Why would you want to be famous?
Being famous may look enticing - the money, the adulation and the glamour all appear to be there for the taking. But what is its appeal?

A brief history of celebrity
Fame seems easy to come by these days, but thousands of years ago it was earned as a gladiator or in battle.

How celebrity hit the big time
A look at how fame and celebrity grew throughout the late 1900s to the global phenomenon it reached during the 1990s.

Stardom in the 21st Century
Modern-day celebrity is a phenomenon, fuelled by an unquenchable public thirst for news and gossip about celebrities.

Reality shows dominate US TV
American Idol and Joe Millionaire pull in millions of viewers in the US as reality TV shows continue to dominate the television schedules.

Chequebook journalism row
BBC media correspondent Nick Higham discusses the implications of the collapse of the Beckham 'kidnap' case.

Battling Lara Croft's PR
Rosie Millard discusses the frustrations of covering Tomb Raider's star-studded UK première.

Osbournes roll into rich list
Ozzy Osbourne becomes one of the UK's richest entertainers, but his wealth is eclipsed by the fortunes of Sir Paul McCartney.

How films make money
Film merchandise has become an intrinsic part of the whole film experience, but getting the balance right is crucial.

MPs call for media privacy law
The UK should have a privacy law as part of new safeguards against media intrusion, says a powerful committee of MPs.

Why privacy is still an issue
The BBC's media correspondent looks at the implications of the Catherine Zeta Jones and Hello! case.

A user's guide to privacy
As supermodel Naomi Campbell wins a privacy case against a tabloid newspaper, we ask just how private should our personal lives be?

Press versus privacy
Newspapers appear to be winning back some ground in the battle of the press against privacy rules, BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas says.