Z-list celebs take over

The Guardian's Paul Flynn discusses the emergence of "Z-list" celebrities and the democratization of fame:

Fame is now a free-for-all and all the better for it. The demystification of the famous and the widening of their parameters to allow regular Joe and Joanne along for the ride has been a pleasure to watch.

As "reality" settles into its role as the most effective conduit to fame, the Z-list has upended everything and left the celebrity world in chaos.

And why not? The privileged and the beautiful and the giddy circus that surrounds them, have left us short-changed with a gratuitous, vulgar and largely fictitious display of their perfections. This dovetails with an audience tired of being fed half-truths, airbrushed beyond all recognition, about a small band of A-listers who demand complete control at every turn over their public profiles.