The tide of celebrity overexposure is shifting again, away from the sentiment of “Well, they signed up for it” to “Nobody deserves this treatment.”

Some gossip sites are even trying to wean their readers from the type of trash they crave. PerezHilton.com declared it wouldn’t post pictures of mourners at Heath Ledger’s memorial, British gossip site HolyMoly.co.uk said it will not post pictures of distressed celebrities being chased. And in the theater community, the show “Spamalot” removed a reference to Britney Spears from its lyrics, changing it to a Posh Spice reference in its shows in London, New York, Las Vegas and on the national tour. BBC News reported that “Spamalot” creator Eric Idle said, “We don’t laugh at sad people. Britney is being tortured to death and we don’t want to be on that side.”

What is with the sense of morality all of a sudden? In the theater world, I can understand: They want to maintain a level of class, but for the gossip sites, that is why they exist. The demand for uncensored juicy gossip allowed them to grow popular and influential in the first place – they show us the ugly photos and tell the potentially libelous stories that legitimate newspapers don’t print.

While I do not want to be seen as part of the problem in troubled famous people’s lives, I also do not want to receive moral lessons from Perez Hilton. If I want to read about Britney’s latest prescriptions, that’s my business.

But despite the rising sense of decency, there are still sites where you can indulge in celebrity gossip guilt-free. For that, I recommend British tabloids.

With the headline reading “Guess who’s had a bra faux-pas?” the content for heatworld.com, the Web site for British magazine Heat, is too light to be taken seriously. The unfortunate person caught wearing a white bra with a sheer dark top was Katie Price, formerly known as the topless model Jordan. And she is the type of celebrity you don’t have to feel bad about giggling at.

Last Christmas, Price posed for a Christmas photo shoot of 20-plus pages, inside her own home, with her husband, two kids and a pink vacuum. You just don’t feel ashamed reading about “celebrities” who ask for it. And the people written about in foreign press do seem even more removed from the real world than those photographed at more local locations.

Many of the celebrities covered on a British tabloid level are unknown in the States. They are former reality TV stars like Jade Goody, along with singer Cheryl Cole, from the pop group Girls Aloud, and her soccer player husband Ashley Cole – who are currently in marriage turmoil after Ashley’s recently exposed infidelity – and others who haven’t made it stateside.

The tabloids are shameless, but they are about people you don’t know. And if a stranger sees you doing something crass, it is far less embarrassing than if someone closer sees you doing it.

That’s not to say they don’t print ridiculous stories about American celebrities – of course they do. But the aim seems to be to enjoy their own wit more than to be vicious or to “uncover the truth.” In the paragraph about Price’s bra, heatworld.com also manages a Chaucer reference.

In fact, it kind of feels good reading the press on unknowns. Isn’t it everybody’s dream to make it in America? It’s where the big money is, right? And as the American public, the more we know about the potential divorce of Cheryl and Ashley Cole, the easier it will be should Girls Aloud ever try to become popular stateside.

While I would prefer Britney updates, if it comes with a side of conscience, I’d rather consume gossip from overseas.

If you think “Heat” is a cool name for a gossip magazine, e-mail Crocker at acrocker@media.ucla.edu.