I respect those that work 24/7 to fulfil what they deem as celebrity. They know they have the base talent, they've probably never seen it any other way. They haven't relied on being given anything, and for that reason they treat it as a privilege, enjoying the constant attention on their lives. Lady Gaga is a great example of this kind of global superstar, milking it for everything its worth, being completely over the top because she loves it.
The other side of American super-stardom is the Mickey Mouse Club, a factory for confident kids in the 80s and 90s who created the super huge Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake, and the now faded Britney (who absolutely smashed the pop world at her height, and has now paid the price for such early success) and Christina Aguilera. While this platform has been swallowed up by noughties' TV and internet, it continues at a more frightening pace with industry-wide investment in super teens who can access the lucrative market of largely young girls; Bieber, Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift, 1D.
The Gos and JT will be relieved to have had their opportunities before such high pressure cooking became the yardstick for any wannabe global stars.
I've explained why I enjoy seeing Lady Gaga everywhere but not One Direction, despite their shared profession. But the 'celebrities' below have my respect for a more subtle reason, and I'm not totally sure why myself. First of all I'm giving Yung Lean another 's/o'. He isn't really a celebrity (yet), but emulates the lifestyle, as any self respecting rapper should. His videos and songs are the perfect reflection of what American money and fame means to us young adults. They're pretty stupid, but really good.
Lana Del Rey deftly treads the line between completely staged and manufactured pop perfection and clumsy sensitive soul girl who just wants to lull us into her world of nostalgia. At the moment I love the what can be reached by the latter reality, via her dreamy videos and awkward interviews, so she has my attention. Also, the picture below is just charming; backward cap, tired innocent face, jacket for a sport she's never seen...
Since first hearing Nirvana on an iPod on a school trip I've known that they're songs are some of the best for making me feel rebellious and philosophical at the same time. Kurt Cobain is the complete embodiment of this attitude for me, and everything I've read and seen about him since has confirmed this. While he couldn't have known or wanted his legacy to have been anything beyond living and dying I believe the guy was a hero for millions for being a failure, and the glimpses we have of his life are made all the more hopeful/miserable because of his infamous crash and burn. He was anti-fame as we see it today, but that didn't stop him spending the money that came from being the magazine cover of grunge. His life ended at the point of global celebrity, which continued long after death, accompanied by the uncomfortable truth that while he was here he didn't have the best of times.
Moving on, because that came close to becoming another cliche obituary to Kurt Cobain. The use of one's celebrity, what you achieve with your fame and power, is vital when judging these superstars. George Clooney and Matt Damon's activism is commendable considering the ease with which their peers stay away from any meaningful action. Celebrity political activity isn't new of course but George Clooney's purchase of a spy satellite over Southern Sudan and Matt Damon's water.org efforts demonstrate the adjustments of scale for 21st century celebrities responsibilities.
Marlon Brando was a highly respected actor who also used his position to advance certain causes, way before Clooney and Damon. His refusal to accept his Oscar for The Godfather was a bold statement that he wasn't in agreement with Hollywood just because they loved him. He also shot this unbelievable screen test when he was 23 for Rebel Without a Cause (obviously he didn't get it, the equally talented James Dean went on to smash it). His roles as the Godfather and Kurtz were other worldly, something you see and realise what acting could be. His charm and good looks gave him good cause to be considered a Hollywood great.
Joaquin Phoenix deserves a paragraph for his I'm Still Here stunt alone (a top watch for those looking into the issues of modern celebrity), but his real life is just as fascinating. One of 6, he changed his name to Leaf when he was 5, after his family had changed their surname to Phoenix to symbolise their new beginnings in the US after returning from time spent in Venezuela as missionaries . His brother, River, was brilliant in everything as a child star and tragically never got to reach his potential as a mature actor, dying at age 23 from an overdose which rocked Hollywood. Joaquin followed his older brother in landing his first film role in 1989, the brilliant Parenthood, where his performance sets the tone for subsequent roles in Gladiator, Walk the Line and The Master; a kind of brooding awkwardness with underlying anger. His interviews are hideous to watch, all the more reason to like him.
Ok so this descended into a list of celebrities I like, but I promise it started out as an attempt to describe the features of celebrity which I think make them so interesting to us mere mortals. Hopefully you can draw from some of the explanations the reasons some celebrities deserve our attention, and why some of them are a waste of everyone's time.
P.s. One last complication to placing these people either side of the like/dislike seperator:
Some might consider Kanye West the ultimate arrogant, ungrateful, privileged multi-millionaire in all of celebdom (how dare he insult poor fragile Taylor Swift) but who cares when he performs this well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuZEjI0AWRY (unfortunately I can't embed it)
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