Page 88 - Grasp English B1+ (Workbook)

9 Superstars

C. Discuss with a partner.

1. What can you see in each picture?
2. How do you think these images
might be related to the text?

In a 1968 programme for one of his exhibitions, artist
Andy Warhol wrote: “In the future, everyone will be world-
famous for 15 minutes.” This led to the phrase 15 minutes
of fame – meaning that a person can be widely known
for a short period of time, before disappearing from the
limelight, often never to be seen again.

In the world of music, musicians or bands who release
a popular song without a follow-up single or album, are
known as one-hit wonders. This can sometimes happen
when a band have a hugely popular hit in a different
country. For example, the German group Nena achieved
international stardom with their song 99 Luftballons (and
a version in English called 99 Red Balloons) but had no
other big hits in the USA or the UK.

Another example is the case of the Baha Men who had
a Grammy-award-winning hit with the song Who Let the
Dogs Out?, which reached number one in Australia and
New Zealand. The band had originally got together in
1977, and although they are still together now, performing
live and producing more songs, they have never had the
same level of stardom as they did in 2000.

Reality TV shows have often been known for creating
instant celebrities, who enjoy their 15 minutes of fame
during the show’s run, but then are quickly forgotten.
However, in some cases, reality TV stars have had lasting
fame following their appearances. For example, Maddie
Ziegler is a dance prodigy who starred in the American
show Dance Moms. However, the starlet went on to have
a lead role in Sia’s music videos for Chandelier and
Elastic Heart and joined the cast for the 2020 remake of
West Side Story in the role of Velma.

Unfortunately, though, many people are unable to cope
with their 15 minutes of fame and reality TV producers

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