The celebrity roller coaster
Our celebrity-obsessed culture is nothing if not fickle. when an actor, athlete or other famous person is "up," the crowds adore her. But if she shows any sign of weakness (makes a bad movie, gets busted for possession, etc.), the dame media that made her famous will just as readily drag her down.
As a result, celebrities often end up riding the Roller Coaster of Fame. Someone who's highly respected one year can be less so the next.
To prove the point, I want you to pick a celebrity and consider his or her career for the past five years. For each year, indicate your celeb's general popularity on a scale from one to five. Five is "God's gift to fans everywhere" and One is "Couldn't get a job working the register at McDonalds because customers might complain." I'm looking for your general estimate, not anything scientifically precise. So try to have some fun with this.
If you're having trouble picking a celebrity to track, start with a movie star and loo him up on IMDb.com. The site will give you a listing of all the movies he's made, which might help remind you of how goo dor bad his career was going for each year.
Fan or fanatic?
When it comes to being a fan of a celebrity, how far is too far?
On the sane end of the spectrum, it's completely fine to enjoy the work of a talented performer. On the opposite end, it's generally considered unacceptable to become a celebrity stalker, so obsessed with a performer that you're driven to commit crimes such as trespassing in pursuit of your obsession.
But where should the line be drawn? What's the "craziest" thing a fan can do without going too far?
You an approach this question by considering fans of a single person, a group (such as a band) or a thing (such as a movie or TV series).