Is the Internet Feeding Our Obsession with the Stars?

Okay, okay I admit it! I’m a celebrity gossip junkie! Yes, I am one of those people in the grocery store checkout aisle with Star Magazine, Us Weekly, and In Touch lying on top of their paper towels and Doritos reading Life&Style like my life (and style) depended on it.

And not only do I spend money buying the magazines to keep up on what’s going on in good ol’ Hollywood, but I frequent their websites as well.

It’s no surprise to anyone that the celebrity world has become more and more of a fascination to us regular folks. But are we a little too connected to what’s going on? Are we too informed? With sights like TMZ.com where we can watch celebrities be berated by paparazzi during their lunch and StarMagazine.com where we can center in on that “It Girl’s” pimple, are we taking the resources we have just a step too far?

The internet supplies us with an infinite amount of information it seems. Wikipedia is a great way to find out if you really will go blind by sitting too close to the TV, MySpace and Facebook are great to find out what your friends are up to this weekend, but do I really need to know what Katie Holmes bought at Yves Saint Laurent and what kind of toppings Miley Cyrus likes on her Pinkberry (that’s a frozen yogurt brand by the way)? Probably not. Okay, so I’m curious, but even I can admit that I’m ashamed of that fact that I’d like to know and really shouldn’t have a right to.

Although most celebrities would prefer not to have their personal information spread all over the internet, there are quite a few of the famous out there that are just that because of the internet! Did anyone really know who Paris Hilton was before a little green tape of hers was plastered all over the net? And how about the classy and ever so elegant Tila Tequila (AKA Tila Nguyen) who shot to fame because of the social networking site MySpace?

With so many people out there gaining fame from the internet (musicians on MySpace, Vimeo, and endless YouTube sensations), when do we really know when too much is too much? The very thing that is making these stars known to us is the very thing they claim is invading their ever so glamorous lives. So, how do we distinguish what should be left private and what is fair game? Maybe I can look it up on Wikipedia… or eonline.com. Surely Ryan Seacrest must have the answer!

So what’s a celebrity gossip junkie to do when in need of a fix and faced with what seems an infinite amount of information available to us online? Possibly respect the glitterati’s privacy and go by way of the blog, after all… they are choosing to share that information given. Or spend countless hours on TMZ.com, PerezHilton.com (a favorite of mine!) and UsMagazine.com trying to find out what goes on behind Brad and Angie’s (or Brangelina’s if you prefer) doors. And admit it, you’re curious too!