You might be right, but I don't think so.
To tell the truth, I can't even draw up a mental picture of Scarlett even though I know about her and even about some of her perfume ads, quite distinct and beyond the movies. Jolie? Again, forgotten in the bat of an eye or a swollen lip. It may be a generation thing, but if anything, the immediacy of these people has robbed them of the myth, and it's the myths that travel well through time. How long has Elvis been gone? Yet, even those not then born know about him and the sound; ditto Chuck Berry who is still with us. And that's just pop culture. We have no Shakespeares any more; just Pulp Fictionists.
Rob, you'll soon take the crown from Mr Schewe as the official forum curmudgeon since he seems to have calmed down
This is obviously not the forum for this, but it sounds like you're not a film buff. If you were, you'd definitely heard and would remember both of those women from their numerous high-profile movies, as well as some of the less-well known gems they've been in. Anyway, not the point.
One thing that does play an important role in all this is that entertainment is more fragmented than in the past. There are more ways to spend our time and money on during our free time, so niches - such as horror movies, 1st person shooter games, or snowboarding - thrive. Each of these niches have their own celebrities, and some people will only be familiar with their own niche's celebs. That's partly to blame for the lack of truly universal worldwide celebs these days, although the people I listed come close, along with a handful of "super"models from the 90s known by their first name (Christy, Cindy, Tyra, Naomi in that order
), and a few sports personas who I couldn't care less about.
As for modern Shakespeares, writers and directors such as Kubrick, Arthur Miller and Philip K. Dick are already studied widely in world's universities. Obviously they haven't reached the same level of universal praise as Shakespeare. Yet.
We'll always have celebs from days gone by who are sooo much better than what we have today, or oh-the-shock-and-horror what the kids today follow. Not to mention cameras, motorcycles, etc.