What Is The Difference Between a Star And a Celeb

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| What is the difference between a star and a celebrity? | | | 09545419 | | The idea of a star has become somewhat blurred after decades of use. Everyone from the star of the latest Hollywood blockbuster, the regular actor in television soap’s and the latest Big Brother winner all seem to be able to hold the ‘star’ title. As Christine Geragthy (2000) suggests, film stars no longer just represent the idea of stardom they once did. 1940’s fan magazines with posters of early iconic film stars are now be replicated with good looking football stars, sexy models and teenage pop stars. Today they’re competing with a wide range of personalities from an ever expanding mass media. This indicates the definition and meaning of the term ‘star’ has shifted quite considerably through different historical moments. Throughout this essay I will look at the stars of the early years of Hollywood cinema, their rise from un-credited silent actors to the ownership and commodity culture of the ‘Golden ‘Age’ of Hollywood, up to the celebrities we are overflowing with in today’s society. The media has always gone hand-in-hand with the creation, manipulation and distribution of stars and celebrities and I will look at how the media’s need to keep early stars in-line with film personas swiftly changes from the rise of scandals and paparazzi. I haven’t looked at the difference in a star and a celebrity in terms of their stature as I’m sure this has been talked about many times before. Instead I have preferred to look at what brought stars to our attention and in terms of a commodification out to satisfy our consumer needs. With both stars and celebrities reliant on the press, audiences and a fan base are we able to place Paris Hilton under the same star banner as Florence Lawrence, probably not, but in terms of their prominent rise to fame and in the world of fame and celebrity

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