Forum: Author Hangout

Assuming you mean Sam Fox the model/singer, her long term civil partner Myra Stratton died last year and she seems to have slipped off the radar since then.

I think the best known Australian female may be Dame Edna. :)

looks pretty but can't act. Then her name suddenly came to me - Cate Blanchett

Can't act? ... CAN'T ACT ??? ... Are you mad?
She has been nominated for Academy Awards seven times. The only living actress with more is Meryl Streep.
BTW she won twice, and the only living actress with more is Meryl Streep.

Have you heard of Emma Watson?

Yes, and on the sexual fantasy side, she's enough into yoga to have gone into exclusive retreats for further study in the past. So she's certainly flexible.

Her feminist stuff gives pause, but she seems to be of the "new wave" mindset regarding female sexuality. It just happens that she's also business minded enough(and presumably rich enough) that she knows that her best path to follow is in playing the tease for now, and doesn't need money badly enough to be lured into going further. Her brand as Hermione Granger helps considerably in that respect, as annoying as other aspects of that may be for her, and her fellow actors from the HP movies.

Have you heard of Emma Watson?

Cold Creek has many appearances of Emma Watson in his "Defenceman" stories.
TheCaddy uses Hilary Duff in the final part of his "A Golfer's Dream" stories.

For me -as a reader- there can be problems when authors make real people behave in ways I don't want to be a witness off. Or have them do things I don't think they would do.

Fictional characters in a story can do whatever they want … real people make me feel uncomfortable in some parts of these stories.

Cold Creek also has top management of Calvin Klein and the New York Islanders behave in really troubling ways … do I want to connect a real company or ice hockey team to that ?

Cold Creek has many appearances of Emma Watson in his "Defenceman" stories.
TheCaddy uses Hilary Duff in the final part of his "A Golfer's Dream" stories.

I remember reading a story that had appearances by the Lone Ranger and Tonto as well as characters from other old TV shows like F-Troop. Wish I could remember the title.

MattHHelm https://storiesonline.net/s/74853/somewhere-in-time-pocket-watch

Awesome. Thank you

He appears in both stories. Also Paladin appears in the "Trip to Waco" story. Matt has managed to incorporate a number of historical and fictional characters. Among them Amelia Earhart and Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke).

I had to look up Lottie Moss. I had no idea Kate had a little sister in the same business - hopefully minus the coke :)

Part of the problem is that few females have a shelf life of more than a few years nowadays. People like Cilla, Twiggy and Barbara Windsor had longevity in their careers, but it is difficult to think of many females (from any continent) who could be visually brought to mind after ten years.
Maybe asking in a forum of old farts is looking under the wrong rock, as too many subjects of modern fan attention may pass us by.
I would agree that Emma Watson will probably have a longer shelf life than most, but have a feeling it may be declining already. There isn't much choice though.....one of Fergie's daughters? (for the visually impaired from too much onanism).

I would agree that Emma Watson will probably have a longer shelf life than most, but have a feeling it may be declining already. There isn't much choice though.....one of Fergie's daughters? (for the visually impaired from too much onanism).

E.W. is getting to the point where she probably does need to get linked with a "major hit" movie if she wants to maintain active "A" list status, instead of a trivia item. Being tied to an epic flop(Noah), and going largely "Indy" beyond that doesn't help make headlines.

But at the same time, the Potter movies made her and her co-stars very rich, and it's still making money for them, just not as much. So she can financially afford to be picky and go for the "artsy" option rather than the commercial one.

For the Brit star, after much deliberation I've pencilled in Emma Watson.

Just be aware that she appears in her real-life role in one of the Defenceman series

My suggestion would be to Google possible names and see what he comes up with.

Just be aware that she appears in her real-life role in one of the Defenceman series

The author appeared to have a bit of a thing for Emma Watson, and really, really, really didn't like Taylor Swift at all.

Taylor Swift actually creeps me out for some reason.

Miss Watson is a more complicated creature, but her "bubble" doesn't do her any favors on many fronts. Not that any significant celebrity doesn't have bubble issues, most do.

In other words, Emma Watson has a bubble but... :)

Not the "bubble" I was talking about. IIRC, she has some decent curves, but not much of a butt. :)

I speaking more of the having bodyguards and other assorted people on payroll to attend to other various needs. AKA the personal retinue that is never very far way... And very likely to be very agreeable with anything they might say, suggest, or do. After all, they're getting paid for that. The problem is that celebrities often lose sight of that, and so do their retainers from time to time, as they spend so much time in that same "bubble."

A quick refresher at Mr. Skin, and she does have a (noticeable) butt, so it isn't that she doesn't have one. It just isn't one for Sir Mixalot or Meghan Trainer to be singing about.

Just saw the movie "Snowden." Shailene Woodley portrayed his girlfriend in the movie. At the very end they actually show pictures of Snowden and his real life girlfriend who is actually living with him in Russia. I watched it with my father and he actually said, "Why couldn't they get her to act ion the movie? The real life girl was much better lookin'.

I had to agree. Just wanted to point that out cause it came to my brain after putting away my writing for the night.

Except such 'changes' won't reduce your likelihood of being sued, and only encourages you to write insulting things about the celebrity would would trigger a suit.

And there is the advantage of using dead celebrities. They can't sue you.

And there is the advantage of using dead celebrities. They can't sue you.

Watchout for some of them & their estates. Bigger business now they're dead, than when they were alive.

Watchout for some of them & their estates. Bigger business now they're dead, than when they were alive.

I don't minimize the degree to which the process itself can be punishing, but it is exceedingly rare for an estate to win a defamation case that was not started by the defamed celebrity while still alive.

So, do people here think it best to go ahead and use celebrities in a story or make up celebrities and have them be barely copies of real life celebrities?

Depends, for me, it is a "fourth wall" thing so introducing them will likely break the immersion. That said, if it is a "wish fulfillment" type story then go ahead(as the nature of the story tends to create 4th wall issues anyhow). Not-so historical fiction can go different ways, depending on who is being invoked, and how they're used. Depending on your audience is, you can either get away with more, or less.

Big time history buffs, or fans of that person will let you get away with less than someone who is only passingly familiar with them. Of course that holds for celebrities from more recent times as well.

But going back to wish fulfillment, that could run from genies to mind control to robots or going the Star Trek Holodeck route. The celebrity's likeness is used, but nothing else necessarily is depending on the "rules" of the setting.

Just be wary of the Robot's Legal Guild! They've cornered the market in legalese, and can tie you up in knots in the courts. Genies are much less likely to sue! :

I just remember that in the Authorized DS9 books, and to a lesser extent the series itself. It was strongly insinuated that the Holodecks at Quarks were often used for less than reputable uses... And since it gets detailed scans of everyone who uses it. Well, let's just say he was explicitly warned about being careful how that information got used. And reminded, frequently.

Don't forget that once they are dead, their heirs make money off of their estate and defaming the dead person affects their earnings.

Yes but standing to sue for defamation is personal and non transferable. E

states of major celebrities have occasionally tried to sue over defamation of the deceased. Those suits are almost always dismissed for lack of standing.

states of major celebrities have occasionally tried to sue over defamation of the deceased. Those suits are almost always dismissed for lack of standing.

Which isn't to mention it is hard to get the dead to turn up and testify in court that whatever is alleged to have happened did NOT happen.