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The Real Reality Show.

Paris Hilton, star of The Simple Life , the "celebutante" who is famous mostly just for being famous, was sent back to jail Friday.
Paris Hilton, star of The Simple Life, the "celebutante" who is famous mostly just for being famous, was sent back to jail Friday.

It’s awfully hard to feel sorry for her, although I can almost understand why she screamed "it’s not right" as she was being taken from the courtroom and back to jail.

In her world, she gets what she wants. Period.

But, as Dorothy said to Toto, "I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more!"

I don’t begrudge any celebrity their fame and fortune, but neither do I envy them. Oh, sure, I could play the "if I had their money" game, but I really don’t envy them.

I also don’t understand people’s obsession with celebrities. From the tabloids to the raft of entertainment "news" shows, to segments during real news broadcasts, to entertainment websites, people can keep up with who’s dating whom, who ate at which trendy, over-priced restaurant, who threw yet another very public tantrum, and other important news that enquiring minds want to know.

As mind-numbingly irrelevant as I find these shows to be, I can’t blame their producers or the networks for airing them. If there wasn’t a market for these shows, if not enough people were watching them to satisfy the networks and sponsors, they’d be out of the line-up faster than Star Jones heading to a sale at Payless Shoes.

I’m not sure what appeal these shows hold for their viewers. Certainly there are occasions when celebrities do merit some media attention. I understand, too, that life as a celebrity is life in a fish bowl. But let’s get real.

The minutiae of anyone’s life, celebrity or not, is just too mundane to call "news."

That a celebrity was seen in a particular restaurant is barely newsworthy. What they ate, and whether or not they left the after-dinner mint on the table is of absolutely no interest, to me.

But, back to Paris. (Hilton, not France.)

I must say that I found the outcry that followed her being transferred to "house arrest" in her palatial LA home somewhat encouraging. Perhaps people are starting to view celebrities as real people who have had tremendous advantages in their lives but are still subject to the same rules as the rest of us.

Or, maybe people just don’t like Hilton all that much.

Then again, people didn’t seem too sympathetic toward Britney Spears during her revolving-door stay in rehab earlier this year.

Other celebrities who have been in-and-out of trouble with the law — Robert Downey Jr and Matthew Perry come to mind — seem to have been somewhat humbled by the experience, or at least accepted the turn of events. Even Mel Gibson, when sober, issued a public apology for his behaviour.

News and gossip websites covering the story posted polls asking readers how they felt about the Paris Hilton situation. The latest polls reflect people’s attitudes toward her being sent back to jail for the remaining 40 days of her original sentence.

On CTV’s Etalk, 5% were "shocked," 88% were "happy," and 7% were "appalled."

BBC News readers were asked whether Hilton should serve her sentence in jail. 90% said "yes," 6% said "no," and 3% were undecided.

Here on SooToday, 6% of readers felt she should be allowed to serve her sentence at home, 89% felt she should have been kept in jail, and 4% were undecided.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, new professor Gilderoy Lockhart, himself a somewhat vacuous and flamboyant character over-flowing with his own self-importance, tells Harry that "celebrity is as celebrity does."

Throughout the series, JK Rowling continually demonstrates an ability to capture elements from our Muggle world and present them to her readers, cloaked in Wizarding garb.

This advice is as much for the young co-stars of the movies based on her books, and for herself, as it is for her readers. Hopefully her younger readers (and some of the older ones) will glean an important lesson from Lockhart’s words: we are how we present ourselves.

Wood Wyant, on North Street, posts short inspirational messages on their signboard. Recently I observed this gem: "Identity is how we see ourselves; Reputation is how others see us."

Celebrities, whether pop star, athlete, movie or tv star, often adopt charitable causes. Many work tirelessly to promote these causes, and are very sincere in their efforts.

I often hear comments such as "what do I care what some rock star thinks?" or "what does he know, he’s just an athlete?" The same could be said about any of us: what do we know, we’re just steelworkers and bank clerks and cashiers and gas jockeys and janitors, etc.

The fact is that anyone can become informed about an issue, especially in today’s "information age."

I applaud anyone, celebrity or not, who displays a passion for a particular cause. I may not support that cause, or I may have other causes that I prefer to support, but I am pleased to see others who care enough to give, not just money, but of themselves in this way.

Celebrities, by virtue of their status, are able to attract media attention. When they use their status to promote a cause — AIDS, poverty, homelessness, medical research, etc — they demonstrate, to me, that they understand that we are all part of a global community. They show that, despite living apart from the average person, they do care about the world in which they live.

Others, like Paris Hilton, simply demonstrate that they are ignorant of the world around them. Theirs is a universe of which they are the epicentre.

Hopefully this will be an eye-opener for Hilton.

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