Celebrities command a degree of influence and public fascination and have a prominent profile in media and public life. They are persons with fame and fortune, and the term celebrity is usually reserved for wealthy people.
Different careers within the entertainment and sports fields are associated with having celebrity status. Professional athletes such as Muhammad Ali, who is a former box player, and Tom Brady (football player) rose to fame. Other prominent figures within the sports industry are hockey player Wayne Gretzky, golfer Tiger Woods, and basketball player Michael Jordan. Entertainment figures such as models Adriana Lima and Sofia Vergara have reached celebrity status as well. Prominent radio personalities, authors, pop singers, political pundits and infotainers also become celebrities Figures that have reached celebrity status also include television correspondents (Meredith Viera, Anderson Cooper), talks show hosts such as Oprah Winfrey and Larry King, and comedians such as George Lopez and Ellen Degeneres.
Many actors, pop singers, athletes, and other professionals attain celebrity status because of their talent and a successful career in entertainment or sports. Others enjoy celeb status because of their misdeeds, extravagant lifestyle, wealth, or connection with wealthy and famous people. Celebrities are known within a country, region, or internationally.
Certain cultural communities (ethnic, religious, and linguistic), cultures, regions within a country, and regions have their own celebrity systems. Quebec and Wales and two examples of linguistically and culturally distinct and homogenous regions. Regional politicians, newscasters, community leaders, and radio personalities may be regional or local celebrities.
People choose different career paths – in their country, region, or internationally, but many athletes, entertainers, and actors have to take a second job and abandon their aspirations. Only a small number of them succeed and become celebrities. The majority of athletes and entertainers spend their lives toiling from rejection, determination, hard work, and frequent unemployment. Many musicians, models, writers, actors, producers, and talk show hosts freelance their talents or work on-and-off. Some actors alternate between film, television, and theater and become television hosts, producers, comedians, and singers to diversify their income.
Some celebrities turned entrepreneurs such as Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others. Oprah Winfrey, for example, has business holdings in the Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo Productions. Other celebrities such as Tom Selleck have a second job or hobby. The movie star has an avocado ranch which he plants and harvests. The actor is not the only one who has an unexpected or unusual job or hobby. Nick Offerman carves canoes while Nikki Blonsky works at a beauty saloon after earning a cosmetology license. Other celebrities get involved in investment and business ventures such as fashion retailing, model management, sports team ownership, etc. Most professional entertainers and athletes are not successful entrepreneurs, however. Finally, celebs participate in a variety of endorsement opportunities such as fragrances, cosmetics, footwear designing, animation, publishing, and others.
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