by Caroline Atkins

Created on: October 17, 2007

Well behaved people seldom make history! Celebrities are crazier and less-inhibited versions of ourselves. Add in drugs and alcohol, and some of them fall off the wagon and make horrible decisions that we find extremely entertaining, if not horrifying. It is a lot more fun to dwell on other people's lives and problems than to think about our own. In the world of celebrity, everything is eccentric and over the top. Celebs don't get haircuts, they get hair extensions. Celebs don't just get large houses, they get mansions with 30 car garages. They don't carry a $200 purse, they carry a $4,000 handbag.

Celebs get so much attention because the media exploits them, and makes every little action (such as Britney Spears going through a Taco Bell Drive through) seem so dramatic. If some Hollywood actress ways a dress twice in one month it is sure to end up in US Weekly. She may even be criticized for it.

Of course, there is a lot of pressure on celebrities from the media to look thin and beautiful. Many celebs have drug and alcohol problems and eating disorders. But we cannot feel too sorry for them, because they choose to live that way. Nobody would follow them, at least not for too long anyway, if they decided to go live in a small town in Middle America. We seldom hear about Garth Brooks in the news, and he did just that to raise his kids. Although, rumors are stirring that he will be having a concert soon.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of celebrity is when famous people break the law and the court system has to deal with them. Think about Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson. Were they treated fairly? If OJ was just a guy who worked at a grocery store, would his trial have had the same outcome? Celebs are catered to in every way. When Paris Hilton went to jail, she got a new jumpsuit everyday! I remember in February of 2007 for about a month the only thing that was on network news was the saga of Anna Nicole Smith and her sad death and the paternity issue and custody battle that followed. To some people, the whole thing was a big joke.

The lives of celebrities are so fascinating the media exploits them. The media exploits celebrities because they can make money off of us, the not so famous people. And we pay for it because we long for entertainment to make our lives more exciting.

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