Dear Readers, here I am continuing to answer some of the questions I've received on the changing nature of gossip and celebrity.

"How did celebrity culture change in the 1970s?"

The late '60s and early '70s saw the unraveling of the movie studio system altogether -- the idea of the infamous seven-year contract. Stars became independent, and made their own choices, successes and failures. As for sex -- well, Marilyn was the last REAL sex symbol. Not because she was so sexy, she wasn't -- her characters were not real women -- but because now EVERY actress was a sex symbol of some sort. They were all naked, they didn't wear bras. And in real life, you saw it too -- getting excited over some lady onscreen in a tight satin dress seemed rather silly, when the girl down the block was wearing a transparent blouse and an a micro miniskirt.

So, changes in mores, manners, speech and behavior changed reporting and celebrity. (Even I had to give in, and now use the expression, "diss.")

"How did Andy Warhol put a new spin on celebrity culture?"

Andy Warhol proved you could make a success from nothing. All you needed to do was say -- "this is art" -- a painting of a Campbell's soup can -- and if you said it with enough fey authority, it was so. You could take any hustler or addict, dress or undress them and call them underground "superstars." It was a sly counter-culture devolution of old-fashioned stardom, which Warhol himself worshipped. And he did supply us with those words by which we now all live -- "in the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes." It's too bad, really that he didn't live to see what the Internet has wrought.

"What was the impact of People magazine?"

People magazine differed from Life and Look because it focused primarily on celebrities -- the prototype issue in 1973 had Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on the cover. It was simply an advancement of the great fan magazine genre -- Modern Screen, Photoplay began to go under in the early '70s.

"What was the impact of Elvis' death on tabloid journalism?"

I think the only thing that Elvis' death did for the tabloids was to allow a photo of his corpse in his coffin -- I don't know that the tabs changed very much because he became a dead idol of worship. He and Monroe are in a class by themselves.

What was the significance of Ron Galella stalking Jackie Onassis?"

The significance of Ron stalking Jackie was that each became the face of the opposing team -- Ron the relentless, heartless paparazzo, Jackie, the star seeking privacy. It actually benefited both. Ron did take one of the most iconic candid shots of her, one that captured all of her elusive look/don't look/follow/don't follow me allure. She, by the way, was in many ways the ultimate star. Like Garbo, she rarely spoke, did not reveal herself. She was the total sphinx.

"The effects of John Lennon's murder and the attempted assassination of Ronald Regan?"

I won't attempt to analyze John Hinckley Jr., or Mark David Chapman or their reasons for attempting or succeeding in killing famous people. I loathe putting killers on pedestals. John Lennon's murder was a horror and it robbed the world of a great artist. Reagan's shooting horribly wounded others. And by the way, I sympathize greatly with Yoko Ono -- and not just because she had to see her husband gunned down in front of her. I think she has always received a raw deal image-wise. Even a racist one.

"What has been the impact of reality television?"

The impact of reality TV has been incalculable. And not in a good way. It encourages the worst kind of exhibitionism and narcissism. Qualities that are now totally ingrained in our culture. Personally, I don't enjoy seeing people humiliated. It smacks of the Roman arena.

"What does Princess Diana's death say about the dangers of the celebrity industrial complex?"

Huh? Princess Diana's death tells us nothing except make sure your driver isn't drunk. Also, trying to escape the paparazzi is pointless. (Go back to the Ritz Hotel and order room service!)

It was a stunning shock, her death -- so unexpected and brutal. But I don't think she'll last the test of time, because she wasn't an actor or a singer. She was a fantastic super-soap opera, and her death robbed us -- if you want to be totally selfish and coldhearted -- of years and years of headlines and column items. Alive, she never would have palled. She was like Elizabeth Taylor, until Elizabeth's bad health put her out of sight. But Diana didn't accomplish much, except make the Royal Family crazy, which was a great minor accomplishment. Had she lived, she would have made them crazier, which they would have loved -- the better to keep her at a distance from the heirs to the throne. As with Marilyn, there was no reason to assassinate her, these girls were killing themselves all on their own.

"Madonna said, 'I love Liz Smith, she has big balls, like me.' What is her significance to celebrity culture?"

"Madonna! I couldn't believe it when she said that -- I am nothing near as brave as Madonna. And this was at an event that was hers, the premiere of "Truth or Dare." I was being followed around by an ABC camera crew for a story. And I kept saying, "I don't think she's going to cooperate." I hadn't met her yet, though I'd been writing about her since 1984. But she looked right into the camera and said it.

Her cultural influence has been epic, in every way -- sex, fashion, self-promotion, self-confidence, oh, and that little thing -- her music! People want to forget that she is this giant figure in pop music, that she has written most of her big hits. She JUST DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN what people think. She won't beg her audience for their love. And that's why they love/hate her. She doesn't care -- or at least she'd never admit it publicly -- that she was hurt by the idea that her charity work and adoptions are a publicity ploy -- as if she needs more publicity! She ain't retiring, ever! And she sure doesn't care that she's 50 and her latest lover is 22. She's doing what men do, and not apologizing for a second. I like her a lot.

"Did Bonnie Fuller create the Age of Celebrity Cellulite?"

There has always been interest in how stars look; the late 1950s ushered in more candid photos, and the crow's feet of clay. Now, it's become revolting. Girls can't do anything right. Too thin, too fat, can't have a normal woman's belly -- it's really a baby bump! (That loathsome phrase.) The attention to every nook and cranny is so ugly, so anti-woman. But ... it's here to stay.

"(Daniel J.) Boorstein wrote, 'a celebrity is known for his well knownness. What does this say about the likes of Paris Hilton?"

Paris Hilton IS well-known for her well-knownness. And that's fine if you have some wit and class. Paris is no Zsa Zsa Gabor, let's leave it at that.

"Have the values of celeb/entertainment culture permeated all aspects of life to the point that it's the only reality we know?"

No! I work in the entertainment business and the celeb culture is certainly not MY only reality. I think it just seems that way now because of its omnipresence. Sit down somewhere and read a book; it'll disappear.

"Where do you see gossip and celebrity culture going?"

Onward, and downward -- from my admittedly old-fashioned point of view. Even though I am now a woman of the Web myself.

There'll be more exhibitionists, more invasion of privacy; more people not even realizing the concept of privacy. We are never alone in our techno world. There'll be less real glamour -- though to each new generation, their stars are glamorous to them . There'll be bigger movies, more CGI, increasingly shorter attention spans -- in time Andy Warhol's signature remark will be literal -- fame: 15 minutes. 850 seconds. For real. Next!

(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com, or write to her c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.)