Tuesday, 2 September 1997

There's nothing funny about the death of a 36-year-old woman who leaves behind two young children. So, today's Hot Button will be a little different.

Think of two eight-year-old boys. They jump off of buildings. They throw toys at each other. They do stupid, dangerous things out of reflex that given a moments thought would scare them silly. This is the relationship between celebrities and the media. It's a big game with a lot of money at stake.

One day, the celebrity's publicist calls everyone in town to get media coverage of an event. The next day, the celeb wants to get coffee at the local Starbucks without flashbulbs going off. "But we played your game yesterday," whines the paparazzi. "It's not a game," shouts back the celeb.

But it is. An ugly little game that sometimes gets out of hand. And now, this children's game, full of dollars and hubris has killed a true Princess. And it just isn't fun to play today.

Tomorrow, The Hot Button will be funny again. And it will remember.