Contents

Preface

I. The Cult of Celebrity

Editor’s Introduction
1) From Barnum to “Bling:” The Changing Face of Celebrity Culture. Amy Henderson. The Hedgehog Review
2) Celebrity Culture. Joseph Epstein. The Hedgehog Review
3) Before Lindsay or Paris, There Was Mrs. L_fle. Jessica Grose. The New York Times
4) Our Celebrity Madness: A Reflection of Consumerism. Tirdad Derakhshani. Philadelphia Inquirer
5) Seeing by Starlight. Carlin Flora. Psychology Today
6) Not Exactly the Stuff of Legends. John Intini. Maclean’s

II. Celebrity Activism and American Politics

Editor’s Introduction
1) American Politics in the Age of Celebrity. Darrell M. West. The Hedgehog Review
2) Jesse Ventura™ and the Brave New World of Politainer Politics. Ann Conley and David Schultz. Journal of American & Comparative Cultures
3) Victory for Arnold. Roger Simon. U.S. News & World Report
4) Can Oprah Boost Her ‘Favorite Guy’? Eugene Robinson. The Washington Post
5) Stage Left. Ed Leibowitz. Los Angeles Magazine
6) Celebrity and Politics. Andrew Kamons. SAIS Review
7) Foreign Policy Goes Glami. Daniel W. Drezner. The National Interest

III. The Price of Fame

Editor’s Introduction
1) Falling Stars. Simon Dumenco. New York
2) Why Did We Watch? The Answer Isn’t Pretty. Caryn James. The New York Times
3) The Other Side of Fame. Mary Loftus. Psychology Today
4) Falling Stars: Will Lohan Be the Next Celebrity Flame-Out? Katherine Monk. The Ottawa Citizen
5) Right Time, Wrong Publicity. Caryn James. The New York Times
6) Being Bad: The Career Move. Guy Trebay. The New York Times
7) What Price, Fame? Greg Sevik. Popular Music and Society
8) Screen Idols: The Tragedy of Falling Stars. Reni Celeste. Journal of Popular Film and Television

IV. The Democratization of Celebrity

Editor’s Introduction
1) Open-Source Celebrity: The Wisdom of the Audience. Jonathon Keats. Wired Magazine
2) Mirror, Mirror On the Web. Lakshmi Chaudhry. The Nation
3) She’s Famous (and So Can You). Guy Trebay. The New York Times

Bibliography
Books
Additional Periodical Articles with Abstracts
Index

◘ ISBN  978-0-8242-1078-6

◘ February 2007
◘ $50
◘ $55 outside U.S. & Canada