Fame - David Gritten

It seems we can't get enough of celebrities today. Our TV screens, magazines and newspapers are filled as never before with famous singers, actors, models, even footballers and chefs. And, in the age of "Big Brother" and "Pop Idol", it's easier than ever to become a star. Anyone, it appears, can get their 15 minutes if they want it badly enough.;But what is fame really like when you achieve it? Does it fulfill its promise? Journalist David Gritten has spent years meeting the globally famous, including the Beatles, Madonna, Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Here he gives us a revealing, sometimes shocking insight into the glittering, fascinating and often downright bizarre world of modern celebrity, from Elton John's tantrums and Geri Halliwell's reinvention to Melanie Griffith's rehab website and the stalker who wants to become President.;Gritten asks: is it possible for the famous to retain a sense of normality when those around them cater to their every whim? How do they cope when their private life is relentlessly scrutinized by the press? What is it like to confront the dark side of fan worship - obsession, harassment, even death threats? And why do so many celebrities fall victim to the excesses of fame while a small minority seem to flourish in the limelight?;Gritten's conclusion is that being famous is a far more troubling, complex, even dangerous phenomenon than it first appears to be, that you cannot court celebrity purely on your own terms and playing the fame game always comes at a price. And yet, despite the flipside of fame, why do so many stars still seem addicted to it?