Do Celebrities Make Too Much Money?

Not at all. It's not that celebrities are paid too much, the problem is that those who are struggling financially are paid too little. Dollars tend to follow value. Educate people on the importance of developing and marketing products or services that others perceive as valuable and the dollars will follow.

Hey, if they got the talent, the studios are willing to fork over the green, and the public is willing to pay ten bucks for a damn theater ticket ... then hell yeah, it's America, folks! We're the capitalists of the world ... a necessary evil of democracy.

Can you pitch a baseball at 95 mph? Most of us cannot. I think a lot of sports stars deserve the high salaries they get. It makes the sport that much more competitive--and the quality goes up. The same with celebs. Scapegoating the wealthy doesn't really solve the issues of poverty. It bothers me more that CEOs make the kind of wealth they do while their underlings just get by. When we all stop watching sports stars and celebs then we can critique.

Absolutely! There is nothing wrong with being paid well fro being good at what you do but the spread of wealth in the USA is inordinately disproportionate. It's not right that someone should have six houses they will never use while others go homeless. Take a look at how much food goes wasted even at one political affair. It's a disgrace that this happens when so many are starving. There is enough for all if we respect the earth and start caring more for people than the almighty dollar. Speaking for myself I don't keep up with celebrity gossip. I really don't care who is getting married, divorced, having who's baby or coming out with the next ridiculous and over priced fashion line. Frankly why should I care what Oprah's (or anyone else's) opinion is on some book. No offense to her but I can quite easily make up my own mind without hearing from a celebrity what I should read, wear, how to live or exercise without their advice. We need to start making what really matters, matter.

yes, yes, and yes. On the other hand, we should have more money available for grassroots arts and arts education.

Well yes of course, but it really is a case of simple economics. We as a culture are obsessed with celebrities -- admit it, you love to talk about Britney's antics and see movies just because George Clooney is starring -- and therefore we create tons of demand for the most popular celebs.