Show me some tears — real tears, not the acting kind

There’s a sense of entitlement a lot of celebrities have. That’s not breaking news, just a statement to set the tone for this week’s column.

You have probably seen interviews with the rich and famous and probably thought one of two things: “Wow, he/she is so down to earth” or “Gosh, what a cocky jerk.” But fame and money and the constant butt kissing of fans and handlers does that to a person’s ego.

I meet and interview celebrities all the time. The tone of the chat is conversational and informal. I never say, “Oh my god I loved you in (fill-in-the-blank TV show/movie), and your hair looks amazing, and that dress is to die for.” Nope, no dice, not my thing.

It is incredibly refreshing to chat with a celeb who opens up and is real about things. Last week when I wrote about my chat with Jeff Probst, I noted how he commented about the struggle to keep his daytime talk show on the air. He could have easily glorified it and pretended the show is a hit. Instead, he said flat out in the first comment that it’s not working.

Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan was a guest on my syndicated radio shows this month and he talked about the emotional pain of going through a divorce, losing all his money and even attempting suicide. That’s stuff you hear in those sappy Barbara Walters interviews.

But when it’s two people cutting out the fluffy crap and being real, it makes for an interesting conversation – and it becomes just that: conversation, not an interview.

What impressed me about Probst and Millan is that they were open and didn’t sugarcoat things. Isn’t that more commendable than the fake smiles and glamour of an Entertainment Tonight interview?

Then I read the stories about Lindsay Lohan repeatedly defying the law, Justin Bieber and his tricked-out cars getting pulled over by cops time and time again for driving infractions, and a Glee star having a hissyfit because a New York bar wouldn’t give her and 30 friends free booze so she went off on a Twitter tantrum.

Call me crazy, but a relatable celebrity is a respectable celebrity. I want to hear about their weaknesses. I want to know what makes them worry. I want to know when last they cried. That’s what makes them human.