Celebrities often have a symbiotic relationship with photographers.

A celebrity is a person who is widely recognized (famous) in a society and commands a degree of public and media attention. The word stems from the Latin celebritas, itself from the adjective celeber meaning 'famous, celebrated'. While fame is generally considered to be the major prerequisite for celebrity status, it is not always sufficient. There has to be a level of public interest in the person which may or may not be connected to the reason they are famous. For example, a public figure such as a politician, industry leader etc. may be famous but not a celebrity unless something else triggers public and mass media interest (e.g. Virgin Director Richard Branson attempting to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon). Other types of fame, particularly those connected with mass entertainment are almost guaranteed to lead to celebrity even if the person deliberately avoids media attention. Examples of these are performers such as actors and musicians and athletes. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x978, 190 KB) Starlet with photographers - Cannes Film Festival (probably taken in 1979). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x978, 190 KB) Starlet with photographers - Cannes Film Festival (probably taken in 1979). ... Person, in the classic sense, refers to a living human being. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Mass media is a term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation state). ... // Virgin Corporate logo of the Virgin Group Usage of these images is restricted. ... Sir Richard Branson during the announcement of the Virgin Express airline which would compete with Ryanair and EasyJet. ... To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. ... Earth (often referred to as The Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth in order of size. ... Hot air balloon being inflated by its propane burners prior to a dawn launch Hot air balloons are the oldest successful human flight technology, dating back to the Montgolfier brothers invention in Annonay, France in 1783. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events. ...

Celebrity structure

Each nation or cultural community (linguistic, ethnic, religious) has its own largely independent celebrity system, e.g. individuals who are extremely well known in India, might be unknown abroad, except with the Indian diaspora.

Subnational entities or regions will also have their own 'celebrity system'. This will be largest and most independent in distinct regions such as Quebec and Puerto Rico. Locally, regional newscasters, politicians or community leaders could be considered celebrities: for example, Lin Sue Cooney is a well known television reporter in Arizona, but she is not that well known in other areas. Singers, actors (especially working in their native language) and other media celebrities from say the Netherlands are much more likely to be famous in equally Dutch-speaking Flanders, and vice-versa, than anywhere else. Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Flower White garden lily Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 1,183... Lin Sue Cooney (born c. ... Official language(s) None Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq. ...

Thus celebrity is relative, depending on geographic scale. A celebrity will be known only by those audiences that are reached by the media in which the celebrity features. In a smaller country, linguistic or cultural community, a figure will be less likely to gain worldwide celebrity. Shakira and Paulina Rubio is an example of someone who was known largely in the Spanish-speaking world before increasing her global fame through English language-versions of her songs, or Ayumi Hamasaki, in the Japanese music industry. Map of the Earth ( Medium) ( Large 2 MB) Table of geography, hydrography, and navigation, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... // Look up scale in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977), better known simply as Shakira, is a Colombian Latin pop singer-songwriter. ... Paulina Susana Rubio (born June 17, 1971 in Mexico City) is a Mexican singer. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Some celebrities can be considered 'global' - that is, they are known across the world. These will almost all be high-powered religious or political figures, Hollywood actors, globally successful musicians and successful sports stars. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ...

Many people will refer to celebrities as A-List, B-List, C-List, D-List or Z-List. These indicate a placing within the hierarchy, though due to differing levels of celebrity in different regions, it is difficult to place people within one bracket. In addition to this, these 'lists' do not actually exist; they are concepts whose definition will change from person to person. The A-list is the list of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. ... The A-list is the list of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. ...

Professions that offer celebrity

Some professional activities, by the nature of being high-paid, highly exposed, and difficult to get into, automatically confer celebrity. For example, movie stars and television actors are almost invariably celebrities. High-ranking politicians, television reporters, television show hosts, supermodels, astronauts, major-league athletes and musicians are also celebrities. A movie star is a celebrity who is well known for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... List of television reporters: // Argentina Cristina Perez Australia Richard Carlton Naomi Robson Abraham Gubler Cuba Mirka De Arellano (on USA television, but Cuban) Israel Haim Yavin Mexico Maria Antonieta Collins Rosana Franco Blanca Gómez Joaquin Lopez Doriga Raul Peimbert Jorge Ramos Maria Elena Salinas == Peru = Guillermo Descalzi Puerto Rico... A supermodel is a highly paid fashion model in an elite group with a worldwide reputation. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ... An athlete is a person who has above average physical skills (strength, agility, and endurance) and is thus suitable for physical activities, in particular, contests. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ...

Some film and theatre directors, producers, artists, authors, trial lawyers and journalists are celebrities, but the vast majority are not, or much less than their real importance in the business. Some people in these professions strive to avoid celebrity, while others seek it. The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... A theatre director is a principal in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a play by unifying various endeavors and aspects of production. ... A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ... Look up Artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... For information on the type of fish called Lawyer, see the article on Burbot. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Any person who is able to get his or her own television show (or section) will usually become a celebrity: this includes chefs, gardeners, and interior decorators on shows like Trading Spaces and While You Were Out. However fame based on one program may often prove short-lived after it is discontinued. Cooks in training in Paris Chef is a term commonly used to refer to an individual who cooks professionally. ... A gardener is any person involved in the growing and maintenance of plants, notably in a garden. ... Interior decoration is the art of decorating a room so it looks good, is easy to use, and functions well with the existing architecture. ... Trading Spaces is an hour-long television reality program on the cable channel The Learning Channel. ... While You Were Out is an hour-long American television reality program on the cable channel The Learning Channel. ...

Celebrity families

Individuals can achieve celebrity, but there are also many celebrity families, such as various royal families (often interest in these will be highest when scandal is involved, as with the House of Windsor) and artistic 'dynasties' e.g. the Barrymore, Cassidy (David and Shaun Cassidy), the Osmonds, Osbournes, Quintanilla, Redgrave, Sheen/Estevez, Stiller, Mistry, Jackson and Baldwin families, as well as the Bushes, Clintons, Luke Ellis's family and Kennedys and some sports families. The House of Windsor, previously called the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, is the Royal House of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the other Commonwealth Realms. ... Cassidy in The Partridge Family David Bruce Cassidy (born April 12, 1950) is an American actor and musician. ... Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer, actor and TV producer. ... The Osmonds are an American family pop group who achieved enormous worldwide success as teenybopper idols in the 1970s. ... The Osbournes is an Emmy Award-winning American reality television program broadcast by MTV in the U.S., by CTV in Canada, Channel 4 and MTV UK in the UK, Network Ten,MTV Australia in Australia and TV2 in New Zealand. ... The Redgrave family is one of the enduring theatrical dynasties, which is now into its fourth generation. ... // Places Cities Jackson, Alabama Jackson, California Jackson, Georgia Jackson, Kentucky Jackson, Michigan Jackson, Minnesota Jackson, Mississippi, state capital Jackson, Missouri Jackson, Ohio Jackson, Tennessee Towns and townships Jackson, Louisiana Jackson, Maine Jackson, New Hampshire Jackson, New York Jackson, North Carolina Jackson, South Carolina Jackson (town), Wisconsin, three different towns Jackson... Barbara Bush, Jeb Bush, George H.W. Bush, Laura Bush, and George W. Bush watch tee ball on the White House lawn. ... Clinton may refer to a number of persons or places. ... John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy The Kennedy family is a prominent family in American politics and government descending from the marriage of Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. ...

Celebrity resentment

Because celebrities have fame comparable to that of royalty or gods in the past, some people exhibit curiosity about their private affairs as well as resent celebrities for their accolades. There is often a love/hate relationship that the general public has with celebrities. Many express that celebrities don't work as hard as non-celebrities and that celebrities don't deserve to be catered to as they are. Due to the high visibility of celebrities' personal lives, their failures are often made public. Therefore, "celebrities" are usually viewed as exhibiting worse personal behavior and having worse moral values than most people. Members of the British royal family A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Whether this is true or not is questionable, because the exact meaning of the word "celebrity" is difficult to define, not all celebrities exhibit bad behaviour, and, sometimes, the acts that a celebrity does reflect social trends that non-celebrities might also do. A case in point may be the behavior of non-celebrities on Reality television. There seems to a be high increase of celebrity obsession with the vast expansion of celebrity tabloid magazines. Sometimes the public tries to be like celebrities even if people know they will never be exactly quite like them. This is done through by buying celebrity items, like published books, clothing lines, perfume, household items, and watching their tv shows and movies. Celebrities in the 21st century know that they must expand and become brands if they want to stay in the public eye. Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people over professional actors. ...

Some have argued that the notion of celebrity is self-reinforcing and ultimately vacuous: some celebrities are not famous for their accomplishments, but merely famous for their fame and presumed fortune. For example, Paris Hilton would not be a public figure without her wealth, but her family's prominence has created and reinforces her fame. Hilton is in some senses a special case; she is famous at least in part for being an example of the perceived negative or shallow aspects of celebrity life, and some believe she is going out of her way to fill that role and gather further attention. But in many ways, figures like Hilton and other 21st century celebrities are just occupying celebrity niches previously occupied by stars of earlier generations. Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, as well as her fathers real estate fortune. ... Wealth derives from the old English word weal, which meant well-being or welfare. The term was originally an adjective to describe the possession of such qualities. ... There are several things called niche, a word English has borrowed from French: Generally, a niche is a special place within the scheme of things. ...

Literature

High Visibility, by Irving J. Rein, Philip Kotler, and Martin Stoller, studies the phenomenon of celebrity. To them, celebrity requires not only fame, but fame with an evident monetary value.

See also

• Category:Lists of celebrities
• Celebrity branding
• List of songs about famous people

This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary using the Transwiki process. ... This is a list of songs about famous people, where a famous person has either been featured in the lyrics, or the songs creators have later said that the song was about them. ...

External links

• Academic website for the study of Celebrity