I would like as many people to answer this question as possible.  It
is this: Is the relationship between a celebrity and that person's
fans a consequence of their celebrity that must be acknowledged, or,
would that person be correct in ignoring their fans entirely and just
doing their job to the best of their ability?  In essence - does a
celebrity owe anything to his fans?  If so, what is it, and to what
extent must he extend himself?

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Request for Question Clarification by bananarchy-ga on 18 Dec 2002 16:04 PST

Since only one researcher can actually answer this question, might you
reconsider reposting the same question with multiple instances, for a
much smaller fee for each one?  For reference, see
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=125768.

googel-ga has posted the same question many times, for a small fee. 
You might have better luck than with the current format, which only
allows payment to the first researcher to answer your question.

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Clarification of Question by yopie-ga on 19 Dec 2002 15:13 PST

Please see the alternative answer and my succeeding comment to it. 
This as much as anything, is clarification.  More simply, the question
can be viewed from two angles - In view of the symbiotic nature of the
celebrity/fan relationship, if a celebrity's fans request an official
fan club is it right or fair of the celebrity to refuse those fans. 
In the same vein, if a celebrity's fans send him a gift, is it morally
and/or ethically correct of that celebrity to still ignore them just
because it was unsolicited?  Since said letters and gifts were sent
because of person is a celebrity, not in spite of it, that in itself
would necessarily lead one to assume that it's unsolicited.  Does this
help at all?

I'll take a stab at this... I think a celebrity owes the same thing to
his/her fans as to him/herself... a committment to the work. I am a
professional actor, and a teacher of mine used to talk about the
notion that an artist must not only practice a craft, but must
practice advocacy of the craft.  To me, that means cultivating an
increasingly educated audience... That can be done both by material
selection, therefore encouraging fans to see challenging and
high-quality work, and by personally engaging the audience (or fans)
in interesting ways.

I think some celebrities' choice to downplay their fame goes a long
way towards this - they try to keep the focus on their work, rather
than a 'persona'.  This ignores a reality, though, that I am
confronting more and more as I advance in my own career... the fans
keep you employed.  I think, to put it simply, celebrities owe their
fans their livlihoods.  There is a book the comes out every year that
grades actors on their ability to bring in box office $.  On an
essential level, that's what celebrity is all about.  That can
translate into a million things - do you keep your fans by indulging
them in autographs and photo ops, or by keeping them at arms length. 
And from thence came publicists :)

Thank you for this answer.  I actually believe as you do. 
Unfortunately, there are some in your profession who feel differently.
 They feel the work is enough and that fans are superfluous to the
craft.  I suppose they individually view their craft as "art for art's
sake" and "just another day on the job".  Unfortunately for them,
however, the powers that be (the people with the money) don't judge a
performance on it's own merits, but by how much money it can generate
- as you and I both agree.  For better or worse for the entertainment
industry, I believe Hollywood has trapped their stars into a symbiotic
relationship with their public.  If you don't "feed" the public - it
won't buy your product (your movies won't make money).  So, unlike
doctors, nurses, policemen, and firemen, who can do their job well and
still quietly go home at the end of the day, actors and politicians,
both of whom rely on public opinion and favor for survival, must
acknowledge this relationship by at least paying lip service to the
existence of fandom and public opinion, or risk disappearing into the
oblivion stars who have made this error in judgement drown in.  Do you
agree?