[knife_fight]

to get back to a point made earlier, about the reason we (humans in general) feel sad when a celebrity, that we don't know, dies:

many people in today's world of media overkill (and increasing feelings of isolation, but that's another topic altogether) see celebrities' faces more than they see their own family. the average american could probly tell you the last time Britney Spears was in the hospital but balk at the same question concerning their own grandmother. americans are media-obsessed, let's face it. here we are, spending generous amounts of time discussing, what else? media and pop culture (albeit a dirty corner).
it sorta explains the phenomena of why average people routinely feel comfortable approaching movie stars and talking to them... it's b/c they know them better than they know most "real" people that they see every day. you can ask anyone who is even moderately famous and they will say he same thing: that the "public," in a way, feels as though they have some claim on you (whether they truly do or not is up for debate also) and, when denied access to your life/info/whatever, they react (as in a death, or even when a celebrity denies an autograph).

so, even though I certainly feel worse about innocent lives being lost (such as in the recent tornado attack in the south), you can't blame people for freaking out when a celebrity, which they feel is someone they know, dies. it's just yet another example of the adage,

"people suck."