Simpson’s over-exposure soared from 17pc to 41pc in 3 years

LOS ANGELES: It’s one of the oldest maxims in showbusiness: all publicity is good publicity. But according to a new survey published by Forbes.com, there is evidence that the public can have too much of a good thing.

Topping the list of over-exposed celebrities the public would like to see less of is socialite and pop-singer Paris Hilton. She was followed by Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, Spears’ husband Kevin Federline, former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, actress Lindsay Lohan, Tom Cruise and Nicole Richie. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were eighth followed by Michael Jackson, developer Donald Trump and Jessica Simpson, whose ‘overexposure’ rating had soared from 17 per cent in 2003 to 41 per cent in mid-2006.

Robert Thompson, the founding director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, said celebrities had to tread a fine line between courting the spotlight and knowing when to retreat. “It’s a challenge because celebrity in many ways is defined by how much exposure you get,” Thompson said. “But the perfect equation is to get as much exposure as you possibly can right up to the moment when it gets to be too much, and then you want to pull back.”