“It’s become the disease of our culture, celebrity,” laments Rosanna Arquette in the trailer for $ellebrity. The documentary that made its premiere at SXSW last March aims to focus a discussion on celebrity culture, and the rise of the paparazzi. Drawing a line in the sand between photojournalist and parasite papparazo is celebrity photographer Kevin Mazur, whose lauded reputation gave him access to interview such big stars as Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, and Kid Rock. But to keep things from being one-sided he also talks to the people who professionally stalk celebs.
It’s strange how many of us consider complete invasion of privacy as the price of fame nowadays. As if when young people set out to have a career in the arts they also signed a contract that declared that from here on out even the most personal aspects of their life will be made public for scrutiny. People will scale the walls of your home to get pictures of you sunbathing. People will snap photos of your children to prove just how like the rest of us you are. And god forbid you snap back. Celeb watching has become an ingrained part of pop culture, for better or worse, and this doc seems to be trying to humanize the struggle of those who are forced to live in celebrity’s glaring spotlight 24/7.
Of course gossip columns date back to Hollywood’s earliest days, but the tenor of their coverage has undoubtedly changed. For instance, back then a celebrity being gay was discussed in code lest a career be destroyed-- and these days, stars are hounded by cameras so much that coming out can be the best way to escape. The relentlessness of this need to “know” stars has even been blamed for several very public meltdowns, like that of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amanda Bynes. It’s terrible, but we can’t look away right?
I haven’t yet seen $ellebrity, but personally I’m interested on Mazur’s take as he—as a celebrity photographer—definitely thrives off this industry as well, even though he’s not one of the sleazes with a camera scaling mansion walls. Where does he draw the line, and where should we? $ellebrity seems dedicated to offering us some serious food for thought on the matter. In the meantime, I’d recommend checking out a documentary on one of the most notorious papparazo, Ron Galella. It’s fittingly called Smash His Camera, and it’s now streaming on Netflix.
