Celebrity: How Entertainers Took Over The World and Why We Need an Exit Strategy

(Paperback)

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Description

A brilliant, hilarious thinking person's guide to a world obsessed to the point of lunacy by celebrity- a guide to our times and a classic piece of comic writing. These days, entertainers no longer just entertain- they advocate dubious 'religions', work for the United Nations, get face-time with heads of state and monopolise problems they are infinitely qualified to solve - problems like Africa, the Middle East, and AIDS. We stand at the beginning of a bright new chapter in human history. Feast your eyes, then, on Sharon Stone's peace mission to Israel, on a world where Angelina Jolie advises on the Iraqi reconstruction effort or Charlie Sheen analyses 9/11, and in which Jude Law's attempts to establish contact with the Taliban are reported without irony. Celebrity is a roadmap, a survivalist's guide, a Rosetta Stone for our times- without a copy you are not equipped to engage with the world...

Reviews

An excoriating, needle-sharp and superbly funny attack on the 'stars' who abuse their fame * Metro *
This hilarious romp through modern culture by the Guardian columnist highlights the bizarre reach of hollow fame these days... Shudder-inducingly funny * The Big Issue *
If you like sharp, funny and super-smart, Marina Hyde is your woman -- Jonathan Freedland
She is one of those rare writers who are the same in person as they are on the page, damn good fun... It's a brilliant read, a surreal whistle-stop tour through the rogues' gallery of 21st century celebrities -- Chitra Ramaswamy * Scotland on Sunday *
Much of Hyde's material will be familiar...made me laugh out loud...outrageous and opening * Guardian *

Author Bio

Marina Hyde read English at Christ Church, Oxford, and started in journalism as a temporary secretary on the Sun's showbiz desk. She has worked at the Guardian since 2000, where her three weekly columns - on sport, celebrity and politics - have won her a reputation as one of the funniest and most admired journalists in the UK. She lives in London.