Washed-Up Stars' Savior: Social Media

From Justine Bateman to Sally Jessy Raphael, a 2nd chance

By Mark Russell, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 27, 2012 11:30 AM CST

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Washed-Up Stars' Savior: Social Media — Actor George Takei poses on the press line at the Universal Media Studios Emmy Party at the LG House in Malibu, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

Chris Brown and Rihanna aren't the only ones finding fame/infamy on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and the lot. Plenty of last generation's stars are making waves there, too, reports the New York Times, which runs down a few recent success stories:

Though Sally Jessy Rafael only claims 5,000 Twitter followers, they're getting a "sassy and sardonic" ride, reports the Times, which describes her as "enjoying a modest comeback." Sample: "At the AMAs last nite, Justin Bieber thanked his haters. I'd like to say, you're welcome, Justin. You're welcome."
Justine Bateman (Mallory from Family Ties) claims 88,000 Twitter followers and two Tumblrs—one of which charts her experience as a 46-year-old UCLA freshman.

Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) is in a whole other league with 1.5 million Twitter followers. The Times reports that she managed to use that notoriety to snag a gig as a Today show contributor.
Over the past two years, George Takei has garnered 3.7 million followers on his Twitter and Facebook pages, and his Tumblr posts generate upward of 600 comments each. "The easy accessibility to enormous firepower is ridiculous," said Takei.

(More Twitter stories.)

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