Crossover Celebrities

Almost everywhere you look these days, there are celebrities crossing over into new industries.  Singers begin starring in movies, athletes make rap albums, movie stars start their own clothing line, etc.  Some times the forays are successful, while other times they fail miserably.  For example, Will Smith started his career as an MC in West Philadelphia.  He produced four solo albums and won multiple grammys for songs such as “Getting’ Jiggy wit It” and “Summertime”.  He then starred in the show The Fresh-Prince of Bel Air, which was one of my favorite sit-coms to watch when I was growing up.  His success as an actor transitioned to the big screen, where he has starred in films like Ali, Bad Boys, and Hancock.  In 2007, Newsweek even labeled Will Smith as the most powerful actor on the planet.  His ability to succeed in the music, television, and movie industries has turned him into a true megastar.  The majority of the time, however, celebrities have not been so fortunate.  When Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan tried to make successful albums, they proceeding in making fools of themselves and gained no respect in the music industry. 

Celebrities often feel like they can go into other industries and automatically be successful because they were able to do so in one entertainment genre.  This blurs the lines between the two stories of fame that Joshua Gamson outlined.  While the stars may have originally achieved fame through their talent or “fame as greatness”, they try to manufacture additional fame in whatever new industry they venture into.  Most times, the stars do not have true talent in the other branch of entertainment, but they are given a chance and given publicity because they have already created a name for themselves.  Personally, I think that unless a star shows actual talent, their every whim to become a singer or an actor should not be entertained.  It is a waste of resources and time that could be better spent on finding actual raw talent.  I understand that their name or their “brand” may initially draw an audience, but a name only goes so far and in today’s society celebrities are easily replaced.