I have this uninformed opinion that all forms of media constantly create their own buzz, and that interest in moronic “celebrities” like Paris Hilton is completely fabricated. And, once fabricated, the buzz simply takes on a life of its own … fueled not nearly as much by the general public, but by media itself and the money machine that goes with it.

The television networks, as far as I can tell, have all but given up on creating anything of any artistic, dramatic, or cultural value. Whatever pops the ratings at any given time and snags a few advertisers is good enough, and the frenetic pace with which the latest pops appear and disappear keeps them all thinking they’re actually a success. But if you look a little more closely, you’ll see that the dominant programming trend is one of delusion and self-deprecation; the media spends a tremendous amount of its energy creating caricatures of itself. As its race to irrelevance accelerates, NBC — which, until a decade or so ago, remained moderately respectable and relatively independent — takes its most recent step off the cliff:

NBC’S $1M DEAL FOR PARIS CHAT

Original source: AtlMalcontent, The High Price of Infamy

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“[He] renders it blatantly insane … without any recognizable expression of premeditation.”