Random Walk

There's probably a larger "boiling frog" point to be made about the nature of slowly creeping trends here, but I was reading some trivial news item on line recently and did a double-take when the subject of the article, someone I had never heard of, was described as a "star." I don't care so much about the devaluation of the word as I do about the accuracy of the term.

So from now on, all you celebrity gushers and jock-sniffers, please be advised that the following standards must be met for you to describe a person as a "star:"

1. I have to have heard of them. Not you. Not Oprah. Me. If I haven't heard of them, they aren't a star. It's simple, really, and I'm a bit annoyed that I need to remind you of this.
2. They have to have done something I like. Everyone's tastes are different, but mine are correct. Sure, this is going to thin the herd of rap stars, boy band stars, and New York Yankee or Met stars, but it's for the best.
3. They have to have done something I like more than once. Thus eliminating all of those one-hit wonders from consideration, although I'm willing to grant an exception to The Knack, because, well, see #2.

Thank you for your cooperation. I believe we will all benefit from this new policy.