What Defines a Celebrity?

What defines a celebrity in today's society? Is it the person who gains the most fame from an "accidental" sex tape release? Is it the Kevin Federline who is famous because of his association with another "celebrity"? Or could it be best defined as the most achieved individual or excuse me, actor, on a supposed reality show?

Welcome to the twenty-first century where the days of celebrity status are assessed by breast size, amount of marriages/divorces, and the number of tabloid covers appeared on. Long gone are the legitimate celebrities. The best of luck to you if you're trying to find a famous Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, or Lucille Ball in today's world, as it is a much-desired rarity. What has society morphed minds into? Has the media really lost control of what is deemed as newsworthy? What about global warming? The Bird Flu? When did these lose priority to Lindsay Lohan's alcohol addiction and Pamela Anderson's latest divorce?

The human mind is fascinated by the latest gossip of stars that have absolutely zero impact on the lives of those who hear of them. The media plays a major role in this. The "baby mamma drama" is splashed all over talk sows. Immediately after hearing about Britney and K-Fed's splitting, Nicole Richie's weight takes center stage.

It's time for a change. The millions of dollars today's celebrities are ranking in could easily be earned by the future Einstein. However, the future Einstein hasn't a chance to grace the front of a magazine cover, as that is the alien's who are taking over Earth in two days job. Instead of airing the Carter family's latest drama, why not advertise newsworthy items?

What is newsworthy today? Most news stations ranking systems are incorrect, in my opinion. When a new secret weight loss pill joins the millions of diet magic failures already out there and takes priority over upcoming elections and affairs in the Middle East, it is time for a reality check. Events need to be weighed by importance and not be reminiscent of a Tinseltown fantasy. It is becoming near impossible to turn on the television set without seeing an advertisement or news segment mentioning something about looks or a sexual reference. Society has changed immensely since the invention of the television and radio. Whether or not this will prove to ultimately be an extremely negative twist in this once new technology is still decades away.

However, we can make a change now without having to meet our unfortunate fate, which we are destined to meet decades from now. Make a change now so tomorrow's youth does not grow up with a glamorized idea of what life is really like. Life is not about the clothes your favorite celebrity wears or what newest scandal Courtney Love is involved in. Life was once about treasured values such as family. It is not too late to go back to our ancestors' values. We as individuals are becoming defined by which celebrity we most resemble. If the celebrities continue appearing, disappearing, and reappearing overnight, all individuality will be lost. Is this what we need in our time or war-stricken America and the post 9-11 era? Consider this the next time you contemplate whether or not to purchase the latest and greatest tabloid.