Celebrity News:

Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton have become famous for several reasons. Their fashion choices, both admired and fodder for worst-dressed lists, for one. Their crazy, public antics and crotch shots. Their tumultuous relationships and Nicole's pregnancy.

But among all that, one important question remains. How is it that these two women - the poster-girls for talentless celebs - have been able to sustain fame? Why, exactly, are they famous? Why do their faces sell millions of magazines? Why does their branding guarantee success of a TV show, fragrance or fashion trend?

In the case of Hilton and Richie, fame came their way through notable last names.

Only in Hollywood does a last name carry such an instant stigma. You wouldn't immediately trust a surgeon solely on the fact that his father was a good surgeon. You wouldn't trust a dentist just because his mother was a good dentist. You wouldn't elect a president just because his father was a good president (oh, wait, maybe some of us would).

The phenomenon stretches far beyond Hilton and Richie. There's Kelly Osbourne, daughter of Ozzy Osbourne and co-star of their family's hit reality show. Osbourne even got the chance to star on Broadway without any known previous experience (and we're sure that turned out well).

There's Kim Kardashian, whose father, Robert Kardashian, defended O.J. Simpson in the notorious trial. She found fame the 'ole sex-tape way and now has her own reality show on E!.

There's Kimberly Stewart, daughter of rocker Rod Stewart, who has found some success as a model and is rumored to be appearing in a Broadway play sometime in the near future.

Oscar winner Rachel Weisz has slammed so-called talentless celebrities who find fame the easy way. She calls them "vulgar." In 2007, the British actress insisted she earned her place in the limelight because of her profession. She said she only has contempt for those who become famous by stripping for photographers or attending glitzy parties. Weisz, who famously rejected an offer to pose naked for Playboy in 2005, vowed to continue to snub the celebrity circuit.

"I am an actress," she said. "I think celebrity is a vulgar thing. It's so easy to be famous, turn up in a certain dress, present a show, take your top off."

Weisz seems to be right. It must be pretty easy. Take one part last name, sprinkle in a little nudity, crazy fashion choices, and drunk nights out, and voila! You have a celebrity.