Discussing Celebrity Disgrace

There's a question that's been in heavy rotation lately. Who's worse: Angelina Jolie, or Denise Richards?

For anyone who has managed to avoid the insane amount of entertainment gossip, I'll give some backstory. Angelina Jolie stole a very married Brad Pitt from his then-wife Jennifer Aniston. More recently, Denise Richards (who has been in the midst of a very sordid "he said/she said" divorce with Charlie Sheen) seems to now be dating the very recent ex-husband of her supposed best friend, Heather Locklear. So what's worse? The woman who breaks a home, or the one who gors looting at her best friend's house?

It's an interesting question, if only because it generates a lot of fairly intelligent discussion. On the one hand, Denise Richards didn't overstep the bounds of someone's marriage, Angelina. On ther other hand, your best friend, Denise? Really? You're an adulterer! But you're dating your best friend's ex! You were married to the creepiest man alive, Billy Bob Thornton! But you persist in continuing this "no, he's the worse person!" with Charlie Sheen! Oh my god, I can't decide!

Why? Because to me, they both did awful, horrible things. But what about Brad and whoever Heather's ex is (Richie Sambora, the imdb tells me)? What they did was equally awful. I mean, stepping out on your wife, Brad? And Richie, dating your ex-wife's best friend? You are both dead to me. But nobody talks about them. Why is that? Is it because they're men, and therefore get more leeway in their behaviour? Or is it because we just don't care about these men, who are in the middle of all this? Why do you think it is?