I get disproportionately sad when famous strangers die. For instance, when I read online last night that Brad Renfro died I put my hand over my mouth and said out loud, to my computer screen, “Oh my God, no.” It was a fairly predictable ending, it’s true, not shocking actually, but still, I felt very sad. When Peter Jennings died I cried and was deeply affected for days. I’m still torn up about Adrienne Shelly. When the Oscars screen their annual memorial tribute I get overly sentimental, make everyone stop talking. I still miss Jerry Orbach. Still think about Wendy Wasserstein. I nearly take it personally when people admit they weren’t affected by the death of Princess Diana. I wonder if I have some overly-invested-in-the-loss-of-people-I-don’t-know disorder. If Britney Spears kills herself, I might even talk about it in therapy. I don’t even listen to her music (okay, I’ve heard that Gimme song which I actually sort of like). Are you like this?
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