"INSTEAD OF looking up to heroes, Americans (now valorize) a new kind of eminence; 'a person who is known for his well-knownness' ... Daniel Boorstin decried the passing of a perhaps imaginary era in which accomplishment or moral fiber was a pre-requisite to fame, and he shook his professorial fist at the new breed of superstar, whom he dismissed as nothing more than synthetic receptacles into which we pour our own purposelessness..."

Reporter Mark Harris, in a recent New York magazine, gave us the above quote, which I have tampered with slightly. He comments: "And that was before Kim Kardashian was even a thing."

This issue on fame is worth looking up, dated Feb. 6, 2012.

WATCHING the Super Bowl ads, I kept harking back to Mr. Harris and the comments he'd made about how in celebrity life there have always been more runners-up than winners. He adds: "They won't step out of the spotlight without a fight ... self-mortification can be a viable economic model." (Remember this, kids, when Demi Moore begins her regeneration as a star.)

The magazine tells us about stars who sell stuff in Japan and hope we will never find out ... Kim Kardashian and $10,000 for a Twitter endorsement, celebrity real estate, private islands for rent for a mere $545,000 a night, the producer mogul, who is not identified, but lays out how he spends his millions, is rumored to be "CSI" producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the real reason Brangelina sold their children's photos? Was it to pay back the paparazzi?

Well, Willa Paskin, who also contributed to this issue, says, noting that Brad and Angie, together and apart are not big box office but still hotter than hot: "The pair's choosiness has been enabled, not hurt, by their ubiquity. The duo has appeared, alone and together, on the cover of People 22 times." ... Jolie netted a reported $10 million for those Louis Vuitton ads.

I also liked in this magazine Adam Raymond's remarks about the celebrated and their unending quest for privacy. He offers a few examples, commenting: "These are the lengths celebrities go to for a taste of anonymity in a business that ignores those who want to be noticed and incessantly hounds those who want to be left alone."

If you are celebrity crazy you need to read this and get your head on straight.

And that goes for yours truly.

I WAS SITTING in the intimate "society" (or what's left of it) cafe up on Lexington at 73rd, Swifty's, waiting for my longtime pal, the most gifted woman in show business (you know I am speaking of Elaine Stritch) when across the small crowded room, I spotted a face that is also ubiquitous to Broadway theater.

This face belongs to a "civilian" but an important one, seen at every opening night. It was Patricia Schoenfeld, the widow of Shubert giant, Gerald. (Mr. Schoenfeld, a big deal for many years, not-so-behind-the-scenes and a real powerhouse, left us a few years ago.)

Pat came over to say hello and handed me a card. It heralds a memoir that Gerry left behind called "Mr. Broadway."

For many years back in the '30s and '40s the so-called Shubert brothers ran almost everything on the Great White Way. When they passed on, two young men in their offices, Gerald Schoenfeld and Bernard Jacobs, took over Shubert Productions. Now both men are also gone from us but Gerry certainly made a mark while he was here. Fearsome but friendly if you knew how to get along with him -- and you felt you better get along with him -- he was someone to be reckoned with.

I just can't wait to read the story he left behind, which is coming with a caricature of him on the book cover, drawn by the late great Al Hirschfeld. This will be a big addition to theater history.

As for his widow, Patricia, she's doing OK. Last time I saw her before this encounter, she was sitting on the aisle at something or other and her escort for the night was none other than -- ta-da! -- Hugh Jackman, the toast of Broadway. She's doing all right.

OH, SPEAKING of my friend Miss Stritch, the legend has joined the company of a one-night-only performance benefiting TheaterworksUSA (www.twusa.org). Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this is the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theater for family audiences.

The event happens on Sunday, Feb. 12 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Hosted by Charles Busch and Julie Halston, with special guest presenters Nathan Lane, Kathleen Chalfant and Sara Ramirez, audiences will see performances from cast members of "The Book of Mormon" and "Forever Plaid," as well as the Just Off-Broadway Youth Ensemble and dozens of other talents. Call 212-647-1100 ext. 126.

ENDQUOTE: "What's the difference between a wunderkind and an enfant terrible?"

Answer: "A wunderkind works the telephone. An enfant terrible throws it. A little farther along the career path, one may become a prima donna who doesn't answer the phone at all."

This is from Vanity Fair's amusing "Hollywood Wunderkinds: A Primer. See Dick. See Dick Run. See Dick Run a Studio."

(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com, or write to her c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.)