Seems like our "news" is suffering a pathologic case.

Unless it's sheer stupidity (the worst kind...) or a terrible lacking in their own lives, I've never understood this.

I can't help but wonder how much time is spent on this, especially by the news. Has anyone done a study of the news hours spent on things like this. Being an old fart I vaguely remember TV news actually reporting news. Now it's celebrity worship, car chases, product and movie promotion presented as news. Can I prevent Lindsay, Paris, Britney and the rest from intruding into my awareness? Do I have to avoid all media to get some relief? Are there filters similar to parental filters for celebrities?

I'm an olephart myself, and my secret is to avoid news on the tube. For the last decade I get my news online, mostly from non-U.S. english newspapers or sources dedicated to a specific type of news item (science, Internet, yada yada).

Something I don't miss, though, and I highly recommend it to you, is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy channel, but sometimes comedy is the best way to present the truth. Their bits on media coverage of Anna Nicole (particularly how CNN handled it) were priceless.