RPP Text Narrative Andi Aldi
RPP Text Narrative Andi Aldi
RPP Text Narrative Andi Aldi
ScholarWorks at WMU
Honors Theses Lee Honors College
12-10-2013
Recommended Citation
Derthick, Ashley, "Entertainment News Production: A Case Study" (2013). Honors Theses. Paper 2361.
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Ashley Derthick
Lee Honors College Thesis
December 2013
ABSTRACT
This study reviews literature on the construction of celebrities and the production of
entertainment news, and then takes an in-depth look at the operations of Maximo TV, a Los
Angeles-based production company. Maximo TV records and publishes videos and photographs
of celebrities at red carpet events and during other public appearances, and their material serves
as a “feed” for major media outlets. A case study of their approach to generating entertainment
news provides a snapshot of how and why particular stories about celebrities are targeted for
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………..3
III. Analysis…………………………………………………………………..35
CONCLUSION..……………………………………………………………………...….44
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INTRODUCTION
worldwide continually seeking the latest details on the personal and professional lives of
celebrities. On the other end of this widely successful industry are the producers, photographers,
journalists, and editors who make their livelihood ensuring consumers are provided an endless
and up-to-date stream of information covering celebrity fashions, health secrets, movie projects,
love affairs, children, etc. The Week reported in a 2011 article that the entertainment news
industry currently has an annual revenue of $3 billion, and this number is expected to increase at
As Jim Benson put it in his 2007 article, “People have an insatiable appetite for [celebrity
news]” (2007). Americans in particular seem intrigued by celebrity gossip magazines and nightly
news shows. E! is an entire television network devoted to providing viewers with nightly news
updates on the latest happenings and scandals in Hollywood and an endless stream of reality
shows feeding into the constant demand from Americans for an in-depth look into the private
lives of others. With the addition of technology and social media sites including Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram, the public cannot get enough entertainment news, and celebrities seem to
be more than happy to feed this addiction to a certain extent. While many celebrities claim to
enjoy the close connection to fans that social media provides, there are obvious downfalls to the
sometimes very personal information posted on such sites. For example, with such instantaneous
and direct access to celebrities, the media is able to write a whole story solely based on the fact
that a starlet removed her married name from her Facebook account.
E! Networks CEO and President Ted Harbert has said, “There’s an entire generation
whose idea of hard news is the latest on Lindsay Lohan . . . . Scary things can happen . . . when a
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society values gossip over politics and its own governance” (as cited in de Vries, 2006). But
why is celebrity journalism such an infatuation in today’s society? Major celebrities have been
around since the silent film era of the 1910s and 1920s; in the twentieth century, many stars
(including Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Jane Mansfield, and Elvis Presley) became cultural
icons during a time when photographs, fan magazine articles, and occasional public appearances
were the primary ways that the public had access to them outside of their creative work (films,
music, and so on). Because of this limited exposure, twentieth-century celebrities had more
power and control in terms of their public image and what knowledge they offered the public.
The Internet and other communication technologies have changed the way celebrities are
covered in today’s world and curiosity about celebrities has evolved into a whirlwind and, at
times, out-of-hand obsession. Anne Thompson, a columnist for the Hollywood Reporter, argues
that current day fanatics “no longer [want] to adore celebrities from afar . . . ‘they want info on
the real lives of celebrities, who are all too human . . . it’s all fevered competition for who has the
best mate, the best boobs, the best body, the best politics, and the best womb’” (as cited in de
Vries, 2006).
standpoint and ideas/views on the world of celebrities and their star power. Some may argue a
celebrity is any person whose name is known by the public for whatever reason, whether they are
a politician, a movie star, or a sports broadcaster. The definition of celebrity I will focus on is the
one provided by Rein, Kottler, and Stoller as cited in a 2006 article written by Violina, Pollock,
and Hayward:
The term ‘celebrity,’ refers to an individual ‘whose name has attention-getting, interest-
social actor attracts large-scale public attention; the greater the number of people who
know of and pay attention to the actor, the greater the extent and value of [the celebrity].
(p. 50)
I will be considering entertainment news and the celebrities covered in this specific genre
of media, including television stars, film stars, reality television stars, pop stars, and
musicians.
With such a large industry making money from the exposure and exploitation of the lives
of celebrities, one cannot help but wonder about its functions and effects. For example, how
might this constant attention to the rich and famous affect the lives of the “ordinary” people who
are exposed to it? Do the average readers of gossip magazines – who, according to de Vries
(2006) are women in their mid- to late twenties – make life decisions based on what they see
their favorite celebrities doing? What process – if any – exists to identify relevant celebrities and
related events? Are there topics that generate more coverage because of public interest? It is also
worth examining how stars use the vastly expanding industry of entertainment news to build
their public persona and highlight their successes and attributes to amplify their presence in the
entertainment industry.
In this thesis, I will review some of the scholarly work that has been done on the
construction of celebrities and the production of entertainment news, and then I will take an in-
depth look at the operations of Maximo TV, a Los Angeles-based production company where I
interned during the summer of 2013. Maximo TV records and publishes videos and photographs
of celebrities at red carpet events and during other public appearances, and their material serves
as a “feed” for major media outlets. A case study of their approach to generating entertainment
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news provides a snapshot of how and why particular stories about celebrities are targeted for
Richard Dyer has written extensively on the nature of stardom and argues that “a state of
law, an efficient bureaucracy, and a structural social system” are preconditions for stars
(celebrities) to emerge (2009, p. 7). Other factors that must exist to produce stars, according to
Dyer, include:
A large scale society (stars cannot know everyone but everyone can know stars, social
separation of work and leisure, and increase of social mobility into expressive role
Once such preconditions are met, as they are in the United States, stars may develop. For the
construction of a specific star, Dyer emphasizes the importance of a media team and the
entourage of people dedicated to cultivating the star’s image, public persona, style, talent, and
anything else notable to the star’s powerful image and fan base. Katrina Wilson, who wrote a
blog post on the work of Dyer, explains that Dyer’s view is that a star is “born” into the
entertainment industry “as a ‘real’ human, possessing gender and race characteristics, and
existing against a socio-historic background” (2013). This person is presented to the public with
qualities and characteristics that every human being possesses – parents, siblings, a gender, age,
ethnic background, hometown, etc. These details constitute the star’s life story and make them
who he/she is, providing the foundation for what attracts fans to him/her. Consider Justin Bieber,
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who captured millions of fans virtually overnight, capitalizing on his boyish features, his
incredibly shiny and perfectly swooped hair, and his admirable dance skills. His media team sold
him to the public as a young boy from Canada, brought up by his grandparents and young mother,
with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. He was the small-town boy to whom every girl in
Once the star has been introduced to and ingrained in the minds and hearts of the public
and the media has steadily covered their professional life, the second phase in generating star
power begins. Dyer explains that the star now enters the phase in which their personal
characteristics and beliefs take center stage and either make or break the star. This is the phase
that is vital in determining the future fate of that star in relation to the culture/demographics to
which they are relevant. This is essentially where “one hit wonders” fade into the darkness once
their fifteen minutes of fame are up or “legends” are born and planted in our hearts forever.
According to Dyer, “The star transformation process turns them into a construct, but the
construct has a foundation in the real [world.] We tend to read them as not-entirely-fictional, as
being . . . very much of their time and culture, the product of a particular generation” (as cited in
Wilson, 2013). Now that the star has captured the attention of the public with their skill set and
talent, the public wants to know about the “real person” hidden under all the glitz and glamour.
They want to know what this person does when they are not in the limelight – who they date,
their political patterns, their fashion sense, what and where they eat, what their families and close
group of friends are like, etc. And there are teams of people ready to find this information,
To explain how stars, namely film stars, make their name known in the entertainment
industry and ignite interest in their latest project, Dyer refers to the work of Thomas Harris. The
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process begins with what Harris refers to as a “preliminary buildup starting months or even years
before the star is seen on the screen” (as cited in Dyer, 2009, p. 12), including the magazine
articles in which they provide a photo shoot and correlating interview, television appearances
that may include other cast members, red carpet appearances in relation to the upcoming film or
other high publicized projects, rumors circulating about a romance with another co-star, and any
other publicity stunts the public relations team can conjure up to create buzz.
The next phase involves creating star power to promote a project; now a “pre-sale
campaign” is begun that includes not only the star’s personality but also the plotline and
substance of the performer’s upcoming film. Audience members will most likely go see a film
starring a celebrity they find attractive or likeable and to add to the interest in the film, a well
written and intriguing plotline will only further this motivation to see it. The final stage lies in
the hands of the business team in charge of the filmmaking process and this is where the
advertisements are made, including movie trailers, film posters, and websites. Throughout the
whole process the most powerful aspect in promoting a new project, according to Harris, is the
Citing Orrin E. Klapp, Dyer argues there are four ways in which media texts can
construct a star’s image: promotion, publicity, films, and criticism and commentaries (2009, p.
60). Through any of these four routes, the media can shape a star into whatever public image
they desire and the star, in turn, can use this invented image to build their persona and make their
name relevant and prevalent in entertainment news. To promote a star in the news is the most
direct and controlled way to create the desired image of the star. This route includes all
intentional and constructed images of the star including press releases, interviews in magazines
and on television, fan page postings, advertisements, etc. The star and those in charge of
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promoting them use this route often to create the star they want the public to see. Publicity is
‘what the press finds out’ . . . genuine publicity [is] the scandals” (as cited in Dyer, 2009, p. 61).
This is what gossip magazines cover and the “juicy” information that allows the public to
observe any discrepancies between the promoted image of the star and their actual self. Hollis
Alpert, a publicist, explains that the public likes scandalous news on celebrities more than
constructed promotion because “the public prefers its stars to behave a little crazily” (as cited in
In the contemporary era, social media can be an important factor in establishing and/or
promoting stars. As previously noted, the public is more connected than ever to celebrities and
their everyday lives due to social media. It is not hard to “get to know” a star when they are
constantly updating their Twitter feed to inform the public what they are up to at that moment in
time or when celebrities post a picture of their newborn baby. Fans now feel as if they know their
favorite celebrity at a personal level and can relate more closely to the lives of celebrities. In
addition, entertainment news outlets are more capable of hunting out information and getting the
most in-depth coverage because of social media updates tracking celebrities. It is also a way for
the celebrities to promote themselves or their upcoming projects and for entertainment news to
cover the event and publicize the celebrities’ lives. When a famous film or television star posts
pictures of herself and her new husband on her Instagram account, revealing that they are on
vacation in the tropical islands of Bora Bora, the public is able to gain access into that star’s
personal life. This opportunity to see the private moment in the life of a celebrity would have
been nonexistent had it not been for the platform of Instagram not only allowing, but also
encouraging, the celebrity to share that private moment with the world. In the contemporary
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media environment, the gap between celebrities’ public life and private life has been closed and
the line between invasive coverage and “necessary” coverage has been blurred.
Given the popularity of entertainment news, it is important to consider why people care
about celebrities and what the outcome of following these stories generally is. While many
people may roll their eyes at entertainment news and label it “junk” with no logical purpose or
impact, this is far from the truth. As Dyer points out, “Stars have a major control over the
representation of people in society – and how people are represented as being in the mass media
is going to have some kind of influence (even if only reinforcement) on how people are in
society” (2009, p. 8). He feels that in order for a star to demonstrates power and privilege they
need to influence the public’s reactions to their reported behaviors – as well as the general
norms and the status quo is outlined in Dyer’s book. Klapp asserts that there are three different
roles a celebrity can take on in relation to the norms that currently exist in society –
“encourage [the public] to play those [roles] which are highly valued – and to maintain the image
of the group superself” (as cited in Dyer, 2009, p. 24). They are ultimately encouraging society
to continue employing and embodying a role that is deemed socially acceptable and desirable.
For instance, the classic “American beauty” is often thought to be a skinny, blond-haired, blue-
eyed woman who dresses in the latest fashions. Consequently, when stars such as Jessica
Simpson and Blake Lively appear in magazines, females are likely to associate that with the
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“American beauty” role and attempt to replicate the images they observe. Men are also more
likely to be attracted to that type of female. The more an image is displayed and covered by
media, the more that image with be sought after and considered admirable and desirable.
“Reinforcment” is the most common role taken on by celebrities and it is the one most accepted
by society and the one that comes with fewer problems and “meltdowns” (unless that celebrity
When a celebrity takes on the role of “seduction” they ultimately “break the rules or
norms, but in a charming way . . . [demonstrating] that ‘it is possible, permissible, even
admirable, to romp in the forbidden pasture’” (Dyer, 2009, p. 24). It is important to note that
these stars do not campaign for the title of a “role model” nor do they provide much insight into
their inner workings and thoughts. They merely conduct their business in a way that most would
view as different or not necessarily correct when considering accepted morality or rules. Classic
examples of stars in the seduction role are James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Both were made
famous by their work and talent but maintained legendary status and are still known today
because of their blatant sexuality and their cheeky responses to questions that caused controversy
or scandal. Dean was famous for being a “bad boy” who did not have a care in the world and
walked to the beat of his own drum and Monroe was made famous for her “sex kitten”
appearance. Although they shed the dominant image that stars of their period employed, they
were still loved by millions and thought to have talent and personality. People respected them
and adored them despite – and perhaps because of – their unique behavior.
“Transcendence” is when the star “produces a fresh point of view, a feeling of integrity,
and makes a new [type of star] . . . [they] redefine and recreate standards by which experience is
to be judged” (Dyer, 2009, p. 24). The most modern day example of this type of star power is
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Lady Gaga. She came onto the scene in 2008 and was known for her outrageous outfits and
unique music video concepts from the start. The public had not had a celebrity under their scope
that was like her before and people became infatuated with her and intrigued by Gaga’s
distinctive image. They wanted to know what kind of person was behind the crazy and over-the-
top costumes and why she acted and dressed the way she did. She encouraged her fans to be
unique and embrace their flaws and differences. Millions of fans flocked to her in need of
someone who believed in them and who encouraged them to believe they were beautiful
regardless of their differences or insecurities. She created a platform and springboard for those
When considering the roles celebrities play in the public’s lives, Dyer draws upon studies
done by Daniel Boorstin and Herbert Marcuse. Boorstin declares in his book The Image that
celebrities are simply faces used to exploit and sell products to consumers. According to
Boorstin, celebrities have no real personality or meaning to their existence; rather, they are
known for their “well-knowness [sic], and not for any talent or specific quality . . . stars do not
have a ‘strong character, but a definable, publicizable [sic] personality, a figure which can
become a nationally-advertised trademark’” (as cited in Dyer, 2009, p. 13). This idea is most
closely observed in reality television shows. In ABC’s dating reality show The Bachelorette, 25
men compete to win the heart of one lucky woman in search for a lifetime partner. When casting
the show, producers must take into consideration that women are the primary viewers and must
appeal to the desires of those that watch the show. This explains why the men they cast are
physically attractive young men with a buff physique and successful career. According to
Boorstin’s idea of stars that appeal to the public, ABC could hire any man in America that is in
his late twenties or early thirties and have him work out, groom him, give him a tan, and make up
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a career and sell this man to their viewers with resulting success. Viewers would fall in love with
the created image of the man, not a man who had a talent or skill set prior to being cast and
groomed by producers.
The shared idea between Boorstin and Marcuse is that celebrities can be created from
anyone; however, their beliefs differ when it comes to the public purpose that celebrities have.
Boorstin believes celebrities are solely created to sell products and ideas to the consumer. They
can be molded into anything the producers need in order to market the desired product or idea,
while Marcuse feels that celebrities are born because they represent a highly publicized leader
appealing to all types of people, however; he represents a very specific group of people in
society most often referred to as “gothic.” Because of this, he has been able to serve as an
example of how those who identify as “gothic” should dress, act, speak, behave, etc. In turn,
others in society that are not “gothic” are able to view Manson as an example of what “gothic”
people look like and how they typically behave, allowing them to identify and label the “gothic”
people of society they observed. Similarly, the popular television show Gossip Girl is appealing
to the female teenagers that identify as “preppy” or “popular” and enjoy following the love lives
and fashion styles of the wealthy and privileged characters on the show. Every celebrity is
intended to appeal to a certain group of people and Marcuse explains it in this way: “[Celebrities]
are no longer images of another way of life but rather freaks of the same life, serving as an
affirmation rather than negation of the established order” (as cited in Dyer, 2009, p. 13).
Celebrities serve as examples of how people in society are expected to behave and appear
and the public feels they must imitate and replicate the celebrity with whom they most closely
identify in order to be accepted. Entertainment news has the ability to create the standards to
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which the rest of society uses to judge itself and behave. This explains why fitness magazines
and fashion magazines are appealing and offer advice for every facet of human life including
dating, fashion, health, fitness, and more. People want to be like their favorite celebrity and the
media is answering this desire with an outpouring of information about where celebrities get
their clothes, what restaurants they eat at, their fitness routine, etc. The media has the ability to
take a celebrity’s choices and reprimand or affirm them, potentially affecting public attitudes or
chances are likely that the taboo will be removed from marijuana and people will be more
Valerie Gorin and Annik Dubied conducted a study in 2011; they were interested in how
the coverage of celebrities affects society and individuals. They found that the act of reporting on
the everyday antics of a highly sought after person – a celebrity – provides a basis and guideline
for readers/viewers in terms of how they should act in almost every aspect of their lives. By
following the lifestyles and behaviors of celebrities, society is working towards self monitoring;
people judge their own and others’ actions in relation to how celebrities act.
Such stories report on celebrities’ movements and actions of all kinds, and tend to
comment on the character of those in the spotlight and the attitudes, opinions, and norms
which they do or do not observe . . . By focusing on the rich and famous and their
behavior, whether respectable or not, celebrity news creates and portrays ‘desirable
The entertainment news industry focuses on covering those celebrities with attributes that
are both “imitable and inimitable” (Gorin and Dubied, 2011, p. 601), allowing the celebrities to
act as role models for society in terms of behavior and actions that are deemed acceptable and
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unacceptable. Consumers of entertainment news are guided through a constant and pervasive
process of “checking” and judging the actions, decisions, behaviors, etc. of celebrities 1) to
ensure that a given celebrity is acting in a way the consumer feels is appropriate and 2) to
monitor their own behavior in society to ensure they are making good decisions in their everyday
lives. This process allows the public to use the lives of celebrities as benchmarks to plan and
evaluate their own actions. For example, if Sarah picks up a tabloid magazine and comes across
an image of Rihanna wearing leather pants that Sarah feels are quite flattering on the starlet,
Sarah may now decide that she too will wear leather pants in an attempt to recreate the desired
behavior (good sense of fashion displayed by Rihanna) in her own life. Conversely, if Sarah
picks up the latest issue of Star and reads an article about Britney Spears’ lack of sufficient
mothering to her two young sons, and Sarah finds the details of Spears’ parenting style to be
quite mind boggling and inappropriate, she may now decide that when she has children of her
own, she will do “better” than Spears and never abandon them. Sarah has used reported celebrity
behaviors in entertainment news to judge, critique, and either alter or maintain her actions and
beliefs.
Entertainment news outlets have not only realized and understood how and why the
public reads and consumes their media, they have begun to capitalize on it and use it to their
advantage. As Dyer puts it, “Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose – to
make money out of audiences, who respond to various elements of a star persona by buying
records and becoming fans” (as cited in Wilson, 2013). The media continually highlights the
glamorous world of stardom, making updates incessantly available at our fingertips. Allison
Samuels warns:
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Because of the mass influx of social-media networks, celebrity blogs, and endless
celebrity-based reality shows, Americans have been lulled into a dangerously false sense
of intimacy with the people only meant to entertain us. It’s allowed us to have detailed
opinions on the actions and lives of people who used to be just fleeting and mysterious
images in a video or a film. Having “inside” knowledge about stars, their comings and
goings, dating habits, and even their shopping choices has somehow made us feel that we
share similarities with the faces that flawlessly grace magazine covers, light up the big
Cleverly titled articles are popping up in magazines, tantalizing the public with the idea
that celebrities are “Just Like Us” and do everyday, normal things – including having an
occasional fall, taking a casual stroll through the drug store to pick up everyday items, and going
to the zoo for a school field trip – in other words, behaving just like ordinary people. Not only
does this particular type of coverage work wonders for the celebrity’s image, it also allows media
outlets to hone in on the consumers’ desire to be just like their favorite celebrity, even if that
means spending hundreds of dollars on the latest and greatest product. This desire leads to a very
profitable business for media outlets and celebs alike, with many running to create their own
perfume or shoe line that will hopefully be scooped up by fans dreaming of smelling or dressing
like their favorite celebrity. The media does stories on the beauty products used to create the look
Katy Perry wore to the Grammy’s because brands are willing to pay big bucks for the simple
mention of the Revlon lipstick or Dior eye shadow in the magazine, not to mention alongside an
A-list celebrity that claims to have used that product to create the red carpet look. Dyer quotes
potential of stars:
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From a business point of view, there are many advantages in the star system. The star has
tangible feature which can be advertised and marketed – a face, a body, a pair of legs, a
voice a certain king of personality, real or synthetic – and can be typed as the wicked
villain, the honest hero, the fatal siren, the sweet young girl, the neurotic woman. (p. 11)
Aside from the money aspect of celebrity coverage, entertainment news is also feeding
into contemporary surveillance culture, which depends on close self-monitoring and judgment of
others. It may seem that the four-page cover story on Angelina Jolie’s mothering choices and her
latest vacation to Africa is solely to inform an eager-to-know audience about every move of an
intriguing celebrity; however, there are other factors at play, which explains why people cannot
seem to get enough of the highly-addictive entertainment news. Gorin and Dubied argue in their
study of entertainment news that every human being, whether they admit it or not, acts as a
machine-like system, constantly monitoring, altering, and assessing their everyday actions to
ensure they are at ease with them. The faces and lifestyles plastered on the pages of websites and
television screens act as “checks” on these human machines, prompting them to “debug” and
Celebrities, as Morin puts it in the article written by Gorin and Dubied, act “as role
models [in popular culture], as an ‘ideology of happiness’ . . . [emphasizing] values such as well-
being and self-fulfillment through the search for happiness, success, profit, comfort, and
youthfulness” (2011, p. 602). People look to stars’ lives to judge how they themselves should act.
This is not to say that all stars must obtain the same qualities of happiness, because the public
needs multiple examples of happiness in order for various and diverse individuals to make
decisions about how they will live their lives. Happiness varies for all individuals, with some
seeing Britney Spears’ poor mothering skills as acceptable, justifying her actions with the
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knowledge that she was married at a young age, to an unsupportive spouse. Others may blame
Spears and say she is selfish and obnoxious and needs to pull her life together for the well-being
of her children. Whatever the consumers’ view of Spears’ mothering skills, the presentation and
framing of Spears’ story in the media is the catalyst for individuals to decide how they feel about
the issue of mothering in the case of Britney Spears and how they would act in a similar situation
Julie A. Wilson calls attention to the feminist implications of the media’s coverage of
stars’ lifestyles:
With [media’s] endless stream of photos of stunning celebrities on red carpets, fashions
dos and don’ts, and diet and exercise tips, the case could easily be made that the casual
The way celebrities are presented and the topics covered in terms of both male and female
celebrities influences how the female population in general in America chooses to act. For
example, seeing stars including Rihanna, Britney Spears, and Miley Cyrus dress in revealing
clothes and act in ways considered “promiscuous” can in turn affect female views of this behavior
and lead them to believe they too need to act and dress this way in order to be likable and “cool.”
After Miley Cyrus took the stage at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards with Robin Thicke and
was dancing in a vulgar manner, many parents were furious with MTV, claiming it encouraged
their young children to act in sexual ways. MTV argued that it made people watch the show and
increased their ratings, providing them with not only income but promotion.
Wilson claims that females have a tendency to use celebrity coverage as a way of
determining how they will live their lives and what is acceptable to do in today’s day and age.
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When reading news coverage of celebrities, the public tends to switch their gaze “back and forth
between the star images and the self’s own attitude toward these representations” (2010, p. 32).
When a female picks up a tabloid magazine to read about the latest divorce drama in Katie
Holmes and Tom Cruise’s lives, she is reading the details of the story and judging the decisions
and actions of both Holmes and Cruise in terms of how she would act in that given situation
based on preexisting morals and opinions. If Holmes was seeking sole custody of the daughter
she and Cruise share, perhaps the woman reading the article would agree with Holmes’ decision
based on her own experience with the father of her children. Perhaps another woman whose
children’s dad was an excellent father would disagree with Holmes’ decision and view Holmes
under a negative light. Both women’s decisions would be formed under their previous morals
and experiences in regards to a similar situation. They would use their own lives to determine if
Given this tendency to use celebrities to judge one’s own status in the world, the media
must take into account what it will show the public and more importantly, how it will depict
celebrity actions. “Celebrity gossipers [are] less interested in the construction of star personas or
intimate knowledge of stars’ souls and more focused on judging celebrity behaviors” (Wilson,
2010, p. 29). Take Britney Spears’ now infamous fall from grace in 2007 – the year she shaved
her head, attacked a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella, and was carried out of her house on a
stretcher after holding her young son hostage in her home. This was a widely covered event in
Hollywood, with Spears’ face on the cover of dozens of magazines for countless weeks with
headlines reading “HELP!” featuring Spears’ two sons on the cover looking disheveled and
scared, or Spears on a stripper pole with the caption “What If This Were Your Mom?” In fact,
Spears’ meltdown was such a popular topic that, as reported by Wilson, her 2007 infamous year
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was deemed “the Britney economy” with magazines that covered her earning a combined total of
$360 million and Spears earning the cover spot on People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style,
OK! and Star a whopping 175 times in a 78-week span increasing overall sales by 33 percent
(2010).
So why was Spears’ downward spiral and erratic behavior so interesting to the public and
so highly covered by entertainment news? For starters she was America’s sweetheart from the
moment she graced MTV with her music video in a schoolgirl outfit at the age of sixteen. She
sold millions of records worldwide throughout her career and went on to tour in more than three
sold out worldwide tours. She had officially become an international sensation and all eyes were
on her – especially when she was acting out of character (i.e. her entire 2007 year). Media outlets
were more than willing to provide the public with all the juicy details. People were not only
judging the behavior and actions of Spears, but also using her behavior and the coverage of it as
a way to determine how they would act in those circumstance and why. The readers wanted to
question their morals and either agree with their current set of beliefs, or alter them to feel more
comfortable with them – all because they saw how one woman acted in the public eye.
As I have demonstrated, celebrities are a constant presence in today’s world and are
prevalent in virtually every aspect of public discourse, and this presence is only growing along
with the qualifications and standards of what it means to be a “celebrity.” Dyer states, “The
general image of stardom can be seen as a version of the American Dream, organized around the
‘sours’ the dream” (2009, p. 35). With the emergence of reality television, more and more people
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have access to the idea of becoming famous without the need for “talent” (i.e. acting or singing
abilities). But how does the entertainment news industry decide which celebrities are worthy of
coverage? What factors play a role in pushing celebrities into the limelight – and keeping them
there?
Gorin and Dubied have laid out five main criteria that determine which stories become
entertainment news and why. First, entertainment news’ sole focus is on people (i.e. celebrities)
“who are dynamic, evolving, narrative-centered icons” (2011, p. 600). They are allowed, even to
some extent expected, to change and this change is oftentimes accompanied with mass media
exposure and coverage, although not always positive (e.g., when a film star acts in a manner that
contradicts their screen image). The expected change that results is assumed by many people to
be one involving the celebrity undergoing obvious physical evolution in relation to puberty, but
as far as emotional and mental changes are concerned, the accepted and commonly held view is
that the transformation should be minimal and enacted in a manner that is deemed “role model
worthy” and “mature.” When celebrities take on a more sexual and enticing persona, the general
public looks down upon this and suddenly begins to wait for a “meltdown” to happen as a result
Second, stars have “dual personas” that simultaneously represent “both the ordinary and
the extraordinary, the glamour and the vulgarity . . . embodying both the imitable and the
inimitable” (Gorin and Dubied, 2011, p. 600). Their public image is ironic and at odds with itself
because they have the role of leading the glamorous and over-the-top lifestyle that keeps the
public interested (high end fashion, sports cars, extravagant houses, etc.) but at the same time
they cannot be so untouchable as to be un-relatable. The public needs to feel a close connection
with celebrities, so they must seem like “real people” who live “real lives.”
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The third criterion touches on this idea of duality and is the core reason that many
entertainment news outlets exist: emphasizing the star’s private life and their personal behavior,
which further enhances the duality of the star. This is often done via “intrusive pictures taken
with concealed, candid cameras, which reveal what is normally kept secret and push the
envelope to the limits of propriety” (Gorin and Dubied, 2011, p. 600). Although the star is to be
seen as a glamorous being leading an untouchable and highly sought after lifestyle, they can also
be highly exposed in terms of their personal lives and choices they make. An example of the
glamour being stripped from celebrities is when magazines publish photographs of them wearing
no makeup. This displays the star in their most vulnerable form and oftentimes the star appears
more realistic and less “beautiful” when they are bare faced and casually dressed. The public
views them as any ordinary person versus the perfected image they present when on a red carpet.
This approach may anger celebrities, especially when they feel they are being exploited
and/or taken advantage of by the press. Many celebrities struggle with what aspects of their lives
they should keep to themselves and what they should share with the public. Oftentimes when a
star spends their career publicizing their whole lives and they suddenly choose to keep things to
themselves, the media does not respond well because the public has come to expect that every
detail of that celebrity’s life will be reported to them. The Kardashian family has made a name
for themselves by selling their private moments and personal lives to the public so when Kim
Kardashian recently had a baby with mega-star rapper Kanye West, the paparazzi and
entertainment news outlets went ballistic in their attempt to capture the first photograph of the
baby and present all the details about the birth. Kardashian received a lot of scrutiny when she
held out on these details and did not release a photograph right away, with people arguing that
she sold out every other aspect of her life. They almost felt it was not fair and it did not make
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sense that she would keep the birth of her daughter so private. Because the media became
accustomed to covering every detail of her life, they expected the pregnancy and birth to be no
different and persisted in their attempt to cover the event regardless of pleas from Kardashian
and West to respect their privacy. The public and media alike almost felt a sense of betrayal from
The fourth criterion of entertainment news coverage involves putting attributes of the star
on display, including their style and fashion sense, the lifestyle they lead, and luxurious or over-
the-top behaviors that set them apart from normal people. It differs from the third criterion in the
sense that this is where the actual objects and things the person owns are put on display rather
than their behavior and life choices. This is why reporters at award shows often ask the question
“Who are you wearing?” and this is the criterion that requires media to cover the over-the-top
vacation of a celebrity with details on all finances involved in the trip and images of the
Dyer explains how fashion and appearance serve as a focal point because they act as a
“function a star serves . . . to fix a type of beauty, to help a physical type identify itself. Clearly
types of beauty define norms of attractiveness” (2009, p. 14). When a celebrity chooses to
drastically change the way they look, most notably with weight loss or gain, the media usually
presses hard to find out why and how they did it. Jessica Simpson has made headlines the past
two years for her dramatic weight gain and quick weight loss during and after the birth of her
two children. This ultimately led her to land a sponsorship with Weight Watchers, a popular
dieting program for both men and women. Without the press coverage of her weight and the
public’s interest in how she lost the weight, Weight Watchers would most likely never offered
her the high paying deal because she would not have garnered attention and customers for their
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program. Entertainment news coverage provided Simpson the platform to be presented with this
deal.
The fifth and final criterion is that entertainment news items are produced and reported
“according to specific media procedures . . . categorized as news because journalists write them
according to a set of principles, the recording of facts and documentary evidence” (Gorin and
Dubied, 2011, p. 601). This gives entertainment news legitimacy and credibility. Some outlets,
such as tabloid magazines, may be at odds with this standard, especially when celebrities claim
accusations and/or stories are false. Celebrities are protective of their images. As Dyer argues,
“[A] star’s persona . . . as depicted in terms of character and personality, is a fragile thing which
needs constant nurturing, and is the product of constant discourse between the star and his or her
For the case study portion of this thesis I will take a look at Maximo TV and how their
process of collecting, reporting, and distributing entertainment news stories and footage of
celebrities relates to the scholarly research I discussed above, especially Gorin and Dubied’s
criteria. First, I provide a historical background of Maximo TV and how the company was
started along with its goal and purpose. I also detail the typical process involved in the creation
of entertainment news stories and the standards used to determine who and what to cover. In the
next section I describe the daily operations of Maximo TV, including my role within the
company and what I observed in both the office setting where the editing and voice-overs are
done as well as at the various events attended by staff. In section three, I take an in-depth look at
how Maximo TV’s news collecting process compares with the five criteria set forth by Gorin and
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Dubied in determining which celebrities and events become entertainment news and which are
ignored and/or considered of minimal interest to the public. My discussion and analysis are
based on my direct experiences during my time as an intern at Maximo TV during the summer of
2013 and informal interviews I conducted with the staff, including producer Enrique Damacen
interested in videography, specifically as it related to social events and public relations in the
entertainment industry. After moving to Los Angeles from his homeland of Peru, he bartended to
pay his living expenses while he worked on selling and marketing his skills as a DJ (disk jockey)
for night clubs and private events. While occasionally landing gigs working as a DJ for various
clubs and events in Hollywood and surrounding cities, he was able to network with people in the
field of entertainment news and public relations. After speaking with a club owner about his
passion for photography and videotaping, the owner offered Damacen a job compiling footage
for an upcoming event of his and editing it into a promotional video for the club to use in the
future. Damacen agreed and after filming the event he began getting notice for his work.
Eventually, he was earning enough money through his video taping jobs that he no longer
bartended or DJed, allowing him to focus solely on his career in shooting publicity footage.
Slowly Damacen began attending red carpet events in the Los Angeles area. He would
shoot “B-roll” (no audio, simply raw footage of a celebrity walking the red carpet with several
zooms in and out of the person and tilting up and down to showcase their attire). He then posted
the footage on websites where various entertainment news outlets bought footage of celebrities
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for their broadcasts and websites. Damacen’s work began to sell; soon, his material was being
used by well-known media outlets, including E! Entertainment and Access Hollywood. Once this
footage became a main source of income for him, he no longer produced recordings for clubs
and promoters and instead focused on celebrity news coverage and red carpet events. He wanted
to sell his footage under a legitimate company name and brand his work, so he decided to create
Maximo TV.
Maximo TV, which would be offered to various college students eager to gain more experience
in the field of media and broadcasting. Because he was the primary person working for his
company and he did not have the financial capabilities to pay employees to work for him, unpaid
interns were his best option. He sought students that could do reporting, editing, script writing,
and/or handle the cameras and equipment. I served as an intern at Maximo TV from July to
September of 2013.
My first week at Maximo TV consisted of training exercises and getting to know how
everything was run and operated. Damacen and two other interns who were working as reporters
(they had already been with the company for a month prior to my arrival) assisted in the training
exercises and in ensuring I was comfortable and well versed in regards to my duties. I was taught
how to handle and operate all camera and audio equipment, conducted a “mock interview” with
one of the interns to work on my on-camera presence and gestures, and reviewed various footage
of reporters from Maximo TV and other entertainment news outlets with Damacen. He taught me
what a good and bad interview look like and how to conduct good interviews. Damacen provided
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me with celebrity names and expected me to research them as I would prior to any interview
with a celebrity and come up with questions I would ask them on the red carpet. I had to write
three scripts and record voice-overs so Damacen could train me how to use my voice properly on
camera and during voice-overs. I was also invited to red carpet events to observe the other
reporters in action and take notes on what I needed to do when it was my turn to report on the
carpet. Once the preliminary training was complete and Damacen felt comfortable with my skills,
Prior to the events I would be reporting on, my duties consisted of researching the
celebrities expected to attend as well as learning about the event itself and the history and
purpose behind it. I was then expected to attend the red carpet events and conduct interviews
with celebrities. I was trained on how to conduct interviews that were both interesting and
appropriate as well as ones that generated up-to-date and relevant information that the public
might want to know about. My producer explained to me that the public does not want to watch
interviews where the celebrity answers frequently asked questions such as “What are you
wearing?” “What’s your latest project?” “How did you like the film?” Damacen also taught me
very early in my internship that I needed to hone in on the scandals and not-so-talked about
aspects of that celebrity’s life. He wanted me to not only touch on topics that were currently of
interest to the public, but to also investigate and possibly generate new information that could
become relevant and enticing. If I were interviewing a previous contestant on the reality dating
show The Bachelor, it would be unacceptable for me to ask simply what their experience was
like on the show. Not only have they most likely already answered this question countless other
times, but also their answers will likely be very vague and nothing interesting that would make
viewers pay attention or continue watching the interview. Rather, my producer taught me to ask
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the scandalous questions and the ones that most news outlets do not ask but the ones the public
wants answered. He wanted me to word my questions in a way that provoked the celebrity to
answer in an interesting and thought-provoking manner. For example, rather than asking, “What
was it like being on The Bachelor?” I would ask, “What was it like living with (so and so) when
the two of you didn’t get along? Do you think that affected your experience on the show?”
For every event Damacen covers, he is required – along with all the other press sources –
to obtain press credentials prior to the event that simply state he has been approved to cover that
specific event and a spot is reserved for his camera on the red carpet. Damacen started Maximo
TV over 10 years ago and because he has been in the business for a while, he has been able to
network and get to know numerous publicists and public relations people, in turn allowing him to
gain access to more high profile events. Consequently, he is given the opportunity to attend
events that are more likely to host A-list celebrities and shoot footage that entertainment news
outlets will most likely want to purchase. The relevant stars of the moment are more likely to
attend the higher profile events because their star power allows them to be in demand. They have
created an image that many events and promoters want to exploit. This is another reason why
stars need to be careful to manage and maintain the image they desire or they will lose their
credibility in the industry and the opportunities it provides (i.e. appearances, sponsorships, movie
roles, etc.).
At Maximo TV the primary location where business is conducted when staff and interns
are not attending red carpets is at a studio located in downtown Hollywood. The studio contains
all the camera and sound equipment used to shoot the footage as well as two computers. One
computer is used for researching celebrities and events prior to events to generate questions to
ask, to look up topics to write stories about and research them, to write scripts for voice-overs, to
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update social media websites including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the company’s blog, or
any other task needed to be completed by the staff at Maximo TV to ensure the success of the
business. The second computer is used for processing footage, including editing, recording
voice-overs, mixing sound, adjusting video quality, etc. The staff and interns meet at the studio
on a regular basis and the interns are expected to have new story ideas and fresh content to
Once in a while, a story package is created when Damacen feels it will be worth the effort
put into editing and producing it. Because Maximo TV primarily makes its income through
footage only (no audio), the company is very cautious with the time and effort they put into
interviews and stories they publish. When a story is to be created, the staff compiles and edits
relevant footage of the celebrities mentioned in the story, types out a script for the voice-over,
records the voice-over, and then publishes the story on all social media and websites. The
purpose of these stories and interviews is to generate more attention for and followers of the
company, which in turn makes the company more popular and heightens the chances of
entertainment news outlets using their footage. An example of a story that would be edited and
published to the site would be something the public finds especially interesting and intriguing.
As discussed in the research portion of this essay, scandals are a very popular and sought after
subject. If there is a high-profile scandal happening that has captured the attention of the public,
Maximo TV will most likely capitalize on this interest as a way to draw more viewers to their
website.
The environment of Maximo TV varies drastically when the company attends events and
red carpets to shoot B-roll and/or conduct interviews. The events can be anywhere in the state of
California (some even take place in Las Vegas, Nevada) and as long as the event is worthy of
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coverage and popular stars are expected to attend, Maximo TV will travel the distance (more on
how Maximo TV determines relevance and importance will be discussed later). Prior to an event,
Damacen gathers all cameras and audio equipment necessary and has all interns attending the
event show up an hour and a half before the event to give them time to prepare their questions
and ensure all equipment works efficiently. The interns are expected to read the “tip sheet” that
is emailed a few days in advance (the tip sheet states which celebrities are expected to attend as
well as giving a brief explanation about the event and its purpose). The intern that is conducting
the interviews on camera must have unique questions prepared for the event for all celebrities the
Once at the event, the producer and intern in charge of shooting the footage set up their
cameras and test that they are working properly. This involves powering on the camera and
turning the light on, testing the audio and microphone (if necessary), adjusting the colors of the
images using a “white balance,” and adjusting the focus so the quality of the image is not blurry
and they are in high definition. Finally, the tripod (if necessary) is set up and adjusted to the
appropriate height. On occasion, the interns that are reporting for the event will record an
introduction which will later precede any footage shot at the event. This usually consists of the
reporter recording a greeting, mentioning the event, and following with a closing statement
Once the event begins and celebrities are walking the red carpet, the cameramen are
constantly on alert, making sure to shoot all celebrities and guests they feel should be recorded,
based on their popularity at that time. If the producer feels a celebrity should be interviewed, he
will notify the reporter in advance, giving them plenty of time to review their questions and
various standards which include whether or not the celebrity is well known (i.e. the Kardashians),
if they have a new project in the works that will interest the public (i.e. the new season of a
reality show is being filmed, an artist has a new album coming out, etc.), or the star has a loyal
fan base that is always interested in the star whether or not they are currently working on
After the event is over and the red carpet is closed, the producer and interns pack up the
equipment and head back to the studio where they upload, edit, and publish all of the footage the
same night the event was held. This is done to ensure the footage is published while it is still
“fresh” and “interesting.” If the producer waits too long to publish the footage, it is no longer
worth anything because the chances are likely that the celebrities they shot have already attended
The process of determining what people and events to cover and why involves a decision-
making process that Damacen developed via “trial and error” over the years. About a week or
two prior to the event publicists send out an email invitation to all press outlets to invite them to
apply for press credentials that would allow them to cover the event. Because there is an
excessive number of events held every week and it would be impossible for Maximo TV to cover
them all, I asked Damacen how he determined which events he would cover. Damacen informed
me that he covers events where several celebrities have RSVPed and there is an overwhelmingly
good chance that at least one, if not most, of the expected high-profile celebrities will attend. But
if there are only one or two mediocre names on the tip sheet and he has other events he could
cover that night with more of a chance of obtaining marketable footage, he will not bother
Another factor that comes into play when determining which events Damacen covers and
which ones he does not deals with the relevance of the attending celebrities in today’s
entertainment news industry. Their relevance can be determined by several factors, including a
scandal they are currently linked to, a new high profile romance, a constant and prevailing
presence in the news media do to their relative success in their given industry (i.e. Justin Bieber,
Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck) – meaning there is no particular crisis or celebration occurring in
their life at that moment in time, the public simply cares about them because of the level of fame
they have achieved – or a highly anticipated new project they have coming out in the near future
(i.e. a new reality show, a new album, a new film they are staring in, a new clothing line, etc.).
For example, if any member of the Kardashian family was rumored to be attending an
event, Damacen would cover that event because there is such a high interest in that family and
the footage almost always sells and generates a lot of views. However, if an event were expected
to have a lot of B-list celebrities and lesser-known people in attendance, he would skip it. An
example of this type of celebrity would be any of the past Playmates from the men’s magazine
Playboy or the stars of a long-term reality television show with many seasons and cast members.
Because MTV’s popular reality show The Real World has had almost thirty seasons over the past
twenty years, over 200 cast members have appeared on the show. Therefore, there is no lack of
people from the show who could possibly attend an event and the countless appearance made
collectively between all the cast members makes them “a dime a dozen” so to speak. But if a
particular cast member is expected to show up and they have recently gotten divorced and have
made headlines for dating a much younger man, Damacen will cover that event because the
footage will generate views – especially if the younger man shows up with the cast member.
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An example of an event generating buzz and press worthy footage I observed was hosted
by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) at a nightclub to promote two of their
newest campaign models who were relatively unknown women that had once appeared in the
pages of Playboy magazine and had since dwindled from the spotlight, lacking significant
relevance in the media. None of the press there were necessarily hoping to cover the event or
interview the two models; they were there because of one guest in particular who was rumored to
be expected to attend the event. Reality star Khloe Kardashian-Odom and her NBA playing
husband Lamar Odom were going through a rough patch in their marriage; there was a rumor
that he was to be entering rehab for drug abuse and a divorce was looming in the near future.
Odom was also rumored to have been having an affair and his mistress had just stepped forward
and confessed their romance to the media a few days prior to the PETA event. The press was
ecstatic when they found out that one of the mistresses was expected to attend the event. Chances
are likely that this mistress would have not generated any buzz prior to her association with the
high profile couple and her alleged role in the downfall of their marriage. The woman was
relevant because she had made headlines and people were interested in this alleged affair that
Odom was having; they wanted to know more about the woman behind it.
Another example of the relevance a star has in the current media playing a role in the
coverage the star gets – including Maximo TV – was when Damacen sent me and another intern
to cover an event where a French reality star was expected to be filming her new show. Nabilla
Benattia is unknown in the United States but has a fan-base in Europe that is equivalent to the
fan base of the Kardashian family and therefore media outlets and fans overseas have a lot
interest in any coverage of Benattia. While at the event, my boss made sure we got footage of the
star while she walked the red carpet as well as an interview with her describing her latest reality
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show and her newest projects overseas. Because Benattia is known for her curvaceous figure and
voluptuous behind, my boss assured we shot plenty of footage of her spinning and twirling on
the red carpet. The footage and interview we compiled were tailored to meet the desires of the
public. Damacen did his research and knew what the star was known for prior to the event and
then used this knowledge as a selling point for his footage – asking her to turn around and show
her famous curves and asking her questions that would generate the beloved “ditzy” and
After noticing the relatively low numbers of followers Maximo TV had on social media
sites – specifically Twitter – Damacen agreed to let me take over their Twitter feed and act as
their social media manager during my time with the company. Through Maximo TV’s Twitter
account I sent out tweets notifying followers of upcoming events Maximo TV would be covering
as well as the expected celebrities attending. I also posted all footage shot of stars and I tagged
the celebrities in the tweets in they hopes they would “retweet” to their own Twitter accounts,
potentially helping us advertise the footage. I also posted comments and opinions about relevant
news stories and invited followers to interact with Maximo TV and offer their own opinions and
thoughts on the topic. For example, when Chris Brown was sentenced to anger management
rehabilitation, I posted “Chris Brown sentenced to anger management. Given his past what do
you agree/disagree? Why?” This allowed fans to not only get the Maximo TV name out there by
tweeting at us, but also encouraged them to check out the website and other social media sites for
Through my position an intern, I was able to get insight into what celebrity coverage
generated more attention for Maximo TV, based on the messages fans sent to the company
regarding footage and information posted about various celebrities. If Maximo TV tweeted about
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a certain celebrity and instantly gained a lot of attention for the tweet, I would inform Damacen
and when he attended events where that star was present, he made sure to get extra footage of
that star to feed the desires of his followers and the high volume of people who expressed
interest in that celebrity. One example of this was when Maximo TV sent out a tweet that they
would be covering an event where Stana Katic was expected to attend and hundreds of people
expressed interest and excitement over the coverage of this celebrity. I relayed this information
to Damacen while he was at the event and he made sure to take plenty of photographs of her and
obtain plenty of video footage. I also posted all photos and video as soon as possible, while the
followers were still anxiously anticipating more coverage of Katic from Maximo TV.
III. ANALYSIS
Gorin and Dubied have identified five criteria that are critical in determining which
entertainment news celebrities are relevant and how and why they are covered by media outlets.
Maximo TV takes all five factors into account when deciding who and what to cover and what
will be worth their time to cover based on the income and attention the footage will generate.
The main goal of Maximo TV is to obtain views and to generate people’s interest in their footage
and the stories they choose to cover and publish. They cover people who are relevant in today’s
media and ask questions that will elicit answers the public wants to hear.
The first criterion states that entertainment news outlets cover people who are real and
dynamic. These people are allowed and almost expected to change. An extreme transformation,
such as a “celebrity meltdown,” can violate a star’s persona but also be of dramatic interest to
fans. When Maximo TV decides whom to cover, they select people of interest to the public at
that moment in time. When meltdowns are at the beginning stages or in full swing in a
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celebrity’s life, these news stories generate the most buzz and attention for Maximo TV. A
celebrity on the verge of a meltdown fascinates the public and Damacen knows this so he is
careful to cover any and all events where these celebrities are expected, even if the chance of that
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” reality star Adrienne Maloof was of interest
during the summer and fall of 2013 because of the scandal surrounding her divorce, including
abuse allegations and rumors of infidelity. The public wanted the latest updates on Maloof’s
divorce case because there were so many secrets and tribulations that were being uncovered and
revealed. To add to the hysteria surrounding Maloof and her estranged ex-husband, she stepped
out with a much younger new boyfriend who was also the son of famous musician Rod Stewart.
At one point, Maloof was scheduled to walk the red carpet at a charity fundraising event and the
entertainment news industry was ready to cover her, with high hopes that her new boyfriend
would also attend the event. When she showed up, much to the press’s pleasant surprise, her
boyfriend was at her side and they were kissing and posing for the cameras.
Although there is typically nothing wrong with the dating choices a single woman makes,
the reason the public was interested in Maloof’s dating life and questioned the morality of it was
because she was recently divorced and the new man was half her age. The public claimed her
dating choices were an attempt at rebounding from her failed marriage and they felt she was
living vicariously through her much younger boyfriend. They also questioned her motives in
dating him and wondered if it was an act of spite directed towards her ex-husband, done to ignite
jealous anger. A meltdown seemed to be in the works and the public was watching it unfold,
waiting for Maloof to fall apart following her disastrous divorce case. There was a lot of scandal
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and controversy surrounding her life at that point in time and the public wanted all coverage of
The second criterion states that stars have “dual personalities” and they represent “both
the ordinary and the extraordinary,” meaning the public wants to see celebrities in the spotlight
wearing their designer gowns and living their lavish lifestyle but they also want to know
celebrities are ordinary people similar to those not in the spotlight and are capable of compassion
and empathy towards those less fortunate than they. Although Maximo TV does not use this
criterion in the sense of invading the stars’ private lives by taking private footage of them
(Maximo TV only covers red carpets and hosted events), they do touch on it slightly when
conducting interviews. As stated previously, the questions that Damacen encourages and expects
reporters to ask fall outside the “business only” realm and push the lines in terms of the public
life the celebrity is willing to put on display and the personal matters they would rather keep to
themselves.
The public enjoys observing the life of the rich and famous in close proximity, which is
made possible through the extensive and oftentimes invasive media coverage of the press.
Paparazzi follow celebrities’ every move and invade their privacy in an attempt to snap candid
photographs of their personal and private environments. The public enjoys seeing celebrities in
their everyday lives doing “normal” things that ordinary people also do and because of this
desire, the media must keep up with demand. To do so, the media forces their camera lenses into
those moments celebrities are not necessarily willing or eager to share. For example, when a
celebrity is at the beach with her family and simply wants to relax and enjoy their time together,
they are often plagued with the worry that paparazzi are around and will invade their personal
space. This is also evident when celebrities are out shopping and they have to constantly enter
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through back doors of buildings and dodge paparazzi as their bodyguards escort them through
An example of using media to cover the duality of stars and show how they are real
people under all the glamour and experience similar life events as we ordinary people do was
when I was interviewing a recent winner of the reality show The Bachelor, Desiree Hartsock,
and her fiancé, Chris Siegfried, and Damacen repeatedly told me prior to the interview to ask
them when they were having a baby. He stated his reasoning for doing so was because the public
is always interested in celebrities when they are pregnant or having a newborn baby. People want
to know every detail of the pregnancy, birth, and rearing of the child and entertainment news is
their source for this information. Although most celebrities tend to keep this news private for as
long as possible, especially the first trimester when complications can occur, my producer was
hoping to generate an answer from the couple that would get the audience’s interest and stir the
pot of rumors in relation to a potential new child from the young couple. He wanted me to bring
up a topic during the interview that would get the public talking.
This helps demonstrate the “ordinariness” of stars (in this case the newly engaged
couple’s views on children in their future), as childbirth and/or parenting are experiences that
most people will have at one point in their lives. To see someone of celebrity status go through
this very human process is reassuring. It is interesting and somewhat pleasurable to see a person
that is idolized and highly sought after experience a moment so fundamental and personal such
as childbirth. The public is also interested in knowing all the decisions made in regards to the
child. Provided this information, the public will generate opinions and judgments about the
celebrity’s actions and choices based on their own experiences, choices, morals, beliefs, etc.
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The third criterion is closely linked to the second one and states that emphasizing stars’
private lives and their personal decisions in relation to the lifestyles they lead further enhances
their duality. Much of what goes into determining which celebrities and events to cover is related
to the stories those celebrities have been generating in the news in regards to both their
professional and personal life choices at that point in time. This is the essential reason that
entertainment news outlets exist. If the public did not care about the private lives of celebrities
outside of their work life and the projects they take on, it would change the dynamic and rules in
regard to what celebrities Maximo TV covers. Rather than covering those celebrities with
scandal and stories behind their names, Maximo TV would most likely cover any celebrity who
was about to undertake a new project. Thus, Maximo TV would have to alter its production
process and content significantly – if it was even able to generate enough income to survive.
Although there are no blatant examples of Maximo TV covering the private lives of
celebrities to garner attention and feed into the public’s wants, there are a few instances that are
loosely related to this criterion. When interviewing Lisa Vanderpump, reality star from “The
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” I asked her questions about a highly controversial affair that
caused the demise of co-star Brandi Glanville’s marriage. Glanville’s husband and father to her
two sons was cheating on her during their marriage with the famed songstress LeAnn Rimes.
Rumors were surrounding their affair and speculation and disgust for the infidelity appeared in
countless entertainment news stories. Glanville tended to avoid the subject by all means possible
and when interviewing Vanderpump, I was hoping to get some new information on the subject to
feed the appetite of the public and generate attention for the interview.
Information about the personal lives of celebrities can be hard to come by, as many
celebrities choose to keep their private lives confidential and separate from their professional
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careers and public image, regardless of the public’s interest in the details of their private lives.
But sharing such details can be important part of a star’s persona. When Glanville went through
the all-too-familiar situation experiencing infidelity, it humbled and humanized her. It allowed
the public to see her in a different light, one that was less planned out and carefully constructed.
She was going through something that was less than desirable and seeing her struggle to keep her
family afloat and protect her two young children through the whole ordeal created public
According to the fourth criterion, entertainment news must put attributes of the star on
display involving their fashion choices, the lifestyle they lead, including the vacations they take
and activities in which they engage, material objects they own (i.e. cars, houses, private jets,
clothing, jewelry, yachts, etc.), and anything else setting them apart from those less privileged
(a.k.a the public). This criterion is another one not heavily focused on at Maximo TV, due to the
purpose of the footage they obtain and the means by which they obtain it. Maximo TV’s goal is
not to produce content that takes an inside look at celebrities’ private lives necessarily; rather,
they shoot footage of celebrities at public appearances and red carpet events and this footage is
later used by larger entertainment news outlets to act as B-roll while a story about that celebrity
is appearing on the screen. However, this does not eliminate this criterion from Maximo TV’s
realm altogether. When determining which celebrities to shoot and which to avoid, Maximo TV
must consider the stories entertainment news outlets are covering at that point in time and which
celebrities’ private lives and lifestyle choices are being focused on so they shoot footage of stars
When shooting B-roll of a particular celebrity on the red carpet, especially females,
Damacen will have the cameraman do a “fashion shot” in which they tilt up and down and show
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the outfit the celebrity is wearing from head to toe. Although the question about what a celebrity
is wearing is generally avoided when conducting interviews for Maximo TV, my producer did
inform the reporters that if a celebrity is wearing something unusual or outrageous or they are
wearing clothes from a clothing line they have created or are sponsored by and it would be
appropriate for them to talk about then it is fine to discuss what they are wearing. If a celebrity
recently bought an outrageous property or new home and there is heightened interest and
speculation about it due to its unusual or over-the-top characteristics, this would be another
instance where the lifestyle of that celebrity in regards to their private life would be relevant and
worthy of coverage.
Even though Maximo TV is not directly responsible for capturing the candid moments of
celebrities private lives outside their public appearances, the images and information collected
from the outlets that do cover their private lives influences the celebrities Maximo TV is
interested in and the questions they ask in interviews. The paparazzi generally collect footage of
the private lives of celebrities and they work directly with media outlets to ensure they are
seeking footage that is relevant and sought after by entertainment news. They are also able to
discover new information capable of generating mass public interest and speculation (i.e. when
actress Kristen Stewart was photographed kissing a married movie director while she was still in
a relationship with fellow actor Robert Pattinson). Maximo TV works to further enhance this
interest in a specific celebrity’s private life by providing even more coverage and information on
the topic when they cover events by either shooting footage for media outlets to use or
conducting interviews in which they directly ask that celebrity about the recent subject of interest
Stodden was hosting an event sponsored by PETA and she showed up in a bikini made solely of
lettuce to promote the vegan hotdogs created by the company. Stodden first entered the public
eye when she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchinson when she was only 16 years old. She
has managed to maintain her fame and the public’s interest by creating a star image that is
promiscuous, and pushes the boundaries of what is considered appropriate for a female her age.
She gives interviews in which she displays unusual and oftentimes “uncomfortable to watch”
behavior. She uses the decisions made in her private life and the lifestyle she chooses to lead in
order to sell her image to the public. This includes being spotted shopping with her husband
while wearing revealing clothing or posting videos to her social media sites showing her dancing
in a provocative way for her husband. She puts her private moments on display and showcases
her lifestyle choices (i.e. scandalous fashion choices, decisions made in her marriage to her much
older husband, causes and events she supports, etc.) in order to garner more attention and interest
Although the event I attended was to promote the ethical treatments of animals, my
producer was not interested in me conducting an interview about the event and helping to
promote the cause at hand. He did not want me to find out why Stodden supports PETA and their
vegan hotdogs. He wanted me to ask her about an alleged pornographic movie deal that was in
the works and her latest song along, with a much-speculated-about music video. The public was
not interested in an interview with Stodden to hear her political and moral views on animal
abuse; they wanted to know what new project she was undertaking and how it would shock
everyone.
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The fifth criterion says news items are produced and reported “according to specific
media procedures . . . categorized as news because journalists write them according to a set of
principles, the recording of facts, and documentary evidence.” This supports the idea that
entertainment news outlets create stories about a celebrity and frame them in a way that suggests
they are legitimate news items. In turn, celebrities need to ensure they are represented correctly
and accurately in the media. When conducting interviews, Maximo TV is responsible for and
should be aware of the persona of that celebrity they are recording, both when the reporter asks
Oftentimes, the information the reporter wants to find out for Maximo TV and the
information that the celebrity is willing to share are at odds with one another. If the reporter only
asks basic questions about the celebrity’s newest project and touches on subjects the celebrity
has clearly been comfortable talking about in the past, the celebrity will most likely approve of
the interview because it will gain more attention for the topics and areas the celebrity desires.
However, if a star does an interview with Maximo TV that is based solely on their scandalous
life when the celebrity had the intention of promoting their newest project, the star will probably
not be too pleased. On the reverse side, Maximo TV will benefit because they have more
coverage of that scandal and answers about it from the celebrity themselves, which will help feed
When Maximo TV takes the time to write scripts for stories they feel are highly
important given the current interest surrounding them, the process, as suggested by the fifth
criterion, is a careful one that is based on presenting accurate, definite evidence. When writing a
script for a story about the recent movies that Ryan Reynolds had been the star actor in, I was
reminded by my boss to do my research and use as many facts as possible and back up my
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statements with evidentiary support to strengthen my argument. While working on the script, I
researched all three movies that would be discussed in my story and used box office rankings and
profits reported by the theaters to support my claim that the recent three films Reynolds starred
in were unsuccessful compared to the “hype” and excitement surrounding them prior to their
release. By ensuring the information I would be reporting was accurate, I was able to create a
story that would seem “newsworthy” and classified as journalism according to Gorin and Dubied,
CONCLUSION
As we have seen, Gorin and Dubied’s five criteria are evident in the process that Maximo
TV follows when it identifies potential subjects of its footage and interviews. But is there a more
public demand? Do we care about celebrity marriages because we find them irresistibly romantic
– and a potential blueprint for our own lives – or are we interested in celebrity marriages
Maximo TV is one of many entertainment news media outlets that exists to provide
celebrity coverage to the public. Maximo TV seeks out celebrities and events that will bring
attention and, in turn, profit. Arguably, without the public’s interest in the topics and people
covered, Maximo would not be able to sell its footage. If demand drives production, then
Maximo needs to pay attention to current trends and topics of interest. Because Miley Cyrus has
obtained a lot of media attention and interest in her doings lately, Maximo TV would want to
cover anything related to Cyrus and get as much interaction with and footage of her as possible.
Presumably, that footage will sell because the public wants to see it.
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On the other hand, if producers of entertainment news drive consumption, then Maximo
TV does not necessarily have to pay attention to the trends of today and should be able to attend
any event, try to shoot interesting and unique interviews of any celebrities they encounter, and
sell that footage to media outlets. They could interview an up-and-coming star and generate
“controversial” and this would make people pay attention to the footage and want to know more
about that celebrity. Because Maximo TV is a smaller company and obtains their income based
on the footage they sell to media outlets, they are not going to take any chances by trying to gain
coverage for a celebrity that is not already popular. Rather, they will cover those celebrities that
are guaranteed to bring in income for the company – allowing public demand rather than
Maximo TV is part of a larger system: the star system, which uses mass media to
generate intimate connections between celebrities and their fans. Alexander Walker has
explained the public’s interest in celebrities and their lifestyles and choices:
Until the camera got close enough to record the player’s own personality, the film star
could not emerge from the stage group . . . by isolating and concentrating the player’s
looks and personality sometimes unconnected with his or her abilities it was to be the
decisive break with stage convention, the most potent means of establishing an artists’
uniqueness and the beginning of the dynamic psychological interplay of the filmgoers’
and the film actors’ emotions. (as cited in Dyer, 2009, p. 15)
necessary in the creation and maintenance of celebrities. As Walker points out, the audience has
now gotten to know celebrities and entertainers on a more personal level than ever before due to
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the continual coverage that entertainment news provides. Maximo TV exists to bring the public
insider access to their favorite celebrities and promote the causes and events celebrities attend
and support. The public is curious for information about stars’ lives, media outlets provide it, and
Thus, celebrity news is a self-reinforcing cycle, although the public’s preferences and
predilections are the driving force. Maximo TV takes note of stories that are relevant at the
moment and shoots footage of those celebrities involved. Given the strong curiosity surrounding
especially personal details of a celebrity’s life, issues inevitably arise between the media and the
celebrities they cover in terms of boundaries between what is allowed to be put on display and
what deserves sensitivity and respect. But such boundaries will always be determined by profit
potential, which should come as no surprise, given that Maximo TV is a business and therefore
revenue driven.
I predict that the entertainment news industry will change dramatically in the future, as it
attempts to keep up with the increasingly insatiable appetite the public has for celebrity news
coverage. With the growing demands for more content comes hard work to generate the in-depth
and detail-oriented information that the public has come to expect, information that goes beyond
(and behind) what celebrities make available on their Twitter or Facebook posts. The audience
has been given insider access to celebrities and they want this link not only continued in the
future, but expanded as well. I feel the public will be introduced to more entertainment news
outlets that are solely based online. Existing and future news outlets also will continue to use
social media to expand their presence and attract more followers and customers who can then
consume the “insider information” on offer. It is an easy, cheap, and successful way for media
companies to connect with the public and advertise the coverage they have available. The desire
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for entertainment news coverage will not dwindle, and media outlets will constantly need to
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