Latest Publications on Persona and Celebrity
Dear Readers, I am pleased to announce that my latest chapter on persona, celebrity activism, and selfies has been published in the edited book Mobile and Digital Communication: Approaches to Public and Private. The chapter shows how we can strengthen the use of selfies and other representations of persona in celebrity activism. Receive a copy of the book at http://www.livroslabcom.ubi.pt/book/141#sthash.7VjSBxlh.A6VyZKyZ.dpuf. Special thanks to editors José Ricardo Carvalheiro and Ana Serrano Tellería for the book. I am also honoured to be mentioned in the edited book Bridging Gaps: Higher...
Read MoreIs there a Caitlyn Jenner in You and Me?
You know I talk about celebrity culture and the notion of popularity. The popular is not limited to celebrities. In fact celebrities are part of popular culture, and the signs of fame shed light on the successful functioning of many other popular representations. A recent example of popular representations is the way in which social media users displayed their affective response towards the US same-sex marriage laws. When a plethora of Facebook users applied a translucent rainbow flag on their profile pictures, I was inspired to support it. At the same time, I did not understand the hype....
Read MoreCritic on the Road
What happens when a critic is on the road and a well-known producer calls? More coming up on my upcoming blog post! The last 10 days were filled with passionate moments in Toronto, Kingston, and Mississauga. If you are on my Instagram, you will sense how walls move and the stillness of the silence speaks… how nature cannot be stopped and it creeps into our art… There are basic instincts that creep into one’s fame too. The boundary between the extraordinary and ordinary can be fluid. Currently I am finalizing my upcoming book chapter on selfies, celebrity and persona. It...
Read MoreNew York (2015) – Call for Short Films and Videos
New York (2015) – Call for Short Films and Videos The Terrace Club 25 W. 51st St. (Off Fifth Ave.) Manhattan, New York City September 2-3, 2015 Are you a researcher, filmmaker, broadcaster, videographer or screen image artist critically exploring celebrity culture and journalism in media? Receive a screening opportunity of your work and eligibility for $100 CMCS screen award at the Celebrity Chat (CC) Screening event in Manhattan, New York City. The screening will offer an international platform for creative researchers, filmmakers, broadcasters, and video artists that critically...
Read MoreKim or Caitlyn? Breaking Boundaries in Fame
A question that often comes to our mind: why is fame an important area to reflect on? For me, fame has had a pervasive presence in how fans engage in pleasures and identification, and in how they develop para-social relations with celebrities. The relationship is both material and symbolic. Fan practices such as circulation and re-mixing of celebrity images and texts have physical components. The practices also reflect and reinforce imaginary relations that hold affective and cultural values While the Kardarshians offer pleasures of hybrid identities, they also silence articulations of and...
Read MoreConference 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....
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