Scandals shine in Star vs. Star

In fantasy sports, when you choose a real-life athlete for your team, you’re hoping that he will perform well.

For a celebrity, though, performing “well” is a different ballgame.

Last week, the celebrity news Web site TMZ.com expanded into the fantasy fray with the newly unveiled StarVsStar.com.

The site is free and includes card games, news updates, “trash talk” message boards and a weekly video webcast, but its biggest draw is its fantasy game.

Teams each choose 10 celebrities. Points are accrued based on how frequently each celebrity appears in news sources like People Magazine, E! Online and, of course, TMZ.

Stars are divided into A-, B-, C- and D-list – which aren’t necessarily aligned as you might suspect.

Whoopi Goldberg, newly added as a co-host on “The View,” is on the A-list, as is Charlie Sheen, of whom the site says: “Scandal is a way of life for the Sheen Machine.”

Despite leading nearly all celebs with 2,481 calculated media mentions in the last four weeks, Britney Spears is ranked as a C-lister. She’s topped only by so-called B-lister Lindsay Lohan.

“Celebrity gossip has become a 24-7 phenomenon, and Star vs. Star adds to the interactive experience,” says Alan Citron, general manager of TMZ.com.

The concept of a fantasy site geared around celebrities is not new. Sites such as Fafarazzi.com and Tabloid Fantasy League ( www.tabfl.com) work similarly to Star vs. Star.

Star vs. Star is the product of TMZ.com in partnership with Worldwide Biggies Inc., a digital entertainment studio headed by Albie Hecht, a former president of Nickelodeon Entertainment and Spike TV.

Since launching in December 2005, TMZ has forged new ground in celebrity-watching with rapid reports that are often accompanied by video – such as Michael Richard’s racial tirade at a California comedy club.

It’s aggressively expanding its brand. This fall, an entertainment television show based on the Web site will air on Fox-owned stations nationwide.