Britney is always a good place to start

I know that Britney Spears has a new boyfriend. I know that she recently had an altercation with Tom Cruise at a Hollywood night club. I know a lot of things about Britney Spears, the drug problems, the custody battles and even the head shaving. I know all these things because she is everywhere. I really challenge any person to take a daily stroll through our media and not come back with some juicy little Brit tid-bit.
In fact, I was even listening to NPR the other day and she appeared.() This time, however, the information I obtained about Britney helped me make more sense to why I hear about her all the time.
Duff McDonald, a writer at Portfolio Magazine, recently wrote an article called "The Britney Economy" () This article shows that despite what looks like a "trainwreck" in life is really a $100 million industry.
The Paparazzi, the companies that use her name and likeness and of course the media make millions each year. Not so hard to believe when you think about how much we see and hear about her.
I understand everyone likes to watch a "trainwreck" as it takes place. I guess watching a once successful, bright young person ruin multiple peoples lives helps us feel better ourselves.
What I didn't understand was why the media covered the so much. But now it is all starting to make sense to me. People are making money from the whole thing, including Britney. For her, acting crazy makes her just as much money as making records. In fact it probably makes her more.
The Elizabeth Ardens, Jive Records and People Magazines of the world have also hit the jackpot because Britney saturates the media and produces publicity for their product.
When you start thinking about the situation in this realm Britney and our apparent fascination for her is really an industry like anything else. A group of people seeking to make easy money.
The whole thing really starts to get boring at this point, doesn't it?