relatively little effort due to sheer luck,being fortunate with connections, or simply being at the right placeduring the right time. Celebrities are incessantly stereotyped andfantasized as individuals who possess exorbitant amounts ofwealth and glamor. They are also sometimes denigrated by thegeneral public as being overpaid and publicly overrated compared to anormal worker such as a doctor, police officer or a teacher. Thoughglamor and wealth certainly plays a role for only famous celebrities,most people in the sports and entertainments sphere, be it music,film, television, radio, modelling, comedy, literature etc. live inobscurity and only an infinitesimal percentage (usually less than 1%)achieve fame and fortune. Due to the Machiavellian andcompetitive nature within both industries, a vast amount of aspiringentertainers and athletes in the world, even some of the most talentedmay never be recognized and won't ever receive the opportunity tocarve a name for themselves.
Difficulty
A large number of athletes who are unable to turn professionaltake a second job or even sometimes abandon their athletic aspirationsin order to make ends meet. A small percentage of entertainers andathletes are able to make a decent living but a vast majority willspend their careers toiling from hard work, determination, rejectionand frequent unemployment. For minor league to amateur athletes,earnings are usually on the lower end of the pay-scale. Many of themtake second jobs on the side or even venture into other occupationswithin the field of sports such as coaching, general management,refereeing or recruiting and scouting up and comingathletes.David Letterman, late night talk show host and comedian.
The Screen Actors Guild, a union well known for representingactors and actresses throughout Hollywood reports that the averagetelevision and film actor earns less than US$5000annually. Actors sometimes alternatebetween theater, television and film or even branch into otheroccupations within the entertainment industry such as becoming asinger, comedian, producer, or a television host in order to bemonetarily diversified, as doing one gig pays comparatively verylittle. For instance, David Letterman is well known for branchinginto late night television as a talk show host while honinghis skills as a stand-up comedian, Barbra Streisand ventured intoacting while operating as a singer, or Clint Eastwood, whoachieved even greater fame in Hollywood for being a film director anda producer than for his acting credentials.
According to American entertainment magnate Master P,entertainers and professional athletes make up less than 1% of allmillionaires in the entire world. Less than 1% of all runwaymodels are known to make more than US$1000 for every fashion showcase.According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the median wagefor commercial and print models was only $11.22 per hour in 2006 andwas also listed one of the top ten worst jobs in the UnitedStates. Most models only draw in around US$500 everyshowcase and only famous models that are high in demand such asMiranda Kerr or Gisele Bündchen earn multi-million dollarsalaries. Freelance writers and authors who aspire to be the nextStephen King and Dan Brown are known to submit manuscriptsof their latest literary creations hoping for their big break are onlyto be bombarded with numerous rejection letters from major publishinghouses. Many aspiring comedians who dream of becoming the nextRussell Peters and Jerry Seinfeld never see the inside of amovie or television studio, but rather spend most of their careersdoing stand-up in comedy clubs and other small venues, hoping tobe discovered. Because gigs can be infrequent, it can be verydifficult to make a living as a freelance entertainer. As a result,many supplement their income by holding down other jobs on the side.
Wealth
Forbes Celebrity 100
Forbes Magazine releases an annual Forbes Celebrity 100 listof the highest paid celebrities in the world. The total earnings forall top celebrity 100 earners totaled $4.5 billion over the course of2010 alone.
For instance, Forbes ranked media mogul and talk show host,Oprah Winfrey as the top earner "Forbes magazine's annual rankingof the most powerful celebrities", with earnings of $290 million inthe past year. Forbes cites that Lady Gaga reportedly earned over$90 million in 2010. In 2010, golfer Tiger Woods wasone of highest-earning celebrity athletes, with an income of $75million and is consistently ranked one of the highest paidathletes in the world. In 2013, Madonna was ranked asthe fifth most powerful and the highest earning celebrity of the yearwith earnings of $125 million.She has consistently been among the mostpowerful and highest earning celebrities in the world occupying thethird place in forbes celebrity 100 2009 with $110 million of earningsand getting the tenth place in the 2010 edition of the list withannual earnings equal to $58 million.
Entrepreneurship and endorsements
Celebrity endorsements have proven very successful around the worldwhere, due to increasing consumerism, an individual is considereda status symbol when they purchase a celebrity-endorsed product.
Though become the commonplace for celebrities to place their name withendorsements onto products just for quick money. However, somecelebrities have gone beyond merely using their big names and havedecided to put their entrepreneurial spirit to work by becomingentrepreneurs by attaching themselves in the business aspects ofentertainment and building their own business brand beyond theirtraditional salaried activities. Along with investing their salariedwages into growing business endeavors, a number of celebrities havebecome innovative business leaders in their respective industries,gaining the admiration of their peers and contributing to thecountry's economy. Numerous celebrities have ventured intobecoming business moguls and established themselves asentrepreneurs, idolizing many well known American business leaderssuch as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Donald Trump.For instance, basketball legend, Michael Jordan became an activeentrepreneur involved with many sports related ventures includinginvesting a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, PaulNewman started his own salad dressing business after leavingbehind a distinguished acting career, or rap musician, Birdmanstarted his own record label, clothing line, and an oilbusiness while maintaining a career as a rap artist. Other celebritiessuch as Tyler Perry, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg havebecome successful entrepreneurs through starting their own filmproduction companies and running their own movie studios beyondtheir traditional activities of screenwriting, directing, animating,producing, and acting.
Various examples of celebrity turned entrepreneurs included in thetable below are:Celebrity Net worth (2013-14) US$ Sources of wealthOprah Winfrey Increase US$2.9 billion Main sources aretelevision, radio, and film. Additional business holdings in HarpoProductions and the Oprah Winfrey Network with interests in film,television, magazines, books, motivational speaking, andpublishing.Madonna Increase US$1 billion
Main sources of wealth include royalties and proceeds from music,fashion, music touring, film-making, and record production. Shefounded her own record label, Maverick Records established in the1990s. Record sales of 300,000,000 also ad to her net worth along withher Sticky and Sweet Tour which is the highest grossing solo tourof all time achieving a gross of $408,000,000. The MDNA Tourwhich is the second highest grossing tour by any female artist behindMadonna's own Sticky and Sweet tour attracted more than 2.2 millionfans and grossed $305 million in ticket sales and an additional $75million in merchandise sales, adding a lot to her net worth. In theyear 2012, she also earned $10 million in TV and DVD rights, $60million from her perfume line Truth or Dare and made $11 million fromthe $2 million investment in Vita Coco.50 Cent Increase US$140 million Main sources includemusic, film, and television. Various external ventures include sportsendorsements with Reebok and his clothing company, theG-Unit Clothing Company video games, record labels: G-UnitRecords and G-Note Records. Additional holdings in consumerelectronics such as SMS Audio headphones, dietary supplements,condoms and Pure 50 RGX Body Spray as a joint venture with RightGuard, beverages that include his Vitamin water drink venture withGlacéau and Street King energy drink beverages,fragrances and cosmetics, fashion designing and clothing, videogames that 50 Cent: Bulletproof, books, radio, music publishing,television and film production (Cheetah Vision, talentmanagement that includes boxing promotion, real estate, andother investments.Jay-Z Increase US$520 million Main sources mainlystakes in Roc Nation, Carol's Daughter, the BrooklynNets, and more significantly, the Barclays Center itself--whileadding new partnerships with the likes of Duracell, Budweiser andBacardi's D'ussé Cognac.bars and nightclubs, books, clothing lineRocawear, real estate development which includes theBarclay's Center, to which sold his 1.5 million stake inSeptember 2013, music touring, music publishing,casinos, advertising, and other investments within hisconglomerate (Gain Global Investments LLC).Sean Combs Increase US$700 million Main sources mainlyin television, film, and music. Other holdings include the recordlabel Bad Boy Records, fashion designing and the Sean JohnClothing Line, namely his deal with Diageo's Ciroc, restaurants,vodka, television production, business education, andfragrances. Combs also has a major equity stake in Revolt TV, anewly launched television network.Martha Stewart Increase US$970 million Main sourcesmainly in radio, television, film, and her conglomerateMartha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which includes interests intelevision production, magazines, cookbooks, and householdcooking products. Other products include cookbooks, books andinstructional manuals for the home decorator. Remaining sourcesinclude internet related ventures, satellite radio show,blogging, publishing, books, and retail merchandising.Magic Johnson Increase US$700 million Mainsources primarily in television and sports. Other holdings include thepromotion and theater chain Magic Johnson Theatres, moviestudios, food services, coffee shops, sports teams (minoritystake in the LA Lakers), and motivational speaking. Aschairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, Johnson owns movietheaters, restaurants, and gyms. Johnson also owns a stake in the LosAngeles Dodgers along with several partnerships with companiesStarbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, T.G.I. Fridays, AMCTheatres, invested in urban real estate and financial servicecompanies catering to America's underserved markets via hisCanyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds. Other ventures involveinvestments in poor neighborhoods, including a national chain of"Magic Johnson Theatres" (now wholly owned by AMC Theatres), apromotions company, and The Magic Johnson Entertainment movie studio.Until 2010, he held a $10 million stake in the Lakers and served asthe team's vicepresident. Anothermajor project is with Chicago-based Aon Corp., an insurance servicescompany is designed to promote minority businesses.Arnold Schwarzenegger Increase US$100-$800million Main sources include film andbodybuilding. Minor holdings in various global businesses,restaurants, real estate, Planet Hollywood, and otherinvestments.
In addition to various endorsements, a number of celebrities have beeninvolved with some business and investment related ventures alsoinclude: and toddler related items, sports team ownership,fashion retailing, establishments such as restaurants, cafes,hotels, and casinos, movie theaters, advertising and event planning,management related ventures such as sports management, financialservices, model management, and talent management,record labels, film production, television production,publishing such as book and music publishing, massagetherapy, salons, health and fitness, and real estate.
Although some celebrities have achieved additional financial successfrom various business ventures, the vast majority of celebrities arenot successful businesspeople and still rely on salaried labored wagesin order earn a living. Most businesses and investments are well knownto have a 90 to 95 percent failure rate within the first five years ofoperation. Not all celebrities eventually succeed with their ownbusinesses and other related side ventures. Some celebrities eitherwent broke or filed for bankruptcy as result of dabbling withsuch side businesses or endorsements. Though some might question sucha validity since celebrities themselves are already well known, havemass appeal, and are well exposed to the general public. The averageentrepreneur who is not well known and reputable to general publicdoesn't the same marketing flexibility and status-quo as mostcelebrities allow and have. Therefore compared to the average personwho starts a business, celebrities already have all the cards and oddsstacked in their favor. They can have an unfair advantage to exposetheir business ventures and endorsements and can easily capture asignificant amount market share than the averageentrepreneur.
As a mass media phenomenon
Kim Kardashian, reality TV star.
Celebrities may be resented for their accolades, and the public mayhave a love/hate relationship with celebrities. Due to the highvisibility of celebrities' private lives, their successes andshortcomings are often made very public. Celebrities are alternatelyportrayed as glowing examples of perfection, when they garner awards,or as decadent or immoral if they become associated with a scandal.When seen in a positive light, celebrities are frequently portrayed aspossessing skills and abilities beyond average people; for example,celebrity actors are routinely celebrated for acquiring new skillsnecessary for filming a role within a very brief time, and to a levelthat amazes the professionals who train them. Similarly, somecelebrities with very little formal education can sometimes beportrayed as experts on complicated issues. Some celebrities have beenvery vocal with their political views. For example, Matt Damonexpressed his displeasure with 2008 US vice presidential nomineeSarah Palin, as well as with the 2011 United Statesdebt-ceiling crisis.
Famous for being famous
Main article: Famous for being famous
The coinages "famesque" and "celebutante" are of similarpejorative gist.
Families
Another example of celebrity is a family that has notable ancestors oris known for its wealth. In some cases, a well-known family isassociated with a particular field. For example, the Kennedyfamily is associated with US politics; The House of Windsor withroyalty; The Osbournes, The Jacksons, Chaplin, andBarrymore families with entertainment.
Restricted access
Access to celebrities is strictly controlled by their entourage ofstaff which includes managers, publicists, agents,personal assistants, and bodyguards. Even journalists findit difficult to access celebrities for interviews. An interview withwriter and actor Michael Musto cites:
You have to go through many hoops just to talk to a majorcelebrity. You have to get past three different sets of publicists:the publicist for the event, the publicist for the movie, and thenthe celebrity's personal publicist. They all have to approve you.
--Michael Musto,
Celebrities often hire one or more bodyguards (or close protectionofficer) to protect themselves and their families from threats rangingfrom the mundane (intrusive paparazzi photographers orautograph-seeking fans) to serious (assault, kidnapping,assassination, or stalking). The bodyguard travels with thecelebrity during professional activities (movie shoots or concerts)and personal activities such as recreation and errands.
Celebrities also typically have security staff at their home, toprotect them from similar threats.
Cult of celebrity
15 minutes of fame
See also: 15 minutes of fame, One-hit wonderAndy Warhol coined the phrase "15 minutes of fame".
Andy Warhol famously coined the phrase "15 minutes of fame"in reference to a short-lived publicity. Certain "15 minutes of fame"celebrities can be average people seen with an A-list celebrity, whoare sometimes noticed on entertainment news channels such as E!News. These persons are ordinary people becoming celebrities, oftenbased on the ridiculous things they do. "In fact, many reality showcontestants fall into this category: the only thing that qualifiesthem to be on TV is that they're real."
Certain people are only remembered today because of a movie portrayal,certain story or urban legend surrounding their life and less fortheir accomplishments. Antonio Salieri was a famous andwell-known 18th-century composer, but his fictional portrayal as anantagonist (for example, in the musical and film Amadeus)has been more famous than his music since the end of the 20th century.Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and O. J. Simpson are more notoriousfor their association with murder trials than for their respectivemovie and sports careers. Ronald Reagan is more famous as apolitician today than as a movie actor. Centuries after his death,Andrea Mantegna is now better known as the mentor ofLeonardo da Vinci than for his own paintings.
Social networking
Celebrities have been flocking to social networking and videoand MySpace. Social networking sites allow celebrities tocommunicate directly with their fans, removing the middle-man known astraditional media. Social media humanizes celebrities in a way thatarouses public fascination as evident by the success of magazines suchas Us Weekly and People Weekly. Celebrity blogging have alsospawned stars such as Perez Hilton who is well known for not onlyblogging, but also outing celebrities. Celebrities arenow much more accessible to the public, through social media and alsovia celebrity databases, which provide their agent and managerdetails.
Social media sites have even catapulted some to fame. TilaTequila for example, shot to stardom on MySpace.
Health implications
Common threats such as stalking have spawned a term calledcelebrity worship syndrome, which a person becomes overlyinvolved with the details of a celebrity's personal life.Psychologists have indicated that though many people obsess overglamorous film, television, sport and pop stars, the disparity insalaries in society seems to value professional athletes andentertainment industry basedprofessionals. Onestudy found that singers, musicians, actors and sportspeople dieyounger on average than writers, composers, academics, politicians andbusinesspeople, with a greater incidence of cancer and especially lungcancer. However, it was remarked that the reasons for this remainedunclear, with theories including innate tendencies towardsrisk-taking as well as the pressure or opportunities of particulartypes of fame.
Galleries of Celebs
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