It’s hard to believe the magazine industry is failing, what with Brangelina getting upwards of $10 million each time they pop out a baby’-‘- jackpot with the twins! But then again, maybe the magazines that line the grocery store check out are an exception to our faulting economy, and worse, the slow death of journalism.
Sure, I’m guilty of perusing the pages of People every chance I get, and I probably check PerezHilton.com more than the New York Times’ . . . okay, I definitely check Perez more than the Times . . . but that doesn’t make it right, it just makes me human.
For whatever reason, human curiosity has stemmed beyond knowing what is going on in our neighboring countries, overseas economies and technological advances worldwide. Instead, curiosity has led us down a strange path of addiction to unimportant, minute details in the lives of people that most of us have never and will never meet.
The fascination with celebrity has existed long before Hollywood, and will continue to exist as long as there are people with that ‘it’ factor, lots of money and/or attention from the press. Interest in the things that matter, however, seem to slowly diminish. We’ll continue to express interest in Jennifer Anniston’s latest man troubles before knowing the current situation in Gaza. We’ll talk about the Travolta family’s latest tragedy like we know them personally before sympathizing with Boston’s homeless population having to deal with sub-zero degree temperatures tomorrow, though we pass them on the streets daily. We’ll know E!’s daily ten before we known our daily schedules, and how Britney’s ongoing custody battle for her kids is unfolding, but never think twice about thanking our parents for footing tumultuous tuition bills during tough times.
At the end of the day, maybe the reason entertainment news is successful is because it makes us forget the weight of the world when it gives us a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous, or maybe it’s just another one of America’s downfalls, you know, after obesity, Iraq, the economy, etc.
So, that said, make sure to get your fix right here every Thursday, with The MUSE’s latest reviews, event calendars, and of course: gossip, gossip, gossip. We can’t promise to update you on anything of importance, or rid the world of its celeb-obsession (we fuel it, if anything) but we can promote an environment similar to a little island getaway, amidst the pages of things that shouldn’t matter ‘-‘- but do to us.
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