“Why The *%# Are They Famous??”
A celebrity is a famous person.
A famous person is one who has a widespread reputation usually of a favorable nature.
A star is a person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession, or other field…
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So – some may ask – how is it that an increasing number of “celebrities”, who possess no discernable talent, manage to obtain a lavish lifestyle of the rich and famous? Millions of people who are even vaguely familiar with pop culture are perplexed by the heightened celebrity status bestowed upon those whose fame stems from activities once considered obscure, vulgar, or unflinchingly trifling – and completely devoid of what is commonly referred to as talent.
One wonders if 25 years ago or more, talent agencies would’ve considered taking on clients who offered no on-screen talent or training whatsoever, instead, relying on tawdry marketing strategies to ensure notoriety. For example, game shows contestants stayed in their respective lanes, and the only place you may find a former contestant was in your local mall or supermarket. Now, these contestants and other ‘non-scripted’ show participants seek to use their 15 minutes as a portal to create a whole freakin’ hour.
Sex sells for men and women alike, but for 99% of female celebs, sex appeal has always been paramount. Upon reflection however, those whose roots originated in (and failed to deviate from) X-rated activities, thrived in their own genre. Nowadays, it appears as though the lines are blurred, and women who would’ve reigned freely within the confines of the adult entertainment world are able to carve out tenuous careers in the mainstream. On the other end of the spectrum exist “the awkward” bunch who are willing to exploit their own eccentricities for the sake of prolonged media attention.
What fuels this phenomenon? Is it an insatiable need for attention? The media’s habit of nurturing the sensational rather than the substantive? The jury is still out on this convoluted debate. So we took a survey, which lists alleged “no talent” notables that receive far too much air time. Each of the celebs listed below falls under one or more of the following categories: pornographic; general opportunist; nepotism; gimmick. Take a guess as to who’s who in each category:
- Amber Rose
- Karrine Steffans
- The Kardashian Sisters
- Paris Hilton
- Nicole Richie
- Soulja Boy
- Kevin Federline
- Most popular reality show contestants
- All Flavor of Love contestants
- Nick Cannon
- Teyana Taylor
- Rumer Willis
The findings of the survey were intended to uncover the perspectives of concerned readers, and are by no means presented as irrefutable facts. As an online magazine, we are aware that new media is a major factor in the rise of the 15 minute famous set. The bigger issue at hand is the long-term impact this new trend will have on our society. What happens when newscasts become gossip – or scandal trumps talent and cheapness obliterates creativity? For starters, it may manifest in two media-crazed parents staging a hoax involving their missing son weather balloon…
No matter how you slice it, the fact is that a good deal of these so called ‘skill-free’ stars not only permeate the media, but have an avid fan base to boot. At the end of the day, that may be all it takes to be on top. Either that or one damn good publicist.
So, what say you Clutchettes and Gents? Why in the freak are ‘they’ famous? We’d like to hear your thoughts on this speculative issue.
43 Comments – Add Yours
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Nick Cannon? Really?? you lost me with this one!
Take a look at this site http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134244/
he has been acting (lately more independant movies), writing , producing, executive producing, directing and what not. He is tne host of “america got talent” the n°1 summer show (avg 12-13 millions per show), this year final was follow by more than 17 millions people and on top of that he run TEENick!
And you put this successfull and positive young man with the like of Amber rose and karine steffans? hummmmmm!
Is this article serious??? Who didnt do their research? Nick Cannon, Teyanna Taylor, Souljah Boy ( and a few others)??? Nick Cannon is the biggest shocker while he may be corny he has many business ventures, is a comedian, and does a lot behind the scenes and makes way more money than people can imagine. Now Souljah Boy, hey Im not a fan, but is he not an artist and a song writer? hhhmmmmm
Thank you Rosa!!!…this article gets the >>>side eye lol
Interesting article. What I’m noticing is that it doesn’t take talent to be famous nowadays. If you are beautiful, flaunt your body, nude or do a sex-tape, you can become a paparazzi sensation. Pitiful!
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We make them famous by talking about them via blogging, facebook, myspace or twitter. The more we talk, the more popular they’ll be no matter if people respect them or not.
Thank you so much for this article! I’ve been thinking the same thing lately. I don’t think Nick Cannon and Soulja Boy don’t belong on this list, but i’ve been trying to figure out why ppl such as Amber Rose, Karrine Steffans and random flavor of love stars are praised. These women are nothing but glorified hoes who grabbed onto the right celebrities to get their “shine”. One minute they’re making fools of themselves on TV and the next they’re in a famous rapper’s latest video and walking red carpet affairs.
I blame two reasons…One, we’re giving them way too much attention. We express interest in them and they become famous for it. And two our societal morals have changed. Now it’s okay to be praised for your body parts or who you’re sleeping with. You can litterally sex your way into stardom. No talent necessary. So aggravating…but it is what it is.
Can you say sex tape?
Actually I dont think Nick Cannon or Soulja Boy should be on there since they proved for the past couple of years they deserve to be called a celebrity. Nick Cannon was on All That from Nick, he played in about 3 or 4 movies, and he currently hosts America’s got talent. Soulja Boy is an artist simple as that. Teyana Taylor actually got her stardom by being on MTV’s sweet 16. She was already signed to Pharell’s label star Trek but used Sweet 16 as promotion to get her face out there. She only had one song google me, but her album is in the works. So until then she tries to stay relevant by attending parties and hanging around her celeb friends. She has choreographed Beyonce’s Ring The Alarm, has a lip gloss line Dope Lips to soon launch for the holidays and has been writing music for blackstreet and more. She also recently formed a rock group with Chris Brown.
Others on the list are clearly irrevelant and WE the people continue to feed into their nonsense that makes them who they are today. so the only question to ask is why do we constantly follow their D-List lives??
I disagree with Nick Cannon being on the list as well. He may not be winning an oscar any time soon but he’s been in enough movies and he holds his own. Time will tell whether he will grow as an actor and move into greater roles.
Half the people on that list are famous because they are related to fame. Somehow that gives them the opportunity to bask in the limelight. Frank Stallone is another good example. You visit his wikipedia page and it mentions he’s Sly’s brother. Yet you go to Sylvester Stallone’s page and Frank isn’t mentioned until a few paragraphs down when it talks about his family.
I would not want to be famous because of who I was related to. I’d have to do it on my own.
I don’t see anything wrong with being famous for “nothing.” So what? For those that desire fame, I would think it’s refreshing to know that achieving “celebrity” status can be done and is not some huge impossible task that is isolated to just a selective few individuals. Good for these people, they are living their dreams. Get in where ever you fit in, is how I see it….
At the same time, I strongly disagree with NIck Cannon, Soulja Boy and Teyana Taylor being on that list. Nick Cannon is a mini-mogul with his own entity he has maintained for quite some time. I respect him. Also, Soulja Boy deserves his fame; he has worked hard to get where he is. I remember back in the day when he was one of my fave underground artists. And, lastly, Teyana has had a hit song and has little projects all over the place. She has accomplished a lot for such a young woman. Kudos to her. I wish her much success.
Nick Cannon famous for nothing?! really tho?! *confused*
oh well, its like he said not too long about all these haters clowning & underestimating him “I’m gonna go to the corny bank and cash these corny checks” bwahahaha
Lmfbao people. It’s Club Nick Cannon up in heaah. Ridin that corny cat’s jock. He’s a fake celeb, can’t rap or act neither. Who cares he’s a business man, then keep his corny ass behind the camera.
I don’t care for Nick Cannon but to have him on the list is just straight up spiteful. And a word of advice Clutch, people stop being famous when other people stop talking about them. ;-)
It’s funny that the title of the article is “Why are they famous” when many times you have had articles and fab or drabs about some of the above mentioned “celebrities” :-)
I learned about Amber Rose in this site, so I agree with “It’s Windy & I’m Cold”, as long as you talk about them you contribute to their “fame”.
They are famous because there is an agenda.
all of those individuals up there have some kind of warrant EXCEPT for amber rose. wtf? why is she famous I don’t know what she’s done; she’s supposedly a model.. I only seen her as a video hoe and that’s AFTER her & kanye was together..
reality show people, aren’t famous in my book. if they get recognized it’s because people recognize them. I’ve had “rabbit” host more than one of my parties and I still don’t know who the hell she is!
seriously you are part of making them famous all amber did was be in a video and walk down the street with kanye and blogs are obsessed with what shes wearing and is she gay and are they still together articles like this and anything ever printed about them made them famous. she could have been just been kanyes girl but the media as obsessed as they are had to find out her name if theres a sordid past and where did she come media helped to make them then wonders why thy are famous
I don’t understand why Nick Cannon is on the list because the man has accomplished a lot before he married Mariah. And as for celebrities are listed as doing something as substantive, many have not and are just entertainers, we tend to celebrate the so called stars but dismiss those who play more important roles within our society, the professionals, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. Those are the ones we should be really celebrating. Too bad people don’t realise that Pop Culture works hand and hand with capitalism to play upon the insecurities of the masses by forcing celebrities down our throats on the regular.
I agree with you on some levels. But I don’t agree with some of the people you listed as being nobodies that some how became famous. Teyana is a choregrapher, and has even produced songs for some artists that we love listening to (Beyonce included.) Nick Cannon has been in the spotlight for years. He started out on Nickelodean. Just because he hasn’t been doing much with himself lately doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to be famous. Souljah Boy is a rap artist that we can get crunk with. People all over the world are “Super Mannin’ that ho” right now! LOL
A couple of the people (Paris, Nicole, the Kardashians) are famous because their parents are super rich and they were able to convince the TV producers that people would find their lives interesting…and CA-Ching…they were right!
As for the rest, people are interested in knowing the story behind their fave celebrities. They want to know what’s going on with them when the cameras aren’t rolling. Super Head gave us a glimse into that world. Kevin Federline let us no more about Brittney. Reality show stars show just enough of their down and dirty side that we think we know them, and soon can’t get enough of them.