“Countless historical novels, costume dramas and schoolbooks of the early 20th century promulgated the idea that the English were at their most characteristically pragmatic, upright and plain-spoken in the late 16th century [….] The more one thinks about it, the odder it seems that one of the figureheads for this particular strain of national mythology is Elizabeth I, a multilingual queen whose letters and speeches display far more diplomatic evasiveness than empirical straight-talking, whose suitors included Eric of Sweden, Don Carlos of Spain and the Duc d’Alençon, and whose characteristic style of dress was about as plain and godly as that of Lady Gaga.”

These are the poignant words of honorable friend and the Director of The Shakespeare Institute Michael Dobson that appeared in The London Review of Books. At a time when lives are precarious, the subtle and nuanced understanding of Queen Elizabeth’s performance of persona is comforting in showing what we have in common – the human layers beyond binary structures of power. The beauty in commonality speaks to the charming ordinariness in Lady Gaga, as seen above, and in the backstories of many more iconic figures we study now. 

Not much has changed since the historical times of royal fame.

At the same time, some long-time cases of brutality and inequality are finally being questioned during Covid-19. We are proud of celebrity studies scholars, writers, and journalists, who are addressing social issues during this difficult period of time, and invite you to celebrate their works.
 

Celebrity Studies journal editor and professor Sean Redmond offered a virtual roundtable on how celebrities in Asia responded to Covid19. Panelists included CMCS media expert Nandana Bose among more. Those who missed the live discussion may watch the video recording here:
https://www.facebook.com/leifmemphis/videos/10159236436481323/ 

Earlier, NYC CMCS media panelist Hannah Yelin published "Why can a celebrity without symptoms access a test for COVIDー19 when nurses working on the NHSfrontline cannot?" Read: https://independent.co.uk/voices/coronavirus-lockdown-working-from-home-zoom-class-divides-a9437541.html 
 

Also, 2xCMCS award winner Ian Dixon published an excellent commentary on gender gaps in Hollywood stardom. Read his media article here: 
https://channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/oscars-diversity-gender-best-actress-actor-director-categories-12434246 

Our board member Franklin T. Wilson further questioned class and race in glamorized versions of police brutality in celebrity culture. His words are urgent with respect to justice for George Floyd and embracing Black Lives Matter. Read his interview here: “Hollywood’s Decades-Long Love Affair With Copaganda Is Finally Facing a Reckoning” 

 

In Bollywood, close to 4 million fans are signing a petition to raise awareness on what led to the death of Indian actor Sushant Rajput and inequality he faced during his life. We ask: Can the 4M fan activists lead to celebrity counterpublics within & beyond Bollywood? Our board member Basuli Deb and I agree that their expressions are shifting towards what might be considered as right and centrist politics. Either way, there is a call for justice and continued mourning of loss. Earlier, our board member Nidhi Shrivastava offered eloquent commentaries and reflections in response to the loss of Hindi film actors Irfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor during Covid-19. For more research on Indian film acting and stardom, read our media expert Nandana Bose’s new publication in Indian Film Stars (Bloomsbury).

In more news, CMCS board member Anita Krajnc and her Save Movement member and actor Joaquin Phoenix appeared in Canadian national news for honoring activist Regan Russell. She was recently run over by a pig transport truck supported by Bill 156, a new law that criminalizes exposure of animal cruelty in Ontario, Canada but being questioned by our celebrity activists. Read more here: The Lawyers Daily, CTV News, Entertainment Tonight.

I hope to bring more perspectives from LA’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts that I just joined. Meanwhile, listen to Sociology Chair Adrienne Bieniek (Valencia College), who did an excellent interview on celebrity studies, journalism, and acting – listen to our conversation in our her podcast episode:  https://mostpopularpod.com/blog/existing-in-celebrity-society-talking-about-fame-with-dr-samita-nandy @mostpopularpod 

Stay tuned for our next publications. The edited collection based on best papers from our Lisbon conference will be released soon. Meanwhile, CMCS board member Kiera Obbard and CMCS NYC conference committee member Sabrina Moro are continuing to develop special journal issues for the Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies and Journal of Fandom Studies (Intellect Books), for which we are proud and excited. 
 
 

For more updates in celebrity studies and media, visit our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you have research or media updates to share with our 3500+ CMCS members, tag us on Twitter – we would love to hear from you!

Stay safe,

Samita Nandy @famecritic
Dir., Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies @celeb_studies

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