I just want to serve notice, but do not wish to say so by opening the obituary thread, up there in the music section, which would move it back to the top of the page. I would prefer to see it drop off the bottom of the page as soon as possible.

The celebrity-obsession we have to endure by living in the contemporary world is bad enough. Now we see the death of a very talented and very weird person, someone we saw grow from a precocious child into a very disturbed and disturbing adult, eclipsing the death of another celebrity (Farrah) who we first saw as a kind of mindless sex symbol but who became a relatively serious actress and, eventually, an absolutely admirable adult person.

I have also learned (from my young facebook friends) that yet another, more "minor," celebrity also passed away yesterday: Sky Saxon of the The Seeds.

I truly wish the best to everyone, may we all eventually rest in peace...but enough is enough! I woke up this morning to a Michael Jackson "special edition" of the Today show, and don't expect the Jacko hysteria to let up all weekend. Humbug!