I remember the day a few months ago when Martha Stewart was released from prison. The news media was on her tail her throughout the day, documenting her entry onto the airplane that would take her home and following her on her walk through her property once she finally got there. Some of the all news channels were staked out across the street from her home, watching her every move all day long. As I flipped through the television channels that day, trying to find something else to watch besides Martha, I remember thinking to myself, "It must be a slow news day." Indeed it was.

On the morning of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I was babysitting for my sister's two children. They were watching an early morning children's program, when I suddenly said to them, "Let me just change channels for a second to see who's on Regis and Kelly today". It was strange that I did that, as I normally would never change the channel while they were in the middle of watching a show, but for some reason on that morning I was compelled to switch channels. I saw the image of the World Trade Center on fire and I called upstairs to alert my husband, who flipped on the TV in our bedroom. I heard him shout from upstairs, "Did you see that?" as the second building caught fire. As you can imagine, within minutes all of the TV networks devoted coverage to the tragedy. Millions of viewers watched live as the Twin Towers toppled to the ground. By days end, regular broadcasting was preempted on every channel-- even cable stations that normally didn't cover national news. Some stations even shut down completely, airing just a respectful banner message. Sadly, there was way too much news that day.

While we all like to keep informed, the fact of the matter is that we live in a time where there is just too much bad news. A day doesn't go by that we don't hear about the war in Iraq, or of a missing child, or a celebrity murder trial, or a convicted sex offender that has struck again. It's enough to make your head spin. It's enough to make you sick. Regular programming is often interrupted for breaking news stories. My heart always skips a beat when I hear those words, "We interrupt this program", because the news is never good. Sometimes I think the only way to truly get away from it all is to put on a DVD and disconnect yourself from the world. At least DVD's don't get interrupted by breaking news.

That is why I have come to appreciate all of the "fluff" or "filler" news segments. The Martha Stewart prison release (which was really a happy day for Ms. Stewart and her fans). The American Idol voting scandal. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's secret vacation getaway (at least they included Jolie's son, Maddox in the festivities). When any of these topics are the top news story of the day, then you can be assured that there aren't any real tragedies going on. At least for the moment.