Celebrity Bromances

Dr. Celia Lam is Associate Professor of media and cultural studies at the School of International Communications, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Dr. Lam has published in the area of celebrity culture, bromances, fan fiction and fandoms.Dr. Jackie Raphael works at Murdoch University, and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. Dr. Raphael has published several books and papers on celebrity culture, bromance, endorsements, branding, iconic status, persona and social media.

Celebrity Bromance is a highly insightful exploration of the way male stars are coupled, homoeroticised, and commodified in contemporary popular culture. Lam and Raphael provide us with a wonderful set of case studies, drawing upon the threads of star and persona studies to theorise what these relationships mean to gender and sexuality, branding and commercial power. In this timely book we learn about the ‘bromance capital’ between such leading figures as Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. A fascinating, critically astute and pleasurable engagement with male-to-male stardom. Sean Redmond, Professor of Screen and Design, Deakin University

• 1. Introduction to Celebrity Bromances: Constructing, Interpreting and Utilising Personas 2. Bromance History, Identifying Traits and the Markers of Authenticity 3. Constructing Bromances 4. ‘Utilising’ Bromances 5. Beyond Bromances: Comradery Capital 6. Conclusions and Reflections on Celebrity Bromances