Our growing obsession with every detail of celebrity lifestyles has turned us into voyeurs

One of my biggest pet peeves is celebrity news magazines and shows. They give no privacy at all to film, music or television stars.

It seems like Britney Spears can't fart without shows like "Entertainment Tonight," or "Inside Edition" reporting about it.

I don't know why these shows and magazines do not give celebrities any privacy. Some make the argument that "they are public figures; that is the price of fame."

I say this: how would you feel if every little detail about your life was under this giant microscope and every detail about your day is posted online or is talked about by Billy Bush on "Access Hollywood?"

I don't know about you, but I don't want Billy Bush talking about my day.

TMZ, a gossip website, is the biggest violator of the bunch. They will post the filthiest trash about celebrities and alienate them posting paparazzi videos on the site. This trashy site is run by a guy named Harvey Levin, who presents TMZ as a "news organization."

Let me tell you, there is nothing newsworthy about actress Betty White talking about why she doesn't need Botox. On the TV version of this site, it shows that Levin will go at any length to get celebrity photos or post dirt about them. The videos they post on TMZ infuriate me.

One that startled me was one of Shia LeBouf minding his own business at an airport as a paparazzi cameraman approaches him, forcing Lebouf to run full speed to get away. Eventually, LeBouf gave up and talked to the paparazzi guy.

What celebrity news magazines do that irritates me most is that they make up stupid nicknames for celebrity couples. Every time someone does that, the English language diminishes.

Do you really think you sound intelligent saying the "words" Brangelina, Spedi or Vaughniston? When Steve Carell was on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," he pointed out that some of these nicknames don't even save that much time. He is right.

It is stuff like this that makes me fear for the future. Instead of saying "Mr. Keith O'Neil and Ms. Jessica Biel are getting married this weekend," are they going to say "Keithica O'Biel is getting married?" See how stupid that looks and sounds?

Some of the "celebrities" they highlight are famous for no apparent reason at all, which puzzles me. Can someone please tell me what Heidi Montag or Lauren Conrad from the MTV shows "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" and "The Hills" ever did to get all this attention? Seriously, from what I have seen of them they contribute nothing to society.

Why do they have cameras following them everywhere they go and what did they do to get their own television show? Just because someone is good looking doesn't mean they should have their own show.

I think everything that can be said about Paris Hilton and Nichole Ritchie has been said, so I will leave them alone.

The most famous "celebrity" of this bunch is Kim Kardashian. From what I have seen from her reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," she and her family have a lot of money to throw around if they can afford to buy chickens just to get organic eggs.

She has done nothing to get all this attention. Joel McHale, the host of "The Soup" on E! describes her perfectly. On "The Soup," when introducing a clip of Ms. Kardashian's show, he says "Kim Kardashian is famous for having a big ass and a sex tape." That just about sums her up perfectly.

To all you celeb magazines and shows, please stop hunting down celebrities and exposing their private. For the love of God, stop making celebrities out of these reality television stars.

Keith O'Neil is a senior majoring in journalism. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Equinox.