Is celebrity culture evil?
It's the 10th anniversary of and we're taking advantage of the event to think about celebrity culture. Does it distract us from what's important or is it harmless glitter sprinkled on the top of an often drab reality? In this week's show Mark Kermode makes the case that celebrity culture is evil, while Miranda Sawyer argues that it has a positive impact on our lives.
I have to admit that I'm with Mark on this one. I find people's stories fascinating, but think that the endless hunger for celebrity gossip turns people into commodities. It doesn't really matter if the stories (or the photos) are real, it's just a way to sell newspapers, or records, or perfume. My rather austere view isn't universally held across the Culture Show team, however, and we'd be interested to know what you think of the debate.
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