One of the signal perversities of celebrity culture is the way it induces ordinary Janes and Joes to identify with the love lives of men and women who by the nature of their calling are no good at loving. Celebrities are extraordinary performers, and all extraordinary performers share two attributes: self-centeredness and fame. Self-centeredness isn't egotism, but it's close enough, and bad enough when it comes to empathy (as opposed to pushing people's buttons, which is what extraordinary performers do for a living). And fame is the cure for alienation that's worse than the disease, alleviating anonymity in a world of big cities and bigger media while making it impossible to know who... More >>>