CMU School of Drama


Saturday, January 17, 2015

Here’s how it feels to be suddenly famous in Vegas

Las Vegas Review-Journal: How do you define fame? The first TV show? The first award? The first mention in a gossip column?

Maybe it’s just the first time a stranger recognizes you in public.

Good or bad, being famous, even to the most minuscule degree, can change everything.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It is interesting that this article specifically focuses on the phenomenon of celebrity in the particular setting of Las Vegas. As such a tourist hub, I would imagine that celebrity looks very different in Vegas compared to London or New York. So many travel to Vegas with a kind of stars-in-their-eyes mentality, looking for a larger than life experience that there is an expectation of celebrity, as Terry Fator's experience in the airport illustrates. The article also highlighted how - in a setting where celebrity is expected - fans become more invasive and brazen. It is almost as though they, too, rank among the attractions to be ogled.

The article also really clearly demonstrated the perils that come along with fame. Celebrities are no longer afforded those human moments to readjust or act unphotogenically as the public eye is ubiquitous. The incident Robyn Carr describes with her daughter at lunch is a stark reminder of the scrutiny celebrities are under, whether they acknowledge it or not. In addition, businesses like the one featured on Pawn Stars can often become encumbered by the new hordes of tourists there to observe the celebrity, and not perpetuate the business itself.