'Vacations with Stars' is a concept that for now I have seen only in Polish info space. It is about tourist agencies offering holidays with some polish 'stars'. Of course the stars get the vacations for free or even are being paid for having a good time.
It seems like exploiting popularity is more and more simple - is it really a harbinger of the 'attention economy'?
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People seem to have a prejudice about the notion of 'attention economy' as something untoward. Here in the States celebrity newspapers are viewed as unrespectable, but almost everyone has at least sneaked a peek.
"The Nation" a magazine of politics and culture here has held vacation cruises featuring their top writers holding seminars and dinner discussions. The earnestness of the passengers is rather surprised the cruise ship staff at first, quite different from the usual cruise revelers. The idea of six days stuck aboard a ship talking politics qualifies as extreme torture for many. Yet the cruises are very popular.
Some of the widely-read bloggers make it an even when they travel. And so their travel provides blog-fodder for local blogs. Recently Jane Hamsher of the Firedoglake blog was in my city traveling to Connecticut to cover a contested primary election that's garnering national attention. Hamsher's mother had died shortly before the trip and she has mentioned her dogs in her blog posts. Much of the attention paid to her on her stops along the way to Connecticut was personal--pictures of her dogs posted in every setting.
Rosie O'Donnell's-- a popular American actress, blogger and talk show personality--partner runs a travel business targeted at gay families--gay people with children. Part of the attraction is meeting Rosie O'Donnell.
From Rosie's blog she related a story of riding in the elevator on the cruise ship with tow women. The women related how much fun they were having and said that next time they'd brig their husbands and kids. They told her: "We're not gay ; we're fat!"
Yes indeed exploiting popularity is easier these days. A part of the 'attention economy' I like very much is it seems to humanize celebrity.
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