The Audience & Celebrity

A good example of what Elvis was talking about can be seen in quote from another celebrity, Cary Grant. The quote is “"Everyone wants to be Cary Grant—even I want to be Cary Grant” (Preston, 2005). Even to this day, people still want to be Cary Grant, this quote indicated how much of a character, Grant’s celebrity persona was. Nowaday, I think the line has blurred a little bit more from celebrity persona to their real selves. Celebrities were a lot more “wholesome” in the days of Grant, only because they were able to keep scandals under wraps better. A good example of what it was like to be a celebrity back then is the film Hail Caesar, directed by the Coen Brothers. Scarlett Johansson character has to say she adopted her child, rather than the truth and says she had it while unmarried, in that film. Being honest would ruin her celebrity persona. You can check that clip out here: youtu.be/UbwxGgR-EAM. (Coen, Coen, 2016).

Celebrities are a huge part of marketing. In away we think of them as someone we know, and we’re more likely to buy something if someone we know uses it or endorses it. Oprah is probably the best example of this. She has a huge empire that includes every form of media really, from TV to print. They credit her for getting Obama votes in the 2008 election. As well, she was able to bring a book, Love in the Time of Cholera, a much older book, to the best seller list by simply recommending it. (Garthwaite, Moore, 2008).
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Celebrities are more like companies than they are people. In the way that, if Elon Musk died, they wouldn’t just stop selling Tesla cars.  While only two of four Beatles remain and despite breaking up in 1969, countless albums, movies, and other such things have been released (Gilmore, 2009).  Most recently,  a movie called “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years” was released. It was directed by Ron Howard, a well renowned, award winning director. It grossed $2,930,414, despite the very few screens it played on. (The Beatles: Eight…, 2017).

We are definitely obsessed celebrities.  The insane reach of the Kardashian family is a good example of this. You can’t look at snapchat, E!, or tabloids without seeing at least one member of that family. I think as humans, we are always curious about our neighbors. In the case of celebrities, it’s okay to look.

I don’t think I agree that reality stars are famous for being famous, even the Kardashians. Even before Kim became popular, they’re family was involved in the O.J. Simpson trial. Caitlyn Jenner was an Olympian. If none of this had happened, I don’t think people would watch keeping up with the Kardashians. They’re lives are “entertaining.”  This even applies to MTV’s shows. Audiences care about 16  and Pregnant stars because they’re lives are the right mix interesting, but still being like us.


Reference:
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016) - Box office / business. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2531318/business?ref_=tt_dt_bus

Coen, E., & Coen, J. (Directors). (2016). Hail, Caesar! [Video file]. United States: Universal Pictures. Retrieved November 15, 2017.

​Garthwaite, C., & Moore, T. J. (2008, September). The Role of Celebrity Endorsements in Politics: Oprah ... Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=519FE0DCF32348F38C5A81A77EA14C90&CID=209A06996953660D1DE50DA26855679F&rd=1&h=mF5DHgJlfftgOVmDKwn1RyYenDmZHo_tubAybWm2-gc&v=1&r=http%3a%2f%2fwww.stat.columbia.edu%2f%7egelman%2fstuff_for_blog%2fcelebrityendorsements_garthwaitemoore.pdf&p=DevEx,5066.1

Gilmore, M. (2009, September 03). Why the Beatles Broke Up. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-the-beatles-broke-up-20090903 

Preston, J. (2005, March 06). Even I want to be Cary Grant. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3638227/Even-I-want-to-be-Cary-Grant.html