How Sad is This?

The U.S. version of Britain's OK! has taken particular interest in Britney Spears, putting her picture on the cover 54 times in the 103 issues since early 2006, all to push up circulation and profits. (They're not the only one - just the loudest in proclaiming how well they're taking advantage of the situation...)

According to Sarah Ivens, OK!'s U.S. Editor, "An editor's dream is to have a real life soap opera unraveling in front of you, and Britney provides that every week." The magazine even has a 10-person team in LA devoted to just Spears coverage. "We're on constant Britney alert." Yeeesh.

Now wonder the poor girl can't seem to get out the downward spiral she's been in, not when you have magazines devoted to making money off every bad thing they can print and proud of it. They didn't originally make her drink or do drugs or whatever else she's doing to mess up her life, but man, are they devoted to making sure she continues to have those problems in spades.

Now wonder I stopped subscribing to ANY "entertainment" magazines. Their idea of entertainment and mine diverged quite a while back. (I like hearing about new movies & TV shows & people helping out at charitable events or rescuing others, not dwelling on drunken nights out, or reveling in arrests and suicides, accidental or otherwise...)

I've never really been a big fan of Britney's singing (I only like 'Ooops, I Did It Again') and never felt she was that great of a role model once she 'got hot' but I will be very sad if they manage to push her over the final edge and into oblivion. (Anyone remember what happened to 'the Golden Goose'?)