Everyone Will Be Famous for 10 Seconds

“Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” –Andy Warhol

The celebrity A-list sure is a firehose of ever-changing names and faces these days! Time was, we could gradually absorb our Anne Hathaways and our Meg Ryans, our Sandra Bullocks and our Tom Cruises and our George Clooneys. These dazzling folks achieved eventual fame and fortune, with even our grandmas aware of their advancing careers. 

But this bunch! They rapidly reign in TikTokville, in the far-reaches of the Indie Movieverse. They are the musical guests on SNL that I Google, even as I am watching them and trying to make sense of their performances. I don’t kid myself—we’re never going back to a simpler time, when David Cassidy’s puss was plastered over all the teen mags, and everybody loved Farrah Fawcett. But there has to be a way to stem the tide, or at least take a pause and acquaint ourselves with the new pop culture supernovas.

Happily, there are a few evergreens—people who’ve been famous for decades and show no signs of disappearing. I’m talking to you, Tay Tay and Gaga (is it me, or do they sound like Baby’s First Words?) I feel confident that Madonna will continue to record albums and appear at New York Fashion Week, with her diamond-encrusted walker and 60-year-old boy toy.

But let’s get learning! In the refreshing spirit of enlightenment, I’m pleased to introduce you to some of the Big Guns of Today. Have this blog post handy, and refresh your memory as needed—keeping in mind that, by the time you finish reading this, at least 50 new stars will have emerged on the scene, with an equal number fading into obscurity. It’s a hard-knock life, Megan Thee Stallion!

LUKAS GAGE: At age 29 the “eminence grise” of the group, Old Man Gage has appeared in Euphoria,You, and The White Lotus. He began his career doing wart-removal ads. This is one wart who has definitely made his mark!

TATE MC RAE: Singer, songwriter and dancer, McRae first attracted notice during her appearance on the hit Canadian TV show So You Think You Can Dance, Eh? She will no doubt continue to gain popularity as more and more of us relocate to Calgary.

DUA LIPA: The British/Albanian singer, model and entrepreneur we’ve all been waiting for.  Lipa (Dua?) is known for her husky voice, blending disco, pop and club music. Her hit “IDGAF” won her a British Grammy (note: I believe IDGAF stands for “I Dig Our Great Air Force.” Right??)

NOAH BECK: A former soccer player with the Portland Pilots, young Beck’s renown comes from his quirky dances and skits on TikTok, which have earned him 34 MILLION followers. I bet that number even beats the audience for Jeopardy!!

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET: American/French actor, Timmy broke out with his star turn in Call Me By Your Name, which earned him both Oscar and Golden Globe noms. But his greatest honor? He is (as of this writing) Kylie Jenner’s boyfriend.

You’re all set! Go forth and banter with your Gen Z offspring!