* Why are we so fascinated by people who make no material impact on our
lives and are, in many respects, just like ourselves . ordinary?
* Why do we care about people who have no conspicuous talent?
* Has there ever been a time in history when so much time, energy, and
money has been devoted to following the exploits of people we have never
met, are never likely to, and who don.t know we exist?
* What are the likely effects of this collective obsession with
celebrities on politics, race, and the media?

In answering these and many more questions, Ellis Cashmore takes his
readers on a quest that involves visiting the Hollywood film industry
of the early twentieth century, the film set of Cleopatra in the 1960s,
the dressing room of Madonna in the 1980s, the burial of Diana in the
1990s, and the Big Brother house of the early 2000s. Author of Beckham
and Tyson, Cashmore collects research, theory, and case studies en route
as he explores the intriguing issue of celebrity culture: its origins,
its meaning, and its global influence. Covering such varied perspectives
as fame addiction, the .celebrification. of politics, and celebrity
fatigue, Cashmore analyzes the relationship celebrity has with
commodification and the consumer society, and investigates the new media
and the quest for self-perfection.

This absorbing new book skilfully explains why we have become so
captivated by the lives and loves of the celebrity and, in so doing,
presents the clearest, most comprehensive, wide-ranging, and accessible
account of celebrity culture to date.

Download File Size:1.82 MB

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