I think I agree that using a celebrity character and the whole cult of celebrity are easy rip off for any author. My use of the characters has a different logic. Help me understand if its good or bad logic.

People who are into D&S make up a percentage of the population, therefore a percentage of celebrities are also into D&S. I treat them just like many in this forum - hiding in the closet and afraid to have their real selves known. Image the publicity and reaction if the Paris Hilton video had been D&S?

Another question - How do you know that someone on this forum is not a Celebrity?

So I am using celebrity characters to show the rewards of finding and sharing with people of similar interests as they are drawn from their protective closets. I also exploit the fact they can afford expensive D&S toys and clothing.

To answer directly – no the story will not work as well with generic names.