by Linda Burleson

Created on: June 19, 2008

Celebrity=superstar=icon=idol...What establishes one as a celebrity. It is for the most part someone who is in the movies, on television (which means in your living room), and in the print media on a regular basis, to the point that almost everyone feels like he/she owns a piece of that person. It is not confined to the acting profession but can be news personalities (I believe they call them commentators), politicians, sports personalities, and even preachers such as Joel Osteen.

I do not particularly care for blanket descriptions because certainly some of the above mentioned celebrity types do have positive influence, but since we are looking at the topic as an overall perspective, the effect is negative, thanks in most part to their lifestyles.

Even celebrities who for a long time appear to be ideal in their comportment, have something that eventually rises to the surface to break those feet of clay. Some shining examples of this are Kobe Bryant, Charlie Sheen, and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, just to name a few.

The fact is celebrities are human and as fallable as any of the rest of us. The problem on the other hand, is that they do not see themselves that way and there is always someone out there to give them a platform. Any time I have put anyone on a pedestal, other than Jesus Christ, he/she has disappointed me. Celebrities seem to have opinions on any and every topic - case in point, Sharon Stone and her comments about the reason for the earthquake in China. Tom Crews and his espousal of Scientology has caused him to feel that he has a right to speak to issues that he really knows little about.

There was a time when celebrities kept their private lives private. Nowadays, there are countless people out there who want to earn a buck by exposing some horrendous details about a celebrity that they have somehow come in contact with. Do these athletes think these girls who meet them in there hotel rooms for a romp really like them for themselves. Usually they are hero worshippers (or groupies) but are also looking down the line at the potential for a lawsuit, blackmail or media interview.

Technology has made it easy for people to very publicly vent on any subject whether they know anything about it or not. By the same token, technology has made it possible for celebrities to be recorded and videotaped or photographed without his/her knowledge and used at a later date to their detrement. Often interviewers try to trap celebrities into saying something outrageous,

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