"Celebrities"

For some reason I enjoy celebrity gossip (or really just gossip in general I suppose). I find the majority of stories these days are about "celebrities" that I've never heard of. When was the bar lowered? What happened to earining your celebrity status? Like maybe starring in a few blockbuster movies, or having a hit TV series? Reality TV contestants are not celebrities. People with addiction problems are not celebrities. People who make sex tapes are not celebrities. Yet they seem to be these days. Why?