One of the biggest stories in the latest celebrity news circuit is Michael Jackson’s untimely death. Many speculate as to whether or not the pop star’s death was accidental. The doctor, Conrad Murray, is accused of involuntary manslaughter, and lawyers for the Jackson family are searching high and low for any and all evidence they can gather against the good doctor. According to the latest celebrity news websites, the doctor apparently stashed away the propofol he had given to Michael before police arrived on the scene, but he denies that that ever happened.
Hollywood Deaths: Who’s to Blame?
April 10th, 2010Keeping up with the Latest Celebrity Gossip
April 10th, 2010As her husband prepares to enter rehab, Sandra Bullock’s life is in turmoil. Friends are being super-supportive, but, like Elin Woods, Sandra is the proverbial deer in the headlights of a truck with scandal written all over it. Up until now, Sandra Bullock mostly kept to herself. Privacy was a virtue that unfortunately she will not regain for some time now that she is the victim of the latest celebrity gossip.
Gossip Websites: What Keeps Us Interested
April 10th, 2010Sex, drugs, and money! Look on any gossip website and type one of these three key words into the search engine and a slew of articles and essays will start popping up all over your desktop. The popular interest in what other people do in their personal lives is escalating, and in the information age there’s enough juicy gossip to keep one entertained for hours at a time. A new gossip website is formed every few seconds, and the reason why is simple, it sells.
The History and Practice of Gossip
April 10th, 2010Gossip, meaning idle talk or hearsay particularly about another person’s private affairs, is a practice that predates the actual term. Gossip comes from the Old English words God and sibb, which actually originally referred to one’s Godparent. In the mid-14th century, the word changed its meaning to “any familiar acquaintance.” The term was especially affixed to women who engaged in idle chat (big shocker, because historically women are at blame for everything negative). Two hundred years later, gossip evolved into its current definition.
Celebrity News versus Celebrity Gossip
April 10th, 2010Celebrity news covers a wide range of topics. Everything from Lohan’s latest addiction to the Spice Girls’ reunion tour is considered newsworthy, but have we as a culture forgotten how to distinguish news from gossip? In regards to the lifestyles of the rich and sleazy, the answer is yes. News can be loosely defined as the report of a recent event. So yes, technically when Angelina adopts another child from Bolivia it can be construed as news, but that doesn’t necessarily make it newsworthy. In order for something to be considered newsworthy, it must have at least some impact on the lives of the people within some kind of community, however big or small. A donation of a hundred dollars to the local PTA is newsworthy, a botched nose-job, however, is not.
America’s Fascination with Celebrity Gossip
April 10th, 2010Bennifer and Brangelina, Tiger and Jesse, Britney and Christina, all of these people have at least two things in common. Number 1, they are all rich and famous. Number 2, most of us know more about their personal lives than we do about the lives of the people we actually encounter every day. Flick on the television or pick up a magazine and you’ll hear all about Jesse’s sex rehab and the devastated Sandra Bullock. And how Janet Jackson plans on making her comeback. Celebrity gossip is everywhere; even people who do not own computers or read tabloids know what is going on in the lives of the beautiful people. Celebrity gossip is such an integral part of our culture, but why is America obsessed with the lives of total strangers?