Hollywood Blog

How Does a Celebrity Become Elevated to an Icon?

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There are celebrities and there are icons.  Celebrities come and go but icons have etched their names forever in Hollywood history.  They will always be referred to every time a subject area which they have managed to conquer is talked about.  These people did not purposely set out and aimed for iconic status but rather found their place in it by being the best that they can be in their department.

Audrey Hepburn for one is considered a fashion icon.  With her familiar pared-down elegance, she has managed to reach the pedestal by being herself.  Of course, the little black dress she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s proved to be an iconic dress in itself.

Marilyn Monroe is an icon of female sexuality.  No other sex symbol continues to capture the interest of the audience even now when she has long gone.  She is always a basis of comparison for all the female celebrities who dare to walk in her shadow.

Elvis Presley is more of a music icon who happened to have several movies to his credit.  His gyrating hips will always be original.  The rest who followed remain pretenders to the throne of the King of Rock and Roll.

Grace Kelly is the fairy-tale icon of Hollywood.  An actress who turned into a real-life princess provides hope that this kind of story is not only found in story books.  She is also considered a fashion icon.

There are many others who have managed to build an iconic following such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Madonna, and Michael Jackson.  Many more are expected to follow.

Hollywood’s celebrity restaurants

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House of Blues HOllywood

Some restaurants can boast of celebrity chefs, but some of Hollywood’s eateries have something else — celebrity owners.

Quite a few of the bars and diners are owned by stars, and have become favorite celebrity hangouts. There’s the funky vibe of Dan Aykroyd’s House of Blues (found along the Sunset Strip). Or the classy Schazi, run by Schwarzenegger (no, the waiters don’t say, “Ah’ll be back!” after they take your order).

Steven Spielberg’s Dive! restaurant shows his quirky personality, being shaped like a yellow submarine. Peter Fonda chose to make his Thunder Roadhouse look like a biker joint (love those Harleys).

You can also try J. Lo’s restaurant, Madre’s, or Kevin Costner’s uber-exclusive Clubhouse. The 70’s Show cast also opened their own diner, thankfully free of any tacky upholstery — it serves traditional Italian, so there’s no lava lamp in sight.