Celebrity Pictures and Gossip

I am not interested in reading about celebrities' lives and gossip - well, yes I read Heat magazine, Hello and More when I visit the beauty salon but that is just something to do while I am waiting.  As a reasonably intelligent woman I would not have expected to become interested in the world of stars and their outfits, love affairs and breakups. I disliked Big Brother intensely, and I still do - who wants to watch a random group of individuals passing time in unfamiliar surroundings?

But it is hard to escape the news coverage of the latest celebrity evictions from the Big Brother house as the PR machine pushes the story round all the major news media. Even the serious news channels are now ready write news stories that are based on a press release that is designed to further the interests of one organisation. This is because cash-strapped radio and TV stations are cutting the regular journalism staff so the remaining reporters are happy to save time by making a story from a news release.

Big Brother was the first reality TV show over here in the UK, but others soon followed. The one thing they have in common is that they all aim to attract celebrity wannabes who want to have their moment of fame. Pop Idol was created in Britain and the show invites contestants who think they could make it as a singer to compete for the chance to win a recording contract. This formula moved over to the States, where it was called the American Idol show. This contest topped the ratings for three seasons in a row, creating new music stars who were happy to bare all to their public in order to stay in the public eye. After enduring the searching camera for months during the competitions, they do not feel invaded if the paparazzi follow them or - even better- if a magazine will pay for a tour of their home.

These new celebrities have set a trend for celebrity hunger, needing to be pictured at every engagement in their lives. Soap stars are very similar - many of them are not exactly top notch actors. Their careers can be short so they are often desperate to stay in the gossip columns as this can prolong their characters' lives and improve their earning power.

The positive side of this is that, quite often, these stars do some very funny or silly things and the rest of us can laugh at their misfortune.