Where do You Go My Lovely? The Celebrity Syndrome. Frank Benetti Has His Turn at West Coast Midnight Run

When was the last time you noticed that celebrities were disappearing on you? I am not talking about stars fading into dwarfs on the astronomical chat charts. I am not referring to big names zipping in limousines to avoid the paparazzi and getting scraped off a tunnel wall in Paris.

I am talking about celebrities making an appearance on a talk show or late night show and the viewer can barely recognize their favorite icon or star because of either gruesome, overdone or botched plastic surgery.

Exactly where did that celebrity go? I never heard of any obituaries in the news and yet that person is gone.

Their features have been defaced and to boot they show up sporting a “new” personality to complement their makeover and new lease on life in front of the camera and the limelight.

Some of us are old enough to remember a narcissistic little episode we thought would never come to pass, courtesy of Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone - titled The Trade-Ins, about an elderly couple that go to a department store to order a set of real new bodies from the display mannequins in the store, with all kind of options - if only they could afford the price tag for both of them.

Fast forward in time to the late 1990s and Nip/Tuck mocks us with a duplicitous smile and copy on billboards all over Los Angeles and every major city from Dallas to NYC “Beauty is not skin deep”.

Nip/Tuck was about plastic surgery but the style of the series was more like Miami Vice. Lots of gorgeous models and life in the fast lane, for both the secondary characters and the leads of the show.

And during the stretch from The Trade Ins to Nip/Tuck, the viewing public had already been bewitched by the likes of Raquel Welch, Jane Fonda, Catherine Deneuve and their eternal youthful sex symbol looks.

cessful celebrity in taking these risks? It’s a huge gamble with a hefty pay-off.

And celebrities and stars are not alone in their

efforts to look super in front of the cameras.

Behind the lens are teams of professionals whose entire life is dedicated to making those in front of the lens look simply immaculate.

From fitness trainers, to nutrition experts, stunt coaches, stunt doubles, make-up artists, hair stylists, clothing designers