In Starstruck, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett presents the first rigorous exploration of celebrity, arguing that our desire to “celebrate” some people and not others has profound implications, elevating social statuses, making or breaking careers and companies, and generating astronomical dividends. Tracing the phenomenon from the art world to tabletop gaming conventions to the film industry, Currid-Halkett looks at celebrity as an expression of economics, geography (both real and virtual), and networking strategies.
Starstruck brings together extensive statistical research and analysis, along with interviews with top agents and publicists, YouTube executives, major art dealers and gallery directors, Bollywood players, and sports experts. Laying out the enormous impact of the celebrity industry and identifying the patterns by which individuals become stars, Currid-Halkett successfully makes the argument that celebrity is an important social phenomenon and a driving force in the worldwide economy.
“Starstruck makes me supremely glad of two things. First, that Elizabeth Currid-Halkett has produced this in-depth, intelligent, and passionate book on the shiny phenomenon of celebrity. Second, that I’m not famous.”—Sloane Crosley, author of How Did You Get This Number
“Elizabeth Currid-Halkett is a keen observer of popular culture and the contemporary world around us. Through her in-depth research and accessible writing style she convincingly demonstrates celebrity’s social and economic importance. Currid-Halkett proves she is one of the brightest thinkers and scholars of her generation.”—Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class
“This splendid book is the best treatment of celebrity today. It shows how modern celebrity can be understood, how much the culture of celebrity is big business, and how much celebrity matters for understanding each and every one of our lives.”—Tyler Cowen, author of Discover Your Inner Economist, and coauthor of the Marginal Revolution blog
“A brilliant, in-depth examination of that rather slippery condition we call celebrity. Starstruck weaves together an astounding mix of elements and shows us how we all actually contribute to and share in the making of celebrity. In a wonderful cultural turn, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett captures some of the reasons that people do the hard work of tracking and allocating celebrity.”—Saskia Sassen, author of A Sociology of Globalization and The Global City
“With analytic gusto, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett takes on a force larger than the stars––the underlying system that demarcates a few specific others as worthy of special attention and as a basis for emulation, amusement, and investment. Celebrity is, Starstruck convincingly shows, an omnipresent basis of social organization. This book gives it, at long last, appropriate dignity as a topic for serious inquiry.”—Harvey Molotch, author of Where Stuff Comes From
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett is the author of The Warhol Economy and an assistant professor at the University of Southern California. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Columbia University and lives in Los Angeles.
M and I met briefly several years ago on a tree-lined street in New York City’s West Village. He knew the man I was with, and when M said hello he introduced himself to me as well. We spoke for perhaps ninety seconds. I have not seen him since. He did ask for my e-mail address, and at some point I got an e-mail asking if I would like to be friends with him on Facebook.
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett discusses Kanye West, social media, and the difference between fame and celebrity.
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett presents her latest book, Starstruck: The Business of Celebrity, at the 2011 Literary Luncheon hosted by the Friends of the USC Libraries in Doheny Memorial Library.
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