Happy Hour Gossip
Dirty mags need to learn ethics
By Rebecca Verner, Blogger
February 25, 2008 | 2:38 p.m.
This week I did the unthinkable: I refused to read Us Weekly. I haven’t flipped through the pictures or pondered the “Who Wore it Best” section. I haven’t even read about how Heidi Montag cried over her terrible music video.
I’m really angry with Us Weekly. For the third week in a row the cover features a photo of Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger. This week’s primary feature is a story about Ledger’s memorial service. From what I read, the ceremony was really beautiful. Ledger’s closest friends and family met to remember their loved one in Australia and concluded the event with a swim on one of Ledger’s favorite beaches. This was a beautiful testament to a man who died so young and whose death has been exploited by the media. Williams must now face the world alone with a young child. Not only has her life been torn apart, but paparazzi have been sneaking around to catch pictures of her turmoil.
This is the first time that I have ever been so angry at a magazine. I’ve gotten really pissed when my computer won’t work or if my phone can’t pick up service, but this is a new level. Us Weekly has offended me. I think this topic hit close to home because I too lost a parent suddenly at a young age and can imagine how Ledger’s family must be feeling. Losing my mom is definitely the most difficult thing I have ever experienced, and, had I done so in front of the media, I’m not sure where I would be now. Out of respect for Williams and her child, Matilda, I am not going to read a single page of this week’s Us Weekly.
So Us Weekly has let me down considerably as far as a source for gossip this week, but don’t you worry. I still managed to get the latest scoops. Number one, have you seen Christina Aguilera’s chest lately? Apparently baby Max had quite the positive effect on Aguilera’s body. She is slim, sexy and glowing: the perfect, young Hollywood mother.
Also causing quite a stir in the gossip headlines (again) is Amy Winehouse. Congratulations to her for taking away five Grammys last week. It looks like rehab was good for the young star, and the latest photos seem to show the same. Unfortunately her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is not having the same luck. Fielder-Civil is currently incarcerated in a British jail and suffered an overdose last week. Apparently he was trading photos of Winehouse for hits of heroin. Ditch the husband, Winehouse!
So this week’s gossip was limited due to the importance of noting that sometimes it should be limited. Celebrity gossip is a form of entertainment journalism, and this tie to journalism should be noted. The reporters who wrote the countless stories about Williams and the editors who are keeping it on the cover pages should be reminded of ethics as they write. Sure Aguilera’s boobs are huge, and thank God Winehouse is keeping her clothes on, but let’s focus on that instead of a mourning family. Xtina and Wino are much much more fun to talk about.
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