Who is the world's biggest celebrity?
05 September 2006
Scientific formulas - and gossip mags - have led Julietta Jameson to the 20 celebs we just can't get enough of.
To some, last week's Emmys might have said "TV's night of nights". To us they speak of the beginning of the period we like to call "Attention-Seeker Season".
Yes, the Emmys are now behind us, September has begun - and that means we are in the official lead-up to Hollywood's award season.
Kicking off with the Golden Globes in January and culminating with the Oscars in March, no other time on the calendar sorts the somebodies from the nobodies like awards season.
That means Hollywood's attention seekers have only four months to shore up their somebody status and so ensure they are on the invite lists for the most exclusive awards season after-parties: the Vanity Fair bash, Sir Elton John's do at Morton's and the bacchanalia at the Beverly Hilton, to name a few.
There are the orthodox ways past the doorman: make a movie, sing a hit song, get nominated for an award. And then there's the attention-seeker route: make a sex tape, get arrested, bust up with your best girlfriend and diss her to a passing papparazzo - it's about all manner of brazen acts as extroverts, wannabes, so-called It girls, heirs, heiresses and toy boys vie for the biggest share of tabloid headlines, and hence, gold-embossed VIP mail in their letterboxes.
To kick off Attention-Seeker Season officially, we present the list of the 20 Most Talked About Celebrities for 2006.
Calibrating a celebrity's currency via a formula tallying their internet hits, website mentions, trash-mag cover lines and frequency of newspaper coverage, the 20 Most Talked About list is the benchmark for those attention seekers to live up to.
And the results?
Since last year's Attention-Seeker Season, three celebrity babies have set gossip alight: Tom and Katie's Suri, Angelina and Brad's Shiloh and Britney and K-Fed's Sean Preston. Suri's been in hiding, Sean Preston's been in danger and Shiloh's been born in Africa; all good water-cooler fodder.
Meanwhile, their parents have provided tattle themselves: Tom's crazy antics and Katie's seclusion, Kevin Federline's questionable commitment, Britney's weight and fashion woes and Angelina and Brad's all-too orthodox union have all caught the attention of headline writers.
In the world of music, Christina Aguilera's feud with Mariah Carey and her continuing reinvention see her generating fascination, while Paris Hilton's unlikely musical debut adds yet another strain of prattle to the endless ruminations she causes.
What keeps the celeb watchers talking about them? Their outrageous acts, sure. But more, it is their humanity.
Star gossips like it when their idols show faults or foibles. It makes them feel better about themselves - and allows into the fantasy the idea that, maybe, Kylie or Jennifer could be just like us. And that we could be just like them.
20. Mischa Barton
Her character Marissa's dramatic exit from The O.C., combined with Barton as clothes-horse perfection, have kept us talking about both her style and her soap. But does she have the longevity to make next year's list? The history of so-called It girls coming and going as quickly as the fashions they parade, particularly when the line is fudged between their personal popularity and their star vehicle's, keeps the jury out on this one.
19. Pink
Lambasting all the other girls on this list with her Stupid Girls video and her outspokenness have made her endlessly interesting of late. She's not a magazine favourite, but web-heads love her.
18. Kylie Minogue
We talk about her because we care. This little trouper came out of hibernation this year after her battle with breast cancer, looking perky, fit and never better. It's not all wholesome and heart-warming though. Her bad-boy boyfriend, Olivier Martinez, and his frequent photo ops with scantily-clad ladies who aren't Kylie, keep the buzz going on whether her heart will be broken yet again.
17. The Beckhams
The only couple listed as one entry. This is because in the celebrity watcher's eye they are not so much a couple as one organism. They dress alike, talk alike, sometimes they even look alike, especially now that Posh has lost the hair extensions. David's peccadilloes and Victoria's weight will keep us discussing the two of them, regardless of her lack of career and his abdication from the England football captaincy.
16. Kate Moss
Unsinkable, unshakable, unmistakably iconic, supermodel Kate Moss's fall from grace over cocaine and her destructive relationship with troubled rocker Pete Doherty looked like putting an end to her career. Neither did. And we can't stop talking about it.
15. Nicole Richie
How thin can one woman get before she disappears? For no reasons other than having an amazing stylist in Rachel Zoe, and her alarming thinness, does Nicole Richie make the list. It's an uncomfortable duality, however. On one hand her seemingly effortless Hollywood chic lures style-fiends into studying her every fashion move. On the other, her obvious illness makes the admiration disturbing. It's a macabre fascination with Ms Richie - and the way it's going, it could end sadly.
14. Justin Timberlake
Mr JT's comeback on the musical scene appeals to music snobs and pop fans alike, such is the cred he's built. His long-term relationship with older woman Cameron Diaz is always being proclaimed by the trashies to be over, only to be revived by the same mags when the twosome are seen together again. He's Britney's former flame, allegedly the man who took her virginity and, whenever she's down on her luck again, he's asked about her. His "Leave her alone" protestations soon after her baby Sean Preston was born created a buzz - as does the consistent rumour that his mum prefers Spears over Diaz.
13. Mariah Carey
Mimi's world is all about me, me, me and it's this belief in the universe revolving around her that fascinates. Her meltdown of a few years back added to her legend and her latest hit album has her back in the limelight with an endless stream of delightful fashion faux pas. For fans, her comeback is the reinstatement of her rightful place in Divadom. For celebrity watchers, it's a tantalising increase in the chances for her wackiness to spill over publicly again.
12. Beyonce
Here's an interesting entry: a woman talked about just because she is so talented, fabulous and gorgeous. Liked by men and women equally, there's no dirt on this lady; just a whole lot of diva.
11. Mel Gibson
Don't expect him to be on this list next year - unless rehab fails. The Oscar-winning actor and director's arrest in July for drink-driving and his subsequent tirade against Jewish people was a car crash so horrible you couldn't look away or stop talking about it. But it was an anomaly. Whatever his foibles, family man Mel usually keeps them under wraps and will probably do so even more tightly from now on.
10. Christina Aguilera
From her Mousketeer origins through to dirty girl Xtina, on to Versace model and beyond to her current retro vamp, Aguilera's relevance is all about reinvention. It also helps that she has a serious diva attitude. Classic quotes include: "I give money to this company that manufactures hearing aids on a regular basis. More people should really hear me sing. I have a gift from God." And the truly priceless: "I'm an ocean, because I'm really deep." It also helps that she has a killer voice.
9. Lindsay Lohan
How to go from Disney cutey-pie to being Hollywood's No.1 party animal? Just use Lindsay Lohan's life as a map. Alleged drinking problems, alleged eating problems, parental difficulties, fights with friends, constant hair colour changes, late marks on set, crazy antics in clubs and big, drooling recovery sleeps bikini-clad and publicly poolside - you'd think she was courting scandal deliberately. For those hoping to do the same, there is no better role model. Or worse, depending on your perspective.
8. Nicole Kidman
She's an Australian Oscar winner who married an Australian Grammy winner. She's regal, he's country. She's also a beanpole who might have eaten a big enough burger to create a slight stomach a few months back, sending pregnancy speculation into overdrive. And let's not forget she's the former Mrs Cruise. Water-cooler heaven.
7. Jennifer Aniston
Ah, Jen. First she's the jilted woman, then she puts her heart on her sleeve for Oprah and fights back with some stunningly sexy photo shoots. And all of a sudden there's bloke's bloke actor Vince Vaughn, saving this damsel in distress. We can't resist it.
6. Jessica Simpson
No other celebrity has so blatantly courted the Most Talked About mantle as Simpson. And no one has become such a gossip lightning rod so quickly and absolutely. Since making her life public property with reality TV showNewlyweds, a drawn-out delay in announcing her separation from Nick Lachey ensured months of are-they-or-aren't-they talk. Her single status and frequenting of the Chateau Marmont has provided as much chatter as her yo-yoing weight and alleged cosmetic procedures. And her latest hook-up with John Mayer will keep it coming.
5. Brad Pitt
Unremarkable for so long, except for his looks and occasional penchant for bad personal hygiene, Pitt upped the tattle ante when he married America's sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston. Then upped it even more when he left her for Angelina Jolie. It broke all bets when he adopted her two kids and fathered another. And now the status of his union with Jolie is mag cover fodder. Expect more heat here.
4. Tom Cruise
Think of Katie Holmes as just one of the accoutrements of his infamy, because without Cruise no one would trade gossip about her. Cruise's year of living spontaneously has seen him go from the world's top movie star to the world's most gossiped-about male star. The mystery surrounding baby Suri and Cruise's bitter parting with studio Paramount suggests he'll be high on the Most Talked About list for some time to come.
3. Angelina Jolie
So much to talk about, so much of the time. Despite her mother-of-three, Angelina-for-president, perfumed steamroller schtick, she's still three parts vixen. And so, watching her do domestic bliss with Brad Pitt is riveting. How long before she goes back to her lesbian lover? Or will she run off with Kofi Annan first? She keeps us guessing - and gossiping.
2. Paris Hilton
We don't know if stars are really blind, but some loyalties clearly are. As obnoxious as she can be, our fascination with the Heirhead, it seems, knows no bounds. Despite her puerile giggling at companion Brandon Davis's drunken anti-Lindsay Lohan rant in July and her unfailing self-belief even in the face of harsh criticism, it is spontaneous acts of disgracefulness such as her public pash with porn star Jenna Jameson that keep Hilton on the tips of our tongues. Hilton's musical debut last month has given her some added longevity, extending her 15 minutes beyond what her detractors would like. Hilton slam dunks on the internet. She's the most searched celeb with the most web mentions. But she's pipped by Spears for No.1 because of the latter's command over the gossip magazine covers.
1. Britney Spears
For pop culture trend watchers, her dominance is no surprise. Spears has been Google's most-searched for a couple of years and consistently features strongly on Lycos's Top 50. Trash mags aimed at the younger demo would be hard-pressed for headlines if she didn't exist. Why? The former hit maker is now a hit taker, copping it for everything from driving with her baby in her lap to serial appearances eating junk food in shopping strip car parks. Add ballooning weight, a personal blog providing an awe-inspiring insight into the bizarre workings of her mind, a wayward, wannabe-pop star husband in her former backup dancer Kevin Federline and baby No.2 on the way, and her place is assured. Spears appeals to one universal truth: we're fascinated by celebrity, but we're more fascinated by celebrity showing frailty and fallibility
nopeasti ja huonosti suom.Pop kultturia katsoessa hänen sijoituksensa ei ole yllätys.Spears on ollut googlen eniten haettu muutaman vuoden ja ollut vahvana lycosin TOp50issä.Törkylehdet ovat sitä mieltä että heidän olisi vaikea löytää pääotsikoita jos häntä ei olisi.Brit on esim.ajellut autollaan vauva polvellaan,syönyt roska ruokaa,hänen painonsa on lisääntynyt,Hänen Ehkä popstar miehensä entinen taustatanssia ja vauva n.2 tulossa.Spearsin miellyttävyys on yksi universumin totuus:Me olemme lumonneet julkkiksina,mutta me olemme lumonneet enemmän julkkiksina näyttämällä heikkoutta ja erehtyväisyyttä.
05 September 2006
Scientific formulas - and gossip mags - have led Julietta Jameson to the 20 celebs we just can't get enough of.
To some, last week's Emmys might have said "TV's night of nights". To us they speak of the beginning of the period we like to call "Attention-Seeker Season".
Yes, the Emmys are now behind us, September has begun - and that means we are in the official lead-up to Hollywood's award season.
Kicking off with the Golden Globes in January and culminating with the Oscars in March, no other time on the calendar sorts the somebodies from the nobodies like awards season.
That means Hollywood's attention seekers have only four months to shore up their somebody status and so ensure they are on the invite lists for the most exclusive awards season after-parties: the Vanity Fair bash, Sir Elton John's do at Morton's and the bacchanalia at the Beverly Hilton, to name a few.
There are the orthodox ways past the doorman: make a movie, sing a hit song, get nominated for an award. And then there's the attention-seeker route: make a sex tape, get arrested, bust up with your best girlfriend and diss her to a passing papparazzo - it's about all manner of brazen acts as extroverts, wannabes, so-called It girls, heirs, heiresses and toy boys vie for the biggest share of tabloid headlines, and hence, gold-embossed VIP mail in their letterboxes.
To kick off Attention-Seeker Season officially, we present the list of the 20 Most Talked About Celebrities for 2006.
Calibrating a celebrity's currency via a formula tallying their internet hits, website mentions, trash-mag cover lines and frequency of newspaper coverage, the 20 Most Talked About list is the benchmark for those attention seekers to live up to.
And the results?
Since last year's Attention-Seeker Season, three celebrity babies have set gossip alight: Tom and Katie's Suri, Angelina and Brad's Shiloh and Britney and K-Fed's Sean Preston. Suri's been in hiding, Sean Preston's been in danger and Shiloh's been born in Africa; all good water-cooler fodder.
Meanwhile, their parents have provided tattle themselves: Tom's crazy antics and Katie's seclusion, Kevin Federline's questionable commitment, Britney's weight and fashion woes and Angelina and Brad's all-too orthodox union have all caught the attention of headline writers.
In the world of music, Christina Aguilera's feud with Mariah Carey and her continuing reinvention see her generating fascination, while Paris Hilton's unlikely musical debut adds yet another strain of prattle to the endless ruminations she causes.
What keeps the celeb watchers talking about them? Their outrageous acts, sure. But more, it is their humanity.
Star gossips like it when their idols show faults or foibles. It makes them feel better about themselves - and allows into the fantasy the idea that, maybe, Kylie or Jennifer could be just like us. And that we could be just like them.
20. Mischa Barton
Her character Marissa's dramatic exit from The O.C., combined with Barton as clothes-horse perfection, have kept us talking about both her style and her soap. But does she have the longevity to make next year's list? The history of so-called It girls coming and going as quickly as the fashions they parade, particularly when the line is fudged between their personal popularity and their star vehicle's, keeps the jury out on this one.
19. Pink
Lambasting all the other girls on this list with her Stupid Girls video and her outspokenness have made her endlessly interesting of late. She's not a magazine favourite, but web-heads love her.
18. Kylie Minogue
We talk about her because we care. This little trouper came out of hibernation this year after her battle with breast cancer, looking perky, fit and never better. It's not all wholesome and heart-warming though. Her bad-boy boyfriend, Olivier Martinez, and his frequent photo ops with scantily-clad ladies who aren't Kylie, keep the buzz going on whether her heart will be broken yet again.
17. The Beckhams
The only couple listed as one entry. This is because in the celebrity watcher's eye they are not so much a couple as one organism. They dress alike, talk alike, sometimes they even look alike, especially now that Posh has lost the hair extensions. David's peccadilloes and Victoria's weight will keep us discussing the two of them, regardless of her lack of career and his abdication from the England football captaincy.
16. Kate Moss
Unsinkable, unshakable, unmistakably iconic, supermodel Kate Moss's fall from grace over cocaine and her destructive relationship with troubled rocker Pete Doherty looked like putting an end to her career. Neither did. And we can't stop talking about it.
15. Nicole Richie
How thin can one woman get before she disappears? For no reasons other than having an amazing stylist in Rachel Zoe, and her alarming thinness, does Nicole Richie make the list. It's an uncomfortable duality, however. On one hand her seemingly effortless Hollywood chic lures style-fiends into studying her every fashion move. On the other, her obvious illness makes the admiration disturbing. It's a macabre fascination with Ms Richie - and the way it's going, it could end sadly.
14. Justin Timberlake
Mr JT's comeback on the musical scene appeals to music snobs and pop fans alike, such is the cred he's built. His long-term relationship with older woman Cameron Diaz is always being proclaimed by the trashies to be over, only to be revived by the same mags when the twosome are seen together again. He's Britney's former flame, allegedly the man who took her virginity and, whenever she's down on her luck again, he's asked about her. His "Leave her alone" protestations soon after her baby Sean Preston was born created a buzz - as does the consistent rumour that his mum prefers Spears over Diaz.
13. Mariah Carey
Mimi's world is all about me, me, me and it's this belief in the universe revolving around her that fascinates. Her meltdown of a few years back added to her legend and her latest hit album has her back in the limelight with an endless stream of delightful fashion faux pas. For fans, her comeback is the reinstatement of her rightful place in Divadom. For celebrity watchers, it's a tantalising increase in the chances for her wackiness to spill over publicly again.
12. Beyonce
Here's an interesting entry: a woman talked about just because she is so talented, fabulous and gorgeous. Liked by men and women equally, there's no dirt on this lady; just a whole lot of diva.
11. Mel Gibson
Don't expect him to be on this list next year - unless rehab fails. The Oscar-winning actor and director's arrest in July for drink-driving and his subsequent tirade against Jewish people was a car crash so horrible you couldn't look away or stop talking about it. But it was an anomaly. Whatever his foibles, family man Mel usually keeps them under wraps and will probably do so even more tightly from now on.
10. Christina Aguilera
From her Mousketeer origins through to dirty girl Xtina, on to Versace model and beyond to her current retro vamp, Aguilera's relevance is all about reinvention. It also helps that she has a serious diva attitude. Classic quotes include: "I give money to this company that manufactures hearing aids on a regular basis. More people should really hear me sing. I have a gift from God." And the truly priceless: "I'm an ocean, because I'm really deep." It also helps that she has a killer voice.
9. Lindsay Lohan
How to go from Disney cutey-pie to being Hollywood's No.1 party animal? Just use Lindsay Lohan's life as a map. Alleged drinking problems, alleged eating problems, parental difficulties, fights with friends, constant hair colour changes, late marks on set, crazy antics in clubs and big, drooling recovery sleeps bikini-clad and publicly poolside - you'd think she was courting scandal deliberately. For those hoping to do the same, there is no better role model. Or worse, depending on your perspective.
8. Nicole Kidman
She's an Australian Oscar winner who married an Australian Grammy winner. She's regal, he's country. She's also a beanpole who might have eaten a big enough burger to create a slight stomach a few months back, sending pregnancy speculation into overdrive. And let's not forget she's the former Mrs Cruise. Water-cooler heaven.
7. Jennifer Aniston
Ah, Jen. First she's the jilted woman, then she puts her heart on her sleeve for Oprah and fights back with some stunningly sexy photo shoots. And all of a sudden there's bloke's bloke actor Vince Vaughn, saving this damsel in distress. We can't resist it.
6. Jessica Simpson
No other celebrity has so blatantly courted the Most Talked About mantle as Simpson. And no one has become such a gossip lightning rod so quickly and absolutely. Since making her life public property with reality TV showNewlyweds, a drawn-out delay in announcing her separation from Nick Lachey ensured months of are-they-or-aren't-they talk. Her single status and frequenting of the Chateau Marmont has provided as much chatter as her yo-yoing weight and alleged cosmetic procedures. And her latest hook-up with John Mayer will keep it coming.
5. Brad Pitt
Unremarkable for so long, except for his looks and occasional penchant for bad personal hygiene, Pitt upped the tattle ante when he married America's sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston. Then upped it even more when he left her for Angelina Jolie. It broke all bets when he adopted her two kids and fathered another. And now the status of his union with Jolie is mag cover fodder. Expect more heat here.
4. Tom Cruise
Think of Katie Holmes as just one of the accoutrements of his infamy, because without Cruise no one would trade gossip about her. Cruise's year of living spontaneously has seen him go from the world's top movie star to the world's most gossiped-about male star. The mystery surrounding baby Suri and Cruise's bitter parting with studio Paramount suggests he'll be high on the Most Talked About list for some time to come.
3. Angelina Jolie
So much to talk about, so much of the time. Despite her mother-of-three, Angelina-for-president, perfumed steamroller schtick, she's still three parts vixen. And so, watching her do domestic bliss with Brad Pitt is riveting. How long before she goes back to her lesbian lover? Or will she run off with Kofi Annan first? She keeps us guessing - and gossiping.
2. Paris Hilton
We don't know if stars are really blind, but some loyalties clearly are. As obnoxious as she can be, our fascination with the Heirhead, it seems, knows no bounds. Despite her puerile giggling at companion Brandon Davis's drunken anti-Lindsay Lohan rant in July and her unfailing self-belief even in the face of harsh criticism, it is spontaneous acts of disgracefulness such as her public pash with porn star Jenna Jameson that keep Hilton on the tips of our tongues. Hilton's musical debut last month has given her some added longevity, extending her 15 minutes beyond what her detractors would like. Hilton slam dunks on the internet. She's the most searched celeb with the most web mentions. But she's pipped by Spears for No.1 because of the latter's command over the gossip magazine covers.
1. Britney Spears
For pop culture trend watchers, her dominance is no surprise. Spears has been Google's most-searched for a couple of years and consistently features strongly on Lycos's Top 50. Trash mags aimed at the younger demo would be hard-pressed for headlines if she didn't exist. Why? The former hit maker is now a hit taker, copping it for everything from driving with her baby in her lap to serial appearances eating junk food in shopping strip car parks. Add ballooning weight, a personal blog providing an awe-inspiring insight into the bizarre workings of her mind, a wayward, wannabe-pop star husband in her former backup dancer Kevin Federline and baby No.2 on the way, and her place is assured. Spears appeals to one universal truth: we're fascinated by celebrity, but we're more fascinated by celebrity showing frailty and fallibility
nopeasti ja huonosti suom.Pop kultturia katsoessa hänen sijoituksensa ei ole yllätys.Spears on ollut googlen eniten haettu muutaman vuoden ja ollut vahvana lycosin TOp50issä.Törkylehdet ovat sitä mieltä että heidän olisi vaikea löytää pääotsikoita jos häntä ei olisi.Brit on esim.ajellut autollaan vauva polvellaan,syönyt roska ruokaa,hänen painonsa on lisääntynyt,Hänen Ehkä popstar miehensä entinen taustatanssia ja vauva n.2 tulossa.Spearsin miellyttävyys on yksi universumin totuus:Me olemme lumonneet julkkiksina,mutta me olemme lumonneet enemmän julkkiksina näyttämällä heikkoutta ja erehtyväisyyttä.
Vastaukset 2
Vanhimmat
Monet urheilijat, kuten esim. Michael Jordan ja Shaquille Oneill ovat tunnetumpia kuin suurin osa noista. Yao Ming myös ja ihan vaan sen takia että kiinalaisia on yli miljardi (moniko on kuullutkaan jostain Nicole Ritchiestä) ja pohjois-amerikkalaisia ja eurooppalaisia yhteensäkin vähemmän.
Britney ei tosiaan ole maailman tunnetuin julkkis,se on kyllä Madonna! Tämä nyt on taas jonkun fanin hehkutusta joka sokeasti uskoo(tai haluaa uskoa) tähän siatin tekemään listaan....mutta monesta kohdasta huomaa että listaus on mennyt mäntyyn...
Mm.Madonna uupuu listalta KOKONAAN vaikka kuuluisi SIJALLE 1!! Christina Aguileran tuo sija 10 on liian alhinen sillä tähti on TAKUUVARMASTI kuuluisampi kuin esim.Paris Hilton,Jess Simpson tai Lindsay Lohan. Kate Moss sijalla 15 kuulostaa ihan realistiselta mutta onko malli tosiaan kuuluismapi kuin tuo "maaginen" David Beckham?