Britney Spears: The Spiral Continues.....

[Luuuuuuke]

What disturbs me though is how deep the vitriol is if the celebrity involved is a woman. I didn't hear or read about Kurt Cobain being bashed for being a heroin fiend who blew his brains out and begat a little girl he abandoned.(That was really Courtney Love's fault, right?) Or James Brown, for being a flaming a-hole who beat the #%#@ out of women and tried to hurt cops. Nooooo, when he died, he was just the Godfather of Soul.

And I'm not a feminist by any stretch... But I'm with Jon9000 on this one. Spears is a pathetic figure; so was Anna Nicole. I don't get any joy out of heaping hate on them. But if that's how you get your kicks, have at it.

(But give me a break, don't go accusing forum members of "preaching" because they expressing such opinions if you're essentially going fire-and-brimstone on these people yourself)

[El Chuxter]

I complained about Cobain being a no-good heroin addict throughout his life, and I've cracked more than a few tasteless jokes about him since he blew his head off.

James Brown got a lot of notoriety during his life for his violence, drug use, etc. But when he died, well, you tend to dwell on achievements. No one wanted to say, "Hey, Reagan did some good, but he was a lying SOB." Or "Bette Davis sure could act, but, man, what a b****." Likewise, people preferred to recall the fact that Brown was one of three architects of what we consider soul music, and the last to pass on.

It had nothing to do with gender. It had everything to do with the guy earning his fame through merit.

But Anna Nicole? What did she do, and "Being hot at one point" doesn't count. I'm waiting.

Her crowning achievement was a minor role in The Naked Gun 33&1/3, based totally on her looks, and a role that could've been played by any number of other models with little or no acting talent.

Oh, and she had a reality show, where she was an insane washed-up model weighing about 300 pounds, acting like an idiot but showing no signs of truly self-destructive behavior.

On the other hand, there's OJ Simpson. He's a case where his notoriety has actually overshadowed his accomplishments. When he dies, the news will remember an accused murderer, with his football and acting careers as footnotes.

My problem with the ANS deal--and, I bet, most people's problem with her as well--is we are sick of her. We were sick of her years before her death, and the 24-hour coverage and ongoing media circus following her death have done nothing to abate that. No, we're even sicker of her.

Like I said before, the news should've said, "Anna Nicole Smith died today in Hollywood, FL. The cause of death is undetermined. She was 39." It shouldn't have even been breaking news. As it is, it totally took over the news outlets, and there wasn't even anything to say yet!

When Kurt Vonnegut dies, which will, sadly, probably be soon, will CNN stop reporting on all other news for two days straight? And, yet, who is more deserving of acclaim?

Britney's much of the same. What did she do? She had a couple of successful songs. But they were far from great; even her onetime loyal fans don't give a rat's about her. She was so manufactured, she made the Spice Girls look like the frigging Supremes. And everyone knows that.

You can say all you want that the only reason the news gives idiots like this (and Paris Hilton, and Lindsey Lohan) so damned much attention is because we watch it. I can guarantee you that, if a serious study were ever to be conducted on this, the numbers of people who actually care are far lower than the media conglomerates want to think.

Oh, and I stand by what I said about her needing to be fixed two kids ago. The girl is an idiot. She's a lousy mother, and her kids are certain to have major problems. Should she be allowed to produce babies simply because she's "pathetic"?

[JEDIpartner]

What disturbs me though is how deep the vitriol is if the celebrity involved is a woman. I didn't hear or read about Kurt Cobain being bashed for being a heroin fiend who blew his brains out and begat a little girl he abandoned.(That was really Courtney Love's fault, right?) Or James Brown, for being a flaming a-hole who beat the #%#@ out of women and tried to hurt cops. Nooooo, when he died, he was just the Godfather of Soul.

I'm sorry-- did I not mention that I don't give a toss about Kurt Ka-bang or James (beat-my-wife) Brown, either?

[El Chuxter]

I'm sorry-- did I not mention that I don't give a toss about Kurt Ka-bang or James (beat-my-wife) Brown, either?

How can you like R&B and not "give a toss" about James Brown?

[JEDIpartner]

The person... not his contribution to music.

[JON9000]

But Anna Nicole? What did she do, and "Being hot at one point" doesn't count. I'm waiting.

Her crowning achievement was a minor role in The Naked Gun 33&1/3, based totally on her looks, and a role that could've been played by any number of other models with little or no acting talent.

Oh, and she had a reality show, where she was an insane washed-up model weighing about 300 pounds, acting like an idiot but showing no signs of truly self-destructive behavior.

I'm just curious about what it is about these celebrities that makes people *hate* them so much that they laugh with glee when said celebrities are brought so low- especially when the celebrity has done nothing to us personally.

Is it some form of envy? As in, "here I am working my butt off and this loser can't make it on a billion bucks?"

Or, "everybody has it tough in life, and these people need to face some adversity, too."

Or, "here is a woman who exerts a lot of influence and power, has people on bended knee serving her every whim, so it certainly feels good to point and laugh in order to make myself feel superior."

I glean from the comments herein (I do not mean to single you out, Chux) that is probably a little bit of all three... all I am saying is that these people, no matter how grotesque their personal lives have become, are real people, not characters out of Dickens, no matter how dickensian their lives.

And as for ANS, I'll reserve judgment because I do not have any effing clue what it is like to grow up hungry (and I mean true hunger- abject poverty the likes of which robs you of your humanity), surrounded by total redneck ignorance and filth. She gave it a heckuva try but in the end couldn't get past the memories.

[JEDIpartner]

Well, for me, I view it as a sign of absolutel weakness and denial. There are plenty of other celebrities and non-celebrities who go through horrible times but have the sense to focus and get thier poop together. I don't even feel sorry for the average Joe or Jane who just repeatedly makes bad choices over and over again. Sad yes... sometimes funny? Also "yes". I just don't have sympathy for anyone who is given the opportunity for help and doesn't take it.

[El Chuxter]

Not singling you out, either, JON, but where exactly did I say that I hated these people?

I'm simply p***ed, mainly at the "news" media, because, unless people have earned fame based upon their merit or notoriety, nothing they do is news.

I mean, we have a lot going on that's of far more importance than whether Britney Spears wears underwear or not. If not for the internet and NPR, there'd be no source for news in the US.

[JEDIpartner]

If not for the internet and NPR, there'd be no source for news in the US.

Thank you!!!! I've managed to avoid most of this "news" because I only listen to NPR when I'm on the road. The only reason I know about this crap is because of the girlies in my office who cannot tear themselves away from reality television, In-Style/People/Us Weekly magazine or the like.

[DarthBrandon]

I complained about Cobain being a no-good heroin addict throughout his life, and I've cracked more than a few tasteless jokes about him since he blew his head off.

James Brown got a lot of notoriety during his life for his violence, drug use, etc. But when he died, well, you tend to dwell on achievements. No one wanted to say, "Hey, Reagan did some good, but he was a lying SOB." Or "Bette Davis sure could act, but, man, what a b****." Likewise, people preferred to recall the fact that Brown was one of three architects of what we consider soul music, and the last to pass on.

It had nothing to do with gender. It had everything to do with the guy earning his fame through merit.

But Anna Nicole? What did she do, and "Being hot at one point" doesn't count. I'm waiting.

Her crowning achievement was a minor role in The Naked Gun 33&1/3, based totally on her looks, and a role that could've been played by any number of other models with little or no acting talent.

Oh, and she had a reality show, where she was an insane washed-up model weighing about 300 pounds, acting like an idiot but showing no signs of truly self-destructive behavior.

On the other hand, there's OJ Simpson. He's a case where his notoriety has actually overshadowed his accomplishments. When he dies, the news will remember an accused murderer, with his football and acting careers as footnotes.

My problem with the ANS deal--and, I bet, most people's problem with her as well--is we are sick of her. We were sick of her years before her death, and the 24-hour coverage and ongoing media circus following her death have done nothing to abate that. No, we're even sicker of her.

Like I said before, the news should've said, "Anna Nicole Smith died today in Hollywood, FL. The cause of death is undetermined. She was 39." It shouldn't have even been breaking news. As it is, it totally took over the news outlets, and there wasn't even anything to say yet!

When Kurt Vonnegut dies, which will, sadly, probably be soon, will CNN stop reporting on all other news for two days straight? And, yet, who is more deserving of acclaim?

Britney's much of the same. What did she do? She had a couple of successful songs. But they were far from great; even her onetime loyal fans don't give a rat's about her. She was so manufactured, she made the Spice Girls look like the frigging Supremes. And everyone knows that.

You can say all you want that the only reason the news gives idiots like this (and Paris Hilton, and Lindsey Lohan) so damned much attention is because we watch it. I can guarantee you that, if a serious study were ever to be conducted on this, the numbers of people who actually care are far lower than the media conglomerates want to think.

Oh, and I stand by what I said about her needing to be fixed two kids ago. The girl is an idiot. She's a lousy mother, and her kids are certain to have major problems. Should she be allowed to produce babies simply because she's "pathetic"?

Amen to that bother, nicely said, though I'm not sold on the bad mother, I am sold on the rest of the post.