Posts Tagged ‘Celebrities’
Celebrities – 15 Minutes Of Fame
Image : http://www.flickr.com
Celebrities, for the most part, stand the test of time. Once they become stars, they remain stars until the day they die and even beyond. But there is another type of celebrity. This kind is known as the “fleeting celebrity”. They are said to have their “15 minutes of fame”, which was a phrase coined by the late Andy Warhol. Our culture has seen a number of these 15 minute wonders. We’re going to take a look at just a few of them here.
Why don’t we start off with two for the price of one? Remember quite a few years ago when a 16 year old girl by the name of Amy Fisher had an affair with a guy by the name of Joey Buttafuco? Amy ended up shooting the guy’s wife in the head and ended up going to prison for 6 years. Today, nobody gives her or Joey a second thought.
Then of course there was Monica Lewinsky who had sex with President Bill Clinton. Of course Clinton’s celebrity status has not diminished since, but Lewinsky has so fallen off the radar map that today nobody even knows where this woman is or what she’s doing.
Then there was the big scandal in the late 80s involving Jim Bakker, who began the Praise The Lord Ministry in Fort Hill, South Carolina in 1974. A big sex scandal and some shady business dealings involving the PTL landed Bakker in prison for 45 years. Most people today don’t even give him a second thought.
In the world of music, a guy by the name of Carl Douglas gave us the totally ridiculous song “Kung Fu Fighting”. While Douglas may have been yesterday’s news after that song mercifully fell off the charts, the song itself has been in more Kung Fu movies than you can possibly imagine. But NOBODY remembers who did it.
And then of course there was the novelty song of the 90s, “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. These bald headed brothers probably grew hair after this total embarrassment of a song. Neither one of them has been heard from since and the song only gets played as a parody. A very bad one.
In the world of comedy, there was probably no greater 15 minute of fame star than the one and only Unknown Comic. Murray Langston, who was so desperately in need of money at the time, didn’t want his friends to know so he put a bag over his head and appeared on the “Gong Show”. He was an instant hit. He also burned out faster than a speeding nova.
And of course who could ever forget the incomparable Blossom Rock? (who)? She just happened to play the grandmother on the short lived TV show “The Adams Family”. Rock was actually the little known sister of the famous actress Jeanette McDonald. Obviously she didn’t have quite he luck or he talent.
And the list goes on and on. So many that lasted so briefly. Makes you really appreciate those who have stood the test of time.
See Also : Painting Instructional Thai-English English-Thai Dictionary Free Online Advertising ideal_Decor American Mailbox
Celebrities and Contemporary Art
Image : http://www.flickr.com
The concept of contemporary art basically means art that’s relatively new. In this case, most art collectors consider the period from the 1960′s until now to be contemporary art, which would include people like Andy Warhol, Mark Titchner and Tim Hawkinson, but some will include earlier pieces from the 1930′s through the present as well.
Usually newer art doesn’t get as much attention as what came centuries earlier, but these days not only is it getting great attention, it’s worth a lot. And with that comes those with celebrity who find their way into the art collector world, sometimes in extremes.
The most recent news comes from Russia where steel magnate Roman Abramovich has actually purchased an island housing an old Russian military base for around $250 million with plans to build his own contemporary art museum. It’s unsure how many pieces he has, but it would be extremely odd for him to go to this length if he didn’t have a substantial collection.
But he wouldn’t be alone. Elton John is known to have a very extensive contemporary art collection that includes pieces from Warhol, Helmut Newton, and David Hockney, as well as one of the largest photography collections in the world that he splits between all of his residences. Neil Patrick Harris also has an extensive collection throughout his Los Angeles mansion, and often opens it up for viewing whenever he’s supporting a charity with works of Andrew Sendor and Tony Payne. And early in 2010, Gap founders Don and Doris Fisher showed a lot of generosity by donating around 1,100 contemporary art pieces to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to help it become one of the top museums in the world.
For the most part celebrities just love collecting contemporary art for their own purposes, and obviously it extends beyond just painting. Tobey Maguire is known throughout Hollywood as an extensive collector for many years. Jennifer Aniston not only collects paintings but also has a nice collection of glass works. Val Kilmer not only loves sculpture, he’s also been working on a sculpture park in New Mexico to exhibit his collection.
And that’s not all. Many celebrities are creating their own works as well and many have been sold for big dollars. Dennis Hopper was known for his photography collection and had raised a lot of money for charity before passing away in 2010. Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is a contemporary artist as well. Leonard Nimoy is known as a great contemporary photographer, especially after the release of his collection of zaftig women called The Full Body Project. Even Frank Sinatra, ol’ blue eyes himself, was a contemporary artist, creating a series of lithographs that are still very popular.
It’s no wonder that celebrities of today would be champions for the art of their time period. The same thing happened with art from the past as well. Everyone knows what they like, and celebrities have the funds to purchase as much of it as they can. Whether they’re buying it or creating it, celebrities and contemporary art go together very well
Friends Link : Personal Transporter. At Segway IPhone G3 Thai Food Good Health Antique Mailbox /aerobed/ American Mailbox
