Killing our Idols

My heart broke when I saw Britney's bald head. And not just because it looked terrible.

In fact, it wasn't her head at all that made me wince. It was her eyes. These empty, pained, distant eyes that no one at 26 should posess.

Now say what you might about her - but she's been our pop princess for sometime and that is a title that comes with responsibilities.

Responsibility #1: Stay perrenially cute and perky and just a smidge above attainable so we can all fawn over your cuteness.

Responsibility #2: Keep churning out dance-able hits and low cut outfits at awards shows.

Responsibility #3: Date the right guy - that Justin was great - that K Fed not so much. We want to live our fairy tale through you pop princess, not be reminded of our lazy, lackluster love life at home.

Responsibility #4: Allow the lenses cameramen into your daily way of life no matter how invasive or intrusive. We, the viewing public want to see EVERYTHING!

Responsibility #5: Choose your friends wisely - dump the Paris and go back to the gaggle of back up dancers who 'knew you when'. After all we don't want our pop princess initiated into the slutty sorority cult...just yet.

Responsibility #6: Even when you are in mass amounts of pain - make sure you cover it up with drugs, alcohol, vapid people in your inner circle, and lots of partying. Never let them see you feel.

I of course, offer these in tongue and cheek but there is a real underlying point here. And that is the cult of celebrity is a two way street. We create our idols then we kill our idols. Many of them then become reborn again but many of them don't make it. And either slip away into oblivion or die tragic, early deaths. We usually consumed our comedians like this: Belushi, Candy, Farley. But now we are consuming our blond bombshelles like this: Anna Nicole....Britney?

And we can all say - well they do it to themselves. Or if I was in that position I'd never do that. Or simply put: They are crazy and on drugs. But let's take this one step further. Right now we are watching two train wrecks. This circus of a paternity test with Anna Nicole's baby and her tragic death and now Britney's spinning out of control - shaving heads, tatooing body parts, and partying like she has a death wish.

Hollywood idols have always been fascinating, glamorous and just a tad out of reach. But now with reality TV and a zillion tabloid rags - they are incredibly within reach and we can learn about their bizarre behaviors 24 hours a day. They know this and act accordingly. We know this and act accordingly.
Right now we are watching a very damaged MOTHER of two boys fall from grace in such a disgraceful way.

And we laugh. We watch. We speculate. But who is doing anything? Who is really putting their neck out there and treating it like the dangerous dance it is?

It's true you can't change a person who doesn't want to change. But can we finally ask ourselves why we find such perverse pleasure in watching someone deconstruct and die before our eyes? Is it the inner geek fantasy of watching the pretty girls pay? Do we feel better about our lives because someone else is hurting?

I just can't get her eyes out of my mind.

They seemed to say "Come on, I dare you to love me. Even like this."