How to be famous without really trying…

Attributes: If there was one, definite way to become a famous performer, the world would be full of avatars of ‘The Star’. But there don’t seem to be that many absurdly successful people out there. Getting by on talent is one way to fame, but a lot of celebrities have also got there with looks, luck, contacts or just by having the right face in the right place at the right time. Given all that, no one has ever been able to hit upon an archetypal set of actions that might lead to the ascension of The Star (which may explain tabloid stories about the rich and famous being such a screwed-up, obsessive and neurotic bunch). The Professional Celebrity, however, is much more acessible.
The Professional Celebity is not famous for any great achievement, such as a starring role in a blockbuster or a chart-topping album. A lot of avatars are, incidentally, A-List people who haven’t done much serious work for a while, but most Professional Celebrities can’t make such claims about themselves. They become famous as TV personalities, mens’ lifestyle magazine models, soap opera stars with “pop careers”, radio DJs or members of manufactured teeny-bopper close-harmony boys’ pop groups, to name but a few examples. They don’t have to do much either: appearing at award ceremonies, on light entertainment shows or in tabloids is all that it usually takes to stay on the path of the Professional Celebrity.
Taboos: Becoming famous for any kind of real, significant achievement is a betrayal of the archetype. You can rake in as much cash as you like from interviews, glamour shoots, juicy newspaper articles and opening up your glamourous house to HELLO! Magazine, but don’t even think about going up for the lead in that next Spielburg film, or launching that solo singer-songwriter career. Of course, this is why a lot of A-List Professional Celebrities drop off the path – serious work gets in the way.
Symbols: The trappings of success – a sportscar, designer wardrobe and a tres chic pad in somewhere like NY, LA, London or Paris. Going where the action is is very important, and if you can get any pictures of yourself with other ultra-famous people, even better.
Masks: This isn’t the sort of archetype that anyone in the past might have considered channelling – it seems to have come about in the era of the mass media, but some of these people might become Masks in ages to come…
Suspected Avatars in History: Just pick up a copy of your favourite tabloid or switch on the TV around 7pm on a Saturday night and you’ll see loads of them.
Channels:
1%-50%: You have an instinctive knack for choosing just the right outfit, photo opportunity, celebrity event or mindless light entertainment show for maximum publicity. Anyone rememer THAT DRESS? (You know, that Versace one that was held together with safety pins) A classic example of this power in action, and also a fairly potent symbol of the archetype.
51%-70%: Ordinary people become more inclined to act favourably towards you. Whenever you’re using a social skill on anyone who isn’t a close acquaintance or a fellow celeb, you can roll against your Avatar: Professional Celebrity skill instead. You may be asked to sign an autograph into the bargain.
71%-90%: By this stage you’re probably an important person who can easily attract other professionals to look out for your interests. If you ever hire a publicist, agent, minder, stylist or lawyer and make a successful Avatar: Professional Celebrity roll, that person will turn out to be an avatar of the Necessary Servant, with an Avatar skill as high as your result on the dice. If the roll fails, you might end up with a blundering idiot or a crook who cheats you out of huge amounts of cash.
91%+: Okay, so you’re not a real star and probably never will be, but who cares? Why not just go to bed with a real star instead? Just create an opportunity to meet the star of your choice, say all the right things and make a successful Avatar: Professional Celebrity, and you’ll be In Like Flynn. But unless you get a matched or critical success, the attraction created by this power will last no more than a number of days equal to the sum of the dice. But that isn’t necessarily a problem if you manage it right. You could sell your story to the press, for instance, and make a nice, tidy sum of money into the bargain. (There may be litigation to consider, but you already know how to get good lawyers.) It’s almost the same thing as being a real star: you get to do a sex scene with a famous person, you can make money out of it, there are often cameras involved and it entertains the masses. Who needs movies when you get get all that out of real life?