It's a vast array of personalities that build the fan base for celebrities.
There are the admiring fans. They may have seen a few movies or gone to a few concerts. They might own a t-shirt or two or maybe they know a couple songs. They may know some movie quotes. They might even be able to tell you the celebrity's birthday or which coast he lives on. They spend very little money on their admiration.
Next are the big fans. They're the ones who have most, if not all albums. They've bought (or at least rented) every movie. They can name spouses, children & immediate family members of their celebrities. They've probably gone to a handful of shows. If possible, they've probably done a couple VIP shows, too. They're the ones who travel across state lines to see their celebrity in person. They've waited in lines for autographs and photo opportunities.
Then, there are your die-hard fans. They've traveled to numerous shows, done several VIP's, bought tickets the very moment they go on sale (either online or by camping outside the venue). They've got all the t-shirts, posters and memorabilia they ever owned of their celebrities. They've slept on the streets of big cities to see their celebs on tv shows, entered contests and drawings to win one-on-one attention from their celebs. They've sat in movie theater lobbies for hours, if not days to be the first to view the midnight showing of their celeb's most recent film. They know all the answers to trivia questions and can probably tell you down to the day where they were X number of years ago "on this day" when asked something in regards to special days. The die-hard fans are probably in music videos or boarding a special celebrity cruise (or two). These are the fans who may be easily recognizable by other die-hard fans in social networking circles and in-person.
And we can't forget the hardcore fans. You know the ones - they may have saved used napkins from Waffle House or stolen underwear from their dryers at the laundromat. They may have covered themselves in tattoos or have walls plastered with photographs, posters and memorabilia. Hard-core fans know all the lyrics to every song, the character name of every role their celebrity has ever portrayed, the names of every family member up to and including cousins, aunts and uncles. They've gone to every show in every country. They've put their lives on hold to chase their celebrities to various locations for an opportunity to meet their celebrities (time and time again). They seem to have all the networks in place to know where rehearsals are, what hotels their celebrities stay at and what airline they're arriving on when they fly to various locations. These fans are well-known by other fans (most, of course are either very well-liked or strongly-disliked).
All fans fall somewhere along the grid from the meekest to the most hardcore. There are varying degrees of fans all over the board, actually.
Then there are those fans who are so extreme they make everybody else look like nobodies. These are the fans who have convinced themselves (and others) that they're dating a celebrity...married to a celebrity...stealing a celebrity from their spouse...having the celebrity's baby. They're the ones who go to great lengths to create artificial lives, lying to their friends and families, if given the chance even lying to the celebrities. Typically, they do nothing all day but spam their celebrities through social networks. Sometimes they'll even threaten harm to the celebrities or themselves. These people are not stable.
These "Crazies" as they're not-so-affectionately termed by the "normal" fan population make everybody else look bad. They're the nutjobs you read about in the news, where their neighbors say "She seemed really normal. She babysat my kids when I worked late. I just can't believe she even owned a gun, much less a high-powered semi-automatic weapon like that." Trust me, you do NOT want to be a Crazy.
So, ladies, if you're out there spoutin' off about being fitted for a wedding dress, buying a house together with your adulterous celebrity boyfriend or planning the birth of your child for when your celebrity lover is not on tour, you need to seriously re-evalute your life. Seek help because you've crossed from Crazy to Certifiable.
And seriously? We normal fans are just about DONE with your crazy.
(For those curious, I fall somewhere between die-hard and hardcore fans.)
