Celebrities

Understanding "I'm Still Here". This can't be real, right?

Paper

Hanne Hermens

16/09/2020

15 minutes to read

This essay explores the confusion that was ignited by the film I'm Still Here (2010) by analysing its form, purpose and content and comparing it to other forms of film.

A still from We Are Chaos' official video

We Are Chaos: A world too chaotic for Marilyn Manson (Marilyn Manson)

Review

Vinicio Ntouvlis

15/09/2020

12 minutes to read

Marilyn Manson's 11th album shows signs of maturity as it reflects on how the shock rocker figure has become irrelevant. Mixing varying musical influences, the album makes for a solid rock listen with some inspired lyrical content.

Elena Ferrante’s Disappearing Act

Column

Inge van de Ven

07/09/2020

7 minutes to read

Good news for Elena Ferrante’s fans. The mysterious Italian bestseller author’s last and eighth novel, The Lying Life of Adults, is now available in book stores all over the world.

Julian Barnes’ The Man in the Red Coat: Celebrity Culture in the Belle Epoque (Julian Barnes)

Review

Odile Heynders

10/04/2020

8 minutes to read

In his latest novel, Julian Barnes combines biography, art history and cultural analysis in a hybrid form of fact and fiction. The Man in the Red Coat shows that there is much real life in literature and much fiction in reality.

Vlogging during the coronavirus crisis

Column

Mingyi Hou

14/04/2020

7 minutes to read

Chinese student Yi Dahua’s vlogging from Turin, Italy has made him a micro-celebrity during the coronavirus crisis. His case illustrates a "boundary-blurred" public sphere with widely varied public communication on the pandemic.

Ellen DeGeneres: talk show host or CIA agent?

Paper

Iris Dumoulin

16/03/2020

11 minutes to read

In 2018, people believed that Eric Trump suggested that Ellen DeGeneres is part of a hidden government within the US. This essay analyzes how this conspiracy theory has come into existence, who plays a role in it, and what this means online.

gravedigging, digital shaming, digital gravedigging, social media celebrities

Online gravedigging, identity and privacy

Column

Mingyi Hou

18/02/2020

11 minutes to read

This article analyzes gravedigging as a digital practice, and illustrates its roles in online shaming and celebrity image management activities.

Mom-shamers vs. celebrities on Instagram

Article

Sanne Graumans

02/06/2020

7 minutes to read

Mom shamers have been around since forever and, sadly, social media has only helped to amplify their voices. When it comes to being especially vitriolic, they take aim at Hollywood moms. This article examines how this unfolds on Instagram.