Do Americans Care Too Much About Celebs? The Poll Suggests, Yes

The votes are in. The readers and digesters of Reader's Digest have spoken. When it comes time to pick a celebrity babysitter next weekend, Kristen Stewart and Tom Cruise will apparently not be in the running.

The two stars were named "least trustworthy" in a recent reader poll conducted by the Digest, and we can't say we're surprised, given the media coverage of both of their recent breakups. The poll is actually called "The Top 100 Most Trustworthy People In America," and frankly we find it ridiculous. Why wouldn't the most trustworthy include, you know, the rare politician with a clean record? Or journalists dedicated to bring you the news 24/7? Or, someone whose advice is so trusted, it's practically law, like Warren Buffett? But no. Instead, our most trusted people are people whose job is to pretend to be something they're not.

Not that actors and celebrities can't be perfectly trustworthy and respectable. We're sure Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Denzel Washington — all voted among the most trustworthy — really are great people. And Kristen Stewart and Tom Cruise probably aren't too bad, either (up for intense debate, we know). But, the fact of the matter is, we can engage in fun speculation and harmless gossip and fangirl fawning as much as we want, but to actually speculate on the moral character of these people is pretty useless.

First of all, every detail of their lives is handled and managed from top to bottom. Second of all, you rarely get to hear from them, unscripted. There are the occasional moments of clarity through the PR fog, there are obvious (often planted) blind items, there are drunken mug shots and police reports — but beyond that, it's all a strictly controlled facade. That's the whole point. While folks like Maya Angelou and Bill and Melinda Gates do make the top ten, it just seems kind of mind-blowing that they're all out-ranked by actors.

Anyway, rant over. The list is pretty much exactly what you'd expect, though we always thought Beyoncé would stack up higher on the trustworthy side. What about you, though? Who's the public figure you trust most? And no, it does not have to be a celebrity. (The Huffington Post)