Matthew Rolston’s ‘beautyLIGHT’ Brings Back Celeb Obsession

At Monday night's Los Angeles launch (sponsored by "Louis XIII Black Pearl de Rémy Martin") for beautyLIGHT (teNeues), the exquisite new book by iconic photographer Matthew Rolston, on display was all the evidence we need that supermarket tabloids are ruining the fun of worshiping celebrities. Rolston's electrifying portraits of stars such as Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey, Salma Hayak, Jude Law, Beck, Reese Witherspoon and dozens more of Hollywood's most riveting personalities are a stark contrast to where we normally see them these days. Badly lit street shots of a celeb running for his or her SUV are not glamorous -- it's crime scene photography.

We’ve captured those famous faces stripped of makeup, baggy-eyed and sallow, slipping out of LA spots such as Yogurtland on La Brea or curled up waiting for a yoga class at the Golden Bridge. We’ve thrilled to see superstar guts slung over the tops of sweatpants, just like our own. But we’re only cheating ourselves. Suddenly, that brand of voyeurism feels so over, so ... 2006. We can see panty lines and five o’clock shadow in the mirror. If I want to explore the world of shoddy beauty routines, I can look down at my own shattered toenails. Enough already. Only through a very special lens can we be transported into rarified air. I want to see perfect skin and hair, sleek waists, and clothes that don’t exist in nature. In 20 years’ time, which would you rather own: a magazine splattered with a cover story on Britney’s arm fat, or images like Rolston’s of Beyonce or Johnny Depp that preserve for all time the magic that made them stars? And let’s face it: Magic is about to be in very short supply.