answer:In the ‘80s, it was less the idea of his personal life and more society’s acceptance of cross-dressing in popular culture; times were a bit more conservative and for a somewhat-of-a transvestite to be in the mainstream American home (MTV was just starting to come into the limelight as an entertainment channel, and they actually showed music videos!), threatened the perception of typical “family values” conveyed in popular culture; the idea that Boy George was sharing bandwidth with “Full House” and “The Cosby Show.” (I know some of you may not know those titles either…man feeling old now!). Fast forward to present-day, and you have basically two examples of spectacles that are promoted for their tabloid qualities-Britney Spears, for all her foibles and poor choices in life, is seen as a “hometown girl all grown up” and all that mystique that Hollywood places on starlets of her generation (thanks to the previous generation-viz. Madonna, Janet Jackson, and others “handing the torch” to the next generation; in the case of Madonna, slipping the tongue to the…but I digress). In the case of Amy Winehouse, it’s just a matter of “just how effed up” can this girl get? She epitomizes the “bad girl” image and while not a new archetype, is relevant because her music conveys a ‘hip’ sound and plays up the ‘retro’ chic that is fashionable, especially with the so-called “post hip-hop” generation. Alas, the through-line in all three examples is: If it bleeds, it leads; maybe not physical bleeding, but the idea of celebrities suffering is something American pop culture seems to crave.