Celebrities and Fashion - Where Have All the Supermodels Gone?

There was a time when supermodels ruled the fashion world and it was absolutely impossible to think of a campaign that did not contain their beautiful but ubiquitous selves. Remember the time when the catwalks and fashion spreads that counted had people who are still remembered for all the shine they brought in. There are still quite a few supermodels these days. However it is becoming very evident that these days there are increasing numbers of other celebrities who are jostling with them for attention.

The fact is that young people these days take their fashion cues from a wide range of celebrities and not just supermodels. There are many celebrities who are not movie stars or models but they certainly set a lot of fashion trends as they contrive to be at the centre of attention whenever possible. These are many canny businesswomen who have translated their popularity into money with the help of clothing labels.

Most movie stars and recording artists have their own fashion labels these days precisely because people find them exceedingly attractive and want to emulate not just their dress sense but their overall aura of success and style. In fact, many of these labels make as much money for the celebrity as they get from their movies or music.

People these days are exceedingly choosy about what they wear and how they wish to project their image. Fashion advertising campaigns work very well when they address people's aspirations. It is generally very easy to do this when the brand ambassador is a celebrity rather than just a supermodel. When a celebrity is featured in a campaign for a luxury brand, it appeals to people's aspirations to become a talented and accomplished person and not just a gorgeous woman. It is therefore no surprise that fashion houses are getting film stars to feature in their ad campaigns.

There was a time when film stars did not want to be seen in ads and did so only in ads that would be aired in foreign markets. Most stars are eager to feature in ad campaigns because there is no longer anything embarrassing about doing so.

Considering that kids and teenagers too have lots of celebrities to look up, it is very clear that celebrities will continue to take the place that a gaggle of supermodels once occupied. In fact pre-teens and teenagers are avid fans of these celebrities because they make them feel grown up. Of course, there will always be need for fashion models for print and television ads and also for walking the ramp but the biggest ad campaigns will continue to go to celebrities. It is fairly clear these days that the age of supermodels has gone for good.

Disney Casting Calls Give Kids And Teens Legit Shot At Stardom

When Disney vice president of casting and talent relations Judy Taylor was recently asked about where she finds talent for Disney Channel and Disney XD shows she stated, "we try here at Disney Channel, for many reasons, to look everywhere and have open calls all over the place to reach kids who may not have the chance to audition if they were only taking place in L.A. or New York." The last several years Disney has held open casting calls in the cities of Richmond, Kansas City, Phoenix, Austin, San Antonio, and Wilmington. Thousands of hopefuls attended these calls with dreams of becoming the next Disney Channel star.

No matter what the expectations are of a child, teen, or parent who attends one of these open casting calls, the harsh reality is that the odds of being discovered are extremely small. But when someone is discovered, it can be a life-changing event that catapults a young person into worldwide fame. This is exactly what happened one year when Disney Channel held open casting calls in Texas and Florida. An amazing 11-year-old little girl showed up and impressed Judy Taylor and other Disney casting directors greatly. This child ended up becoming the second most popular Disney Channel star history, earning countless awards including six Kids' Choice Awards, fifteen Teen Choice Awards, two Young Artist Awards, a People's Choice Award, and an ALMA Award. So talent is very much discovered at these open calls, and they are no publicity stunt or gimmick, as many skeptical people falsely claim.

It is a fact that the vast majority of acting roles for Disney Channel and Disney XD are cast in Los Angeles. Judy Taylor hires freelance casting directors to do the day-to-day casting for individual series and movies. These casting directors use talent agents to bring in actors to come in and read for the specific roles. Sometimes the casting directors will call in someone who is not signed with a talent agent, however these are usually for smaller roles called Under 5's - meaning having less than 5 lines of dialog. Extras in the United States are not represented by agents and are hired directly through extras casting companies.

Another exciting trend in the entertainment industry is online submissions for acting roles. With the advent of digital casting, talent can now submit headshots and resumes through email, or online talent databases. There are only a few legitimate online databases, so knowledge about these websites is crucial. During the summer of 2013, the casting directors for a new hugely anticipated Disney Channel show sent out a casting notice for series regulars. They specified that kids and teens outside of Los Angeles from all areas could submit an audition video. So it is official that Disney is now on board the digital online open casting call wagon. So the opportunities are real, and they are out there. Whether it be an in-person open casting call, or an online talent search - kids and teens now have more opportunities than ever to chase their dreams of working as an actor on Disney Channel and Disney XD.