I was at the gym in The City last night, the one that has the newfangled cardio equipment with the integrated TVs. Damn near all of them had CNN on, and by all of them I meant around 30. 30 unused cardio machines with the TVs sucking juice while four people worked out at 11:15 PM.
But that’s niether here or there.
Anderson Cooper was on, talking with Dr. Drew Pinsky of Loveline and Celebrity Rehab. Note the lack of links. That says what I think of Dr. Drew right there. I was actually impressed with his restraint, if nothing else the man knows how to negotiate the choppy seas of celebrity egos unlike a certain bald jackass whose name rhymes with pill.
That says what I think of Dr. Phil.
Damn.
All of that is besides the point. Its what Anderson said that interested me. Towards the beginning of his segment with Dr. Drew, A.C. pointed out that while were used to all the self destructive behavior of celebrities these days, Heath Ledger wasn’t, “without naming names”, one we were expecting this to happen to.
Which translates into the sentiment I’ve seen plastered all over the place:
It should have been Britney.
The American public has been on a Britney Death Watch for months now, and having a totally different, generally below the radar and actually respected for what he does performer (as opposed to Brad Renfro, who most people couldn’t pick out of a lineup) die in the exact fashion we were expecting her to. Well, its a shock and a letdown all at once.
We’re forced to confront the tragedy of dying young, and our own bloodlust all at once. Will Heath Ledger’s death shake the mass media from its Roman-like morbidity? No. A few folks out here in the vast, permeable membrane that is the public consciousness will get sick of the ghoulsihness and ratings will grow colder with the disgust. At least until someone everyone wants to see get their comeuppance passes, and then the dance begins again.
