Entertainment fascination

Why do we pay millions of dollars to athletes or movie stars? Being an athlete is hard work. I will give you that. You have to work out, and keep up with your mental game as well as your physical game. You have to really give it your all when some people have jobs that require minimum effort. Movie stars is a little iffy... acting classes cost money, so I would hope to make more money than they cost. There's also a hell of a lot of competition for that. And movies and tv shows help us escape from life especially if we're suffering from this recession or something else. But, why do we put more stock into entertainment than firefighters or policemen or teachers? The people who save lives and mold our lives? Don't get me wrong. I respect athletes and movie stars, and I know they help mold our culture, but sometimes I wonder where our priorities are.