Celebrities Destined For Obscurity

[DMark]

I watch the old 50’s show, “What’s My Line?”, and usually I know the celebrity guests, but often it is someone I have never heard of but they must have been popular due to the audience reaction back then.

It got me to thinking, which big celebrities of today are destined to become obscure footnotes in 10, 15 or 20 years from now. Not celebrities you WISH would go away, but celebrities today who will be unrecognized by your kids and certainly your grandkids.

My guesses:

Paris Hilton – I doubt will have a body of work, so to speak, that would keep her in the limelight.

Carrot Top – once he stops appearing on the occasional talk show, and stops touring his show, he will fade from memory.

J. Lopez – although I actually like some of her films and her music isn’t horrible, I doubt her fame will last once she is no longer fodder for the supermarket rags.

I think it is a safe bet that most, if not all, of the winners of American Idol will be unknown soon, if not already.

Any other nominations?

[Otto]

The casts of pretty much every show currently on the air, but especially The O.C.

[Sam Stone]

Hayden Christensen will be this generation's Mark Hamill.

I hate to say it, but I suspect Elijah Wood will be forever known as, "That guy - what's his name - who was in Lord of the Rings". Which is too bad, because he's a good actor, but he's typecast by the role and he has the type of looks that don't work for leading men.

[Stark Raven Mad]

I hate to say it, but I suspect [b]Elijah Wood will be forever known as, "That guy - what's his name - who was in Lord of the Rings". Which is too bad, because he's a good actor, but he's typecast by the role and he has the type of looks that don't work for leading men.

I disagree. Have you seen Sin City?

I think the Olsen Twins are going to fade into obscurity. If they haven't already.

[ouryL]

I watch the old 50’s show, “What’s My Line?”, and usually I know the celebrity guests, but often it is someone I have never heard of but they must have been popular due to the audience reaction back then.

It got me to thinking, which big celebrities of today are destined to become obscure footnotes in 10, 15 or 20 years from now. Not celebrities you WISH would go away, but celebrities today who will be unrecognized by your kids and certainly your grandkids.

My guesses:

Paris Hilton – I doubt will have a body of work, so to speak, that would keep her in the limelight.

Carrot Top – once he stops appearing on the occasional talk show, and stops touring his show, he will fade from memory.

J. Lopez – although I actually like some of her films and her music isn’t horrible, I doubt her fame will last once she is no longer fodder for the supermarket rags.

I think it is a safe bet that most, if not all, of the winners of American Idol will be unknown soon, if not already.

Any other nominations?

Considering that death makes people obscure...

[Dr. Kenneth Noisewater]

Elijah Wood? No way! He's 24 and he's been in at least one movie per year for half his life?

The cast of that 70s show
I'm glad Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and their ilk are starting to fade away...

[Annie-Xmas]

Charlotte Church. What happened to her anyways?

[Stark Raven Mad]

Charlotte Church. What happened to her anyways?

She done some, er, growing up.

Oh, and her new album is coming out sometime next month.

[twickster]

Tara Reid.

Unless she comes through for me (I've got her in the Death Pool), in which case I'll remember her fondly -- at least through the end of 2005.

Denise Richards.

[Harborwolf]

I'm not sure about all of the cast of That 70s Show. Topher Grace will probably have a huge career playing "the nice funny guy."

Ashton Kutcher seems doomed. Most of his following comes from teenaged girls. Same with Justin Timberlake.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I'm not sure about all of the cast of That 70s Show. Topher Grace will probably have a huge career playing "the nice funny guy."

Agreed. Topher has excellent comic timing, and I can see him having a career similar to John Cusack's, playing a string of "nice guys" in comedies and romantic comedies that guys will be able to appreciate when girls drag them out to see them.

[PunditLisa]

Definitely Ashton Kutcher. He can't make a hit film to save his life and studios will tire of him as quickly as his two fans.

Paris Hilton. She has no talent. She's conceited and vacuuous. I look forward to the day when talk shows and paparazzi no longer give her a venue. Ditto Nichole Ritchie.

Brittany Murphy - Her 15 minutes is....yup! They're up!

Sean P. Diddy Kong Puff Daddy Combs - One day his skull is going to tire of housing his massive ego and it's just going to explode.

J.Lo - The public quickly tires of someone who doesn't know when to say "no" to their publicist. She's been in the oven 15 minutes too long and now she's overdone.

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson - see J.Lo.

[wolf_meister]

Although quite famous now, I'd say Nicolas Cage will eventually trod the path from relative obscurity to total oblivion.

Among other things, he's made many movie bombs. ("Windtalkers", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "8 mm", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "National Treasre", etc)

What's that you say? He won a Best Actor Oscar? Sure. So did Paul Scofield. (Who?)

[JerH]

Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock - their tendency to appear only in bad movies will catch up with them.

Everyone who has every appeared on American Idol (including judges).

Rob Schneider, Jimmy Fallon, and most other SNL alumni.

Andy Dick. See "Carrot Top" in the OP.

[Wile E]

Although quite famous now, I'd say Nicolas Cage will eventually trod the path from relative obscurity to total oblivion.

Among other things, he's made many movie bombs. ("Windtalkers", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "8 mm", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "National Treasre", etc)

What's that you say? He won a Best Actor Oscar? Sure. So did Paul Scofield. (Who?)


National Treasure was a bomb? I thought it did quite well.


I see Paris Hilton as the next Jocelyn Wildenstein, using her money to try to improve on her looks only to become even more frightening looking. So she may get some occasional mention as a freak.


Let's not forget Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Although quite famous now, I'd say Nicolas Cage will eventually trod the path from relative obscurity to total oblivion.

Among other things, he's made many movie bombs. ("Windtalkers", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "8 mm", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "National Treasre", etc)

What's that you say? He won a Best Actor Oscar? Sure. So did Paul Scofield. (Who?)

Cage is actually a very good (and versatile) actor, who just doesn't seem to have the best track record of picking projects. See also Travolta, John and Walken, Christopher.

And National Treasure was a lot of fun. It struck me as a perfect action-adventure movie for Dopers, where the hero beats the villains not by being stronger or tougher, but by being smarter and particularly better-educated.

[Ethilrist]

The entire cast of Friends.

[Sam Lowry]

I would say Paul Walker (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908094/). He's blandly pretty, but not outstanding. He's almost a competent actor. He is basically a Ken doll, but makes less of an impression.

Actually, you could probably list the majority of teen actors/ actors who got their starts in teen movies. There are some that grow up to have decent careers, but the majority don't or won't.

[silenus]

Adam Sandler

Ashton Kutcher

Pretty much anybody else my kids think are funny. :D

[Troy McClure SF]

Hilary Duff... not that she's a megastar now, but I don't think anyone will remember her five years from now, except for when she finally poses in Playboy and people go, "hey, it's the Disney chick. She's hot." I can't wait.

[Alessan]

Although quite famous now, I'd say Nicolas Cage will eventually trod the path from relative obscurity to total oblivion.

Among other things, he's made many movie bombs. ("Windtalkers", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "8 mm", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "National Treasre", etc)

What's that you say? He won a Best Actor Oscar? Sure. So did Paul Scofield. (Who?)

Lots of famous actors have made bombs. Richard Burton, for instance, made more bad movies than any actor alive today, and nobody's forgotten him.

Cage has made enough good movies to ensure at least a minor place in film history - a George Raft, for instance, or a Montgomery Clift.

[Stark Raven Mad]

Hilary Duff... not that she's a megastar now, but I don't think anyone will remember her five years from now, except for when she finally poses in Playboy and people go, "hey, it's the Disney chick. She's hot." I can't wait.

I can't wait either.

[Kamino Neko]

Hayden Christensen will be this generation's Mark Hamill.

Star in one movie series that guarantees he'll be remembered forever, work steadily as an actor for 30 years, eventually moving into producing and directing, while keeping up his acting?

Sounds like a sweet deal to me.

[NDP]

Although quite famous now, I'd say Nicolas Cage will eventually trod the path from relative obscurity to total oblivion.

Among other things, he's made many movie bombs. ("Windtalkers", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "8 mm", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "National Treasre", etc)

What's that you say? He won a Best Actor Oscar? Sure. So did Paul Scofield. (Who?)[Boldness added.]
Paul Scofield is not really the best example you can cite. Even after winning an Oscar, he wasn't interested in becoming a movie star and chose to concentrate primarily on the theater rather than film. However, he does an occasional movie now and then (e.g., Quiz Show and The Crucible).

As for Cage, he'll continue to be visible as a working actor for awhile (barring any personal problems). He's already been around for nearly 20 years.

[kunilou]

The entire cast of Friends.

The entire cast of Seinfeld. Yes, even Jerry.

In fact, I'll go so far as to bet "the entire cast of every sitcom that was headed by a standup comedian with a supporting cast of actors who were all more talented than the star."

[Notorious Nik]

Sadly, I don't think any of these people will ever go away. Back in the old days, there weren't shows like Entertainment Tonight and all those other celebrity gossip shows littering the televison landscape. Not to mention tabloids and paparazzi taking pictures all the time. A time like this is when oblivion is sorely needed for so many people, and I fear it will never come. We'll be hearing about the likes of Britney and Ashlee and Ashton and all the other idiots untill they start dying off and and a new bunch of morons comes along to take their places.

[Sampiro]

I think (and hope and fervently pray to any god within earshot) that most of today's pundits, shock-jocks and celebrity primetime journalists will be members of "Club Who?" in the near future. Al Franken and Michael Moore will probably be around a tad longer than others not because they're left wing as much as their talent for showmanship and talent for self-promotion without seeming a totally evil uncaring prick (whether they are or not), but Limbaugh has already peaked, Ann Coulter is a freak act who is already beginning to fade (as conservative horndogs realize she's aging and will never grow into her legs), Howard Stern has no power to shock anybody but the FCC anymore and I just think the entire "I'll say anything" media-geek herd has reached Malthusian proportions and will begin thinning.
I seriously doubt that any reality star celebrity will be a celebrity in even two years (some form of "inverse distancing" rule: they're only famous for one thing and the further removed they are from that one thing the more "Velma Kelly" they become. Some of the hosts will remain a bit longer (Simon Cowell, Jeff Probst, etc.) but Justin Guarini, Richard Hatch, etc.- sell the stock for whatever you can get cause unless they kill some people in a particularly gruesome manner they'll never see the front page again.

[supervenusfreak]

Hilary Duff... not that she's a megastar now, but I don't think anyone will remember her five years from now, except for when she finally poses in Playboy and people go, "hey, it's the Disney chick. She's hot." I can't wait.


Just like Deborah Gibson and Tiffany .

Let me add Christina Aguilara, and just about every other breathy nasal singer that rappers add to their songs because they are hot looking.

[supervenusfreak]

Just like Deborah Gibson and Tiffany .

Let me add Christina Aguilara, and just about every other breathy nasal singer that rappers add to their songs because they are hot looking.

Cancel the "other" in the last sentence. Christina may be many things, but she certainly does have great pipes.

[Stark Raven Mad]

I have a great dislike for Christina Aguilera's flavor of pop, but I assure you she's one of the least untalented ones out there.

[Icarus]

I think (and hope and fervently pray to any god within earshot) that most of today's pundits, shock-jocks and celebrity primetime journalists will be members of "Club Who?" in the near future.

Ah yes, as they say "This too shall pass." It reminds me of the late 1980's when stand-up comedy was reaching the saturation point. Every medium sized town opened up a comedy club and every cable channel had a "comedy mix" show. Pretty soon, anyone who could string 5 jokes together was on TV, at least for a minute or two. Then, thank OG, it all started to dry up...........we can only hope we're so lucky with the political pundit trend we're suffering through now.

[Sam Stone]

Cage is actually a very good (and versatile) actor, who just doesn't seem to have the best track record of picking projects. See also Travolta, John and Walken, Christopher.


And their patron saint: Caine, Michael.

[Sam Stone]

I think (and hope and fervently pray to any god within earshot) that most of today's pundits, shock-jocks and celebrity primetime journalists will be members of "Club Who?" in the near future. Al Franken and Michael Moore will probably be around a tad longer than others not because they're left wing as much as their talent for showmanship and talent for self-promotion without seeming a totally evil uncaring prick (whether they are or not), but Limbaugh has already peaked, Ann Coulter is a freak act who is already beginning to fade (as conservative horndogs realize she's aging and will never grow into her legs), Howard Stern has no power to shock anybody but the FCC anymore and I just think the entire "I'll say anything" media-geek herd has reached Malthusian proportions and will begin thinning.


All of the people who you mentioned, except for Coulter, have made a long-lasting name for themselves. If Limbaugh has 'already peaked', it's only after spending what, 20 years at the pinnacle of radio? The man almost singlehandedly invented the whole talk radio thing. Like him or hate him, he is perhaps the most well-known, most influential personality in radio history. His place in history is assured. They'll still be talking about him 100 years from now, at least in the context of radio history and punditry.

Likewise Howard Stern. There's no way he'll fade to obscurity, because his impact on radio was too large.

Franken has had a long career, but much of it has been as a writer which tends to fade into obscurity. So his name may not be around.

Ann Coulter would be my pick for obscurity, and well deserved. She's a one-trick pony who's only talent is knowing how to exploit the current partisan divide. Once the particular passions that drive the current partisanship fade, no one will remember who she was.

[Sampiro]

Of course "will be remembered" is a relative term.

Arthur Godfrey was quite possibly the most famous celebrity in America outside of Hollywood for many years. If he mentioned enjoying a cruise, cruise ticket sales quadrupled and the same if he mentioned a particular restaurant, hotel, movie, etc.; if he criticized a cigarette or a dog breed or a car, sales nosedived. He de-stigmatized vaesectomies to millions of men and made and destroyed careers almost as a hobby (and that was just Julius Larosa's) and had a much larger market share than Oprah or Regis & [Blonde Co-Host] or anybody else today will ever dream of, generally being the Norma Desmond of Talk Shows.

Ask 500 people under 30 today to identify him, I seriously doubt that 10 could do it. Even in his own lifetime he was reduced to hawking supplemental insurance and vitamins on afternoon and late-night commercials (not, ironically, for the money- he was loaded- but he was so desperate for airtime and so obnoxious nobody would give him a comeback after he retired from his show in a huff). Media memory is incredibly short.

[Dr. Kenneth Noisewater]

Cage has made enough good movies to ensure at least a minor place in film history - a George Raft, for instance, or a Montgomery Clift.
See Adaptation.



no seriously go see it

[VarlosZ]

The entire cast of Seinfeld. Yes, even Jerry.
No, bad choice. Seinfeld will be in syndication for decades; it's like expecting Alan Alda or George Wendt to be obscure 20 years after their shows ended.

Carrot Top – once he stops appearing on the occasional talk show, and stops touring his show, he will fade from memory.
I'm not so sure. I think he might have enough momentum purely as a punchline to keep his name out there for a long time. Think Tiny Tim.