A must-read even after a year in print: The IMPORTANCE of being Famous

-Behind the Scenes of the Celebrity-Industrial Complex, by Maureen Orth (Mrs. Tim Russert)
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2004

"The Importance of Being Famous is a portrait of an era where the media grew larger, the distinction between fame and infamy grew smaller, and celebrity ruled all. Orth presents a gallery of influential characters (stars and statesmen, monsters and murderers), linking tales of their sometimes outrageous behavior with her own, from-the-trenches 'Notes from the Celebrity-Industrial Complex.' These smart and funny observations—drawn from Orth's memories, including Elvis's funeral and the Triumph of Arnold in the California Recall Election—detail the increasing difficulty of reporting in an arena of Superstars and Big Media, where pasts are perpetually reinvented."

[Ah, every day another reason to wake up and start blogging! Thanks, Mrs. Russert! Maureen Orth is a regular contributor to Vanity Fair magazine, and her stories from the past ten years make up this book]