Somehow, Kardashian empire keeps growing

When a reality show about the Kardashian sisters of Southern California debuted in the fall of 2007, most people had never heard of the family, and what was known could scarcely be considered positive.

Their late father, an attorney, helped O.J. Simpson win acquittal at his murder trial; the middle daughter Kim palled around nightclubs with Paris Hilton; and a graphic sex tape featuring the brunette and an ex-boyfriend had ended up in the hands of a porn distributor.

Two and a half years later, the Kardashians are an inescapable cultural and commercial force. Their series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which concludes its fourth season today on E!, has shattered viewership records for the cable network and spawned a spinoff show. KimKardashian.com is the most popular official celebrity website in the world, according to its operator. Checkout-aisle magazines and gossip blogs cover the smallest details of the sisters' lives. And Madison Avenue calls on the family to sell mainstream America everything from diet pills and orange juice to NASCAR and fast food.

Their popularity comes despite the fact that the sisters lack the talents that traditionally lead to superstardom and, some believe, partly because of it.

"There's an aspirational quality to somebody who has become a celebrity for - and I don't say this in an offensive way - but for not doing anything celebrity-worthy," said Matt Delzell, an executive at Davie Brown Entertainment, a company that helps corporations choose celebrity endorsers. The young women to whom the Kardashians appeal, he said, "tend to think that's pretty cool. That's something (they) might be able to achieve."

Television programming, especially on cable, is increasingly dependent on created rather than established celebrities. Turning nobodies - or virtual nobodies - into reality stars is cheaper than hiring actual somebodies. But the Kardashians have transcended that level. While personalities on Bravo's Real Housewives franchises and MTV's Jersey Shore and The Hills seem to exist to promote those shows, the Kardashians have turned their program into a promotional vehicle to expand their own empire.

Kris Jenner, the family matriarch and self-described "momager," said she has little time for those who criticize her brood for being "famous for nothing." She is too busy sorting through business opportunities, working on The SPINdustry - a Kardashian documentary special debuting today on E! - and generally protecting what she only slightly self-consciously refers to as "our brand."

"At a certain point, you have to put on your business hat and think of yourself that way," she said recently.

'Brady Bunch' 2.0

Keeping Up with the Kardashians was conceived as a Hollywood version of The Brady Bunch: the harmless high-jinks of a loving, blended family against a backdrop of wealth and famous connections. After divorcing Robert Kardashian, with whom she had four children - Kourtney, now 30; Kim, 29; Khloe, 25; and Rob, 22; - Kris married former Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner, who had four children of his own. The couple had two more daughters, Kendall, 14, and Kylie, 12. From the beginning, Kim occupied the Marcia role - sexy and popular - but there were story lines for everyone.

Her sisters snagged their own show, Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, last year and made headlines when Kourtney became pregnant by an on-again-off-again boyfriend and Khloe married the Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom less than a month after they met. When the NBA champions and their families visited the White House last month, Khloe was photographed chatting with President Obama. Kim, meanwhile, agonized over whether to get back together with New Orleans Saints star Reggie Bush. (She did and showed up on the sidelines at the most watched Super Bowl in history.)

Cameras recorded every tear and shriek, and the audience spiked. Keeping Up With the Kardashians has averaged 3.7 million viewers this year, double last season's total, and was especially successful in the young, female and free-spending demographic coveted by advertisers. According to Nielsen, Kardashian viewers tend to be single, college-educated women with no children, white-collar jobs and annual salaries of more than $60,000. (next page »)