It involves the demise of a child star whose rise to fame has seen him taunted by, and develop an addiction for, the paparazzi. As a result, he is reportedly going-slash-being ‘crazy’ (which to the rest of the educated world outside of Hollywood actually means ‘mentally ill’). The strange part of this story for many was the fact that the reports were not talking about Britney Spears, but instead something that is the polar opposite (almost).

Yes this week’s Star of The Week is a polar bear (ironically) named Knut. His reported penchant for paparazzi has become so bad that he is now addicted. So big was this news that Knut and his (bi)polar bear ways has managed to dominate the entertainment sections in every publication from the New York Times to the tabloids.  No other stars, with the exception of Spears and her TV re-debut on How I Met Your Mother, managed to steal his thunder. Which isn’t that usual since being a nut is the only job Ms Spears has had over the last year or so. But back to the bear…

Germany's celebrity polar bear has become so addicted to the limelight that he throws tantrums when he is denied an audience, one of his keepers says.
 
Reportedly, Berlin Zoo's Markus Roebke told British newspapers, “Knut howls with anger when he feels like he is not getting enough attention.” Luckily for his addiction to celebrity, he does not need to give the paparazzi tip offs. He does, after all, live in a cage.
  
"Knut must go, and the sooner the better," Roebke told The Mail on Sunday, sprouting the one-year-old paparazzi-crazed polar bear should be moved away from crowds of adoring fans.

Go where you ask? The equivalent of polar bear rehab… an animal park.
  
But wait, there’s more. In yet another interview, German zoologist Peter Arras described Knut as a "psychopath". In Knut’s defence, these days ‘psychopath’ could also be another turn of phrase for one who possesses ‘star quality’. Let’s face it, if this column is anything to go by, most of the stars are nuts. So why can’t Knut be? Equal opportunities for all, Savvy says.
  
"Knut is a problem bear who has become addicted to human beings," Arras told the Independent.  Savvy wonders if there was a photo shoot with the story?

Knut, like all good stars who fall from the sky, has a story better than The Bold and the Beautiful. Born in December 2006 in a German zoo, he was thrust into the public eye after his mother rejected him (hey - don’t judge, people are famous for different reasons).  It’s not been an easy ride for this white fluff ball...
  
At the time, animal activists tried to put him to sleep, but zoo staff decided to hand-raise him, despite the raging arguments all over the world in favour of the former options.
  
The world then fell in love with the ball of fur that not even a mother could love. Soon after he went on public display at Berlin Zoo, he was attracting 15,000 people a day, and like any good star, he brought in the big bucks via merchandise sales. There were even plans for him to go on tour... (Okay, we made that up but it would in all fairness be the next logical step).  

As time went by, Knut and his cute little furry friend ways have continued to dominate the press in his very own caged version of the Mickey Mouse show.
  
And so begins the horrible story of the yet another child star’s demise.

Yes, just like Spears (either sister, take your pick), it appears that Knut the (bi)polar bear has become ‘not that innocent’.
  
Roebke told The Mail on Sunday that the adoration of human audiences had caused many behavioral problems.
  
"He is addicted to the whole show, the human adulation. It is not healthy," Reobke, Knut’s then trainer slash manger told The Independent.

"He actually cries out or whimpers if he sees that there is not a spectator outside his enclosure ready to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at him,” added Rebkke.  So what can be done? It’s not like you can put him on skates; bears on skates are practically illegal now, so Knut can’t even run away to join the circus, and it can’t be easy for a captive (bi)polar bear to get castings. Spears? Any suggestions? 

It’s just a shame that Michael Jackson no longer has his zoo at Neverland Ranch because they could kill two bears, er, birds with one stone, so to speak.

If rumours are to be believed (and in this case why not? You’re already reading about a bear for God sakes) it seems that with so many of his crazy celebrity predecessors who have risen to fame quickly, at the heart of Knut’s nuttiness is an identity crisis…
 
Apparently, "Knut identifies himself as a human and not as a polar bear," Roebke reported to yet another publication. Do we see a pattern here people? It’s not just the polar bear who likes attention.
  
"As long as he is with us he will always think of Thomas Doerflein, the keeper who brought him up when he was a baby, as his father. Knut needs publicity and that must change.”

Now Savvy knows for the answer sure. They must track down Thomas Doreflein and have him move in to Knut’s estate. The (bi)polar bear needs his daddy, biological or not. After all, it seemed to work for Spears.