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Archive: Extreme Fans
David Hasselhoff: Social Networking Pioneer
HoffSpace is a place where fans of Himself can congregate to exchange Hoff stories, share varying degrees of Hoff-mania and, under the rubric of a love for all things Hasselhoffian, "make the world a better place."
By Liz | August 21, 2008; 10:01 AM ET | Comments (92)
Dreaming of Brad Pitt Dollar Bills? The Latest in Celeb Memorabilia
This morning's headline about a piece of Shia LaBeouf's car wreck debris being up for grabs on eBay reminded me that I hadn't checked in on celebrity memorabilia auctions for quite some time. And here we are only five short months away from the holidays. If you act now, you may have a chance to win of the following one-of-a-kind items and make yourself the talk of the neighborhood. (The talk may be along the lines of "I can't believe Madison paid for that piece of *#$%," or "I think maybe Frank needs to be on medication," but hey -- there's no such thing as bad press, right?). Let's not suffer the humiliation of missing out on primo merch, like this, again: Brad Pitt Dollar Bill: From the description: "...genuine uncirculated REAL mint US Dollar Bill which depicts BRAD PITT. The Image of Brad is superimposed over George Washington on...
By Liz | July 31, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (27)
Celeb-Centric Art: The Etch-A-Sketchist
After news broke that Estelle Getty had passed away last week, the Etch-A-Sketchist got to work. (Image courtesy the Etch-A-Sketchist) Since my taste tends to run to the kitschy, some of my favorite art is celebrity inspired. I would be the first to dismiss my tabloid taste as lowbrow, if it weren't for the fact that Andy Warhol, too, found beauty in the faces of the famous -- beauty and something more: social commentary in its most bald (and bold) faced form. And so it is in the finest tradition of Warhol that we should view the work of the shadowy Etch-A-Sketchist, who has been rendering the faces of celebrities in aluminum powder since early 2007. Though, unlike Warhol's iconic works -- which now auction for millions, the Etch-A-Sketchist's works are fleeting -- each one disappearing back into the clouds of silvery dust inside the familiar red-framed toy, only...
By Liz | July 29, 2008; 11:15 AM ET | Comments (19)
What Would Jamie Lee Do?
Jamie Lee Curtis holds a steely vigil in the galley of the Virginia Responder. (Photo by Matt Nelson for washingtonpost.com) There isn't much debate about it -- we are a society of celebrity worshippers. And despite the most vehement protests that we couldn't possibly be that shallow, I was reminded -- yet again -- last week of just how completely members of the Screen Actors Guild have replaced religious dieties in our daily lives. We look up -- not to the heavens, but to the outsized faces that gaze down on us from the silver screen. Yes, there are outliers in any survey sample -- but I'd wager that People Magazine outpaces the presence of traditional religious icons in most American homes. Not that I'm complaining. This ever-deepening development is nothing but good for my business as a chronicler of the new pantheon of gods. But no matter how...
By Liz | June 30, 2008; 10:42 AM ET | Comments (87)
For Oprah, the Golden Touch
There's just something unnerving about a disembodied Oprah head floating in space and crowned with two dogs. I'm not the world's biggest Oprah fan, as has been made abundantly clear here in the past. The woman has an outsized ego and way too much sway over the minds (and spending habits) of middle America. That's why when I saw that Oprah was the latest subject of the one-note celeb-centric artist Daniel Edwards (yes, the same guy who brought us the NSFW Britney giving birth and Paris Hilton autopsy sculptures), my face immediately mimicked the look it gets when I find my own dog has unceremoniously left a present in the middle of the living room rug. (Image courtesy Leo Kesting Gallery) As if flesh-and-blood Oprah wasn't bad enough, Edwards has transformed Winfrey into a golden goddess, replete with flowing mane and supporting life-sized likenesses of her dead dogs Sophie and...
By Liz | May 15, 2008; 10:42 AM ET | Comments (53)
Doubletake: Celebrity Clones as Art
A Bush-a-like takes on the Rubik's Cube. (TASCHEN) Artist Alison Jackon's work gives one pause, to put it mildly. The British artist's work -- both on film and in still images -- centers on interjecting celebrity lookalikes into jaw-dropping scenarios. There's the peek inside a nightmarish Scientology-approved delivery room as Katie Holmes delivers Suri, playful shots of Princes William and Harry cavorting in Nazi regalia and peeks at a very domesticated Paris Hilton behind bars. Casual observers, though, can easily mistake Jackson's fantastical, elaborate recreations as the real thing. Maybe because we suspect they mirror reality. Jackson describes herself as an interpreter of public fantasies, an artist giving concrete form to our wild speculations and shrewdly tapping into the insatiable appetite for celebrity dirt. "It's really about an obsession with celebrity and how we think we know celebrities intimately, but we don't really know them for real," said Jackson....
By Liz | November 8, 2007; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (0)
Morning Mix: Lindsay Lohan Turns Herself In
Headlines: Lindsay Lohan turns herself in to police for Memorial Day crash... Dave Chappelle surfaces in D.C... Larry David's wife files for divorce... Benicio Del Toro to play Che Guevara in new Soderbergh film... Brigitte Nielsen checks into rehab... Sarah Silverman feels bad about Paris Hilton joke... Courtney Love writes indecipherable blog post... Jeremy Piven says his niece plays Will Ferrell's "landlord"... Ewan McGregor is new face of Davidoff fragrance... Tom Cruise suits up for "Valkyrie"... Tara Reid, all green and scary... Oooh! The Two Coreys fight on their upcoming reality show (video). Rumor Mill: Paul McCartney offers Heather Mills $143M divorce settlement... Britney Spears shooting video for new single "Get Back"... Production of Lindsay Lohan's new movie shuts down after Vegas visit spooks backers... Paris Hilton practices her lap dancing skills on Suge Knight. Say What? "I shoved him a couple of times vigorously up against the wall. It...
By Liz | July 20, 2007; 08:03 AM ET | Comments (0)
Angelina Jolie: Purty as a Picture
"Blessed Art Thou" by Kate Kretz. (Source: Kate's Studio) When I saw this painting of Angelina Jolie by North Carolina artist Kate Kretz (on display starting tomorrow at Art Miami 2007), I immediately regretted my lunch of three-alarm Tofurkey chili. There ought to be some kind of warning, you know, because a nice bland broth would've been a lot easier on my churning stomach. See, I pride myself on being a highly creative person who, if I so chose, would produce incredibly relevant, stunning art that would probably change the world in some significant way. I, however, am way too lazy to apply paint to canvas, but feel my hidden talents qualify me to compare this painting unfavorably to a velvet Elvis. To be fair, though, I sought the opinion of a real critic, someone attuned to the peculiarities of the art world, and someone who might interpret an...
By Liz | January 4, 2007; 10:43 AM ET | Comments (80)
He Oughta Be in Pictures
Noah K. with Paris Hilton. (Photo courtesy Noah Kalina) If you watched VH1's "Big in '06" awards show earlier this month, you might have noticed the random photos of stars leading into and out of commercial breaks. From Paris Hilton to Flavor Flav to Danny Bonaduce, they all had one thing in common: Noah Kalina. Who is Noah Kalina? He's the mastermind behind the Web site Noah K. Everyday -- a six-year (so far) archive of self-portraits -- and the viral video hit based on the project. VH1 asked Kalina to slightly modify his project for the awards show and the result is now compiled on Kalina's flickr stream. Yesterday, Kalina and I e-mailed about what it's like being an Internet sensation, which stars played nice and why Will.i.am was kind of annoying: Liz: Although you're probably sick of it, can you briefly describe the premise behind Noah K....
By Liz | December 22, 2006; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (20)
Celebritology, the Religion
In the beginning, washingtonpost.com had a great idea. It would be a blog about culture and simultaneously feed and examine the insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip, photos and general table scraps. It would be called "Celebritology." The Church of Celebritology marches in Telluride's 2005 Independence Day parade. (Photo courtesy Brian Werner) Brian Werner, a Telluride, Colo., technical consultant also had a great idea. It involved turning a magnifying glass on our culture's burgeoning idolization of actors, musicians, models and bold names in general. He would also call it "Celebritology" and, along with a busload of friends, march in a 2005 Independence Day parade carrying signs bearing images of the new gods -- Tom, Katie, Brad, Angie, Madge, Lindsay -- and messages like "What Would J.Lo Do?," "Britney's Baby Will Be Bring Balance to the Force" and (my favorite) "Jim Caviezel Died for Our Sins." It was inevitable that one day,...
By Liz | September 26, 2006; 11:34 AM ET | Comments (12)
Let Beyonce Have Her Day
Let's admit that this petition movement by so-called "fans" demanding a re-shoot of the "Deja Vu" video is a bit much. I've now decided to jump on the leave-the-video-alone bandwagon with the rest of her true fans. I mean really, cut the sista a break. Let the video run as is! Despite what some folks say, I am digging Beyonce's new single "Deja Vu," the first cut from her soon-to-be released sophomore album entitled B'Day. I admit it's not perfect. The lyrics don't exactly jibe with the title. Per dictionary.com, deja vu means "an impression of having seen or experienced something before" and Beyonce seems to be singing about obsession, "an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone." Yes, people, yes, the "Deja Vu" video may resemble her "Crazy In Love" video and her "Baby Boy" video and pretty much every other video and live performance she's done...
By | July 28, 2006; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (22)
Portrait of the Absurdist
She may not be an extreme "fan", per se, but if you were to describe "14" (yes, 14) as extremely fascinated by celebrities, you'd be right. For the past year, the San Francisco-based artist has made celebrities the focus of her work. And far from emulating celeb-centric art that borders on religious iconography, have no fear -- 14's work has little in common with the fawning velvet paintings of yesteryear. 14 uses the tools at her disposal -- pen, paint, computer and one magnificent time-suck of a blog -- to skewer, rather than glorify, celebrity. Her art borrows elements from tabloids, editorial cartoons, advertising and even textbook illustrations to illuminate a world of distorted values, inflated egos and undeniable appeal. (Courtesy galleryoftheabsurd.com) Recently, I interviewed 14 via e-mail....
By Liz | June 27, 2006; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (11)
Back to the Sneaker
Today we take a look at the other end of the celebrity spectrum: the extreme fan. Maybe you know one -- your husband has a curio cabinet bursting with Simpsons action figures or your brother has criss-crossed the country following the Dead or Phish. (I draw these examples completely out of my backside; they have no relation to my family at all. Really.) Still, no matter how many examples I can produce, they are reduced to non-committal hobbies when compared to one man's quest for what he describes as the "holy grail" of movie sneakers: The McFlys. The McFlys. (Courtesy Al Cabino) So far, Canadian Al Cabino has collected over 19,000 virtual signatures on his petition asking Nike to reproduce the sneakers worn by Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future II." "I coined the term 'sneaker activism'," boasts Cabino. And we believe him, having never heard it before....
By Liz | June 13, 2006; 10:44 AM ET | Comments (0)
