Trouble ahead, trouble behind

So, it seems like the Tragic Celebrity Death Circus of 2009 is intent on continuing its show through 2010.

One of the most common themes in the media coverage of heiress Casey Johnson's death was the coverage itself, why there was so much of it when she was barely a celebrity, famous for nothing but her last name and sharing a yearbook with Paris Hilton.

I actually met Casey back somewhere in 2001 or 2002, when she worked as a beauty editor for a local magazine. She had always been on our media lists, invited to every event and copied on every press mailing, but was somewhat of an enigma and never showed any interest. I guess she covered more of the local beauty beat than the national launch news, and maybe she didn't need a sponsored lunch at Fred's to get content for her monthly column.

Then one day, she actually responded to one of my pitches. I was working with a skin care client launching a new line, and we invited editors in for one-on-one appointments. To my surprise, Casey was interested, and we spent an hour together, just me, her, and my crazy client. She was definitely different than the other beauty editors - clearly an LA socialite versus a NY-driven journalist - but she was nothing but sweet and professional and I think even ended up writing about the line.

I'm not saying she didn't have any troubles back then - she was cosmetically plumped and primped beyond any 20-something I had ever seen - but she wasn't the kooky character we'd all come to question on the pages of Page Six and the TMZ screen.

Anyway, that's my good memory of her and what I'll remember. Hardly a band-aid for something much deeper.