Our topic is the experience of being a celebrity. Choose someone famous from a prescribed list of celebrities, and present how Rockwell and Giles’ research on the experience of celebrity gives insight into your star’s experience. Our assignment is closely related to the research reported in “Being a Celebrity” by Donna Rockwell and David Giles on pp. 534-545. They conducted in-depth research with 15 celebrities, interviewing them at length and publishing their findings in a composite of the celebrities’ experiences. Their findings include these features of celebrity: wealth, access to a privileged world, gratification and loss, symbolic immortality, loss of privacy, mistrust of others, temptations, and concerns about family members. You will use secondary sources, such as published interviews with the celebrity and/or articles about him/her to write a paper focused on that celebrity’s experience. The main questions you will ask yourself are these:

· Which of the advantages of celebrity found by Rockwell and Giles has the individual benefited from?

· Which of the celebrity disadvantages found by Rockwell and Giles have been difficult for the celebrity to handle?

You can also discuss the value or meaning the individual attaches to fame or celebrity. That relates to advantages. You can also discuss how the celebrity has been able to cope with the disadvantages of being a celebrity. Based on your reading of sources I assign, you will decide what advantages and/or disadvantages seem most important for the individual, and which articles I assign give content to discuss. You will have to narrow your topic down to only a few advantages and disadvantages. You are not expected to talk about all the advantages and disadvantages.

Your thesis will be the claim you make about the celebrity’s experience of being a celebrity. It needs to be broad enough to cover the advantages and/or disadvantages you choose to focus on. All papers must have a thesis in the introduction paragraph.

The intended audience of this paper is your classmates who have also read Rockwell and Giles and participated in discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of being a celebrity.

You are asked to use these sources in the writing of your paper:

1. The textbook article by Rockwell and Giles is a required source. You must use it in your paper, listing it in the Works Cited page. Give a brief summary (overview) of it, and use one other reference (quote or paraphrase).

2. These articles below are available in Galileo, which you are required to use and cite. Do not do a search on the internet for these sources. You must use at least three of these Galileo sources for the person you select. Your reference to the Galileo articles can be a quotation or a paraphrase, but you cannot use only quotations or only paraphrases. You must demonstrate you can do both.

3. You can use one (1) article of your own choosing, but you are not required to do so. If you decide to use one such article, it must be available on Galileo.

Will Smith, actor

(a) “The ESQ&A with Will Smith,” Scott Raab, Esquire 2015

(b) “Topping the Charts and Saving the World,” Crawley, Biography, 1999

(c) Jada Pinkett Smith Gets Real,” Mia McNiece, People, 2018

(d) Will Smith, Jet, Marti Parham, 2007

(e) Mr & Mrs. Smith, Nell Drumming, Entertainment Weekly 2006

(f) “The Top 10 Most Powerful Blacks in Hollywood,” Black Enterprise, 2007

(g) “Daughter’s Rebellious Ways Were a Test for Will Smith,” Sara Moniuszko, USA Today

(h) Jaden Smith: Actor, Rapper and Activist. Heather E. Scwartz
For each of the three required sources from Galileo, you will have at least one in-text citation and an entry on the Works Cited page. For “Being a Celebrity,” you will have a brief summary and one other in-text citation.

Use the Citation link in Galileo for your Works Cited entry. Make sure you are looking at the MLA (Modern Language Association) version. Indent the second and following lines of the entry, called “hanging indentation.”

Your paper should be five pages: four pages of text and one page for the Works Cited. Your Works Cited page should have at least four sources: The Rockwell and Giles article and at least three of the Galileo (internet) articles. Your chosen article (optional) would be a fifth source. Do not include a cover page.

Other Information

Remember that your purpose is to discuss the experience of being a celebrity for this particular star. Do not write a paper that focuses on celebrities in general or your personal experience with celebrity status or celebrities. Do not give a biography of the celebrity. Yes, you can use a few significant events from their lives to support ideas about what their experience is/was like, but the focus is not on the events themselves but on how they, for example, show what demanding expectations the star faces and how he/she views them and copes with them

I advise you to read all of your sources before deciding how you will integrate information from them. Avoid the situation of using only one source for a given part of your paper. As you read and take notes, divide ideas into categories. Develop topics of advantages/disadvantages (symbolic immortality 542, wealth 542, access 543) and downsides (loss of privacy 537, mistrust 539, demanding expectations 539, gratification and loss, 541, temptations 543, concerns about family impact 544.) Also take notes on handling downsides, and perceptions of the uses and meanings of fame.

It is not necessary to cite common knowledge, but you must give credit for (1) all exact words you borrow (quote) and (2) all ideas you paraphrase. Take quotes only from prescribed Galileo articles or the textbook article.

Use the MLA template available in Microsoft Word to format your essay. When printing out the copy, do not print on the back side of the page.

The last page will be the Works Cited page. Center the words Works Cited at the top of the page and then cite the works (in the proper alphabetical order and format).

Do not use I, me, my, or mine, except as they appear as part of a quote.

English 1102 Paper Submission Guidelines

All papers must be double-spaced. Type/Font should also be standard (not script). Use size 12 font. Make sure that spacing is accurate.

Place a four-line (single-spaced) information block at the top left corner of the first page of the paper. The block should contain the following: 1) your name, 2) the instructor’s name (Professor Hildenbrand), 3) your class (English 1102), and 4) the date submitted.

Each paper should have a title. The title of a paper should begin two spaces under the information block. The text of a paper should begin two spaces under the title.

Indent the first line of each paragraph five spaces.

Make sure you proofread carefully.

Make sure you have followed the assignment and met the required length and guidelines.

Alerts

** A paper with no in-text citations and/or no Works Cited page will receive an F.

**A paper that does not include in-text citations for at least three assigned articles and for “Being a Celebrity” will receive no higher than a D.

** A plagiarized paper will receive an F.

**A paper that uses sources other than the ones permitted and the one (1) you can chose will receive an F. If you choose one source, it must be available in Galileo and it must appear in the Works Cited and be referred to in the paper.

**If electronic copies of papers are not submitted in the Brightspace Assignment Tool, papers cannot be evaluated. Points may be deducted for delayed electronic submissions. Papers submitted after the 48-hour window for late papers will not be accepted.

Being a Celebrity: Will Smith

Introduction

Will Smith is a renowned and famous celebrity in the industry as an actor, rapper, writer, and even a producer. He is famous for his labels, family, blockbuster productions, and, most interestingly, the many movies he features. If asked to list the names, the list is endless. Being a celebrity, Will Smith has been faced with happy and sad moments in the fame experience, which are referred to as the advantages and disadvantages of “Being a Celebrity by Rockwell and Giles.” In his fame journey, Will Smith benefits from the advantages of being wealthy and the ability to access privileges in the world (Giles). However, he suffers from loss of privacy and entitization as well as concerns about family impact.

Summary of the Rockwell and Giles Article

In “Being a Celebrity by Rockwell and Giles,” Rockwell and Giles describe that the fame experience is characterized by surreal, bizarre, flattery, and warmth moments and experiences. The journey, as well as these moments, are abrupt as nobody prepares for the journey, but to survive, the authors recommend adaptation as an effective coping and survival mechanism. The good and bad moments bring about the advantages and disadvantages of celebrity life. The benefits of fame listed include the accumulation of much wealth, and ability to access privileges in the world (Giles). On the other hand, celebrities must deal with disadvantages such as temptations, mistrust of others, losses and gratification, loss of privacy, symbolic immortality, demanding expectations, and concerns about their families. In addition to these celebrity features, the authors show how some of these celebrities cope with the fame experience. Some of these coping and survival mechanisms include adapting to life and experience and character splitting, which enables them to maintain a balance of the fame life and personal life.

Advantages of Fame in Will Smith

As seen above, fame and celebrity life brings about many life advantages and privileges. Will Smith shows that his fame and celebrity experience has enabled him to access many worldly privileges as well as accumulated much wealth. He explains in many instances he has met and had the opportunity to dine with crucial political and economic figures in the world. For example, while shooting the movie Ali, Smith had the chance to travel all over the world and had the opportunity to dine with key public figures such as Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali. In another instance, Smith and his wife Jada had the opportunity to interview the then-president Barack Obama (Raab). Secondly, Smith has, on some occasions, played a fame card where he shows that ‘fans’ and the world is ready to help famous people due to that status. He backs this argument with an instance in a gas station when he did not have his wallet, and a fan decided to pay for his gas out of admiration and love. Will Smith says fame has its perks that come in handy in unexpected ways, which he loves (Raab). Concisely, his celebrity status has enabled Smith to meet other famous and influential people in the world. He likes being famous as he feels safe and that people will be at the forefront to help him and his family anytime.

Will Smith and his family live in the ‘first-class order’ kind of lifestyle, which he attributes to the movies and other sources of income. Wealth is a byproduct of fame, which he is estimated to be one of the wealthiest in many popular magazines. For instance, he is enlisted as a Top 50 Power Brokers in Hollywood. In the list, Smith is described as a ‘triple threat’ in Hollywood (Moniuszko). The Black Enterprise estimates the net value of the Overbook Production he owns with his strategist James Lassiter to produce at least $ $613.8 M in 2007 (Richardson). This means that in 2019, 12 years down the line, the production company and Smith have accumulated more than billions as wealth. He has a lavish lifestyle, which cannot be disputed, which all result from his life occupations as well as the fame status.

Disadvantages of Fame

Will Smith speaks of many instances he has had to deal with and cope with the negative side of fame and living the celebrity life. Will Smith shows how he feels ill-equipped and ‘not enough’ father, actor, or husband in the fame journey and experience. Smith describes still feeling a void referred to a ‘hole’ that he thought would be filled by fame, yet it still lives and persists in his life. Smith explains that his current life has been a dream that was characterized by many fights and struggled to acquire the status. He shows how it becomes a process to reinvent oneself and try to find oneself. Moreover, Will Smith describes his experience and journey to fame as emotionally battering and excruciating (Raab). Secondly, Will Smith describes his concern about his family and the direction he decided to take to fame. For instance, he said, “That was really the first time that I realized that my family wasn’t happy with the direction that I was taking them.” His concern is unique, as it is in this time when his daughter Willow shaved her head bald to protest against what he wanted rather than what she wanted (Moniuszko). This conflict leads to tension in a father-daughter relationship, which made him question his path of fame and celebrity life.

Will Smith’s Value and Meaning of Fame

Will Smith describes fame as a gift for him, as his desire to help other people and make life better for these people supersedes other aspects of fame. Some of the small things Will Smith defines as making people’s lives better include shaking their hands, signing their autographs, and even smiling at them. Will shows that these acts change the lives of the people, as they will keep the actions for the rest of their lives. Thus, fame for Will Smith is Gift that grants him the opportunity and fulfills his desire to make people’s lives better. He further adds that through the characters he features in movies, he prefers those with high calling and the art of giving quality services. Secondly, Smith loves what he does, appreciates the advantages that come with fame, and finds ways to cope with the disadvantages (Raab). In one of the interviews, he shows his love for his work, “I love creating music and television and film. I love the hustle, I love the grind, I love working sixteen- and eighteen-hour days and waking up at four the next morning and going to the gym. I love that.” Will Smith loves being famous and being recognized by people, but he does not forget that fame is a burden as well.

Coping Strategies of Fame Disadvantages 

Nevertheless, fame and being a celebrity becomes excruciating for Will Smith, as he describes it. He has to find a balance between his two personalities; being a celebrity and being a family man. He uses a coping strategy called balance and deep connection between service, God, and happiness. Through these three elements, he can deal with the disadvantages associated with fame (Raab). He has staunch spiritual beliefs he has been criticized for before. However, Smith defends them by saying the journey requires a comprehensive and complete package of spiritual, emotional, physical, and servitude balance.

Conclusion 

Fame and becoming a celebrity is a dream most people dream about; it could be in music, movies, or even businesses. The experience and journey of fame are characterized by both happy and sad moments and events. Fame brings about both advantages and disadvantages, and one must determine how to enhance the benefits and address or cope with the difficulties.

Works Cited

Giles, Donna Rockwell & David C. “Being a Calebrity: A Phenomenology of Fame.” Journal of Phenological Psychology (2009): 536-544.

Moniuszko, Sara M. “Will Smith on daughter Willow’s early rebellion: ‘She really tested me’.” USA TODAY 4 December 2018.

Raab, Scott. I AM A RIVER TO MY PEOPLE Will Smith. 1 March 2015.

Richardson, Nicole Marie. “Top 50 Power Brokers in Hollywood.” Black Enterprise 1 March 2007.