About this Blog

"In the future everybody will be world-famous for 15 minutes." So said the bleached-out, late lamented artist Andy Warhol. Having lived and worked in New York City, Warhol came to fully grasp the hold celebrity has on us. In this very famous sentence, he meant to point out that in a culture fixated on fame, many people will suddenly flash brightly onto the public screen, then--poof--will just as quickly disappear from public view--like shooting stars. Other individuals derive their celebrity from one stellar accomplishment (one hit song, one iconic role, etc.) that they never again match.

This blog is devoted to the one part of our celebrity culture that no one has written much about: temporary/one-shot celebrities.

The pace of modern life has quickened, and now we hear people speaking of someone's 15 seconds of fame. These "celebrities with a lower-case c" who will appear in this blog sometimes come to us from the world of entertainment, sometimes from the world of news. All are fascinating.

The need of our communications media for a continual stream of new material assures that we will have no end of colorful people who go quickly, where celebrity is concerned, from zero to hero (or villain) and back to zero. Now you see 'em, now you don't. What a crazy world, eh?

Temporary celebrities coming from the world of entertainment include one-hit recording artists; TV and movie icons who, although they might have had a great many accomplishments in their career, are remembered for one big role; standouts of reality TV; sports figures remembered for one remarkable accomplishment; and people whose celebrity came from one big role in a commercial or print ad.

News-based temporary celebrities come in many forms: mass/serial killers, other murderers of special note, sex-crime offenders, disgraced figures of government/military/business/media/religion, spies/traitors, hoaxers, femmes/hommes fatale, heroes, whistle blowers, inventors/innovators, and victims.

Celebrity Blogsburg will consider each category in turn.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Misc.: Kato Kaelin

Brian "Kato" Kaelin became familiar to all of America in 1994 during the celebrated O.J. Simpson murder case and trial.

The nickname Kato came from his youthful enthusiasm for the comic book and TV character The Green Hornet and the Hornet's sidekick, Kato.

Before the Simpson affair, Kaelin had married, had a child and divorced. He lived in the Los Angeles area and found small parts in a variety of movies and TV shows.

At the time of the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman, Kato was living in a guesthouse in the Simpson compound. He was on the grounds the night of the murders and gave evidence to police.

Kaelin, who was born in Milwaukee, had become the very picture of the California surfer dude, complete with appropriate long hairstyle and excellent tan.

Since the famous trial, Kaelin has had his own a.m. radio show in Los Angeles and has worked for National Lampoon. He even has had his own fan club.

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