NEW EQUALLY CONSTRUCTED VERSION OF CELEBRITY
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Celebrity. There has always been an aura around that word that intrigues the ordinary person. The number of tabloids, the red carpet treatment and the late night interviews all showcase the fascinating relationship that exists between the celebrity and the average Joe. When one thinks of celebrities the biggest names automatically come to mind: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ben Stiller, and the like. However, with the plethora of daytime talk shows, one could argue that a new, equally constructed, version of celebrity is developing. Trisha, Britain's popular talk show, brings on ordinary guests to expose secrets, cast them into roles for the audience, and turn them into mini celebrities that are famous for nothing but being ordinary (or sometimes a little deviant than ordinary).
"the celebrity of talk-show guests depends on audience having unfettered access- or at least the perception of unfettered access- to the private self." (Grindstaff 165) The attraction the audience has with talk-show guests is the guilty pleasure in watching real human emotion live. Whether it's rage over someone's spouse cheating, or it's sorrow for the mother who lost her two daughters and is meeting the drunk driver that killed them, or it's happiness for the reunited twins, human emotion draws the audience in to the lives of these ordinary people. With true celebrities there's always a wall between the celebrity and their fans...