Whatever Happened to…?

Celebrity status is something that most actors, athletes and entertainers covet. Being famous comes from a disproportionate mix of talent and good fortune (as the Kardashians have shown, talent is a very small ingredient). People create status for these celebrities by forming fan clubs, by lining up to see them perform and by obsessing over these entertainers’ private lives. Some entertainers and athletes embrace their status: they revel in their stardom and master the art of keeping their fans entertained. These are usually the more talented ones. They never get complacent in their success and continue to get better as their careers progress. Other celebrities succeed by failing. They entertain simply by being bad at managing their fame (see Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan). There is but a third class of celebrities. These ones rise to fame quickly and inadvertently. They rock the airwaves, the stadiums and the big screens for a few years. And then, just like that, they disappear into the annals of oblivion. This article is dedicated to these forgotten celebrities. The ones that make you reminisce about a forgotten moment in your life and ask, “Whatever happened to…?”