EARTH-BITES 101: WHO IS JUSTIN BIEBER AND WHY SHOULD HE MATTER TO ANYBODY OVER 12?

It's pretty hard to miss this kid in the headlines. The biggest problem is that adults don't really care about Justin Bieber. This kid's strong suit is a screaming mass of very young females that will always cling to an androgynous non-threatening male pop singer.

Call it David Cassidy syndrome, call it New Kids syndrome, call it Backstreet Boys syndrome-call it what you will- there will always be a place for these guys.

At least until they start to shave and their voices deepen.

There has almost never been a point where the screaming masses of pre-teen and adolescent female fans ever leaned toward solid music choices, except for Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles. Cats like those guys were a huge exception to a hard-line rule: Nobody- I mean nobody- takes these musical fads seriously.

Not even their legions of very young female fans- once they grow up even a little.

So Justin, I tip my hat to you. The picture of you with the Hooters girls suggests that you have figured out how to maximize your short shelf life in the spotlight in a great way, from a guy's point of view. Enjoy it my young friend, because I don't expect that you will be mentioned in the same breath as the real musical legends in 20 years.

Make that 20 seconds.