Replies to '03/05 Anna and Britney: Behind the Headlines'

Quote From: more_or_les

      Amen!
      And, despite how cold it might sound, who cares?
      Considering what else is going on in the world, both of these stories have been more than merely overblown; they've been milked by irresponsible media, not the least of which includes tabloid TV sludge like "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," to the detriment of a dumbed-down public that should be better served by legitimate, intelligent hard news stories.
      Dr. Phil devoted some time during the program to a discussion of the paparazzi and their invasion of privacy. But by giving time to the Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears stories on his program, isn't  Dr. Phil  engaging in the same kind of invasive, exploitative behavior? 
      It may be "good TV," Dr. Phil, but it's a disservice to your audience.
      Yes, Anna Nicole Smith's story has its sad and tragic elements, the two biggest being the death of her son and the birth of an infant daughter who is now motherless. That said, Anna Nicole is being treated as though she were a mega-star, often erroneously compared with Marilyn Monroe. I'm sorry, but she has nothing in common with Marilyn beyond blonde hair and appearances in Playboy. Marilyn Monroe had acting talent; Anna Nicole had only a talent for garnering unwarranted publicity by a celebrity-crazed culture--the very fact of which indicates the culture's emptiness. As we've been told repeatedly, Anna Nicole's sole claim to fame was "being famous for being famous."
      Pardon me for yawning.
      Britney Spears--who, being a parent, urgently needs help--is nonetheless another case in point. A number of years ago on Thanksgiving Day, I attended a family get-together.  A  Britney  Spears  concert  was shown on TV. The kids at the gathering, being uninterested in football, turned it on. I watched only a few minutes of it, but the things that struck me about it were the instrumentation that nearly drowned out la Spears'  excuse for a voice, the laser effects, the numerous scantily-clad dancers in the background, and Britney's own gyrations and revealing outfits. I remarked to another adult that this was evidence of a dearth of real talent, and he agreed. If Britney could really sing, she wouldn't need the pyrotechnics.
      We live in a culture bereft of depth and intelligence, that thrives on (largely meaningless) celebrity gossip to the exclusion of concern about more important world events. Has anyone who worries about superstar tribulations noticed that, because of the country's delusional, lying leadership, people--including too many Americans--are daily dying in Iraq; that FEMA continues to neglect Katrina and other storm survivors; and that global warming is a reality with potentially disastrous consequences for our planet?