"Gamson has brilliantly analyzed the complexities of celebrity as a cultural form. He gives us an insider's account, without going native. He provides us with a critical overview, without overlooking the messy details of celebrity-making and its central place in American society. Claims to Fame is a must for all those who seek to understand American public culture."--Jeffrey C. Goldfarb, author of The Cynical Society: The Culture of Politics and the Politics of Culture in American Life "The most thoughtful and thoroughgoing sociological analysis I know of this strange and ubiquitous phenomenon, celebrity. Intricately argued and elegantly written, frequently amusing and properly alarming, Claims to Fame deftly avoids either undervaluing or overvaluing the gullibility of the consumers of celebrity. Gamson--to use his own words--'mines . . . superficialities for their depths' and gives us more insight into the culture of entertainment than a dozen treatises on the 'resistant' potential of Madonna."--Todd Gitlin, University of California, Berkeley "The best general account we have of the economic and representational parameters of contemporary celebrity. Claims to Fame would be worth reading simply for its lively and wonderfully detailed description of the 'celebrity industry' in Los Angeles. Yet, by tying this description to a compelling argument about the nature of our investment in celebrity images, the book does much more. It should have an important place in future discussions of the mass media and American culture."--Richard deCordova, DePaul University, author of Picture Personalities "Insightful, well-written, replete with telling anecdotes, Claims to Fame demonstrates how one can critically analyze American culture without sneering at the American people."--Gaye Tuchman, author of Making News
This book explores how entertainers who participate in the political process understand leadership and their role as leaders.
Provides the addresses of movie stars, athletes, clubs, organizations, publications, musicians, and kid-related businesses and products.
The use of recreational pharmaceuticals had exploded in the United States following the “ Summer of Love ” in 1967 , and the eastern shore of the Florida peninsula had become the prime point of entry for merchandise imported from Mexico ...
Veteran journalist and broadcaster Leigh Hatcher presents an absorbing range of stories, issues and insights from his national Sunday night radio talk program, Open House.
one sent the children off to play , or covered their eyes : the chance to see an artist like Sally Rand was like an opportunity to see Sarah Bernhardt or Isadora Duncan in the flesh . ( Literally . ) Rand — who maintained her svelte ...
Presents a compilation of predictions for the new millennium from more than two hundred celebrities, sports stars, and politicians, such as Archbishop Tutu, Hugh Hefner, The Dalai Lama, Chuck Yeager, Nadia Comaneci, and many others.
Others who kindly assisted on the research trail and with advice included Brian O'Connell, John O'Dea, Noel Crowley, Dermot McMahon, Tony and Shane Mulvey, Pat Cotter, Nicola Fahey, Louis McRedmond, Colum Flynn, John Madden, ...
Jackie Kennedy Onassis: ein leidenschaftliches Leben
Global superstar Leona Lewis tells her story for the first time in this stunning illustrated autobiography.
An autobiography by the original "shock jock" shares his observations on politics, current affairs, women, and the entertainment business