Tag Archives: celebrity culture

Our politicians should be dull, worthy and never seen wearing a leopard print bra

By Andy Boddington | Mon 21st October 2013 - 1:02 pm

Nelson TorsoWriting in today’s Daily Mail, Dominic Sandbrook rages against the cult of celebrity and declares that “the lines between politics and show business have become dangerously blurred.” Is he right?

Today is Trafalgar Day, a celebration of the victory of our nation’s greatest celebrities, Horatio Nelson. Many may be surprised to hear Nelson described as a celebrity rather than a hero, but a celebrity he was, and he so knew it.

When, on 14 September 1805, Nelson arrived at Portsmouth to board the Victory, he could not make his way to the ship due to the pressure of crowds who wanted to cheer off their national hero. Nelson did not misjudge his own fame. He was loved by the nation and he loved their adulation. He told Thomas Hardy as he left English soil for the last time:

I had their huzzas before, I have their hearts now.

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Stephen Tall

Diffindo! Has Daniel Radcliffe hexed the Lib Dems?

By Stephen Tall | Sun 26th December 2010 - 5:55 pm

Daniel Radcliffe has declared himself to be “underwhelmed” by the Lib Dems in the wake of the tuition fees controversy, according to a report in the Daily Mail:

A source inside the party said: ‘Daniel does not in any way support the violence of the rioters, but to say he is underwhelmed by his party is an understatement. Like millions of others he was under the impression that the Liberal Democrats had no plans to increase the cost of studying.

‘While Daniel will never have to worry about his finances again, a tuition fee hike is a serious issue which

…

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Stephen Tall

Things can only get better for the Lib Dems, as D:Ream’s Brian Cox defects from Labour

By Stephen Tall | Sun 14th March 2010 - 6:15 pm

Time was when you were asked to name a Lib Dem celebrity backer you would have been hard-pressed to think beyond Barry Norman, Liz Kershaw and Barry Cryer (all of whom are stars, of course). Then came Sandi Toksvig, Floella Benjamin and Brian Eno; perhaps also Daniel Radcliffe. And last month, the Observer named Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Colin Firth, Kate Winslet, Andrew Motion, Razorlight, and the Kooks. Suddenly, it’s al looking a bit more A-list, a bit more contemporary.

And now comes today’s news from The Sunday Times, ‘D:Ream is over as poster boy Brian Cox deserts Labour: …

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Stephen Tall

What’s the right way to respond to #MichaelJackson’s death?

By Stephen Tall | Fri 26th June 2009 - 11:10 am

Why is it okay to laugh at the death of celebrities? Genuine question. As news of Michael Jackson’s death swept the world last night, causing the Internet to grind to a standstill, two things about our new cyber-age stood out to me.

First, that it was a US celeb website, TMZ.com, which broke the news of Jacko’s demise, leaving traditional media, including the wire agencies and LA Times, in its reporting wake. Its maintained the frenetic and frequently intrusive coverage today. If you want to see pics of the paramedics arriving at Jacko’s house, or of his grief-stricken relatives …

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