Following Celebrities’ Lives Nothing But A Waste Of Time

I don’t have any use for celebrities.

They lead tinsel lives that have little meaning for us in North Idaho.

I don’t read about them in supermarket tabloids. I don’t watch Barbara Walters interview them. I don’t care how many times they marry. Or who’s their latest flame. Or what eating disorder they have. I didn’t even pay attention to O.J. Simpson’s run from justice - beyond the car chase and the verdict.

Before Aug. 30, I couldn’t distinguish between the exploits of Princess Di and Sarah Ferguson. I knew one had been called “Squidgy,” and the other had been photographed topless, in the arms of a lover. Or maybe both had. Who knows? The British royals, of recent vintage, have been randy and shameless.

Diana, I suppose, easily was the best of a spoiled lot.

She supported causes that truly were worthy and deserves credit for keeping her title after dumping Charles, the uncharming prince.

Her unexpected death was tragic - like that of any vibrant person her age.

Still, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t get me to tune in the maudlin coverage of her funeral Saturday.

, DataTimes MEMO: In death as in life, Princess Diana was never far removed from the press. The Spokesman-Review’s photo editor, John Sale, and five Opinion Page writers (Rebecca Nappi, John Webster, Jamie Tobias Neely, Doug Floyd and D.F. Oliveria) offer brief observations about that relationship and about Diana as a public figure.