The Cult of Celebrity

I was just railing (via my Facebook status) about the latest celebrity to make headlines with her personal troubles. Like Britney before her, Mischa Barton has been taken in for psychiatric treatment. Exhaustion, drugs, booze, whatever. Maybe I should have sympathy but I don't, mostly because this idiot has fucked up in the past and here she goes again.

Like a friend said, "Who cares? If it was me there would be no friggin headlines, just family bitching me out for being a dumbass." True dat, Mrs. C. But people do care. Why? I don't know. Jealousy, boredom, the grass is always greener, there are any number of reasons that people log onto TMZ, subscribe to Us Weekly (or take the cheap route and read it 4x's a year at the salon while getting highlights done) or watch Access Hollywood for a celeb gossip fix. We've all done it. I know I have even though their reported behavior disgusts me much of the time.

My favorite is when they go to rehab for exhaustion. For EXHAUSTION!!! If only my medical insurance would cover that, I'd have my bags packed in five minutes! Exhaustion, like it's a disease or something. How does spending your days pretending to be someone else and your nights drinking overpriced liquor in designer clothes wear you out to the point that you need medical attention? I don't get it. Like I said on FB, try working in a mine or being a soldier overseas if you want to see exhausting. Try teaching kids who don't want to learn or working in a daycare and you'll find a reason to need professionally supervised rest. Seriously, the only thing more challenging than raising your own kids properly is raising someone else's -- my Phillies cap is off to all the teachers and daycare workers out there who commit themselves daily to other people's children. Model/singer/actress types who should eat more and drink less? Not so much.