Conference Corners
I have just over 7 days left for the inaugural Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) conference in Toronto – it will be an honour and pleasure to finally meet all delegates in person. Part of me is in New York as I am also organizing our next media conference there and being interviewed for Shannon Skinner’s new radio show this week. I am grateful for the opportunities to speak and looking forward to sharing views on celebrities at the conferences and in media. Historically, stardom had its origins in Hollywood where film played a role in creating the actor as a star....
Read MoreNew York (2015) Bridging Gaps: Where is the Persona in Celebrity and Journalism?
The Terrace Club 25 W. 51st St. (Off Fifth Ave.) New York, NY September 2-3, 2015 In tabloid journalism and in social media, gossip, rumors and scandals about celebrities develop intimacy among fans. Such gossip and rumour mongering serves a purpose in society: to build a common moral ground on the backs of celebrity lives. However what about the celebrities themselves whose emotional lives are consumed by us? The production, circulation and reception of these celebrities then negate the democratic role of journalism in providing value-free information and undermine artistic talent and...
Read MoreRed Light Express
Can a red light become just light? I think so. I am not talking about traffic lights or electromagnetic radiation. I am talking about red light districts, where girls are trafficked in sex trade. My cousin Trina Talkudar, co-founder of anti-trafficking NGO Kranti, empowers Asia’s most infamous red-light area in Mumbai and turns daughters of sex workers into agents of social change. I was in awe and admiration when I heard personal stories during her graduation in Washington D.C. last month. I was also pleased to meet and share time with Sheetal Jain, one of the revolutionary daughters who...
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