I am one of the first people to admit that I tend to be out of the loop when it comes to things in the news.  This is particularly true for celebrity news.  Case in point:  the death of Whitney Houston.

I was out of the house Saturday night, enjoying beer, barbecue and live music at a local joint, having dragged DH out for a few hours despite his having a cold and my having picked it up as well.  It was time to go out and socialize, damn it!  After a few hours, a couple of beers and a belly full of brisket, we got back to the house and I flipped open the laptop to Facebook.

I was greeted with all of these obscure status messages referring to some person named “Whitney”.  My initial thoughts were, “Must be some reality TV person…”  But you see, one of the statuses was from my Dad, and I just couldn’t see him watching something like Jersey Shore.

Ever diligent, I posted, “Color me confused, but who is this ‘Whitney’ everyone is writing about in their statuses?”  The question posted, I scrolled further through the news feed and came across a local new stations mention that Whitney Houston died.  A ha!  That explains it!  By then, I’d already caused some giggles, and wrote a comment that people should “never mind” and I had figured things out.

Today, I saw this image going around on Facebook:

I realize that there is a certain fascination with celebrities.  Since I’m not a celebrity (except in my own mind), and of the celebrities I’ve met – most of them don’t see themselves as celebrities, it makes me wonder how many of them really want all the attention AFTER they die?  Do they want to go out as just another footnote in the annals of History?  Was this one final grand act of Ms. Houston… you know, go out with a bang (okay, if she shot herself… I might feel bad for wording things that way) instead of fade away?  Who knows.  But why do people expend SO MUCH ENERGY on celebrity death?  There are many, MANY more fascinating people out in the world, doing wonderful things, that you never hear about when they’re alive, let alone when they’ve passed.

Don’t mistake this for a slam against Ms. Houston – she was vocally dynamic and was very lovely.  This is more a slam against the general populace making such big to-do over her death.  It’s sad.  I feel bad for her family.  Let’s move on and let them deal with their grief.

Update on my friend in the Middle East:  Just talked to him last night, and found out his truck hit an IED; the truck was tossed along with he and his guys, but he (and they) are alive.  He’s got a few broken ribs, but is in good spirits and on bed rest for a week.  HOORAY!

Now, do see why I don’t pay attention to celebrity news?