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 MoreThe Moving Writer
Dear Readers, Books, blogs and reflections are filling my week in Canada. I just came back from Portugal, where I was invited as a speaker on celebrity, persona and selfies in activism. It was an honour to present developments in celebrity activism for human rights, animal rights, and environmental sustainability at the Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI) there. Representation of invisible human conditions and non-human animals in The Save Movement and were deeply touching and memorable for me. Gratitude goes to Dr Anita Krajnc for bearing witness and offering the images that I presented...
Read MoreFrom Publications to Public Lectures
Dear Readers, I am writing from Toronto Pearson International Airport – had a lovely stay in Canada where I got covered in Chatelaine and Flare magazines. Thanks to writer Sydney Loney for her excellent interview and views. The article reached out to over 120K readers this month. Check out Chatelaine’s April issue for the print edition of her article – will be in newsstands across Canada soon! I am also thrilled to announce that my article “Theatre, Performance and Memory in Fame” is now part of the Double Special Issue: ‘Audiences for stardom and...
Read MoreWriting in Transit
Dear Readers, Hope March started off well for all! It is a pleasure to update that I just received Celebrity and the Media from University of Portsmouth in the UK. I am looking forward to reviewing the book for Routledge publishers next month. I received the offer while I was travelling from Australia to Canada. You can have a glimpse of my latest journey here: https://instagram.com/samitanandy. In Australia, my co-author Dr Hilary Wheaton and I had the honour and pleasure to speak at the inaugural Persona Studies symposium. The talk was based on an area that we are passionate about: the...
Read More
Recent Comments