Okay you people...

...time to listen up. I've been putting off a certain rant for a while & since my time has been in shorter supply than usual as of late, I feel compelled to sound off on a topic that bugs me periodically. Namely the obsession and borderline worship of celebrities in this country.

Okay, before you get turned off let me clarify: I think it's perfectly normal and actually healthy to enjoy being entertained by your favorite singer, actor, whoever. Everybody has their own tastes and hence favorite people to watch/listen to. I certainly have mine. What I'm referring to is the apparent promotion of any "news-worthy" entertainer to nothing short of demigod status.

What pisses me off? The lack of understanding of how a rational human being can yearn to follow the every move of what amounts to a total stranger. Go to any news site online and you are guaranteed to see an "Entertainment" section. Nothing wrong with that, though one would hope to find info on reviews, descriptions, etc. That stuff is there, but to find any USABLE info you have to sift through countless, pointless articles about who was seen sucking face in the back of some trendy club with some other celebrity. Or who was seen at a resort with someone else's spouse. Or was pulled over for driving drunk or arrested for drugs. But I digress.

Really people, is your life really that much better knowing what kind of shoes someone wore to their own friggin' movie premiere? Do you REALLY sleep better at night knowing that person X has a new boyfriend after being left by Person Y and they won't sleep alone? The worst part of it is that are many of the stories are not only absurd, they state the obvious OR encourage excuses for someone else's behavior. Take a random story from today on Yahoo. Is Macaulay Culkin REALLY having a mid-life crisis at 25? Or is he maybe realizing he has NO JOB SKILLS in his "chosen" profession?!?! That message should have been clearly received when his cute little kid shtick quit working for him around the time he was old enough to friggin' vote!!! Hey guy, you can't act. Suck it up and move on.

I could crash this server with stories and recaps about celebrity couples breaking up, getting back together, breaking up again, and who they're with now. Or any other tabloid fodder. You've all seen it and hopefully understand what I'm talking about. Steering back on topic, what in the hell is the big deal?

Granted, we (the ignorant masses) feed this publicity machine, giving attention to people who make a living by getting attention. Am I jaded that actors get millions of dollars to play "make believe"? Nope, that's how a free market economy works. They found a way to make money doing something more or less not difficult they enjoy, so for that more power to them. Where, though, is the line in the sand that separates obsession and passing interest?

I don't think there's an easy answer. Maybe some people enjoy the gossip, maybe there are a few other sadists out there that enjoy seeing sometimes pampered, spoiled grown-up brats fall flat on their ass and suffer from a breakup or having their work ripped apart by critics and their "loyal, adoring public". Yes, life is pain. And no one is immune. I don't buy the argument that seeing someone famous go through hard times somehow "humanizes" them and make them seem more like regular folk. Regular folk don't get to sulk for a few days and when they've had enough of that move on or take a vacation to an exotic resort to escape. John or Jane Public still have to go to their job every day and work out their problems on their own. For the stars that really hit rock bottom it's rarely anything but their own damn fault.

With the Oscars a few nights ago, there is still tons of what happened/who said what/post show analysis of the winners (I would wager for some this isn't too far from worshipping that Golden Calf). Is the award show itself a problem? No. They deserve to be recognized for good work like everyone else. What puzzles me is that there is more after-the-fact reporting than after the Super Bowl. Or any real world events. I think you could go to any random website and print out all the Oscar pics, you could watch the whole show as a flip-book.

So what was my point? The only reason there is this much info out there is due to public interest. If escapism is what you need, watch a movie. My MAIN thing is that if people focused more of their attention on dealing with their own problems, obligations and whatnot they would probably not NEED to know who Movie Star Z is sleeping with this week. Let's make it easy: most of them get drunk, many get high and many more have sex with anything with a pulse. I know generalities are bad but it supports the point. Plus, they seem to always have an excuse for everything they do. Worse yet, the are generally forgiven in the court of public opinion. What kind of message does that send? "That's okay, the big bad World won't hurt you since nothing is your fault. They're out to get you". Bullshit. That ideology is called "Fiction".

Let the famous do their own thing. WORRY ABOUT YOUR OWN ASS FOR A CHANGE. Gossip is just as bad as an adult as it was in junior high. Why spread it? To feel better about yourself? I hate to ramble on this, but this country is becoming weaker and weaker because the people in it are becoming equally weaker and softer. Wasn't it Elanor Roosevelt that said something to the effect of those with weaker minds talk about people (I really wish I had that quote handy...)?

This is not a new phenomenon; even through the Middle Ages people were awestruck by "celebrities", who also filled the roles of politicians and sports stars (kings really had it made, didn't they?). And if more of the unwashed masses could read I'm sure some enterprising serf would have chisled out the Renaissance Enquirer.

I guess it blows my mind how enthralled some people can be with another human being simply because they are widely know. I can speak from experience; my dear sister gets far too many entertainment magazines than any one individual should. Call me a killjoy, but perhaps that money might be better spent on "needs". And the amount of attention/brain power exerted by people could certainly be put to better use. But I guess it's easier to imagine what it would be like to be famous rather than build a better life for themselves. That must be that thing called "Responsibility" that is rapidly vanishing from the American landscape.