Celebrity Skin: Fame Unlimited Why Do Celebrities Like Nicole and Britney Do Asinine Things?

Los Angeles- "Celebrity Skin: Fame Unlimited," the debut young adult novel by Liane Bonin will be released on February 7, 2007. The new book, published by NAL/JAM, a division of Penguin, follows the life of Taylor Christensen, a teenage celebrity, and her best friend Erin Kim. Bonin, an entertainment journalist who has interviewed A-list stars from Angelia Jolie to Lindsay Lohan, provides a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to become an overnight sensation. In her book she also sheds a bit of light on what drives young celebutantes to do the outrageous things they do.

Recently, the public watched in bemused amazement as Britney Spears flashed her private parts around the globe, Lindsay Lohan dashed off an incoherent obit for Robert Altman via her Blackberry and Nicole Richie got pulled over for a DUI, while driving on the wrong side of the freeway, while allegedly stung out on vicodin. Bonin, whose byline has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, People, the Los Angeles Times and a host of other publications, thinks she may have an explanation for this epidemic of celebrity idiocy.

Bonin says Lindsay and others likely misbehave because of the pressures Hollywood places upon them. "While so many of these young starlets look like 30-year-old women when they’re posing on the red carpet, we forget they’re still kids — and often kids who’ve never had the chance to really be kids," she explains. "Child stars who are expected to learn their lines, show up on time, and be the main breadwinners for their families grow up under an astronomical burden few adults could manage. So is it any surprise that when they can finally carve out time for an adolescence, their behavior is completely outrageous? They aren’t just blowing off steam — they’re releasing years and years of pent-up stress."

Has Britney Spears gone off the deep in? Bonin doesn't necessarily think so. She states: "The current penchant among starlets for going sans panties isn’t so different from college girls lifting their shirts for the Girls Gone Wild cameras. These women want to be admired and desired, and they aren’t really thinking about the consequences. But because young celebrities often live in a celebrity bubble of yes-friends and sycophants, they may be able to convince themselves that their behavior makes them appear cool and daring instead of sad and desperate."

Bonin also has a few ideas about Lindsay’s allegedly wild and crazy party life. "Really, what early twenty-something-year-old worries about her career being forever derailed if she gets wasted at a nightclub? What most of these starlets are doing is what every other girl their age is doing on a much smaller scale, and with much less at stake. What’s so unfortunate is that these actresses don’t seem to understand that the average shelf life of a young actress is only slightly longer than that of an overripe banana. Hollywood is the ultimate uber-parent, demanding 24/7 maturity and grace from kids whose peers are probably getting wrecked at keggers every weekend. And instead of grounding an actress, Hollywood has a much harsher punishment than most moms and dads. It’s called the Lifetime TV movie. Be afraid, Lindsay. Be very afraid."

Liane Bonin’s debut young adult novel, "Celebrity Skin" is available in the U.S. on February 7, 2007 and is published by NAL/JAM, a division of Penguin. More information about the author and the book can be found at www.lianebonin.com, and http://us.penguingroup.com.
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