Jim Karpen Tips

January 2001

I'll do my best to write this column without scorn or disdain. But the question inevitably arises: does anyone really need any more information about celebrities? Oops, failed already. Still, we must be ecumenical here, and while I'm not a member in good standing of our celebrity culture (religion?), I respect those of you who are.

If you are craving to know the 10 hottest celebrity photos of the day, then hop on over to Entertainment Sleuth. (The day that I visited, six of the 10 were Pamela Anderson.) If you are desperate to know when news or new photos of Britney Spears appear on the Internet, then do check out Entertainment Sleuth.

Basically the site is a clearinghouse for "finding and delivering current information on celebrities, bands, movies, and TV shows." The site has recently announced that they will be adding content from Infonautics and within the next few months will contain information on over 6,000 "entertainment icons," a.k.a. celebrities.

The site tracks the latest pictures, interviews, headlines, and multimedia. If you give your e-mail address, it will even send you e-mail alerts to news, photos, gossip, etc. when it appears on any of some 1,500 Internet sites. Alerts also clue you in to the latest MP3s, events, trailers, videos, and reviews. The site promises to "serve as your personal assistant in the world of entertainment, and be your link to the best in personalized entertainment industry happenings."

The home page has a daily feature, which, when I visited, offered the "pre-Oscar buzz," indicating the movies and actors favored to win Academy Awards. (Heavy favorites: Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well as actors Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks.)

The home page also includes "today's headlines" (e.g., Robert Downey, Madonna, Eminem, Jodie Foster, Back Street Boys) and "today's highlights" (new photos of Matthew McConaughey and Benjamin Bratt, new video downloads for Stone Temple Pilots, and new audio/video downloads for Britney Spears).

You can also find top-10 lists of the celebrities that are the most tracked on the Entertainment Sleuth site and of the photos that are accessed the most. So who are some of the hottest celebrities? Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, and Brad Pitt. Other top-10 lists include movies and TV shows.

Signing up is free, and doing so lets you create a profile--that is, specify your particular interests so that the site can track them. You can then access this personally tailored content as well as receive e-mail alerts.

So if you are a fan of popular entertainment and have an insatiable craving for celebrity news, Entertainment Sleuth is for you..

© 2001 by Jim Karpen, Ph.D. (#247)