Get a plot before they put you in one

He and his friend Jerome had their own religion. They believed that we are all caught in an elaborate story written by a deity / screenwriter who had invented far too many characters. So many characters, in fact, that he could no longer provide properly engaging plot lines for them all. The point, then, was to attract this deity's attention so that he would notice you and provide you with more interesting character development arcs and plot twists. In short, the goal of their religion was to gain celebrity and, failing that, notoriety.

First you got celebrity, then you were given a plot. And this religion was not purely an act of faith. Their proof of its validity was the contorted and often fascinating paths that the lives of celebrities took.

He and Jerome even had t-shirts. "Get a plot before they put you in one," it read.

Today's $200,000 Idea: Rent a Paparazzi

Every week, thousands of adults and kids rent Limos for special occasions. Whether it is sleeping on 800 count sheets for a few nights in 5 star hotels or eating $25 salads and drinking $500 champagnes, there is great demand to live like a celebrity, if only for an evening.

So, in one of a series of aperiodic postings of business ideas, how about a Rent-a-Paparazzi service? You go out for the evening and feign disgust with the horde of (okay, depending on what option you choose, two to six) photographers who hound you, following you as you try to enjoy a pleasant evening dining out, dancing, or even just grocery shopping with your new infant.

This sort of attention from obvious paparazzi ought to instantly establish you as a person of consequence, a celebrity that the folks in your vicinity really ought to recognize, if only they could remember your name or on what show they saw you.

Rent-a-Paparazzi. How anyone has previoulsy felt special without such a service is beyond me.