Creative Artist Ashima Suri – Idols, Re-Birth and Celebration
Dear Readers, Toronto-based Creative Artist Ashima Suri’s words are inspiring and shed light on embracing iconic figures in popular culture and in everyday life: “The moment you put someone on a pedestal and idolize them is the moment you begin to move from appreciation to expectation. From unity to separateness. Creating an us vs them model that will never please you…It will just keep you from having a real connection with someone. Leaving you frustrated and alone. Friends – we are all one. We’ve taken different paths, lived different lives, dreamt different dreams but … We are one and...
Read MoreCall for Papers: Revisiting Star Studies 2013
From the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA) The Research Centre in Film & Digital Media at Newcastle University, UK, will host an international conference, Revisiting Star Studies, on June 12-14, 2013. Keynote speakers: Dr Stephanie Dennison (University of Leeds), Dr Neepa Majumdar (University of Pittsburgh), Prof Yingjin Zhang (University of California-San Diego). Dr Martin Shingler (University of Sunderland), co-editor of the recently-launched BFI Film Stars series, will also host a panel on this new project. Since its inception in the pioneering works of...
Read MoreWhy Fame?
Dear Readers, I am writing from my beautiful summer home in Barcelona where I took up a post-PhD thesis writing retreat. The home has an arts library where I find myself reading, writing, and connecting with creative souls. After I read and write, I often seek new paths among Roman ruins, Medieval Gothic architecture, and contemporary art spaces where many heroes and artists received fame. In my last post, I mentioned my focus on celebrity culture. I have been often asked: what is it about fame that appeals me and calls my attention in cultural studies? Let us address this question with a...
Read MoreWelcome to Celebrity Cultural Critic’s Blog
Writing from my home in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada and sending a warm welcome to this new blog! It has been 8 weeks since I submitted my PhD dissertation at Curtin University in Australia. My research and practice examine construction of celebrities within social discourses, cultural meanings of fame, and how stardom is shifted and articulated through various cultural sites. These sites include film festivals, award ceremonies, gala film premieres, entertainment magazines, reality TV shows, and the Internet among many others. As a Celebrity Cultural Critic, I offer critical...
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