Stars

On the NY Times again a recent article discusses stars - they're overpaid. Gee, you think so? This sort of argument is cyclical in Hollywood, comes up every now and then during the slump. Stars are one of the reasons why Hollywood became Hollywood - they are vital. But most of them are overpaid. Right star in a right role is gold.

My definition of a star is someone with a particular persona strong enough to create a vehicle: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Tom Cruise a few years ago. Matthew McHoganey in a girly chick flick in a star; anything else he isn't. Tom Cruise playing s yuppie who gets redemption is a dar; anything else he's just another actor.

The kicker is with all these semi names charging over a million bucks - Matt Dillon, Val Kilmer, even Heath Ledger. Very few of them are worth it. But Jim Carrey in a comedy will probably add $20 million to the gross.