When I was younger, I operated under the myth that singing took talent, acting required training and art was a craft. Then again, I also believed in Santa Claus and happy endings.

As the world turns and things change, my conception of how things work has come to a one-note carrying, reality show-clipped, hacked spectacle.

In the past month, I’ve read about a high-bidding businessman buying a Marilyn Monroe sex tape, and even a supposed Jimi Hendrix sex tape has found its way to the Internet. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought those people did something aside from have sex.

Didn’t Monroe play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock? I think Hendrix sang “Danke Schoen” to President Kennedy. Oh, what does it matter? Everyone knows the latest talent is on “American Idol.” Why else would someone as important as Ryan Seacrest live in that studio?

While we’re on the topic of sex tapes, they seem to be good career starters. Those Hendrix and Monroe characters did theirs after they were famous, and people didn’t even see them until long after their deaths. That’s like the Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee video: It’s poor marketing. When you’re famous, don’t make a sex tape to gain fame – you already have it.

Instead, use the planning of people such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, who used their copulations to gain fame. Before their tapes were released, they were sitting around, not contributing to society … I’m glad that’s changed.

And isn’t it sad that Miley Cyrus posed for those photographs in Vanity Fair? She was showing her bare back! How can she be an inspiration to young fans with access to their parents’ money? Perhaps she was just trying to transition to the older market; after all, they have jobs. There’s a lot of money in the 18-32 demographic.

Wow, I think I just felt a rush from all the air going to my head. But when you talk about the stars, it’s hard to stay grounded. I’m glad to live in a world where namesakes are forgotten, private moments are exploited for fame and age determines monetary value. It means that anyone with a little ambition can become famous.

I know acting, singing and craft all took time, but I guess the truth changes.