We'll always have Paris

"'The notoriety of the entertainer and the almost religious fervor of their most dedicated adherents is a symptom of self-imposed dissatisfaction with one's own predicament,' writes Makena Walsh, runner-up of the Textbookx.com's fall 2006 essay contest about celebrity obsession. 'Star-worship is a religion of self-deception, one requiring its participants to continually deceive themselves into believing the next product they purchase (or candidate they vote for -- Ed.) will be the capstone on their hodgepodge of useless materials, enabling them to finally start living a meaningful existence.'"