Supplemental Post #6

A new kind of star

Movie and TV stars have always been the go to image for a ‘celebrity’. But with the internet explosion over the past decade a new kind of star has come to light. What I am referring to are the YouTube celebrities. For the most part, they are within the 16-34 demographic and make videos from daily ‘vlogs’ to how-to videos. But what is most interesting about this new group of star is that because YouTube is an open source these ‘celebrities’ have risen out from the masses. The most popular YouTuber PewDiePie, who makes video game videos is worth $12 million with his 36.3 million subscribers and 8.6 billion channel views. Many of these stars have used their YouTube popularity to boost other projects. Grace Helbig (ItsGrace who has 2.3 million subscribers and 93.8 million channel views) has used her online popularity to fund a movie with her friends (Camp Takota) and just recently got her own show (The Grace Show) on E! Or the even more successful YouTuber, John Green (Vlog Brothers) whose books, The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns have been turned into movies. 

Many can agree that this is the golden age of television. But it also seems to be the decade of the online celebrity. It is interesting to see how the idea of celebrity has changed over the years. Morphing with the changes in technology and it offers the average person a platform to get recognized and the possibility of stardom. This transition to include online celebrities is in an interesting transition. Many YouTubers are extending their reach beyond the website to explore other ventures. While there are many more hopeful people waiting to take their place, because of the evolution of the web, it does not necessarily mean that the online stars today will be relevant tomorrow.

Core Post #5

The ‘Feminine Fascination’ chapter in Stardom: Industry of Desire paints an interesting picture into the role of the female star. It was interesting to see how the portrayal of women and their role in films has stayed the same or changed over the years. The idea of “images of women” and “woman as image” and the common breakdown of females in classical Hollywood as the “superfemale” or “superwoman” are still relevant in today’s spectatorship. But it is the reception that has changed and with it, the role of the female star.

While there are still stars that follow this limited perception of females like ­­­­Heather Graham. The difference is that there are now other opportunities for female stars, and those who chose to stay within this depiction are aware of their role and the sense of objectification. But unlike before, many of these conventionally ditsy stars are given a more realistic personality – unless they are there simply to be objectified.

However, with the growth of social and economic power that females possess, it is the era of the strong woman. Films now have powerful female protagonists and women are not expected to be at the beck and call of their male counterparts. Actresses like Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Watson are just two of the female stars whose personas rest on the idea that they are strong women.

But as the article mentions, these ideas of women are all based off how fans identify with them. Many fans fantasize about their favorite stars based off their film roles and aided by the stars real persona. This is not a new sense of fascination. But unlike before where female stars were confined in limited portrayals, there are now a range of female stars that represent different personas.

In some cases though, the fascination can go beyond a fans intrigue and morph into practice. Where fans go beyond identifying with a star to wanting to become them. This often is met with skepticism by the public and questions the role of the star. But boiled down, this is how some fans show their devotion to their favorite star. Some fans might purchase products endorsed by their favorite star. While in some cases of practice it can come down to plastic surgery.

Overall, the portrayal of women in film has finally come to a stage where the tables are beginning to turn. No longer are women only allowed to shine if they are sexualized or made masculine. Instead with a change in society, there is now room for a spectrum of female stars for fans to idolize.

Supplemental Post 4

Robert Downey Jr recently walked out of an interview while on the publicity tour of the new Avengers movie. This got my attention not because the interviewer asked an inappropriate question, but rather the fact that stars are able to easily shed their personal life and past. They can pretend a part of them doesn’t exist even though part of a stars allure is knowing about their lives.

Guru-Murthy approaches his interviews more like a reporter rather than a celebrity interviewer. Meaning his questions can become questionable with the stars. By not sugarcoating his questions with a stream of compliments (like most interviewers), Guru-Murthy might get an actor’s blood boiling but brings up meaty questions.   

In their last meeting in 2008, Guru-Murthy said: “You can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal.” This already testy exchange was not only brought up again in an interview this week, but fuel was added to the fire when Guru-Murthy asked about his relationship with his father, drinking and taking drugs. This seemed too much for Downey Jr who got up and left, stating “It’s just getting a little Diane Sawyer in here.” This declaration was interesting to me because clearly there is a division between ‘real’ reporting and interviews with celebrities.