Celebrities
Paparazzi
Lead-in questions:
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How would you define the word ‘celebrity’?
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Would it be true to say that a hero and a celebrity is the same? Why?
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Do you think the job of a paparazzo is easy? Why?
Task 1
Read the following dictionary definitions of the words ‘celebrity’, ‘diva’, ‘celebrity tantrum’, and ‘paparazzo’. Match the words with the correct definitions:
- Diva
- Paparazzo
- Celebrity
- Celebrity tantrum
(1) are outbursts by people with celebrity status.
(2) “The modern version of the old hero; though while the hero was distinguished by achievement, the celebrity is distinguished by his/her image. As Daniel J. Boorstin writes in The Image( UK: Penguin, 1963), ’The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name… the creature of gossip, of public opinion, of magazines and the ephemeral images of movie and television screen.’ The passage of time ’creates and establishes a hero’ but it ’destroys the celebrity. One is made, the other unmade, by repetition.”
(3) When the celebrity is a female, or if they are overtly homosexual, they are sometimes referred to as ~.?
(4) “Aggressive, prying and often unscrupulous freelance photographer who specializes in taking pictures of celebrities, pursuing them wherever they go, armed with thick skin and zoom lenses. The word is an Italian- Calibrian- surname. It was suggested by writer Ennio Flaiano as a name for a character in Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita ( The sweet life), made in 1960.”
Source: Watson, James and Hill, Anne (1997): A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies. Arnold. London
Task 2
Fill in the missing gaps in the text with the given words:
- extravaganza, reputation, faux-paparazzi, scoop, curfews, paparazzi, fan, lucrative, publicity, sell, intrusive, staging, restrict, editor, celebrities
“Due to the (1) of paparazzi as an annoyance, some states and countries (particularly within Europe) (2)their activities by passing laws and (3)., and by (4) events in which paparazzi are specifically allowed to take photographs.
The presence of paparazzi is not always seen as annoying; the arranger of an event may, in order to make the guests feel important, hire a number of actors who pretend they are paparazzi (so-called "(5)"). This was, for instance, seen at (6)events during the dot-com boom.
Paparazzi argue that they are not in the business of taking (7)photographs for their own perverse pleasure; instead, they (8)their work to dozens of magazines and newspapers that publish such photos for their readers and subscribers. It is this public thirst that drives (9) to pay up to $50,000 (or more) for a single "(10)" photograph.
Many (11) feel that they are helping celebrities and public figures in general by increasing their (12). Also, this is a (13) business for both sides; not only can photographers earn large sums of money for a high-demand picture, but (14) may also make money because the media attention often bolsters—or creates—(15) support.