B-List Memoirs Aim to Reignite Fading Stars

ByABC News
April 12, 2007, 12:10 PM

April 12, 2007 — -- For celebrities, or the California-bred subculture of pseudo-celebs, nothing is more troubling than seeing one's once bright star begin to wane. To prevent -- or supersede -- the fall from stardom, many choose the route of self-congratulatory, autobiographical promotion: the B-list memoir.

"The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy," said Michael Levine, founder of LCO public relations. "Celebrities don't want to be forgotten, and a book can be an appealing way to get attention back."

Often these memoirs need not necessarily detail a long life well-lived, or even a long life at all. Age seems to be little barrier to celebrities' desires to tell their life stories.

"Sopranos" starlet Jamie-Lynn Sigler released her book "Wise Girl" at the ripe old age of 20, while former 'N Sync singer Lance Bass decided that at 27 the time was right to "tell all" in the forthcoming "Out of Sync."

Bass shot to overnight boy band success with pop hits like "Bye, Bye, Bye," but the band went on a hiatus in 2002. That same year Bass endured a failed attempt to head into outer space after undergoing astronaut training in Russia.

All was quiet until July 2006 when a media storm whipped up around Bass' announcement that he was gay.

"You don't see the likes of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie doing this kind of thing, and autobiographies are sometimes an attempt to resurrect a career," said Joe Saltzman, a former producer for "Entertainment Tonight" with four Emmys to his name. "With Bass, though, it may be his way of setting the record straight and it may help kids who are struggling with their sexuality."

The very much A-list Oprah Winfrey may be the hidden influence behind this wave of autobiographies, according to celebrity commentators.

"We live in a confessional society, thanks to Oprah, where vulnerability is extremely attractive," Levine told ABC News. "A lot of B- and C-listers are using this platform to resurrect a career that has stalled or fallen on hard times."