Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction

by Jake Halpern

The author of Welcome to the New World and Bad Paper discusses America’s obsession with celebrity in this 2007 investigation.Why do more people watch American Idol than the nightly news? What is it about Paris Hilton’s dating life that lures us so? Why do teenage girls—when given the option of “pressing a magic button and becoming either stronger, smarter, famous, or more beautiful” —predominantly opt for fame? In this entertaining and enlightening book, Jake Halpern explores the fascinating and often dark implications of America’s obsession with fame. He travels to a Hollywood home for aspiring child actors and enrolls in a program that trains celebrity assistants. He visits the offices of Us Weekly and a laboratory where monkeys give up food to stare at pictures of dominant members of their group. The book culminates in Halpern’s encounter with Rod Stewart’s biggest fan, a woman from Pittsburgh who nominated the singer for Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.Fame Junkies reveals how psychology, technology, and even evolution conspire to make the world of red carpets and velvet ropes so enthralling to all of us on the outside looking in.Praise for Fame Junkies“An astute look at the mighty vortex of fame, which this author believes will only get more powerful.” —Kirkus Reviews“Halpern displays an evocative, insiderish style reminiscent . . . of Tom Wolfe’s when he peered into 1960s celebrity culture.” —Wall Street Journal“A critical look at Americans’ infatuation with fame and determines that fame is elusive, desirable—and also possibly addictive . . . . [An] engaging study.” —Publishers Weekly

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Sociology, Pop Culture, Cultural, Celebrity, Society

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2006

Reviews

[Kressel Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I live in the Hasidic world where I’m fairly well-insulated from celebrity worship, my reaction to this book proves that fame still has the power to turn my head. As soon as I saw the title of the book, I had to read the summary, and as soon as I’d read that, I immediately got the book out of the library and put aside the book I’d been reading in favor of it. I whipped through it in a matter of days.

The book is very similar to the expose on the wedding industry I read earlier this year, One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding by Rebecca Mead. Just like Mead interviewed different people associated with different parts of the wedding industry, i.e. wedding planners, bridal shop owners, and a justice of the peace at a Las Vegas quickie chapel, this author, a colleague of hers at The New Yorker, interviewed people just on the periphery of fame, i.e. the head of a modeling/acting school and the kids who attend it, a paparazzo photographer, the personal assistants of several celebrities, and Rod Stewart’s #1 fan. Sprinkled throughout are psychological studies on self-esteem and reactions to fame. The insights are all pretty much common sense - we form “para-social” relationships with the celebrities we like; people seek fame because they want to be loved – but the journey is lots of fun. There is a little hand-wringing about what our culture has come to, but the tone is not overly judgmental. As the author makes clear, everybody, from a prominent Hollywood director to a professor of media studies to the author himself, loves getting attention, and everybody is impressed when others get it.

I recommend this book, especially to young people. A book that would teach us to be more satisfied with the love we’re getting would be better. That’s the ideal antidote to fame-seeking. But till then this is a good way for a teenager to be introduced to sociology. It’s an analysis of the dream world they know and love shown with a good hard dose of reality.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I have several star struck nieces who like to keep tabs on stars with ET, and other such shows. There was some intesting info in it. And I didn't disagree with most of the conclusions, but...

I find it a bit hard to bite that what holds true for 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders pertains to adults. The polling of those kids takes place at a time when most of us had more time on our hands than we ever would again, no life experience, and relatively few commitments outside the home. I'm not sure this group reflects the rest of the population very well.

It may be that the reason every one seems to know what the star of the moment is doing, is that it gets shoved down our throats. If you didn't want to know who was the father of Anna Nicole's baby - you basically had to turn off your TV and radio, not look at a magazine cover and stay off any internet news sites - for weeks!! My husband and I cancelled our subscription to Newsweek years ago because it seemed to be heading to a tabloid format.

The whole argument from the media "we only produce what people want to hear" is for the birds. Check out the variety of entertainment that is being acquired through enterprises such as Netflix. There is good demand for something other than the top box office films (not that they're all bad - but they're not all good either).

I don't doubt that entertainment is full of "fame junkies" - but don't you think there are also "artists" out there who feel a need to express themselves and to them the dog and pony show is just a necessary evil?

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man. I've owned this book forever but could never seem to get into it and actually sit down and read it. The topic of celebrity worship fascinates me - the importance that we put on 'famous' people interests me, but I never could seem to dedicate the right amount of time to the book. Yesterday, I began the frightening process of reorganizing my books - now seemed the time to read it.

The book, of course, was surprisingly readable.

While some of the information in the book comes off as dated (and that shouldn't be surprising, the book is probably more than five years old now) the premises that it lays down still ring true. We still attribute a frightening amount of time and effort towards following celebrities and analyzing their every movement. Celebrities, maybe now more than ever, dominate our conversations in ways that our personal lives don't. Why is this?

Halpern sets forth a variety of reasons to explain why these things are true for most people. The book is peppered with interviews and studies, personal analysis and experiences. In the end, the decision that is come to is that it's all glorified escapism - we look to fame as a way to validate ourselves. The answer, while it may appear obvious, still has quite the grain of truth to it.

So, all in all, a fascinating read.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

NPR producer and commentator Jake Halpern investigates America’s obsession with celebrity in this examination of what he refers to as “America’s Favorite Addiction”. Here, America’s children seem to be fame-starved and the lengths to which both they and their parents go to allow them to either bask in the light of fame, or hopefully to become famous themselves is both humorous and disturbing. The longing to share in the glow of prominence is certainly not a new desire and the author provides examples extending far back into our cultural history and even quotes some scientific studies suggesting that gossip and the status provided by celebrity may have provided an evolutionary advantage to successful reproduction. As fascinating as that theory may be I felt that the segment dealing with the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants (ACPA) to be truly dumbfounding. His interviews with young people who dedicate years of their lives---usually not for any significant financial gain or future---to serve and to be near celebrities are genuinely insightful into star worship in the modern age. The interviews are in-depth and interesting and the appendix is chuck-full of source material; an interesting journey into a seldom discussed topic.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ok. If you read media criticism or social commentary stuff there is probably nothing in it you haven't heard before [we are fed and consume the necessity of becoming famous; kids are more narcissistic these days; we're bowling alone and fantasizing about becoming stars to make up for lack of connections in real world; the Today show had more on Martha Stewart going to jail than on Darfur..............:].

Aside from the familiar big picture, some of the vignettes were interestng -- kids and their families getting ripped off by talent discovery camps/workshops, meetings of the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants, etc.

Overall, it made me appreciate the objectivity of my main hobby, distance running. People who can't carry a tune may be able to delude themselves that they're about to become the next Bruce Springsteen, but stopwatches don't lie, so it's hard to sustain the view that you'd be right up there with Kenenisa Bekele if only the right agent would discover you.

[Diana DeLaFuente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Americas obsession with Fame and Celebrities.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in grad school and never got around to reading it. I’m glad I finally did, ten years later. This study of fame happened in a really interesting cultural moment, which is probably is why I enjoyed reading it so much. This time period (basically my college years) was right after the advent of reality tv but right before the invention of the iPhone. In some ways, Halpern’s predictions and fears were unfounded because of how technology has shifted fame, yet in other ways it’s become so much worse. I would be interested in reading an update that analyzed how smart phones and social media have affected fame. Overall, an interesting read!

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't as trashy as it looks. It comes off as a genuine journalistic effort to understand why we're so interested in the famous. There's a healthy mix of facts and figures with anecdotal interviews and studies. The author's remove felt forced and maybe even a tad judgmental at times; he seemed too eager to draw conclusions. That says, some of the anecdotes and survey results are interesting. I don't think this is the best writing on the subject, but it's not bad.

[Hank Stuever · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very broad and almost impossible subject to harness; the struggle between finding new stories to tell and thoughts to have about celeb culture, as well as the struggle to find a balance between scorn and marvel.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-researched and interesting. Also very disturbing in some ways, although not disturbing enough to make me cancel my subscription to People magazine.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it more... but it just didn't get up & move somewhere interesting.

[Melody Newby]

I was given this book as a gift, however, I was drawn to the subject matter because I have always been interested in attaining some kind of fame for myself. When I was asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" as a child, I always responded, "A movie star". I even auditioned for acting programs going into university. To be honest, I am far from famous at all but the advent of social media has allowed me to enjoy something of a fan base online.
Why do we obsess over celebrities and want to be them/like them? Jake Halpern uses a variety of psychological theories and studies to explore why so many of North America's youth are pursuing fame. He throws out several possible reasons and observations: the entitlement of North America's youth, narcissistic personalities, the wanting to be part of something bigger, the need for acknowledgement and acceptance and the desire to place oneself as close to a celebrity as possible in order to acquire fame through osmosis were all ideas Halpern introduces as reasons people pursue fame, follow celebrities and try to meet them. I didn't enjoy the writing in the book. I felt it was too 'primary' for me, however, great for lower level readers or those who just want an easy read with very little challenges in comprehension.
Ultimately, Halpern deducts that our obsession with celebrities is not about them, it's about us and our needs and when those celebrities we claim to love grow old and fall out of the public eye, we discard them because they no longer fill that need. It's a sad conclusion, but I feel that he is on to something.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful look into why we care so much about celebrities. I think this book is so relevant today because we have a celebrity as president. We have constant access to celebrities through live video feeds on Instagram and Facebook, the apps themselves, Twitter, TMZ, etc. How is this affecting us emotionally, mentally?

Written in 2005 and almost foreshadowing our future: "American Idol has more viewers than the nightly news on the three major networks combined. And our interest in celebrities doesn't appear to be waning." So much so that our country just elected Donald Trump as president. The next page goes on to name him as one of men Americans most admired in a poll conducted by the Gallup Organization in 2005.

[Sotto · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like a series of articles about the same topic from a professional journalist, which it is. It centers on children who participate in the "star search" industry and their relationship to television and movies, using that as the principal springboard towards related topics of celebrity and perception of fame. However, Halpern lacks either a psychology or media studies background, so he doesn't know how to sift and assess the opinions provided to him (and to the reader) about Why the obsession with fame is more prominent in, for instance, USA culture, than in those of some other societies with mass media. As such, this felt like somewhat superficial, despite the writer's best intentions.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at our popular culture from the mid 2000's. Interesting read about that time period and even more interesting to see the fame worship phenomenon continue.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insubstantial with a few amusing stories, but nothing revelatory. Standard been there insight.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A depressing and painful read. Also a time capsule of the 2000s, published just a few years before social media revolutionized fame and how people can achieve it.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many interesting things but too much psycho-babble nonsense.

[Katie Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe this book was published in 2006?

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

did not like it and couldn't finish it - boring

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

From "Fame Junkies:"


[Hal Riddle, a retired character actor, grew up in Calhoun, Kentucky]. "And I'll tell you what: when you grow up there, Hollywood seems like a wonderful, far-off, never-never land -- a place of beauty and riches and everything else." He recalled when his father had taken him to see his very first movie, a saga about the life of Jesse James. "I remember that the audience was applauding these actors, and in my heart I wanted to be up there on that screen too."

When he was a young man, Riddle moved to New York City and found work as an actor in the theater. His first Broadway appearance was a supporting role in 'Mister Roberts;' his performance often earned a round of applause when he excited the stage. The first time this happened, he was overwhelmed: "I almost felt like a child who gets up and sings his ABCs for the first time and the teacher pats him on the head and says, 'Very good -- you learned them all.'" Eventually he moved to Hollywood, where he landed minor parts in a number of movies, including several with Elvis Presley. He remembers being desperate to have Elvis's fame. "Elvis got everything he prayed for and I didn't," he said with a smile. Then he added quietly, almost to himself, "Then again, look how things turned out for Elvis."


* * * * *


[Author Jake Halpern is attending the induction ceremony of Rod Stewart's Hollywood Walk of Fame star.]

Stewart made a very brief speech in which he thanked his family, his manager, his record label, and all his fans. Then he made his way off the stage and onto the sidewalk, where he posed for photographs alongside his star. The paparazzi immediately began yelling orders at him.

"Put your hand on the star!
"Put your foot on the star!"
"Dance for us!"
"Kneel down!"

The voices degenerated into a cacophony of wild barks. Soon fans joined the fray, desperately calling for Stewart to autograph some piece of memorabilia. Before long, even casual passersby began stopping to get a closer look, and as they did, a giant, pulsing mob began to form. "Who is at the center of all this?" asked a man who pressed close to me. His wife, who was just a step behind him, was trying to hold him back.

As the mob continued to grow, I saw Stewart shoot a panicky look at his pregnant fiancee. A handful of policemen and security guards pressed themselves against the mob and struggled to keep order, but the crowd had a will of its own, and there was little they could do. In the tumult I took an elbow to the head, was almost shoved into Stewart's oldest daughter, and somehow ended up back next to [Rod Stewart fan] Braunstein.

"This is awesome," she said, tears running down her cheeks. "There he is, standing by his star. I just can't believe it. I can't believe it."

Stewart and his visibly frightened family managed to make their way back to the giant stretch limo waiting by the curb. They doors slammed shut, the tired screeched, and the car sped away as a gang of desperate fans stood on their tiptoes to get one last glimpse of their idol.


* * * * *


"Why do you suppose most kids want to be famous?" I asked [eleven-year-old Clint, a former child actor].

"I think people don't want to be lonely. They want companionship, and fame is a substitute for that, I guess. You know, if you are a star, you aren't lonely, because there are always paparazzi and people like that around. I think the motivation for most people is that they want to be loved. Because you have to figure -- what is life like for most kids? If you live in a normal suburban neighborhood in Ohio, or some place like that, you go to school, you get hassled by the teachers, you come home, and you get hassled by your parents. And then you just stay in your room and watch TV and play video games all afternoon. Pretty lonely, isn't it?"

I asked him if he'd felt lonely after he quit acting.

"Yes, a little bit, I guess. It can be hard, because you get used to having everyone around you. You get hooked on the noise and the light. But I think that if you can't face yourself, then you shouldn't be doing this, and you probably need to sort some things out, because one day you won't have the job and the fame, and then -- when you're all grown up -- you'll really be afraid."

Clint paused for a moment, as if to mull over this final theory, and then added, "Well, I don't know for sure, because I have never been a grown-up."

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just beautiful.

[Glenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting read exploring some of the reasons why so many are interested in the lives of celebrities, including those wanting to become famous themselves, or those that simple want to be around the famous (i.e., celebrity personal assistants, fans/fan club presidents) or to BIRG (Bask In Reflected Glory).

I thought the aspects of "para social" relationships seemed particularly relevant, as described here: "The notion of such a relationship was first discussed by two psychologists, Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl, in a 1956 article for the journal Psychiatry. They argued that television gives viewers "the illusion of a face-to-face relationship with the performer." Over the course of many episodes, viewers come to feel that they know a given performer or a fictional persona." and "is it is now easier than ever to form para-social relationships—not just with fictional personae but with actual celebrities as well. It all comes down to access,…"

There is increasing isolation in our culture so it's easy to see how one might see either celebs or fictional characters as "friends" or part of their life by simple involvement through daily watching (think of Netflix and watching a favorite show over and again). The culture of fanfic, blogs, Pinterest boards, Facebook pages, etc. extends this reach - in both healthy and unhealthy ways I think.

It's not particularly surprising news, but it is a telling fact about our culture that celeb stories get more coverage than hard news (one example given was "in 2004 the nightly news shows on the three major networks spent a total of just 26 minutes covering the bloody conflict in Darfur and 130 minutes on the Martha Stewart scandal.")

The children seeking fame (or the examples he presented) were a bit sad - in that many of them are looking at it as a salve to other problems (being like or being popular) and at the end of the day, it's about wanting to belong and be loved, right?

I'm sure there are valid and good reasons to want to be famous, or want to BIRG; though those weren't really covered here (as expected).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a mix of scientific studies on fame/celebrity with tabloid allure. I wish the book hadn't come out before the real onslaught of social media (are teens now all celebrities on facebook?) and would have talked about teen athletes who are convinced that they are going to go Pro one day (another huge fame attraction for teens). But it was entertaining and a different perspective.

One thing that did bother me, though, were the studies cited to back up the claim that being a celebrity is a top pick for many teens (not that I argue that most teens aren't captivated by celebrity). This isn't really a problem with the book, but rather the folks behind the studies.

One was whether you wanted to be a celebrity or an option like (I may not have these 100% right): CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, Senator, or President of a Big University. All of these would essentially be another kind of celebrity in my view, and frankly, none would have appealed to me as a teen (or now--who wants to be the ultimate school principal or part of the mess that is Congress?!).

I also thought the offer between being smarter, prettier, physically stronger, or famous was a bum offer, too. Other than "smarter," isn't this just picking between shallow option A and shallow option B?

Overall, it was a strong reminder of how important it is that my children feel valued and validated and appreciated for who they are -- not for who they can pretend to be on TV. In my home, we also have religious beliefs that offer an alternative way to seek your self-worth and know unconditional love, which I hope will help buffer my kids against the allure of shiny Hollywood lies.

[Arjun Ravichandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalistic investigation into the various threads that run into the obsession with celebrity ; an obsession which has longed ceased to be simply an American phenomenon. The author visits a 'celebrity training home', a child beauty pageant, interviews several celebrity agents, personal assistants to celebrities and the like, in order to find the forces that drive this industry. He finds that the primary motivation for the celebrity industry is what the ancient philosophers have long held to be the attraction towards fame as an antidote : loneliness. The author finds that loneliness in its diverse forms, both an inherent as well as a socially-enforced loneliness, leads millions of people to fantasize about fame, and a small minority of these to actually seek it out. He also throws in some research from evolutionary psychology that suggests that the possession of fame is evolutionarily adaptive ; but the author himself seems to think that it is the overwhelming loneliness and alienation of life in the 21st century that is driving more and more people to look for some sort of a pseudo-love and validation from the anonymity of the masses. A decent read.

[Elaine Meszaros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halpern's wonderfully interesting (and far too short) book Fame Junkies explores the world of people drawn to fame. Divided into three sections, Halpern interviews and follows a legion of wanna-be child stars and their families, a group of celebrity assistants and a clutch of die-hard fans. Each group personally expends an inordinate amount their personal time and energy (and often money) to either try to attain a level of fame or simply to get near someone famous. The definition of fame, based on Halpern's subjects, can be tenuous. For many being famous does not mean being an A-list movie star, but merely an underwear model for Sears. Halpern interviews families in podunk towns shelling out thousands for their children to go to acting schools; starry-eyed assistants willing to work 18 hour days for peanuts in the service of C-list stars; and family members of fanatical groupies. Only in America.

[Cath Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about our obsession with fame. In other words, you read this to satisfy the same curiosity that made Halpern write the book in the first place.

I picked this book because the blurb said Halpern looks into the psychology of our interest in fame and that's the part that interested me. The book is light on that part - Halpern spends a few pages arguing that celebrity worship is a form of addiction and moves swiftly on to anecdotes about the fame industry itself - stage schools, pension homes for elderly actors and cattle calls for wannabe child stars.

It's mildly entertaining to read about the antics of Rod Stewart's biggest fan and to hear about the lengths some parents will go to in trying to fulfil their tot's ambition to be the next Britney Spears, but really this is Discovery Home and Leisure territory rather than serious psychology.

[The American Conservative]

'In his book Fame Junkies, Jake Halpern offers a consistently well researched and at times breathtakingly Felliniesque portrait of modern American celebrity obsession. This is a madhouse society, hopelessly removed from any of its natural origins, hopelessly consumed by artifice. It is also the temple in which so many of us worship, perpetually prostrate to an ever-growing pantheon of false gods. At his best, Halpern pushes aside the velvet curtains of fame’s sacristy, where we witness its full college of lonely, petrified, self-loathing cardinals—then realize that we are staring in a mirror.'

Read the full review, "All That Glitters," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author takes an interesting approach to understand why Americans are so addicted to fame. Each chapter discusses elements of fame addiction including people who work as celebrity assistants, children who pursue fame via talent agencies, and the popularity of tabloids. I liked how he used research studies to bring a "scientific" point of view to the discussion rather than just relying on anecdotal evidence. This book doesn't paint a pretty picture of those who are obsessed with celebrities- the whole point of his book seems to be that those who are, tend to come from difficult backgrounds and are often trying to fill an emotional void.

[Cameron Gallardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about the entertainment industry and how stars are made. It talked about the journeys a man had while he was investigating how child stars and people became successful in the entertainment industry.

Some things i liked about the book were the characters. They were all very different and had very interesting personalities.

I would recommend this book to people who are curious about the entertainment industry. Also i think you should be able to sit through this book. The book had its times when it was extremely dull and boring but other than that it was a really good read.