Creepier and creepier

The story about Robert Blake's trial being eclipsed by Michael Jackson's is a bit surreal but the NY Times' coverage of said story is effing creepy!! The Times story reads as if Blake and Jackson are both figures worthy of such great media attention. Part of the Times story sounds critical of Blake - as if it were disappointed that he wasn't doing more to promote himself in the spotlight and grab more of the 'famous person accused of murdering someone' glory.

In fact, the Time goes so far as to include the following paragraph that implicitly glorifies not only publicity-intensive murder trials but that, in an unbelievably horrifying way, dismisses some of these accused murderers as somehow not famous enough for real consideration:

"...Mr. Blake not only fails to live up to the title of most-famous celebrity defendant in Southern California, but he is also debatably not even the most famous murder defendant in Southern California. Phil Spector, the hermitic rock producer, famous for the Wall of Sound in the 1960's, was vaulted into the limelight when he was charged with murdering an actress, Lana Clarkson, at his Alhambra home in 2003...."

Goddamn - it's as if murdering someone, or being accused of murdering someone, is now just another way to get your name out and around in the celebrity spotlight.