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There's now a democracy in who becomes a celebrity -- the underdog crowned Prom Queen or King.
And in Britain, which is arguably more hungry for tiny-tidbits of fame than even Hollywood, no one understood this populist coronation better than a girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
Media star Jade Goody -- followed beyond death's door in March by the British media -- was failed by her criminally dysfunctional family, an inept education system and even by the imagination of her countrymen, wrote Guardian newspaper columnist Lucy Mangan.
"Her seven years in the public eye played out in the manner of a modern morality tale, and now her narrative arc is complete," Mangan said in a column, after the reality TV star and mom of two died of cervical cancer on March 22. "It is to be hoped that after a life that was, save for a few blessed stretches, mostly full of strife, Jade Goody is at peace and beyond the reach of scrutiny now."
But the public relations guru who helped Goody become a beloved household name in the UK -- worthy of writing her own autobiography at 25 years old -- has always believed his client wasn't a victim but, rather, she understood better than most the changing current of fame. You no longer need to be talented to suddenly become famous, says publicist Max Clifford.
"Jade's a perfect example," he adds.
Instead of being a great actress or singer, he says, Goody was simply real. Here was someone with no education who understood the star system better than those who grease the machinery.
Goody came from an unnatural disaster of a family -- poor in money and rich in drugs, violence and sadness. When Goody took part in Britain's Big Brother TV series in 2002, both the old, grey broadsheet press and its popular tabloid cousins agreed she was loud, rude, unappealing and arguably racist. TV commentators called her fat and attacked her lack of legitimate talent. Here was an easy target, who couldn't decide if Rio de Janeiro was a place or a person.
But the people loved her -- a counter-culture Lady Diana. Many saw themselves, or at least a class of people usually shut out of any grand exposure, in her common ways.
And the more the media attacked, the more a groundswell of support grew under her missteps, until the broadsheets just diverted their eyes and the Red Top tabloids -- seeing sales spike when she was mentioned -- suddenly embraced her. They clung on even tighter after she was, on camera, diagnosed with the cancer which would kill her. She became "Courageous Jade," and readers followed her every move until her final moments.
Clifford is a controversial publicist who has handled every-
one from Frank Sinatra to Marlon Brando to O.J. Simpson. "For the first 20 years, it was virtually all about promotion," he says of his career. "It's far more about protection (now)."
When Robert Murat was named as a suspect in the disappearance of lost child and national obsession Madeleine McCann, the UK press savaged the man. Clifford -- before Murat was awarded more than $1 million in libel pay-out from various British newspapers -- came to his defence, trying to douse wrong stories. He estimates that 95% of what was written about the man was false.
Clifford has become an expert at spin, at creating new "facts" to bolster a client's image. He knows this is a two-way street, telling the famous, "If you're going to use the media, don't complain when they use you."
But more and more, he says, it's average people who are finding themselves needing his services after they find some variation of fame.
"It's easier to build a star than ever before," says Dr. Kim Blank, a media consultant and professor of cultural studies at the University of Victoria, in B.C. "You don't need skill or talent to be famous. You only need exposure, and increasingly that comes with bandwidth, not brilliance.
"But current celebrity culture is democracy on crack. It's excess and spectacle to feed our addiction to the banal."
Michael Sandecki was on a high once -- then he came down. Sandecki made it to the final stage of American Idol in 2006 -- though as a tongue-in-cheek "best impersonator" of performer Clay Aiken, singing Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. The clip has found a permanent home on countless websites.
But Sandecki couldn't sustain his fame. Currently looking for work and applying for spots on reality shows, he hopes he's just one good break away from being famous for good.
"The no-name people are starting to shine," he says over the phone. "I just wish I could capitalize on it.
"When I worked at KFC, people would say, 'There's the KFC Idol.' Now I just don't mention American Idol during my job interviews."
WANNABE A STAR?
Sure you have talent, but where has that got you? Famed celebrity publicist Max Clifford has come up with this list of the top 10 ways to become famous. The 11th is likely, 'Become an agent to the stars.'
1. Appear on a reality show
2. Enter a talent contest
3. Be abysmal on a talent show
4. Gain fame by association
5. Date a celebrity
6. Flaunt your body
7. Date a Royal Family member
8. Make a home-sex video
9. Be a success on MySpace
10. Be in the right place at the right time