A STAR IS BORNAND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AUTHENTICITY

Becoming Extra-Textual: Celebrity Discourse and Paul Robeson's Political Transformation

“…In other words, the concept of scandal adheres to, and even intensifies, the reality principle, implying that there exists an underlying ''truth'' to be discovered; scandal reifies the essentialism at the heart of celebrity discourse. Dyer (1991) agreed, writing that ''features on stars which tell us that the star is not like he or she appears to be on screen serve to reinforce the authenticity of the star image as a whole . .…”

TheSuperescritoraÁngeles Mastretta: The Strategies of a Best-Seller Writer in Projecting and Maintaining (Literary) Superstardom

“…Authenticity is both a quality that guarantees the authenticity of the other particular values a star embodies (such as girl-next-door-ness, etc). 80 The above passage suggests that the authentic is constructed, in other words, that for the star to be real he or she must act 'realness'. Commenting on this same quote, David Pattie mentions that the signs of authenticity that Dyer identifies such as genuineness, spontaneity and immediacy are qualities which are typically associated with performance.…”

On the function of the United States paparazzi: mosquito swarm or watchdogs of celebrity image control and power

“…He also refers to them as human pseudo-events. Similarly, Dyer (1986) says celebrities are 'the ultimate example of media hype, foisted on us by the media's constant need to manipulate our attention' (15). Many authors argue that celebrities are all image, that there is nothing real there at all.…”

“…Yet the process of celebrity creation allows audiences to think of the image as a real and known person (Dyer 1986(Dyer , 1998. It is through media, especially visual media such as television and photographs, that people gain insights into the celebrity's personality, seeing how they dress and behave, who they associate with, the stories they tell.…”

“…As Dyer (1998) states: 'Because stars have an existence in the world independent of their screen/'fiction' appearances, it is possible to believe . .…”