Camera Ready: The Allure of Stardom

From Nathanael West’s vision of early Hollywood artifice to the twenty-first century’s preoccupation with youth culture, aspirational images of fame and stardom permeate popular media. In conjunction with The Sun and Other Stars: Katy Grannan and Charlie White, this panel explores the evolution and distribution of celebrity imagery, examining its impact on how we conceive of identity and the possibility of individual expression. Panelists include Leo Braudy, professor of English and American literature at USC and author of The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History, Sarah Banet-Weiser, professor in the USC School of Communications and author of The Most Beautiful Girl in the World: Beauty Pageants and National Identity; Suzanne Rauscher, executive producer, Toddlers and Tiaras; and Iris Berry, Los Angeles historian, poet, and author of Two Blocks East of Vine.

Brown Auditorium | Free, no reservations

Image: Katy Grannan, Anonymous, Los Angeles, 2008/printed 2009, courtesy of the artist; Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco; Salon 94, New York, © 2012 Katy Grannan