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| Regional and cultural implications | |
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Many people around the world know the name and face of the current U.S. president Barack Obama.
Cultures and regions with a significant population may have their own independent celebrity systems, with distinct hierarchies. For example, the Canadian province of Quebec, which is French-speaking, has its own system of French-speaking television, movie and music celebrities. A person who garners a degree of fame in one culture may be considered less famous or obscure in another. Some nationwide celebrities might command some attention outside their own nation; for example, the singer Lara Fabian is widely known in the French-speaking world, but only had a couple of Billboard hits in the U.S., whereas the francophone Canadian singer Celine Dion is well known in both the French-speaking world and in the U.S.
Regions within a country, or cultural communities (linguistic, ethnic, religious) can also have their own celebrity systems, especially in linguistically or culturally distinct regions such as Quebec or Wales. Regional radio personalities, newscasters, politicians or community leaders may be local or regional celebrities.
English-speaking media commentators and journalists will sometimes refer to celebrities as belonging to the A-List or state that a certain actor belongs to the B-List, the latter being a disparaging context. These informal rankings indicate a placing within a hierarchy. However, due to differing levels of celebrity in different regions, it is difficult to place people within one bracket. A Brazilian actor might be a B-list action film actor in the US, but an A-list star in Portugal. An objective method of placing celebrities from any country into categories from A-List to H-List based on their number of Google hits has been proposed.[3]
Some elements are associated with fame, such as appearing on the cover of Time, being spoofed in Mad, having a wax statue in Madame Tussauds, or receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Certain people are known even to people unfamiliar with the area in which they excelled. If one has to name a famous boxer, they are more likely to name Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson, since their fame expanded beyond the sport itself. Pablo Picasso's style and name are known even to people who are not interested in art; likewise many know that Harry Houdini was an illusionist, Bill Gates, an entrepreneur, Albert Einstein a scientist; Mozart and Beethoven classical composers; Luciano Pavarotti an opera singer.
[edit] Tags:Media,Muhammad Ali,Edit,Lara Fabian,French-speaking,Billboard,Celine Dion,Quebec,Wales,Radio Personalities,Newscasters,Politicians,Google,Time,Mad,Madame Tussauds,Hollywood Walk Of Fame,Mike Tyson,Pablo Picasso's,Harry Houdini,Bill Gates,Albert Einstein,Mozart,Beethoven,Luciano Pavarotti,Music,Film,Television,Radio,Hollywood,Actor,Singer,Us,Journalists,Commentators,Religious,Composers, | |
| Fictional implications | |
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The same phenomenon is true for fictional characters. When most people think of a superhero or a comic book celebrity, Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman will usually be the first that comes to mind. If one has to name a famous wizard, the names would typically be Merlin or Gandalf. Mickey Mouse is perhaps the most famous cartoon character and fictional mouse in the world. The most famous movie monsters are King Kong and Godzilla, the archetypical detective is Sherlock Holmes and most people's idea of a spy is James Bond.
[edit] Tags:Fictional Characters,Superman,Spider-man,Batman,Wizard,Merlin,Gandalf,Mickey Mouse,Cartoon Character,Monsters,King Kong,Godzilla,Detective,Sherlock Holmes,Spy,James Bond, | |
| Becoming a celebrity | |
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Professional athletes such as Kobe Bryant (above) who play for various sports teams are one of the most sought after careers in the world.
People may become celebrities in a wide range of ways: from their professions, following appearances in the media, or even by complete accident. The term "instant celebrity" describes someone who becomes a celebrity in a very short period of time. Someone who achieves a small amount of transient fame (through, say, hype or mass media) may become labeled a "B-grade celebrity". Often, the generalization extends to someone who falls short of mainstream or persistent fame but who seeks to extend or exploit it.[citation needed]
[edit] Tags:Sports,Professional Athletes,Transient,Hype,Mass Media,Athletes,Athlete,Professional Athlete, | |
| Success | |
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There are no guarantees of success for an individual to become a celebrity. Though celebrities come from many different working fields, most celebrities are typically associated with individuals that come from the fields of sports and entertainment or a person who is a public figure in that is commonly recognizable in mass media. With innate talent, passion, diligence, discipline, self-motivation and tenacity, being the core factors of achieving success to becoming a celebrity, fame and fortune sometimes occurs spontaneously with relatively little effort due to sheer luck, being fortunate with connections, or simply being at the right place during the right time.
Celebrities are incessantly stereotyped and fantasized as individuals who possess exorbitant amounts of wealth and glamour. They are also sometimes denigrated by the general public as being overpaid and publicly overrated compared to a normal worker such as a doctor, police officer or a teacher. Though glamor 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 in obscurity and only an infinitesimal percentage (usually less than 1%) achieve fame and fortune. Due to the Machiavellian and competitive nature within both industries, a vast amount of aspiring entertainers and athletes in the world, even some of the most talented may never be recognized and won't ever receive the opportunity to carve a name for themselves.[4][5][6][7]
[edit] Tags:Wealth,Entertainment,Glamour,Doctor,Police Officer,Modelling,Comedy,Literature,Machiavellian,Entertainers,Actors,Entertainer, | |
| Difficulty | |
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Actor Ben Stiller ventured into directing, producing, and writing comedy throughout his career.
A large number of athletes who are unable to turn professional take a second job or even sometimes abandon their athletic aspirations in order to make ends meet. A small percentage of entertainers and athletes are able to make a decent living but a vast majority will spend their careers toiling from hard work, determination, rejection and frequent unemployment. For minor league to amateur athletes, earnings are usually on the lower end of the pay-scale. Many of them take second jobs on the side or even venture into other occupations within the field of sports such as coaching, general management, refereeing or recruiting and scouting up and coming athletes.[8]
David Letterman, late night talk show host and comedian.
A significant percentage of working entertainers (e.g. musicians, actors, talk show hosts, models, producers, writers etc.) in Hollywood typically work on-and-off and freelance their talents earn next to nothing to scraping a pitiful minimum union scale wage income for each gig. The Screen Actors Guild, a union well known for representing actors and actresses throughout Hollywood reports that the average television and film actor earns less than $5000 USD annually.[9][10][11] Actors sometimes alternate between theater, television and film or even branch into other occupations within the entertainment industry such as becoming a singer, comedian, producer, or a television host in order to be monetarily diversified, as doing one gig pays comparatively very little. For instance, David Letterman is well known for branching into late night television as a talk show host while honing his skills a stand-up comedian, Barbra Streisand ventured into acting while operating as a singer, or Clint Eastwood, who achieved even greater fame in Hollywood for being a film director and a producer than for his acting credentials.
Less than 1% of all runway models are known to make more than $1000 dollars USD for every fashion showcase. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the median wage for commercial and print models was only $11.22 per hour in 2006.[12] Most models only draw in around $500 USD every showcase and only famous models that are high in demand such as Miranda Kerr or Gisele Bundchen earn multi-million dollar salaries. Freelance writers and authors who aspire to be the next Stephen King and Dan Brown are known to submit manuscripts of their latest literary creations hoping for their big break are only to be bombarded with numerous rejection letters from major publishing houses. Many aspiring comedians who dream of becoming the next Russell Peters and Jerry Seinfeld never see the inside of a movie or television studio, but rather spend most of their careers doing stand-up in comedy clubs and other small venues, hoping to be discovered. Because gigs can be infrequent, it can be very difficult to make a living as a freelance entertainer. As a result, many supplement their income by holding down other jobs on the side.
Due to the stifling, insecure, and volatile nature within the world of sports and entertainment, many aspiring athletes and entertainers have simply gave up on their dreams and moved on towards a career in another field.
[edit] Tags:Ben Stiller,Coaching,General Management,Refereeing,David Letterman,Musicians,Talk Show Hosts,Models,Producers,Writers,Screen Actors Guild,Usd,Theater,Entertainment Industry,Comedian,Producer,Television Host,Late Night Television,Talk Show Host,Barbra Streisand,Acting,Clint Eastwood,Film Director,Bureau Of Labor Statistics,Miranda Kerr,Gisele Bundchen,Authors,Stephen King,Dan Brown,Comedians,Russell Peters,Jerry Seinfeld,Comedy Clubs,Hosts, | |
| Careers that offer celebrity status | |
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Celebrities
Angelina Jolie
Karina Smirnoff
Vanessa Hudgens
Since careers in the sports and entertainment industry are highly paid, well exposed yet the extreme difficultly to attain them and the stamina to excel are likely to confer celebrity status in themselves.
Some professional activities in fields such as ones that are commonly associated with celebrity prestige are careers within the sports, and entertainment sphere. Having a successful career such as being a pro-athlete or an entertainer are careers that many average people can identify with but can only dream about pursuing. Only a very small percentage or a tiny fraction of people can ever make a name for themselves as celebrities in the entertainment spheres such as (including music, film, television, radio, theater, modelling, literature etc.) or within the realm of sports.
Quite evidently, careers within the sports and entertainment sphere such as being an elite professional athlete on a sports team, or an entertainment figure such as a pop singer that dominate the pop music charts frequently, or a television actor with lead roles on prime-time shows have strong likelihood to become celebrities. Informal references by the general public and media have used to refer to celebrities as: sports stars, rock stars, rap stars, supermodels, movie stars, TV stars, radio stars, music stars, superstars, stardom, media personalities etc.
Business leaders which include successful entrepreneurs, financially-successful investors, and top level CEO's of major corporations that regularly dominate the global business scene, top the daily business headlines and coverage of financial markets have a strong likelihood to become celebrities. High-ranking politicians and top level government officials that dominate global political scene and foreign affairs, headline major current events, play a pivotal role in domestic and international politics have a tremendous impact in day-to-day media have a strong likelihood to become celebrities.[13]
Prominent socialites, elite aristocrats and royal families, top level professional athletes, chart-topping musicians and pop singers, television and film actors with lead roles on prominently scheduled television shows and hit box office movies, internationally recognized supermodels and models are almost invariably celebrities.
Prominent media journalists, pundits on major nationally-syndicated television shows, commentators on prominently scheduled television shows, nationally acclaimed media columnists and syndicated columnists, critically acclaimed and best-selling authors and writers, major national newscasters and news analysts, national television reporters and television anchors, national television game show hosts on prominently scheduled game shows, radio personalities on prominently scheduled radio shows, comedians on major headlining comedy shows, reality television personalities on most prominently scheduled reality television shows, daytime television show hosts, and late night television show hosts have a strong likelihood to become celebrities.
Individuals that host their own television show (as well as various components of television programs) have a strong likelihood to become a celebrity: Examples include shows such as The Doctors, The Dr. Oz Show, and Dr. Phil. Cooking shows such as Emeril Live and 30 Minute Meals have spawned Celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse who are famed for their culinary aptitude. However fame based on one program may often prove short-lived after a program is discontinued.
A few humanitarian and religious leaders such as Mother Teresa and Desmond Tutu have achieved fame because of their charitable work around the world. Various pastors and other religious figures and activists such as Rick Warren, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson campaigned for various social and political causes have achieved celebrity status in mainstream media as well.
Rachael Ray, celebrity chef.
[edit] Tags:Socialite,Angelina Jolie,Karina Smirnoff,Entertainment Spheres,Entertainment Figure,Pop Singer,Business Leaders,Entrepreneurs,Investors,Ceo,Government Officials,Socialites,Aristocrats,Royal Families,Pop Singers,Movies,Supermodels,Pundits,Columnists,Syndicated Columnists,News Analysts,Television Reporters,Television Anchors,Game Show Hosts,Game Shows,Reality Television Personalities, | |
| Behind the scenes | |
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While it’s true that the top television and film actors have become movie and television stars, musicians and pop singers that become pop stars, or athletes that become sports stars often become celebrities, the other professionals that play a more peripheral role in the entertainment sphere, such as television, music, and film directors and producers, screenwriters, playwrights, and animators are less likely to attain celebrity status (albeit there are some exceptions, such as directors Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and animator Seth MacFarlane). Entertainment based occupations that are not as well known in the general public or are simply antiquated (e.g. magicians, photographers, and some visual artists such as painters and potters) relative to the present day mass media industry are less likely to become celebrities (though there are exceptions such as illusionists David Copperfield and Criss Angel, or photographer David LaChapelle).
In other sub-fields within the entertainment industry, there is a similar situation. For instance, in the music industry, the top-selling pop singers have a strong potential to become celebrities, but the behind-the-scenes professionals tend to remain little known to the general public (e.g. dancers, disc jockeys, record producers, and composers); though in recent years, Club DJ's such as David Guetta, Skrillex and Deadmau5 or composer David Foster have achieved worldwide fame for their respective work in the music industry. High-end fashion designers and jewelry designers are likely to become celebrities but will not garner the same and equal importance in the entertainment sphere compared to a successful film or television actor or a widely known musician.
A similar phenomenon is also true within the field of professional sports as professional athletes who are directly involved directly with the competition, the physical aspects of scoring and defending, as well as being widely spectated by fans are more than likely to become celebrities. However, other professionals that play a more peripheral role in the field of professional sports (e.g. coaches, general managers, referees, commentators and announcers, sports team owners and executives, sports commissioners) who are more active in the internal aspects of field tend to remain in obscurity and are less likely to achieve celebrity status.[14]
Outside of the sports and entertainment sphere, the top inventors, professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and scientists, etc. are unlikely to become celebrities even if they are enormously successful in their field.
[edit] Tags: | |
| Forbes Celebrity 100 | |
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Forbes Magazine releases an annual Forbes Celebrity 100 list of the highest paid celebrities in the world. The total earnings for all top celebrity 100 earners totaled $4.5 billion over the course of 2010 alone.
For instance, Forbes ranked media mogul and talk show host, Oprah Winfrey as the top earner "Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of the most powerful celebrities", with earnings of $290 million in the past year. Forbes cites that Lady Gaga reportedly earned over $90 million in 2010.[15] In 2010, golfer Tiger Woods was one of highest-earning celebrity athletes, with an income of $75 million and is consistently ranked one of the highest paid athletes in the world.[15]
[edit] Tags:Tiger Woods,Oprah Winfrey, | |
| Entrepreneurship and endorsements | |
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Beyonce is well known for her House of Dereon clothing line.[16]
LeBron James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald's and State Farm.[17][18]
Celebrity endorsements have proven very successful around the world where, due to increasing consumerism, an individual is considered a status symbol when they purchase a celebrity-endorsed product. On August 1, 2007 laws were passed banning health care professionals and public figures such as movie stars or pop singers from appearing in advertisements for drugs or nutritional supplements.
Numerous celebrities have become budding business moguls and established themselves as entrepreneurs, idolizing many well known business leaders such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or Donald Trump. For instance, basketball legend, Michael Jordan became an active entrepreneur involved with many sports related ventures including investing a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, Paul Newman started his own salad dressing business after leaving behind a distinguished acting career, or rap musician, Birdman started his own record label, clothing line, and an oil business. Other celebrities such as Tyler Perry, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg have become successful entrepreneurs through starting their own film production companies and running their own movie studios.[19]
Various examples of celebrity turned entrepreneurs included in the table below are:
Celebrity
Net worth (2010–2011) USD
Sources of wealth
Oprah Winfrey
US$2.7 billion[20]
Main sources are television, radio, and film. Additional business holdings in Harpo Productions and the Oprah Winfrey Network with interests in film, television, magazines, books, motivational speaking, and publishing.[21][22]
50 Cent
US$100 million[23]
Main sources include music, film, and television. Various ventures include sports endorsements with Reebok, video games, record labels: G-Unit Records and G-Note Records. Additional holdings in fragrances and cosmetics, fashion designing and clothing, books, radio, television and film production, talent management, real estate, and other investments.[24]
Jay-Z
US$450 million[25]
Main sources mainly in music with business holdings in a record label that include Roc Nation, sports teams (including a significant stake in New Jersey Nets and a potential stake in Arsenal FC), bars and nightclubs, books, clothing line Rocawear, real estate development, music touring, publishing, casinos, advertising, and other investments within his conglomerate (Gain Global Investments LLC).
Diddy
US$$475 million[26]
Main sources mainly in television, film, and music. Other holdings include the record label Bad Boy Records, fashion designing and the Sean John Clothing Line, restaurants, vodka, television production, business education, and fragrances.
Martha Stewart
US$638 million[27]
Main sources mainly in radio, television, film, and her conglomerate Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which includes interests in television production, magazines, cookbooks, and household cooking products. Others sources include internet related ventures, blogging, publishing, books, and retail merchandising.[28]
Magic Johnson
US$500 million[29][30]
Main sources primarily in television and sports. Other holdings include the promotion and theater chain Magic Johnson Theatres, movie studios, food services, sports teams (minority stake in the LA Lakers), and motivational speaking.[31]
Arnold Schwarzenegger
US$100–$800 million[32][33][34]
Main sources include film and bodybuilding. Minor holdings in various global businesses, restaurants, real estate, Planet Hollywood, and other investments.
Restaurants and other establishment Tags:Michael Jordan,Jay-z, | |
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