Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture

(Hardback)

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Description

This balanced examination looks at America's pervasive celebrity culture, concentrating on the period from 1950 to the present day. Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture is neither a stern critic nor an apologist for celebrity infatuation, a phenomenon that sometimes supplants more weighty matters yet constitutes one of our nation's biggest exports. This encyclopedia covers American celebrity culture from 1950 to 2008, examining its various aspectsand its impactthrough 86 entries by 30 expert contributors. Demonstrating that all celebrities are famous, but not all famous people are celebrities, the book cuts across the various entertainment medias and their legions of individual "stars." It looks at sports celebrities and examines the role of celebrity in more serious pursuits and institutions such as the news media, corporations, politics, the arts, medicine, and the law. Also included are entries devoted to such topics as paranoia and celebrity, one-name celebrities, celebrity nicknames, family unit celebrity, sidekick celebrities, and even criminal celebrities.

Reviews

This offers a much more thoughtful approach to celebrity than other pop culture works aimed at high school students and undergraduates. Recommended for high school, public, and undergraduate academic collections supporting curricula or interests in popular culture. * Library Journal *
This would be a good purchase for public libraries in particular but would also be of use in an academic library. * Booklist *

Author Bio

Sam G. Riley has been professor of communication at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA, since 1981.