What would you do for fame? Would you allow cameras to follow you around? Would you blog about the most intimate moments of your life? Would you recruit your reluctant spouse to face the unforgiving limelight? Would you drag your children along?

In our celebrity-obsessed culture, these questions have long ceased to be rhetorical. They are part of everyday life. Thanks to technology, everybody can plug into Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame, and then some. You no longer need talent, education or social pedigree to achieve the kind of prominence once reserved for those who had actually achieved something.

And yes, I'm referring to the Balloon Boy incident, the most recent reminder that we've forgotten the difference between notoriety and accomplishment.

In case you were in a coma last week, here's a recap: Frantic-sounding Colorado parents dialed 911, saying their 6-year-old had likely taken off in a giant helium balloon. Within minutes, the compelling footage was being viewed around the world. Newscasters hyped the drama: What if the little boy fell out? Might he freeze at the high altitudes? Would authorities find a way to bring the contraption down safely?

The story, like the balloon, came to earth with a thud: The child was safely at home, the emergency was an apparent hoax and the parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, could face criminal charges.

``They ought to be stashed into a helium balloon themselves -- with no cameras or mirrors,'' I hissed. Friends agreed.

The media have been awash with innuendo and interviews with former associates alleging that Richard Heene would do anything for attention.

Though I read such reports with skepticism -- every journalist does -- he certainly seems to enjoy the limelight. The family appeared twice on the ABC reality show Wife Swap and Heene had crafted proposals for his own reality show.

I guess it's conceivable the Heenes could prove it was all an innocent accident, but the incident confirms what we've learned from other ``instant'' stars who have crashed and burned: Fame exacts a heavy, heavy toll.

Remember Jon & Kate Plus Eight? The fan favorite has become a domestic disaster. Jon and Kate Gosselin are divorcing, lawsuits are flying between him and the TLC network, and one can only wonder at the psychic damage their eight small children have sustained. Media attention isn't all it's all cracked up to be.

My children laugh when I predict that privacy consultants (along with tattoo removers) will be the hot career of the future. I'm not joking. Truly and sadly, I'm not. The devil always gets his due.

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