Why CNN.com Headlines Continue to Confound, Befuddle, Amuse

I just clicked on the page now to find out what went on in the world today, only to be greeted by this:

"Brokers snatch joy from Hannah Montana fans"

followed by the following blurb:

"Kids' sensation Hannah Montana is a heroine to millions of young fans and when Disney announced a U.S tour, tickets sold out in minutes. But not to the child fans. Ticket brokers swooped up thousands of tickets -- and desperate fans found they would have to pay up to $2,000 for a $63 ticket."

For starters, ticket scalping has been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Way to be on top of things, CNN. For seconds, this sort of hysteria reminds me of the great Cabbage Patch frenzy of 1983 -- right, I wanted one too at that age, I was in nursery school -- when parents bum-rushed toy stores to pick up the plastic dolls for their children. For thirds -- the whole "the poor, poor children are deprived of their Hannah Montana live" tone of the piece is slightly off-putting. What, really, there's nothing better going on right now, CNN? I mean, whatever, Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize, and people are shooting each other everywhere, and there's a probe into Anna Nicole Smith's death. But kids being deprived of Hannah Montana tickets is much more important.

Oh, and for those in St. Louis: Apparently more tickets for the October 18 Scottrade Center show are going on sale tomorrow morning.

-- Annie Zaleski