Something that has surprised me today is how quickly news of celebrity gossip spreads before any other traditional news.  Within 20 minutes I had three people ask if I had heard of the news of actor Heath Ledger’s death.  While this come as a surprise because he was so young and the details are shocking, all I can think of is the public’s intense infatuation with celebrities and all things associated with them.  Sure, I’m guilty of doing it too (Perez Hilton is a commonly visited site on my computer) but I generally regard those articls as gossip and entertainment, not as real news.  When news of Britney Spears becomes plastered all over reputable network news shows it makes me wonder, what is really happening to this industry?  Is this all the public really wants to hear- gossip that is similar to high-school antics?  I even read somewhere that the AP wants to increase their coverage on Britney and her trainwreck of a life and I wonder where the line between entertaining stories and news values is drawn.  I think the entertainment news should be left to magazines and entertainment shows and left out of our regularly scheduled broadcasts.  There are too many other important things going on in our world for us to be focusing on what affect Jessica Simpson has on her boyfriend’s football-playing abilities.

 That being said, RIP Heath.