Entertainment "News"

I don't know about any of you, but I really am getting fed up of all the so-called "entertainment" news being tossed about so blythly these days. It seems as though the more trivial and banal the tidbits of info, the more they are hyped like these things really matter.

For instance, tonight on the MSN homepage the 3rd entertainment headline reads 'Etta James: "I can't stand Beyonce." The article goes on to elaborate about Beyonce singing "At Last" for President Obama at one of the recent Inaugural events. (I only read that much because I am writing this blog!)

Now, I don't know about you, but the very first thought I have whenever I read this type of useless headline is, "WHO CARES?!!!" Really! Yeah, there are enough interested readers out there who will take an avid (and completely ridiculous) interest in such things, and who will swear by the truth of anything they read about any celebrity.

My objection here is that the virtual, print, and video rags that exist make this junk out to be vital to our everyday lives. (To immitate the William Shatner school of pause acting....) We-just-CAN'T-live-without-knowing-
that- John-Doe-actor-said-something-negative-about-his-gardener! (or whatever drivel we are force fed and told is vastly important.)

I know that there will always be people out there who will soak up every piece of irrelevant entertainment news like it was manna from heavan; but get a grip, please!

Entertainers, pro athletes, and anyone who has a high public profile are just like you and me. They have problems of all sorts that they must address every day. They are literally no different than anyone else. It just so happens that their problems have become fodder for entertainment "news."

I have known a number of pro athletes over the years, as well as Congressmen, and a few in the entertainment industry. Believe me when I say that they are just like you and I. They really are. The only real difference being they have more money than we do.

Let me address that one for a minute. I know that many of you will say that though they have problems, celebrities at least have all that money. I want to give you a piece of info that many of you may not realize...Just because you have money certainly does NOT mean that your problems disappear.

Marriages both thrive and suffer, bills still stack up, kids get sick, personal injuries occur, people get robbed, you might be out of work for six months or a year, etc, etc.

I for one have enough to deal with in my life to be putting any thought or energy into what is happening in someone elses. I care about what is real news that truly affects my life; things like the economy, our government, advances in healthcare, the education of our kids, the proper management and stewardship of our environment, and what my friend in Australia (who is a former drug user) is doing with her life.

THESE things are important. These things matter. They matter to me; they SHOULD matter to you. These are things that affect, and effect our lives every day, all around the world.

Let those in the so-called public eye have their privacy. Knowing one more interpersonal spat just doesn't matter one iota. And believe me, these good men and women would really rather keep their lives to themselves instead of feeling like they're in a glass cage twenty-four hours a day.