Do celebrities deserve headlines?

Last night, as I watched the headlines on the 11 o'clock news, I had to double-check the channel. I was watching the CTV National News, but it looked remarkably like StarTV. First story of the night: The G8 Summit. Second story of the night: Paris Hilton is released from jail. Is something wrong with this picture?
I am coming out of the closet, so to speak. I have a vice, and that vice is celebrity culture.
I know for a fact that I am not the only person afflicted with this, otherwise all the gossip magazines, blogs, Web sites and television shows dedicated to my addiction would not be as successful as they are.
I care about social issues, politics, national crises and other stories that affect Canada and the world, but I find myself spending a great deal more of my time reading or watching stories about Paris Hilton's jail sentence, Lindsay Lohan's boozing, or Brad and Angelina's marriage.
We love the scoop. Many want to know everything about the lives of the rich and famous. Much of the public (admittedly, myself included) is hungry for this material, and therefore celebrities often spend their days being harassed by ravenous paparazzi instead of living their life in peace (a courtesy that most others are afforded). Not even the death of the beloved Princess Diana quenched our thirst for the scoop.
But why do we care? My excuse has always been (and will forever remain) that I must be in the know about these things, because it is my chosen career path as a film student. No doubt it has helped me quite a bit. But is there a point when it goes too far? I don't really think it's necessary to see Leonardo DiCaprio eat a cheeseburger, but I still do. Why?
I doubt this fascination will stop any time soon. It is the new American Dream, and watching a star fall from grace makes them human. It makes the Dream more attainable. It also is great entertainment; Shadenfreude, as the Germans would say. We take pleasure in other people's misery. It's funny, even fascinating (as long as it's not happening to us); funny, but also kind of sad.