“I'm not trying to be mean but……Curling is boring.”

As you might imagine, it was just a matter of time before someone at Team USA saw her tweet and responded:

“We’re not trying to be mean either but your movies weren’t exactly riveting theater Kirstie. #justsaying #curling #rockit #TeamUSA,”

Am I the only that thinks all of this is sad? I mean, don't get me wrong, Alley has every right to dislike curling and Team USA has every right to dislike her. But, why is this news? How is it that this actually gets press coverage? In other words, who the heck cares?

What is really frightening is that the news media hangs on every word that is uttered by our "celebrity class," whether it be LeBron James or Chelsea Handler, and reports it as though it really matters. Athletes and performers are given this amazing level of credibility by today's media as though they possess some mythical wisdom on all matters big and small, simply because they are performers.

We live in a world where Barbra Streisand, Michael Moore and Miley Cyrus are taken as seriously as anyone else on world issues. Often times more seriously.

I don't know why Kirstie Alley hates curling. It is pretty boring. I do know that the media has only itself to blame for the loss of its credibility for running to celebrities to get reaction to important issues.

In the words of the late, great celebrity Clark Gable, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Editor's Note: Barry Richard is the afternoon host on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from Noon-3 p.m. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.