Britney Spears, Vanessa Hudgens and Madeleine -- the joke's on us!

Two “talents” of, at best, limited duration and the tragedy of a child’s disappearance dominating the media’s attention must tell you something.

Indonesia is suffering the after-effects of massive quakes, George Bush has outlined his plan for limited troop reduction, the Japanese PM has just resigned and been hospitalised, Putin has just installed a shock choice as the new Russian PM and Pakistan is probably the focal point of one of the most interesting political dramas ever.

Yet the focus is on a spoiled brat who can’t come to terms with her fame, a “Disney child star” who can’t apologise enough for releasing porn pictures of herself on the internet and the McCanns, of whom the less said the better.

Let’s look at these “celebrities” one by one.

Britney Spears is a sexy blonde who has a modicum of talent underpinned by her willingness to do anything that will focus attention on herself. If this means out-piercing the pierced, shaving her head bald or out-drinking and -drugging the rest, then so be it.

Britney’s value to humanity, other than reading about her while waiting for the dentist, is less than the guy who puts out the chairs in Parliament.

No, she is not an example, good or bad; no, her music does not have relevance unless you’re testing your lobotomy scar for strain; and no, she will not go down in history unless you are referring to her seemingly endless sexual appetite.

And yet the next “wenner” Vanessa Hudgens is being primed to follow the same flight plan. Unless you are suggesting that she somehow got naked, somehow got photographed and somehow got downloaded on to the net.

Shame, honey, did you have a slow news day?

It’s pathetic!

If you believe that the circus that promotes these morons are upset at these horrendous revelations, then you’d best go and see someone.

These are not sudden impulses that lead to disaster — they are carefully thought-out moves that are implemented as if they were done by a poor genius, out of control, or in Hudgens’s case, ill considered.

Yet I can still stomach this garbage written about no-talents. It’s got a market and, like the wrestling, rigged, but if you don’t try it at home, good luck to all concerned.

Madeleine is another matter altogether.

Because I deal with crime every day, the last thing I feel like doing when I get home is reading about it. This proved difficult with TV, newspapers, the internet and every other form of communication inundated with this story.

It was the focal point of the tragedy of child murder and/or abduction cases around the world.

If it should transpire that the parents killed their own child, accidentally or otherwise, the impact on parents who have suffered genuine loss is going to be immense.

Not only will the media shy away from searching for children, they will focus on two monsters who led the planet on a merry dance.

Where sympathy and empathy reigned supreme, now find scepticism and indifference as the new watch words in these cases.

Personally I would like to know whether the McCanns approached Sky or vice versa. If they made the initial approach and it turns out that they were responsible, then the death penalty is not enough. It means they milked the press, toured the world and met the celebrities on the back of their heinous crime.

What does that say about the media and, more importantly, what does that tell you about us?

The fact that these stories dominate the media and outsell the major breaking political and historical events of our time is because we buy the papers, click on the items or tune in to the channels.

The media are doing it because we buy it. If we didn’t, they would focus their attention elsewhere.

Perhaps one of the lessons we are learning in this age of information is that humanity is, in the main, more concerned with triviality, glitz and glamour than geopolitical or socio-economic events that really do affect our lives.

It’s hard to come to any other conclusion because every time you click on it or buy the product, you are voting for what you want to see or read about.

Makes you stink, doesn’t it?