Kendra Brea Cooper
Reaching a certain level of fame often means that one represents an idea outside of their actual self. Because of this, sometimes the celebrity image is used even after they have passed on. The real and the fake are blurred in simulation with these 6 celebrities that were pulled straight from the grave:
The Billboard music awards took the likeness of Michael Jackson and put it on display as performance. Is it that fame as big as Jacksons has become its own entity outside of his true-life self? He would likely be immortal even without the hologram, but this puts the fantasy right in front of our eyes.
Snoop Lion (a.k.a. Snoop Dogg), and Dr. Dre performed with Tupac’s hologram at Coachella. Gone before his time, we have often wondered where he would have gone in his career if he had lived longer. With this hologram, we get a glimpse of what could have been.
Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Marlene Dietrich’s images are used in this Dior ad. It seems more and more common these days to use a deceased celebrity’s likeness to sell a product. This one is interesting because Monroe actually loved Chanel perfume. It’s pretty different from the way Warhol used her image, as it offers a different direction in immortality.
Some call it a tribute, and others call it an abomination. DirecT.V. used a clip of Tommy Boy with the fully alive David Spade as the actual product promoter. Now Farley lives a whole new life, even dead, through an object? I think most of us will still remember him by his movies, not DirecT.V.
In this Dirt Devil ad, they actually have Fred Astaire using the product (dancing with it). It seems as if one cannot even be sure that their final image will be something of their own doing. Even your own art can get sucked (pardon me) into the world of advertising.
This ad contains John Wayne, beer, cowboy hats, and a reinforcement of masculinity. John Wayne’s tough guy image is used to sell you a drink. A “light” drink to be exact. It’s like his image alone means something more than just flesh and bone. Let's hope it means more than just beer.
Pop culture and all that ideology sitting in the blind spot. Also crafts.
