The cult of celebrity

Tom Cruise has proved once again that any publicity is good publicity. It hasn't been a particularly good year for Cruise, what with the bashing he took for being so dismissive of post-partum depression, his couch-hopping on Oprah's show and his latest "Mission: Impossible'' not a real blockbuster. (Then again, there was his romance and baby with Katie Holmes.) All that created a buzz, which combined with his earnings - $67 million - boosted him to the top of Forbes Magazine's Celebrity 100 Power List.''

Even more interesting in Forbes' listing of celebrity money earners is how long-gone stars - or at least their estates - keep doing well. For instance, Elvis Presley's music brought in $52 million and Kurt Cobain's about $50 million. Then there's a different variety of celebrity, Albert Einstein, whose estate took in $20 million. Every sale of those wonderful Baby Einstein toys and videos helps.

What is it about celebrities that keeps magazines writing about them, media outlets reporting on them and bloggers blogging about them?