Jake Halpern is the first to admit it: He's always been interested in the lifestyles of the rich and famous, beginning with the show by that name he watched as a boy.

But what he found simply interesting has become a disturbing preoccupation for millions of people, he contends in a new book that takes a critical look at Americans' obsession with fame and celebrity.

		"FAME JUNKIES" By Jake Halpern Houghton Mifflin ($23)

Why, asks Halpern, a commentator for National Public Radio, are television and newspapers devoting increasingly more space to celebrity gossip?

Why are celebrity magazines the only ones whose circulation is growing? What accounts for the popularity of " E!" the 24-hour celebrity-news network, and why do we care who Paris Hilton is dating?

Halpern has done his homework. He visited schools, talent conventions, modeling agencies, and the editorial offices of "Us Weekly," a celebrity news magazine with a circulation increase of 18.7 percent between 2000 and 2005.

He interviewed cultural critics, psychologists, Hollywood agents, managers, and industry insiders. He conducted a survey of 653 middle-school students in the Rochester, N.Y., area.

One shocking finding of his survey: Given a choice of becoming the CEO of a major corporation, the president of Yale or Harvard, a Navy Seal, a U.S. senator or the personal assistant to a famous singer or movie star, 43.4 percent of the girls chose the assistant role.

One of the most revealing chapters is about several people who have held those jobs, including a woman who was the personal assistant to both Sharon Stone and Dennis Hopper.

Most described their work as drudgery -- doing laundry, fetching groceries, paying bills -- and being on call at all hours to spoiled celebrities who often treated them like servants. The appeal of the job, Halpern learned, is simply being up close with a famous person.

He also writes a chapter about Marcy Braunstein, a Ross woman who has devoted much of her life to Rod Stewart, including building a shrine to the rocker in her house. Through her efforts, Stewart now has a star in Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Halpern's engaging book helps explain Americans' obsession with famous people, including the role of technology, which now disseminates countless images and stories in nanoseconds.

He also explores the psychological aspects, involving such issues as social power, self-esteem and prestige.

This is not ground-breaking research, but it's a provocative look at the origins of celebrity worship and our culture's insatiable appetite for gossip.