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Stardom seems to be losing its sparkle, at least according to Us Weekly's cover story for Aug. 28, which asks the question: "Are fame, riches, success and worldwide adoration enough or do all human hearts need more?" The magazine reports that Hollywood stars are turning to parenthood, religion, and marriage as means of fulfillment instead of celebrity perks, and are actually quite worried about the toll fame takes on their relationships. "Maybe you caught Gwyneth Paltrow, looking ecstatic in white leather pants on national television, incongruously proclaiming that the weeks after winning the Oscar had been incredibly difficult for her. … Or maybe it was the usually all-smiles Britney Spears you saw, admitting to a reporter that she fears success will drive a wedge between herself and her friends and family. … It seems that when it comes to happiness, celebrities have it no better than the rest of us." Stars are investing themselves in families, with late-in-life parents Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Madonna, and Richard Gere all taking care of newborns. Demi Moore, Jane Fonda, and Madonna have been exploring spiritual paths. Gary Oldman and Marie Osmond have patched up relationships with their respective spouses and families. But what's even more intriguing is that most Americans already recognize the limitations of celebrity: a poll reveals that 68 percent of Americans consider themselves "happier than most movie stars." Although celebrities still fascinate us, we don't equate fame with the good life anymore. The article suggests that more aggressive journalism in the past few decades have lowered stars' pedestals. "Most of us have watched enough episodes of Behind the Music and E! True Hollywood Story to know that, star status notwithstanding, we're all human." Score one for the cheesy tabloids, then.

Steve Lansingh is editor ofthefilmforum.com, a weekly Internet magazine devoted to Christianity and the cinema.

Space Cowboys , What Lies Beneath, The Replacements, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and Autumn in New York.

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August (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44