and actor Robert De Niro are international celebrities for their respective
work. A 'celebrity' is a widely-recognized or notable person who commands a high
degree of public and media attention. The word stems from the Latin verb
"celebrere" but they may not become a celebrity unless public and mass media
interest is piqued. There are degrees of celebrity status which vary based on an individual's region
or field of notoriety. While someone might be a celebrity to some people, to
others they may be completely unknown. A global celebrity on the other hand is someone who is known by most people or
is a mainstream celebrity. Such celebrities are also known as either a
'household name' or superstar. For example, Virgin Director Richard Branson was
notable as a CEO, but he did not become a global celebrity until he attempted to
circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon and generate publicity for
himself. Another high profile categorisation of celebrity status is the A-list,
based on the marketability of celebrities. Generally speaking, a celebrity is someone who seeks media attention and most
frequently have extroverted personalities. The desire to be notable is implied
by some to be a part of western culture and more specifically the American Dream
as a measure of success. Celebrities that shy away from the public eye or keep a
very separate private life are called a 'reluctant celebrity'. A notable example
is Kurt Cobain. On the oher end of the spectrum, those that seek out publicity
for themselves are often called a 'media tart' whereas those that use their
private life as a vehicle for enhanced celebrity status, sometimes desperately,
are referred to as a 'media whore'. Examples of this are fake or planned
relationships, reality television appearances, celebrity nudity and in extreme
cases, scandal or celebrity sex tape. There are a wide range of ways people can become celebrities, from their
profession, appearances in the mass media, beauty or even by complete accident
or infamy. 'Instent celebrity' is the term that is used when someone becomes a
celebrity in very short period of time. In some places, someone that somehow achieves a small amount of transient fame
through hype or mass media, is stereotyped as a 'B-grade celebrity'. Often the
stereotype extends to someone that falls short of mainstream or persistent fame
but seeks to extend or exploit it. In the 20th Century, the insatiable public fascination for celebrities and
appetite for celebrity gossip has seen the rise of the gossip columnist,
tabloid, paparazzi and celebrity blogging.
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