Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780618918713)

Why do more people watch American Idol than the nightly news? What is it about Paris Hilton's dating life that lures us so? Why do teenage girls -- when given the option of "pressing a magic button and becoming either stronger, smarter, famous, or more beautiful" -- predominantly opt for fame? In this entertaining and enlightening book, Jake Halpern explores the fascinating and often dark implications of America's obsession with fame. He travels to a Hollywood home for aspiring child actors and enrolls in a program that trains celebrity assistants. He visits the offices of Us Weekly and a laboratory where monkeys give up food to stare at pictures of dominant members of their group. The book culminates in Halpern's encounter with Rod Stewart's biggest fan, a woman from Pittsburgh who nominated the singer for Hollywood's Walk of Fame.