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Celebrities are wealthy, generally speaking.  I got to thinking, though: how do they get that way?  The answer is obvious for certain classes, for example, socialites.  They inherit money.

Some other celebrities are well-paid for their work: think movie stars and Damien Hirst and certain other well-compensated artists.  This makes sense.  If Will Smith is an actor that America wants to pay to see, then the studios will pay him well.

Then there are the celebrities that initially stumped me, namely, recording artists.  The music industry is famed for taking a huge bite out of record sales, so it seems unlikely that someone like Ashlee Simpson could accumulate wealth through that route alone.  In fact, it seems clear that in many cases it is endorsements, magazine cover deals, and things like that that generate income.  In other words, for certain celebrities their marketable skill is getting attention. (see image)

My provocative theory on this is that these people, whether through attractiveness, salacious appeal, or representation of a potent cultural myth, operate on people like attention grabbing headlines or spam email subjects–they turn heads.

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A recent item on the Popwatch blog caught my attention with an opening sentence that recapitulates a common view about celebrities:

“In an era when manufactured “celebrities” are as common as drab backyard sparrows, Eartha Kitt, who died on Christmas day of colon cancer at age 81, was the kind of strange, wondrous, exotic bird you lay eyes on once and never forget.”

Celebrities, now as in the past, are not common, and they are not drab–one of their main features tends to be attractiveness.

The author, it seems, is making a generic distinction: Eartha Kitt, goes the claim, was unlike any other celebrity, a rarity even in that rarefied company.  And this got me thinking: what are the genres, or types, or cylon-style models, of celebrity?

The first that comes to my mind is the young, female pop star.  Madonna (once upon a time), Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus.  All balance innocence and lasciviousness in a way that awakens the interest of millions.

Or the young comedy male.  Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Jim Carrey–all of whom balance awkwardness and a heart of gold to attract women and men alike.

Perhaps these shorthand sketches miss a lot more than they capture, but I think there is some truth to the idea that there are cultural niches that exist, and celebrities inhabit them for a time.