Female Celebrities More Intriguing Than Male Counterparts

Los Angeles -"Celebrity Skin: Fame Unlimited" is the first book in a series of young adult novels by Liane Bonin. Published by NAL/JAM, a division of Penguin, the book is available February 7. The teen novel is told via the point-of-view of Erin Kim, the best friend of teenage celebrity, Taylor Christensen. Bonin's debut novel provides a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a young actress who is both gorgeous and loaded. In her book, Bonin, a celebrity journalist, reveals why at the moment, female celebrities are far more intriguing than their male counterparts.

Liane Bonin describes why the female celebrities of the 21st century have been upstaging the men. "We haven't seen Justin Timberlake climb out of a limousine without his underwear yet, but that might grab some headlines. While I doubt the Y chromosomes among the young Hollywood elite are perfect angels, their bad behavior simply hasn't measured up to the unbridled outrageousness of their female counterparts. Women are the target audience for magazines like US Weekly and People, and of course a female readership is going to have more interest in how female celebrities behave. Ryan Phillipe's indiscretion only grabbed headlines for a few days because women were more interested in how Reese Witherspoon would survive the break-up. We either relate to what she's going through, or we revel in a little schadenfreude knowing that even an Oscar winner doesn't always win at love."

Satorically speaking, perhaps female stars are more interesting to observe. Women's fashion changes dramatically from season to season, and women look to celebrities such as Sienna Miller for style in addition to inspiration. Bonin believes that the Olsen twins are relevant because "Even fashion disasters like the Olsen twins hold fascination for us, because though we can all relate to having worn a bad outfit in our lifetimes, it's comforting to know that someone with endless resources and access to personal stylists can look like a wreck." She believes men don't necessarily have quite as much opportunity for expressing personal style. Bonin notes, "The UK has David Beckham, but unfortunately he probably won't be invited to the Golden Globes or the Oscars. We'll probably see Robin Williams in an electric green cummerbund."

Another reason male celebrities aren't considered hot property at the moment could also be attributed to the fact that as of late, a lot of famous "bad boy" behavior has been bad in a way that's disturbing or unsettling to the public, whereas while the antics of Paris Hilton might be considered self-destructive, her activities are not overtly aggressive or hostile towards other people. Bonin muses, "We hear that Tyrese punched his pregnant girlfriend – that's not fun, juicy gossip. Want to talk about Clay Aiken shoving his hand in Kelly Ripa's face? That's an uncomfortable conversation waiting to happen. But obsessing over whether or not a starlet wore an unflattering dress or has lost too much weight? These are the same gossip topics we remember from high school. They're no less catty now, but gossiping about 'popular girls' we'll never meet has become a form of water cooler bonding in today's world."

Perhaps yet another explanation for the dwindling interest in actors can be chalked up to age. Most of the male stalwarts of the past 10 years are now adults. Bonin weighs in saying, "Don't forget that young men who have box office name value — Leonardo DiCaprio, Ewan McGregor, Tobey Maguire, Matt Damon, — are more likely to be seen at a charity fundraiser than Hyde. Even Justin Timberlake has been in a committed relationship with Cameron Diaz for the last three years. If these guys are getting loaded on the dance floor, they're doing so at very, very private parties. What male stars seem to be getting attention for is dating famous women (Owen Wilson, Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, etc.) instead of any bad behavior of their own. And while there are plenty of rock stars on the party circuit right now like Dave Navarro and Travis Barker, we're not as interested in their behavior because we expect musicians to be a little bad." While the shine of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears may be wearing thin, their activities on the dance floor and in public are at the least, entertaining.

About The Author

Liane Bonin is an entertainment journalist whose byline has appeared in People, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Variety, the L.A. Times and a host of other publications. She has interviewed A-list stars from Johnny Depp to Lindsay Lohan. "Celebrity Skin: Fame Unlimited is available February 7. The new young adult novel is published by NAL/JAM, a division of Penguin Group. More information on Liane Bonin can be found at www.lianebonin.com and http://us.penguingroup.com
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