All of the groups of people you just named got to where they are because they had talent or were able to market themselves successfully. What's so wrong with idolizing people for their athletic abilities or skills in creating music? Personally, I find someone born with any talents like that to be somewhat inspiring. Do I worship everyone who pops up in the music scene or the sports world? No, but I certainly can recognize the ones who work hard for their goals and admire them for doing so.
As for the royal wedding, I didn't personally see a need to watch it. However, to say that it's for the mindless slobbering masses is a pretty extreme generalization. I'm sure there were plenty of intelligent people watching it, and if you think that watching it makes them mindless just because it's their choice of entertainment to enjoy, then you need to stop judging people based on their opinion and look at what's really important. Everyone enjoys different things, if a man of below average intelligence likes to listen to Mozart and Beethoven, it doesn't necessarily make him intelligent, just as a smart man certainly isn't dumb because he enjoys listening to pop music and watching reality shows. We all stimulate our minds in different ways, to say that anyone who enjoys simpler and less "intellectual" things is mindless is not at all logical.
Furthermore, I think that to say that any of the aforementioned groups of people have false importance is a bit flawed as well. Whether they got where they are through merit or by birth, they are there and are looked up to by multitudes of people. They are important because their choices will affect other people and cause them to formulate their own opinions and make choices based on the choices of the people they idolize. To judge other people because they followed their dreams and made a career choice that wasn't what you personally idolize is a bit foolish, as far as you know they could be one of the smartest people alive. Are there many extremely intelligent athletes out there? Maybe not, but to say that they're not as important or worth as much as someone in another occupation is just plain wrong.
