Madonna set to adopt. Britney and K-Fed split. Paris Hilton steals Lindsay's man. Celebrity gossip seems to be more and more of an obsession theses days and I've been wondering what's with the sudden increase. Why do we care so much about entertainers anyway? What do their personal lives have to do with their acting skills or vocal chops?
People love knowing the daily happenings in the lives of the stars for many a reason. First, people love to gossip with people about people they know, and everyone knows who Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are. "Guess who broke up?!..." Doesn't matter if its the couple down the street or a celeb pair, it's gossip and all gossip is a bonding experience, being able to pick apart the details of someone else's life together, it's something you can share.
Why else? Well, living our blah, humdrum existences, we yearn for the drama, luxury and spontaneity that comes with superstardom. We read those gossip columns hoping some of that glamour will rub off on us, thinking that somehow you'll come away with ideas on how to be more of a diva. Who hasn't read a list of a pop singer's backstage requests and then went out to buy themselves a box of expensive chocolates just to feel special? We soak it all up for ideas on how to make our own lives as exciting as what we see on Access Hollywood.
Above it all though, it's quite comforting to hear that a rich and gorgeous celebrity is nursing a broken heart when your own man left you last week. It reminds us they are in fact human and not the perfect demi-gods we believe them to be, and that they go through not-go-glamourous things the same way we do. They divorce, get arrested, get sued, go to rehab... they've got their share of problems while we're struggling to pay bills, get a promotion, get the car fixed and pass that tough course. We are not alone.

Wikipedia defines a blog as "a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order". It also goes on to say that "blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The term 'blog' is a portmanteau of 'Web log'. 'Blog' can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog."
Before, the question for me was, why would anyone want to publish their personal thoughts and opinions on the internet for all to see? What an odd way to express yourself. But now I've come to understand. Blogs are, more often than not, anonymous. They're so much more empowering than the nearly obsolete diary in the way that your heart is spilled and while you pray that no one reads it, you somehow hope that someone will. You hope that someone out there will read these secret thoughts of yours, agree with them and maybe appreciate them -- apreciate your thoughts and you.