High-profile Celebrity Court Cases: a Look into Audience Needs and Motivations

This book analyzes the various social and psychological theories that relate to why people watch high-profile celebrity court cases (e.g., Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton, O. J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears). It attempts to document the range of reasons that audiences are so interested in these ongoing legal battles and the mediated courtroom drama. It also utilizes statistical analysis in the findings section for the more quantitatively inclined. The basic objectives are to capture the uses, gratifications, and motivations of the viewing audience and to more fully understand why these cases are so popular in our modern culture.