In your new book, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FAMOUS, you talk about the celebrity-industrial complex. What is the celebrity-industrial complex?
Since I started reporting on the worlds of entertainment and politics, we've moved from a society that admired entertainers with talent, and politicians with intelligence, to a culture in which the goal is just to achieve fame in whichever way possible.[More]
What effect does this complex have on our culture and society?
Sure, it’s fun to watch the parade on the red carpet or hear all the juicy details of Britney’s 55-hour marriage, but increasingly, celebrity and our obsession with it is blocking out other kinds of coverage. That is a problem.[More]
How has celebrity culture extended beyond the arts and sports?
The techniques developed by the flacks and star-makers, which are based mainly on personality, are being picked up and further refined and used in other arenas that were once far more serious, such as politics.[More]
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What is the impact on journalism of all this?
Well, obviously the wall between entertainment and news is breaking down. On the Internet there is a plethora of self-proclaimed journalists, who do not have to adhere to the same standards as the mainstream media[More]
What role do the media conglomerates play in all of this?
Large media conglomerates want bigger and bigger audiences, which are more difficult to deliver in a diverse and fragmented viewer environment.[More]
You've written four major pieces on Michael Jackson and have probably broken more news on this story than any other reporter. Why do you keep going back to it? What is there in this story that drives you to get the whole truth told?
The easiest answer is that I do not think the whole truth has come out. Michael Jackson's considerable talent has now been overwhelmed by scandal and his own general oddness.[More]
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