Why would anyone want to be famous?

[Golden_Rhino]

I always figured it might have been fun to be part of a flavour of the month type band. You get to enjoy the chicks and cars for a while, but eventually you can be a regular guy again (and be rich on top of it). I'd rather be one of the guys from New Kids on the Block than Mick Jagger.

[MicroBob]

I don't think it qualifies as a big deal and I thought I made it pretty clear that my radio experience was so small-time as to be pretty inconsequential.

But I do have some limited experience of having people come up to me and ask for my autograph or photo.
So even though I wouldn't consider myself famous in the least I still thought my observations were relevant.

[adsman]

I got a taste of what fame might be like when living as a white guy in Africa. When I walked down the street complete starngers wanted to talk to me as if I was their best friend. When I walked into a restaurant or bar people stopped and stared, (in a friendly way). Girls would constantly come up and try to hit on me.

After about two weeks it completely sucked.

[context]

People think "X will never happen to me". Combine that with; Fame = Fortune.

Most people don't consider that the darker side of fame will effect them. Or, even if they realise that some of it will catch up with them, I'd guess many people secretly want it to. Celebs are treated differently in society. They get away with murder (literally true in some cases) and can abuse others almost with impunity. Certainly in the UK this seems to be universally true (it's nice to see some celebs being made to do community service over in the US lately, though I wonder if they would have received much harsher penalties had they not been celebs). Is Pete Docherty famous in the US? He's a two-bit pop star with almost no tallent (in my opinion), he's had very little chart success (I know that's not a good indicator of tallent) and is totally drug riddled, has been arrested (literally) dozens of times for drug offences, fails to appear in court, trashes hotel rooms, abuses people, squirted a syringe of his blood over a film crew that were supposed to interview him (nice! the bloody of an intravenous drug user...), yet he walks free every single time! The press love him, he's voted most cool celeb in many mags, people buy his records because of his status NOT his music ability (or at least I'm convinced they do, and yet he still doesn't get many hits) of course his relationship with Kate Moss bumps up his "cool" status. He is famous, and gets away with anything/everything, presumably has money, does what he likes. To a kid growing up in the UK, why would you not want to be like him?

These days, all you have to do is appear on a reality tv show to become famous, or at least that's what many people think. I doubt she's famous in the US, but a certain Jade Goody was on a series of Big Brother over here. She is talentless in almost every way (except perhaps that ability to self publicise). She is ignorant, and frequently goes out of her way to embaress herself. She became a millionaire overnight by appearing on that show. She has been voted at the top of a list of icons and role models for kids in this country. She does nothing, has achieved nothing, other than her "fame".

To be a celeb means you are rich. You are treated as special, will get into any restaurant/event you want to. Can treat others as dirt and be rewarded. If you screw up you can make more money by selling your story to a tabloid, or a glossy mage like Hello. You can sell your wedding photos for a million or two to the same magazine.

Anyone here ever worked in a factory? Having zero education, and zero prospects, a job that means nothing. Why would you not want to be famous? The clamour for reality tv fame seems pretty obvious for many people. Sit in a house for a few months, do something sexual on camera and sell your story to the papers when you come out. If it works you're a famous millionaire, if it doesn't you're still a minor celeb to your friends and family. Down the pub you'll get a string of people want to know you, and girls that want to sleep with you (if you're a guy, or a girl that bats for the same team). Of course, that's one of the other reasons people want fame, as has been mentioned already. You get to sleep with people [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. I remember a documentary about football players (soccer), a certain player, Ian Walker, was describing how he'd go out clubing in London (he was playing for Spurs at the time I think). As a top sports star he obviosuly got to sit in a VIP area with his friends and his wife. They went to the same clubs in the area where he lived and was well known to the regulars. He constantly had young girls come up to him and basically offer him sex, while his wife was sitting next him. These girls where regulars, by all acounts they went to the club because they knew the players would be there. They knew who his wife was and that she was sitting next him, yet it didn't stop them. So, again, why would you NOT want to be famous?

[Rootabager]

I would think getting chicks would outweigh any downside of being famous.

[4_2_it]

[ QUOTE ]
I would think getting chicks would outweigh any downside of being famous.

[/ QUOTE ]

You realize you don't have to famous to date hot women. I'd like be rich, but not rich enough to be famous. Maybe worth $100-$200 million from owning a private company along the lines of Dart. I could live and do as I please without worrying about keeping up a reputation or public persona. It would be easy to date hot women, if that was my biggest objective.

[NozeCandy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would think getting chicks would outweigh any downside of being famous.

[/ QUOTE ]

You realize you don't have to famous to date hot women. I'd like be rich, but not rich enough to be famous. Maybe worth $100-$200 million from owning a private company along the lines of Dart. I could live and do as I please without worrying about keeping up a reputation or public persona. It would be easy to date hot women, if that was my biggest objective.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, the Dart's do live quite well. They're from my hometown.

[bwana devil]

[ QUOTE ]
I got a taste of what fame might be like when living as a white guy in Africa. When I walked down the street complete starngers wanted to talk to me as if I was their best friend. When I walked into a restaurant or bar people stopped and stared, (in a friendly way). Girls would constantly come up and try to hit on me.

After about two weeks it completely sucked.

[/ QUOTE ]

i had a similar experience when staying deep in mexico for a month. i went to visit a friend and when we walked down the street talking english, people would stop what they were doing and just openly stare at me. being over 6', english-speaking and blonde, i stuck out badly. people came up to me on the street and wanted to meet me and take my picture.

it was funny the first week but it grew old fast.

[HP]

I want to be famous for being awesome. I want everyone thinking I'm awesome.

[NaturalSelection]

[ QUOTE ]
I want to be famous for being awesome. I want everyone thinking I'm awesome.

[/ QUOTE ]

heh, this POST is awesome, good start!

I work in the film and video industry and have had a chance to meet quite a few celebs. Far and away the coolest and most down to earth was George Clooney. Granted this was quite a few years ago on the movie Out Of Sight, but he was always wanting to play basketball with the crew and hang out and what not. The b-ball thing was funny because toward the end, we would be like "jeez, Clooney want to play basketball again? Damn, let's just go have some beers" But you know, what Clooney wants, Clooney gets, lol