He Cut the Rug, but His Jokes Aren’t Bald

Under constant threat from snarky bloggers and 24-hour tabloid television, the average celebrity lifespan has been cut from 15 minutes to mere nanoseconds. The result: a terrorized star population with a mania for “expanding the brand!” And the wired world should probably just surrender, because diversification isn’t only for stockbrokers...

By S. Pajot

February 26, 2009

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Under constant threat from snarky bloggers and 24-hour tabloid television, the average celebrity lifespan has been cut from 15 minutes to mere nanoseconds. The result: a terrorized star population with a mania for “expanding the brand!” And the wired world should probably just surrender, because diversification isn’t only for stockbrokers and Diddy; it has become the default strategy for A- through Z-list celebrity survival.

Take Steve Harvey — talk-radio host, relationship author, fancy-dress designer, personal shopper, and brown-juice drinker — the guy’s got 50 fallback careers. So the question looms: Who really needs romantic advice from a twice-divorced king of comedy? Judging from his book sales, we say all mankind. But we can be thankful it’s finally time to pay the man to simply tell jokes. So claim a couple of laughs when Steve Harvey’s Tear Your Mouth Out tour smacks up the James L. Knight Center at 7 p.m. The show comes in two sizes: $40.50 and $47.50. For tickets, call 800-745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com.
Sat., Feb. 28, 2009

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