Coolfer readers may have noticed a lack of Pete Doherty updates. It has been a while since Coolfer has mentioned anything about Doherty's drug abuse, jail stints or famous ex-girlfriend. There was one mention, a few weeks back, that Paris Hilton considers Doherty to be her greatest influence. (That was a rare Paris Hilton post.) Doherty's media coverage in this country is completely out of proportion with his success here (not much) and his influence on American music (next to none). Anglophile, NME-reading newspaper editors have been fooled into thinking Doherty has earned our attention.

Without purposely doing so, Coolfer has formed what could be called a Doherty Rule, which probably came to being as a result of a backlash against the constant media coverage given to America's version of Doherty, Courtney Love.

The Doherty Rule states that no artist should get more press mentions than he has written songs. The NY Times is especially smitten by Doherty.

The Doherty Rule states that the American media should not bother covering a troubled British rock star who is an unknown in America. For comparitive purposes, just know Paris Hilton should easily eclipse Doherty's American sales total.

Above all, the Doherty Rule states that an artist's' music is more important than his or her arrest record. Thanks, Courtney, for making that painfully obvious.

Coolfer will not post about Pete Doherty until he does something meaningful, cracks the Billboard Top 200 or dies, whichever comes first.