Fueling Celebrity Gossip

I have a subscription to Us Weekly. I enjoy a good gossip fix as much as the next person yet I have to wonder about this growing fascination with celebrities. I think there are two major fueling factors. The first being our desire to live vicariously through them: the money, the fame, the extravagant parties. It all seems so glamorous. Adversely, there is a darker side. I feel we take pleasure in seeing others' lives take a turn for the worse. Ultimately, it makes us feel better about our own lives.

The prime example, of course, is Britney Spears. Why has her demise received an outburst of media attention? What makes it so interesting? I can't imagine what it would be like to have the whole world watching you hit rock bottom, making a mockery of you.