... fame ain't what it used to be ...
The BBC Radio 4 programme 'Long View' discussed the cult of the celebrity.
Did you know the Elvis is still the most successful dead celebrity? Elvis - be warned the King still sings. Elvis links 2.
In a lot of ways it is easier to get your 15 minutes of fame today as there are a lot of media channels about eg TV, cable, numerous radio stations, magazines and now the net. Shows like Big Brother make ordinary people start overnight. I know, admittedly vaguely, people who have appeared on stand up shows and have been official spokesman.
Fame is however different today. There is more of it and as a result no one can ever be as significant as the Beatles, Elvis, Eric and Ernie or Marilyn Munroe in the sixties. In Britain there was only the BBC radio and TV. Commercial TV and radio was minimal and the cinema far more significant and influential.
People were also a lot more innocent. The scene from the filmThe Seven Day Itch where Marilyn Munroe's skirt was blown up was considered shocking, but at the same time raised issues of female sexuality in an era where nice girls certainly didn't, well not until they had the engagement ring on their finger.
The Rolling Stones were considered the bad boys of rock. They smoked pot, got drunk and were arrested for peeing down a back alley, when they couldn't find a toilet. To get the blanket press coverage they got for these 'outrages' would be very difficult unless you slept with Edwina Currie.
this is the image on her home page
Even then the fame time span is a lot shorter. Posh and Becks are about the only celebrities that seem to have a longish shelf life and the same intensity as the past. ... and posh works at it.
What do you think???????????????
Interestingly my spell checker wants to change Munroe to unrobe
Did you know the Elvis is still the most successful dead celebrity? Elvis - be warned the King still sings. Elvis links 2.
In a lot of ways it is easier to get your 15 minutes of fame today as there are a lot of media channels about eg TV, cable, numerous radio stations, magazines and now the net. Shows like Big Brother make ordinary people start overnight. I know, admittedly vaguely, people who have appeared on stand up shows and have been official spokesman.
Fame is however different today. There is more of it and as a result no one can ever be as significant as the Beatles, Elvis, Eric and Ernie or Marilyn Munroe in the sixties. In Britain there was only the BBC radio and TV. Commercial TV and radio was minimal and the cinema far more significant and influential.
People were also a lot more innocent. The scene from the filmThe Seven Day Itch where Marilyn Munroe's skirt was blown up was considered shocking, but at the same time raised issues of female sexuality in an era where nice girls certainly didn't, well not until they had the engagement ring on their finger.
The Rolling Stones were considered the bad boys of rock. They smoked pot, got drunk and were arrested for peeing down a back alley, when they couldn't find a toilet. To get the blanket press coverage they got for these 'outrages' would be very difficult unless you slept with Edwina Currie.
Even then the fame time span is a lot shorter. Posh and Becks are about the only celebrities that seem to have a longish shelf life and the same intensity as the past. ... and posh works at it.
What do you think???????????????
Interestingly my spell checker wants to change Munroe to unrobe
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