Ixtab
01-13-2006, 08:06 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - Dazzled by the attractions of fame, more than one in 10 young Britons would quit school to become tomorrow's tabloid star, a survey showed on Friday.
In a country obsessed by celebrities, a growing number of children are more interested in becoming rich and famous than getting a good education, according to research from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
Around nine percent thought fame was a great way to earn money without skills or qualifications.
"Young people realise that you don't need skills for being famous and believe it is easy, which it is not," Max Clifford, the country's best known publicist, told Reuters.
Tabloids are littered with "revelations" about C-list celebrities and the country's most famous couple, David and Victoria Beckham, have made millions of pounds from gracing the front pages.
But the LSC pointed out that the chances of being picked for a Big Brother-style TV show and being popular afterwards were around one in 30 million, longer odds than winning the lottery.
Clifford, who has acted as agent for many fleeting celebrities, agreed.
"I would say to star-wannabes: See it as the lottery, try it but don't count on it, don't rely on it.
"Get yourself educated, get yourself a job, get yourself a situation."----------
In a country obsessed by celebrities, a growing number of children are more interested in becoming rich and famous than getting a good education, according to research from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
Around nine percent thought fame was a great way to earn money without skills or qualifications.
"Young people realise that you don't need skills for being famous and believe it is easy, which it is not," Max Clifford, the country's best known publicist, told Reuters.
Tabloids are littered with "revelations" about C-list celebrities and the country's most famous couple, David and Victoria Beckham, have made millions of pounds from gracing the front pages.
But the LSC pointed out that the chances of being picked for a Big Brother-style TV show and being popular afterwards were around one in 30 million, longer odds than winning the lottery.
Clifford, who has acted as agent for many fleeting celebrities, agreed.
"I would say to star-wannabes: See it as the lottery, try it but don't count on it, don't rely on it.
"Get yourself educated, get yourself a job, get yourself a situation."----------