Internet Creating Web Celebs
March 14, 2006 -- -- The Internet is a vast expanse crammed with so much information, people and activities that it's hard for an individual to stand out.
But whether it's a result of being in the right place at the right time,or the wrong place at the wrong time, the Web has raised high its own crop of stars and starlets -- and the list is growing.
The already famous use it to sound off about their personal beliefs and to promote their already robust careers, the wannabes fight tooth and nail to turn themselves into Page Six headlines, and others gain fame and infamy for things that make them wish they had remained just another face in the crowd.
Featured on the cover of Stuff magazine's April issue, Tila Tequila -- or Tila Nguyen -- is one of the bigger "Web celebs" with a MySpace page that boasts 800,000 members.
Known for her brash attitude, skimpy clothing, and killer good looks, Tequila has promoted her rock band, modeling career, and personal fan club through her MySpace site -- the largest in the network.
"I'm no girl next door, I'm the b-- down the street," she proclaims on her site.
That may be so, but the site has had more than 2.9 million visitors since its creation in September 2003.
Tequila is a master of marketing herself. She's been able to turn her success on MySpace into a career that keeps her on magazine covers, playing concerts and generating buzz.
While Tequila capitalizes on her success in cyberspace, there are the less fortunate who become famous despite their best efforts to remain anonymous.
A few years ago, a video appeared on the Internet of a teenage boy doing something every geeky kid who's seen a "Star Wars" movie has probably done at one time or another.
Ghyslian Raza of Quebec videotaped himself twirling around and lashing out at the air while playing with a long pole as if it were a light saber.
When the tape made it onto the Web, Raza found instant notoriety as "Star Wars Kid." Dozens of remixes were made, some adding special effects and music.
