I've only played 3 & 4, and I HATED the celebrity system in 3. It more spread like virus than by any sort of accomplishment. And it took them several years to even add an opt-out option, no matter how much players complained about it. It was the one thing that finally made me start using mods.
I definitely like the system in 4 better, because you can have some more control over who is a celeb & who isn't. I'm not that big on fame & fortune, I like the quiet life myself, so I still seldom play celebs, but I don't cringe when one appears in my game anymore either. In fact, I kind of like having them around, when they show up at a venue, their fans show up too, and that livens up the place and gives my sims more sims to meet & mingle with.
