Beach Parties, Paris and Other Addictions

Paris Hilton managed to get some media attention for something else than speeding, drinking and doing drugs. Or losing her favorite sex tape and realizing it ended up on YouTube or some other similar place. No, this time, the diva had a beach party, barbecue and any other activity involved in what the people who live in Malibu like to call "glamorous lifestyle", with lots of famous guests, pillow fights and that self-indulgent manner in which time is wasted so elegantly by all the rich and famous.

Well, but of course Paris is in the middle of it all. It is after all her house, the guests are her own hand-picked and include Elisha Cuthbert, Ashley Scott, Silvester Stalone with his wife and daughters, Macy Gray and a whole other bunch of very relaxed people who came for some fun, some sun and a spot of media attention. But no one gets more of that than Paris herself, who's got the unique gift of making the paparazzi go crazy every time she steps out at her balcony or she changes outfits. And it really started making me wonder what this it all about.

I don't mean Paris herself, but what she stands for - the rich girl that does nothing in particular and yet everybody loves her to bits. In fact, maybe this is the whole problem - maybe not necessarily bad news - but it's close to the heart of the matter. Paris, Nicole, maybe not so much Britney or Lindsay Lohan, all these girls have but to show up and everybody starts offering them things - lots of things. What brings us to search for their names in magazine headlines and Internet blogs is precisely this irresistible drive of seeing that there is someone out there who's loved and appreciated just for �existing (well, I have a shrewd suspicion that part of it is also the blonde hair and Dior glasses, but it's not confirmed yet) and who seems to get more and more attention if her/his behavior is not exactly what you'd call 'by the book'.

So Paris had a beach party. Lots of famous people came. This is an excellent piece of news if you're an entertainment columnist, but sometimes it has the gift of making me more reflective in terms of wondering how far this should to be allowed to go. It's harmless, you'll say. Agreed, only it's addictive, just like drugs and alcohol. So take a minute and think about what all these tiny little pieces of news do for our peace of mind, and then maybe we'll talk some more.