Trying to define A to D list is hard, but not impossible.
The big problem is that careers are always in flux and things that hold true
when a blind is written or a description of an actor might not be the case when
it is read years later. Back in 2008 I wrote Kirsten Dunst was an A lister. Is
she now? Nope. I think since the site started there have been changes in
television with the advent of sites like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon producing original content. Should those be
given less weight because they are not on network television?
There has also been an increase in reality shows to the
point where I consider them a genre unto their own. If I call someone an A list
reality star it does not mean they are an A lister in the true sense of the
word. There is a hierarchy and what I wrote back in 2008 about the true A
listers is still what I believe today.
“In my mind, A list is someone who can open a mainstream
film all by themselves. When I say mainstream, I mean a film that opens in the
1000+ screen category. I think that is the one true measurement of whether
someone is A list or not. The question should be, am I interested in going to
see this movie because so and so is in it and I don't care what the movie is
about.”
CATEGORIES IN ORDER OF HIERARCHY:
MOVIES
NETWORK TELEVISION
CABLE TELEVISION
OTHER PROVIDER TELEVISION
REALITY
CELEBRITY
There is already a flaw within this list though. You can be
Jay-Z, who is an A+ list celebrity and should not be at the bottom of the list.
You could refer to him as a musician and because that is a talent should be
moved higher in the list and leave celebrities to someone like Paris Hilton or
Courtney Stodden.
Where would you place Jay-Z though? Movies are highest on
the list because they generally get paid the most. Brad Pitt makes more per
movie than Ashton Kutcher gets for an entire season on Two And A Half Men. It’s
close, but Brad wins. Plus, the Academy Awards are watched by people all over
the world and Emmy Awards, not so much. A popular television show in the US
might not be popular in the rest of the world but a movie generally has more
appeal worldwide.
Taylor Swift made more money than all but a handful of
entertainment people last year. She is known worldwide and has a skill other
than just being famous. You might not like her or her music, but that is not
the point when defining the list. There are lots of people I dislike, but you
have to recognize where they rank in things.
What I want to do is to create a new category called
Entertainer. This would cover people in the musical fields some stand up
comedians and even DJ’s like Tiesto and athletes. They are all entertainers. In
the hierarchy I would still place them beneath movies but above network
television. The actors on television shows who make as much as the highest paid
entertainers are few and far between.
That would mean that the designation of celebrity would be
reserved for those who are not a participant in any of the other categories. Kevin
Federline is a great example. With the exception of a couple of visits to
reality shows he is someone who is famous because he is famous. He married
Britney Spears and has been famous since. Other than producing babies at a
prolific rate he has no other skill so makes the perfect “celebrity.” So, you
ask, how would you classify Paris Hilton? She has been an entertainer. She has
been in movies. She has been on reality shows.
I would describe her as a former A list reality star who
appeared on multiple reality shows and is currently a B list celebrity we all
love to hate. I would skip the singing part because I like to forget about it
and the more narrow you make a description, the easier the blind is to figure
out. There has to be some guessing.
So, the new hierarchy looks like this:
MOVIES
ENTERTAINERS
NETWORK TELEVISION
CABLE TELEVISION
OTHER PROVIDER TELEVISION
REALITY
CELEBRITY
Now that the hierarchy has been established I want to take a
brief look at each of the categories and break them down further.
MOVIES
General Release
Horror
Limited Release/Art House
Straight to On Demand
ENTERTAINERS
NETWORK TELEVISION
CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC
CW
CABLE TELEVISION
Pay Cable (HBO/SHOWTIME/STARZ)
Free Cable (A&E/TLC/AMC/HIST)
OTHER PROVIDER TELEVISON
(NETFLIX/AMAZON/HULU/CRACKLE)
REALITY
Network Reality
Cable Reality
Online Reality
CELEBRITY