Why are millions of 12-year-old girls so unhappy?

Because two of their most beloved celebrity “heartthrobs” have just checked into rehabilitation facilities for alcohol abuse and there is some indication more may soon follow.

Yeah, that’s right. Hollywood megastar Ben Affleck and Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean are in rehab and their recent admissions of alcohol abuse and depression have forced us to change our perception of the heartthrob - a celebrity loved by many for his or her looks - never doing wrong in the eyes of the public; never having any emotional problems.

The media are now showing us more of the human and realistic side of superstardom, a side that’s not always glitz and glamour.

In the past, celebrities were people whose posters we used to put up on our walls and adore, whose talents delighted us.

We constantly expected them to deliver the goods and entertain us at our slightest whim. We were too starstruck to care if their grandmother died the other day or if some emotional problem may have hindered them from performing.

We only wanted to be entertained. We didn’t care if MC Hammer was facing emotional turmoil at one of his concerts, we just wanted to see him slide around in those parachute pants (or was that just me?).

Today, however, the media have capitalized on the increasing trend of celebrities checking into rehab clinics and psychiatric hospitals, and we embrace this. We want to know about a celebrity’s personal life and problems more than ever.

Sure, news of Metallica’s James Hetfield checking into rehab for alcohol abuse wasn’t that shocking, seeing as it’s almost a rite of passage for most heavy metal stars. But A.J.? I guess boy bands aren’t that innocent after all.

As for all those 12-year-old girls who dreamed one day of marrying one of the Backstreet Boys, I guess being married to a drunken lunatic somehow doesn’t seem that tempting anymore.

And what could have caused Affleck to enter rehab? I mean, he is a very rich and talented actor, he could easily get any woman he wants and he’s currently starring in the historical epic “Pearl Harbor.”

Hmm. Come to think of it, rehab’s probably not enough, buddy.

From Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ trial to the indictment of a young “Sopranos” star, our perception of celebrity has become increasingly negative, but we don’t treat it as such. We embrace their notoriety, and anything we hear about a celebrity facing some type of emotional or legal conflict just adds to the drama of entertainment.

Take, for example, Mariah Carey’s recent hospitalization. News of her “extreme emotional breakdown” and exhaustion is much more newsworthy than her upcoming album and two movies.

Some may say the media’s indulgence in an artist’s personal life is nothing new, but we’re seeing it today more than ever.

It’s true in the past, celebrities have always had run-ins with the law, dealt with alcohol and drug problems or had emotional breakdowns, but today we’re finding out about this more quickly.

To realize just how secretive a celebrity’s problems were in the past, just watch VH1’s “Behind the Music.” It’s filled with celebrity admissions of drug problems and depression that happened more than 20 years ago.

For those of us who are shocked by all this news of celebrities entering rehab or being hospitalized, we shouldn’t be.

We have to realize celebrities are human beings, too (though William Shatner’s existence is questionable). They have emotional breakdowns just like we do and performing night after night doesn’t always hide these problems.

The pressure of being a celebrity and succeeding in the entertainment industry is greater today more than ever. Trends in entertainment are changing as fast as Michael Jackson’s nose.

There’s pressure to deliver and reinvent yourself and sometimes this pressure is too much to handle for some celebrities. This, along with other problems at home, can contribute to an artist’s emotional breakdown or drug addiction.

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering who’s next in line for rehab. I think it’ll probably be one of those kids from ’N Sync.

With the pressure to constantly outdo themselves and critics from all over the music world, I wouldn’t be surprised.

On top of that, I’m convinced “dirty pop,” a line in the group’s first single from its new album, “Celebrity,” is really a code word for Bacardi and Coke on the rocks.

Okey Umelo, a State News intern who has checked into rehab for his obsession with parachute pants, can be reached at umelooke@msu.edu.