CUL721 The Culture Of Celebrity

In a response of between please answer ONE ( 1 ) of the following questions. Be sure to answer only one question. Upload your assignment to Blackboard by Saturday, July 18th at 5PM EST. (Look for the SUBMIT HERE link.) E-mailed (i.e., late) assignments will not be accepted without medical documentation. Please contact me well in advance if you feel you will be unable to meet the deadline.

Please format your response using the MLA Style Guide (8th ed.).

1. Richard Dyer states in his landmark work Stars that stars operate ideologically: that is, they are structured so that “some meanings and affects are foregrounded and others are masked or displaced” (3). Using a star of your choice, demonstrate how Dyer’s statement is true. How do representations of your star stress some meanings while concealing others? (Contrastingly, you may also use your star to disprove Dyer’s assertion.)

2. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane is perhaps most famous for the feud between its leading ladies, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The on-set battle between the two screen legends was expertly used in order to promote the film. Analyze a recent feud between two celebrities. What are we to take from the incident—that is, why is it meaningful? In which ways does it represent contemporary culture? Do not spend too much time summarizing things: be sure to move quickly to analysis.

Note: For all questions, do not use a celebrity listed on the addendum unless you have cleared it with me beforehand.