Asian Celebrity Culture Page

From Subaltern Studies

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Celebrity Culture Concept Map 3 Definitions / Literature 3.1 Sports and celebrity Culture 3.2 Celebrity Politicians 3.3 Posthumous Celebrity Culture 3.4 Digital Celebrities 4 Chinese Celebrities 4.1 Celebrity Texts 4.2 The Industry 4.3 The Audience 4.4 Government Response 5 Indian Celebrity Culture and media 5.1 Media Analysis of celebrity culture 5.2 Industry practices 5.3 Celebrity News 5.4 Media usage/promotion of celebrities 5.5 Celebrities, Fandom and fan culture 6 Media Examples 7 Footnotes 8 Bibliography/Readings

[edit] Introduction

Welcome to the Asian Celebrity Culture (China and India) project Page. This project is led Melody Ting Wang and Kishore Budha. This work-in-progress project seeks to study Chinese and Indian celebrity cultures. You could get in touch with us at

[edit] Celebrity Culture Concept Map

Figure. Celebrity Culture Concept Map.

[edit] Definitions / Literature

Historian Daniel Boorstin has defined the celebrity as one who is ‘well known for his wellknownness’. ^[1]

A celebrity is defined as a person (actor, sports figure, entertainer, politician, etc.) who is known to the public for his or her achievements ^[2]

The word 'celebrity' refers to those people who, via mass media, enjoy 'a greater presence and wider scope of activity and agency than are those who make up the rest of the population. They are allowed to move on the public stage while the rest of us watch'^[3]

Much contemporary scholarship on celebrity concurs with Boorstin’s formulation, arguing, as does David Giles in Illusions of Immortality, that ‘celebrity is essentially a media production, rather than the worthy recognition of greatness’.^[4]

Central to the projection of celebrity is the ‘imagined intimacy fostered by the media’.^[5]

Arguably, the twentieth century’s first – and most influential – celebrities were film stars. Historian Samantha Barbas has argued that by the early 1920s movie stars had become ‘models of modern selfhood. They seemed the perfect embodiments of charm, style, and most of all, personality, an important individual trait seen as crucial for success.’^[6]

[edit] Sports and celebrity Culture

According to Buckley, British journalism is now damagingly in thrall to a few top football clubs and to a handful of empty stars: cod personalities and ‘celebrities’, whose fame is largely self-referential^[7]. This ‘celebrity’ focus in latemodern sport is the product of a wider ideological process, characterized recently by Gerry Whannel as ‘vortextuality’:

The growth in the range of media outlets, and the vastly increased speed of circulation of information have combined to create the phenomenon of a ‘vortex’ effect, which I term here ‘vortextuality’. The various media constantly feed off each other and, in the era of electronic and digital information exchange, the speed at which this happens has become very rapid.^[8]

[edit] Celebrity Politicians

Darrel West and John Orman ^[9]identify five categories, covering those who acquire celebrity status by birth (the Kennedys), to those embroiled in political scandal, to those who, like Jesse Jackson, become celebrities through their charismatic public performances. They also include those 'famed non-politicos' who move from careers in show business into politics.

Neil Postman wrote ^[10]: 'Political figures may show up anywhere, at any time, doing anything, without being thought odd, presumptuous, or in any way out of place. Which is to say, they have become assimilated into general television culture as celebrities'

[edit] Posthumous Celebrity Culture

Central to the discussion is an exploration of the paradox of circulation and restriction,5 whereby the holder of an intellectual property right in a celebrity culture needs to circulate it in order to exploit its popularity and thus generate income streams, while simultaneously regulating the ways that the celebrity culture is consumed in order to maintain legal control over it to preserve those same income streams. The ‘paradox’ arises from the observation that, on the one hand, too much open circulation of a celebrity culture can lead to the development of secondary or even generic meaning that not only threatens the holder’s exclusive rights over the property, but also has the potential to demean, debase or even destroy its integrity. On the other hand, too much restriction can effectively strangle the celebrity culture by killing off sensibilities of personal ownership and affiliation.^[11]

The ‘contestability’ of celebrity culture is therefore not the traditionally assumed death threat to popular culture, rather, it is an important, if not essential, aspect of the ‘career’ of a posthumous celebrity culture.

[edit] Digital Celebrities

Lara Croft is nothing without her fans. As the founding member of a new mode of celebrity system featuring female digital stars, Croft’s essentially technological nature – the mode of her signification and circulation – produces continuities and ruptures with traditional fan practices, reframing our understandings of categories such as ‘fan’, ‘audience’, ‘character’, and ‘text’ in relation to a mediascape whose speed and multiplicity mark not just postmodernism, but adaptive responses to postmodernity. From this perspective, Lara Croft is less a singular entity than a coping strategy, a mediation of media.

[edit] Chinese Celebrities

[edit] Celebrity Texts

1. The Making of Media Event Yao Ming's wedding on 6th of August [1]
2. Commodification of Revolutionary Values A famous white wine company of Hunan province, hometown of Mao Zedong, had an advert campaign last month by using the image of a Mao look alike.[2] Another Mao related news at today is that the first 'female version' of Mao has gone on market.Chen Yan, whose looks-like-Mao-quality was found out by a Reality TV show, is said to become the first famale Mao imitator. Her dream is to play Mao in TV drama and films.[3]It seems that the quickest way to became famous is to link oneself to an already famous person.The resemblance of physical appearance is being well exploited by the celebrity wannabes and also advertising industry. But what does Mao stand for? Any revolutionary idealism there?

[edit] The Industry

[edit] The Audience

[edit] Government Response

The government body SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film,and Television)

1. Reality TV programmes pulled off air by the SARFT [4]
2. SARFT's guide to Reality TV SRRFT, the State Administration of Radio,Film, and Television of China issued a notice on 20th of September to tackle the increasingly worsening problem of 'vulgarization' of China's Reality TV shows.[5]

[edit] Indian Celebrity Culture and media

[edit] Media Analysis of celebrity culture

1. Shifting sands of celebrity culture | BBC World Service report about economic liberalisation and its role in the creation of a new celebrity culture[6]

[edit] Industry practices

1. Bollywood fields star families to ensure Box Office success | celebrity film star children take the advantage of access to opportunity to gain entry into the field[7]
2. Star kids get ready to shine | seven star kids being launched in Bollywood in 2007[8]
3. Pay-for-performance model hooks Bollywood too | A report about trends in film production, linking star salaries to box office performance of films. [9]
4. Have the stars really got the power? | An analysis about the relationship between media and stars in the Indian film industry [10]
5. Brand it like a celeb! | What makes celebs stand out as strong endorsers for a brand? Admen give their take. [11]
6. Bollywood for sale | article about the commodification of cinema through merchandising[12]
7. Euro RSCG’s Predictameter study predicts the fate of Bollywood movies | report about an audience studies framework to predict the success of films. Argues that the presence of leading stars in films is no guarantee of success[13]

[edit] Celebrity News

1. Govinda's grown-up daughter wants to act in Bollywood [14]
2. Many faces of Taxi queen | From commercial Hindi films and parallel Bengali movies to a Southern star waiting to break into the global arena, SAMEERA REDDY tells Pratim D. Gupta how she balances multiple careers rolled into one [15]
3. Our own Superman | From Screen India -- He’s been out of sight for over a year-and-a-half but come June and Hrithik Roshan will swing into the spotlight as a desi superhero, the likes of which, he promises, we haven’t seen before. Chatting up the hero with a heart who’s all set to make our hearts beat faster... [16]
4. The Undisputed Queen of Bollywood | A feature hailing Rani Mukherjee as Bollywood's top acress [17]
5. Another Deol on the block | a feature on actors from star families [18]
6. What Bollywood is doing this Holi | feature on what stars are doing during the festival of Holi [19]
7. Meet singer SRK, Don has gone too far | feature about actor Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film. the report informs readers that teh star is also singing for the film [20]
8. Bollywood hero jailed for killing rare deer [21]
9. A star breaks out of screen | Aamir rises as an activist after Lagaan and Rang De, but no such hope for Salman after stint in jail [22]
10. Not in Bipasha's footsteps | comparing a rising celebrity with an established one[23]
11. Salman: Idol but no Ideal | a feature on Salman Khan arguing that though he is an idol, all his actions are not endorsed by his fans [24]
12. Being Amitabh Bachchan: Breathing Cinema | The Big B talks about IIFA, the Hindi film industry and about himself in an exclusive interview with Anuradha SenGupta.[25]
13. Bollywood: Stars who seek attention | And Bollywood is just the place to look for such examples, where you can find the attention grabbing, tantrum throwing, super wannabe stars. ...[26]
14. Is Mallika the cause of John-Bips rift? | The Bollywood grapevine says all's not well between Bipasha and John. And the cause reportedly is Mallika Sherawat.[27]
15. Ajay Devgan urges citizens to clean up country in new short film [28]
16. Bollywood's reigning Rani Mukherjee [29]
17. Happy in Bollywood, John Abraham wants it to go global [30]
18. Degree awarded to Bollywood star | <smallBollywood film star Shilpa Shetty is to be awarded an honorary degree by Leeds Metropolitan University.</small>[31]

[edit] Media usage/promotion of celebrities

1. The sexiest Bollywood pictures! [32]
2. Shah Rukh Khan a loving dad at heart | PETALING JAYA: He may be a Bollywood superstar but, up close and personal, Shah Rukh Khan is just a normal dad who dotes on his children....[33]
3. Hrithik at his best in 'Krrish' | ... vapid songs... or cuts through the breeze to the stunning special effects created with a verve so-far unknown to Indian cinema. ...[34]
4. Bollywood’s “blue-eyed” damsel turns 32 | a report celebrating actres Karisma Kapoor on her birthday[35]
5. Saif's crew cut against Kareena's long tresses | feature about the hair styles of film stars[36]
6. Hair raising in Bollywood! | A report about hair transplants, with references to Hollywood actors [37]
7. 'We are brats with attitude' | chat with readers and film stars on the website of leading newspaper[38]
8. Bollywood jodis you may never see again | feature about star pairings on-screen[39]
9. It's time for Hrithik's rajya abhishek! | article proclaiming Hritik Roshan as the new superstar[40]

[edit] Celebrities, Fandom and fan culture

1. Madhuri fan asks for Bollywood train | film fans asking the government to launch a Bollywood train in honour of the film industry[41]
2. Bollywood star in stunt warning | A Bollywood film star has urged fans not to copy the death-defying stunts he performs in his new movie, Krrish.[42]
3. Star-struck fan spends QR1.5mn on gowns for Bollywood diva | a report about a bollywood fan who made gowns dedicated to Aishwarya Rai[43]
4. Bollywood's best dancer? Tell us! | popular website asks readers to vote for best on-screen dancers[44]

[edit] Media Examples

Media Examples from India and China (click on pictures to enlarge

Screengrab of the website of India's leading newspaper Hindustan Times dt Nov 20, 2007. Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, two leading Hindi film stars (who are also married to each other) leaving the former's parents' house. The prominence given to the picture is informative of the importance attached to the two by the publication. The aesthetic of the image can be compared to that of the paparazzi driven pictures in tabloids and celebrity magazines in the west.

England footballer David Beckham gets mobbed by a group of Chinese children during a promotional event in Beijing.

Screen grab of the Times of India web site home page with the Paris Hilton story prominently displayed. Paris' grandfather had reportedly pledged most of his fortune to charity.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ Daniel Boorstin, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (New York, 1961).
2. ↑ Blackwell, R. D., Miniard, P. W., & Engel, J. E. (2001). Consumer behavior and marketing strategy (9th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt College.
3. ↑ Marshall, P. D. (1997) Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture (London: University of Minnesota Press).
4. ↑ David Giles, Illusions of Immortality: A Psychology of Fame and Celebrity (Basingstoke, 2000), p. 20.
5. ↑ Richard Schickel, Intimate Strangers: The Cult of Celebrity in America (New York, 1985; revised edition, Chicago, 2000), p. 25.
6. ↑ Samantha Barbas, Movie Crazy: Fans, Stars and the Cult of Celebrity (New York, 2001), p. 36.
7. ↑ Cashmore, E. Beckham. Cambridge: Polity, 2003
8. ↑ Whannel, G. Media Sport Stars: Masculinities and Moralities. London: Routledge, 2002
9. ↑ West, D. and Orman, J. (2002) Celebrity Politics (New Jersey : Prentice Hall).
10. ↑ Postman, N. (1987) Amusing Ourselves to Death (London: Methuen).
11. ↑ developed from J.M. Gaines, Contested Cultures: The Image, the Voice, and the Law (London: British Film Institute, 1992),

[edit] Bibliography/Readings

1. Aris, S. Sportsbiz: inside the sports business, (London: Hutchinson. 1990)
2. Barbas, Samantha Movie Crazy: Fans, Stars and the Cult of Celebrity (New York, 2001)
3. Blackwell, R. D., Miniard, P. W., & Engel, J. E. (2001). Consumer behavior and marketing strategy (9th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt College.
4. Boorstin, Daniel The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (New York, 1961).
5. Braudy, Leo The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History (New York, 1997)
6. Cashmore, E. Beckham. Cambridge: Polity, 2003
7. Gaines, J.M. Contested Cultures: The Image, the Voice, and the Law (London: British Film Institute, 1992),
8. Giles, David Illusions of Immortality: A Psychology of Fame and Celebrity (Basingstoke, 2000)
9. Gledhill, Christine (ed.), Stardom: Industry of Desire (London, 1991)
10. Habermas, Jürgen The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, trans. Thomas Burger (Cambridge, MA, 1989)
11. Jarvie, G. Sport, culture and society: an introduction, (London: Routledge 2006)
12. LaSalle, Mick Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood (New York, 2000)
13. Lasch, C. The culture of narcissism: American life in an age of diminishing expectations, (London: WW Norton & Company, 1979)
14. Leach, W. Land of desire: merchants, power, and the rise of a new American culture, (New York: Vintage Books. 1994)
15. Maguire, J. Global sport: identities, societies, civilizations, (Cambridge: Polity 1999)
16. Mandell, R. Sport: a cultural history, (New York: Columbia University Press. 1984)
17. Marshall, P. David Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture (Minneapolis, 1997)
18. Ponce de Leon, Charles L. Self-Exposure: Human-Interest Journalism and the Emergence of Celebrity in America, 1890–1940 (Chapel Hill, 2002).
19. Polanyi, K. The great transformation: the social and economic origins of our time, (Boston, MA: Beacon Press. 1968)
20. Postman, N. (1987) Amusing Ourselves to Death (London: Methuen).
21. Schickel, Richard Intimate Strangers: The Cult of Celebrity in America (New York, 1985; revised edition, Chicago, 2000)
22. Sennett, R. The culture of the new capitalism, (London: Yale University Press. 2006)
23. Smart, B. The sport star: modern sport and the cultural economy of sporting celebrity, (London: Sage. 2005)
24. Weber, M. The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, (London: George Allen & Unwin. 1976)
25. West, D. and Orman, J. (2002) Celebrity Politics (New Jersey : Prentice Hall).
26. Whannel, G. Media Sport Stars: Masculinities and Moralities. London: Routledge, 2002
27. Yallop, D. How they stole the game, (London: Poetic Publishing. 1999)