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Preface
Pop star Britney Spears had a bad year in 2007. Her aunt
died in January, and she spent the next several months publicly engaged
in what appeared to be a nervous breakdown. She had bouts of public
intoxication, was photographed after raggedly shaving off her hair, and
checked in and out of drug treatment centers. Then Spears lost custody
of her children to her former husband, Kevin Federline, a B-list musical
performer whom she divorced in July. So when it was announced that
Spears would perform her new song “Gimme More” at the 2007 MTV Video
Music Awards, the appearance was touted in the media as her “comeback”
and her “return to music.”
Unfortunately for Spears, television and music
critics—not to mention the public at large—roundly panned her
performance. They noted that her dancing was not as sharp or athletic as
it once had been and that her lip-synching was out of time with the
recorded music and lyrics. Most damning, however, was the attention
lavished by the media on her paunch. Though not obese by any reasonable
standard, Spears, who wore a tight outfit that exposed her belly, no
longer sported the tight abdominal muscles that were once her trademark.
Shortly after this televised appearance and critical
debacle, a 19-year-old fan named Chris Crocker posted a sob-filled video
defense of Spears on the Web site YouTube. Images of Crocker weeping
“leave Britney alone” became viral, spreading throughout the Internet in
blogs, wikis, and email. And thus a formerly unknown fan became famous
in his own right, generating press coverage that even established stars
would envy and fielding offers for his own television program.
Why do we care so much about the famous? And since we
clearly do care, why do we revel so much in celebrity downfall? This
volume attempts to explore the heart of these questions and arrive at,
if not answers, at least some greater understanding of both ourselves
and this strange celebrity culture we have created.
Selections in the first chapter, “The Cult of
Celebrity,” consider the broader aspects of American celebrity culture:
its roots, its current manifestations, the difference between then and
now, and how that transformation was brought about. Articles in the
second chapter, “Celebrity Activism and American Politics,” explore the
celebritization of politics and activism. Not only have performers
become presidents and governors, but lifelong politicians have become
celebrities in their own right. At the same time, celebrities have
emerged, for better or worse, as the public conscience of the nation,
with Angelina Jolie and others outdoing the politicians in drawing
attention and offering solutions to global inequities. In the process,
we are forced to examine whether the commingling of government and
entertainment in fact cheapens both.
Free from the glare of the spotlight, a stalled career
and a marriage in decline, with or without drugs and alcohol thrown into
the mix, would pose a serious challenge to even the best among us. For
such celebrities as Spears, these dilemmas must be dealt with in full
view of the cameras. Consequently, every misstep, every sub-par
performance, every umbrella-wielding tantrum is effectively taped,
aired, and deconstructed by the public. Indeed, for the famous, every
disgrace is a public one. The third chapter, “The Price of Fame,”
features articles that examine the considerable toll that celebrity
exacts from star and fan alike.
Entries in the final section, “The Democratization of
Celebrity,” explore the effect the Internet and reality television have
had on our conception of fame. Now that everyone—even Chris Crocker,
armed only with his video recorder and heartfelt empathy for
Spears—truly has a shot at their 15 minutes, what does it mean to be a
celebrity and is it still so special or even desirable?
To the authors and publishers of the articles
collected here, I would like to extend my thanks. To Paul McCaffrey,
Rich Stein, Christopher Mari and Julia Weist, I owe my gratitude for
shepherding this book through the various stages of production. To my
wife, Patti, I owe everything for being the very embodiment of patience,
fortitude, and love.
Terence J. Fitzgerald
February 2008
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