Can't We Let These Ladies Live and Die in Peace?

It's a sad testament to the American public that Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith are the foremost stories in the media.

As a result of the set-up of my office (TVs in every room) I'm inundated all day with what the media deems as newsworthy. I try to watch anything other than the news, but many times patients prefer those 24 hour news stations of torture, so reluctantly, I concede to their wishes. For the past week, whenever such stations have been tuned to, the stories I have heard have to do with these two blonde(ish) ladies.

What I don't understand is why these stories take precedence over the 100's of other events happening all over the world that should hold much more bearing on our lives. How about just one example that involves 66,000 kidnapped children.

So Britney made some mistakes and has made herself look pretty silly over the years. Can't she just go to rehab and attempt to get her life back on track without her every step and new ink being reported on? And why does a judge who likes his name in lights get to draw out this silly trial for a week when the poor lady just needs to be buried?

Are people so sick of the War in Iraq being in the headlines, that they prefer something on the opposite end of the spectrum? Whatever the reason, it's just sad. America needs more hobbies so we can quite obsessing over celebrities.