
Written by the tag team of Matt & Lauren Gibbs
Pretend celebrities. They’re everywhere thanks to US Weekly, Perez Hilton and VH1. You might think this phenomenon is a recent development in American Pop Culture…but after doing a little digging, we realized that wannabes have been around for decades.
Regardless of the decade, all it takes is a sex tape, family money and/or a famous parent to reach I’m A Star For No Reason-status.
If you happen to be blessed with more then one of the above requirements, you’re all but guaranteed your own show.
Pre-90’s
Pia Zadora
In the early 80’s, Pia rose to fame with lots of help from her Israeli businessman husband Meshulam Riklis. He helped the semi-talented actress win the Golden Globe Award for Best New Star Of The Year (which is a category that doesn’t even exist any more) by shelling out the cash for an intense promotional campaign. Oddly enough, she also won Razzies that year for Worst Actress and Worst New Star (which took much less financial backing to earn).
Like any wealthy beauty whose career was fledgling, she turned to music, releasing a number of albums that America never cared about.



Edie Sedgwick
Sedgwick proved that being a groupie has its benefits. She went from New England socialite to star of Andy Warhol films in no time, but quickly went back to zero when she quit feeding off the Warhol teet. Her death in 1971 was deemed an accident, and her story is portrayed by Sienna Miller in the movie Factory Girl. There is a joke in there about the mediocrity of both women, but I just can’t nail it.



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