British TV reality star Jade Goody, who has become something of a Paris Hilton figure in that she’s famous for being famous, will probably die on reality TV, the New York Times reports.

Goody, 27, whose every move is recorded by the lupine British media, has cervical cancer that has spread throughout her abdomen. Doctors say there’s nothing they can do.

“I’ve lived my whole adult life talking about my life,” she explained to one of the media outlets that have bought the rights to her end-of-life story. “I’ve lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I’ll die in front of them.”

Goody, who is being paid for her trouble, says she wants to earn money to leave her children, keep busy while dying, and raise awareness about cervical cancer.

This graph the Times says it all: “This is reality television carried out to its most extreme, grotesque conclusion, one not even envisioned in the film `The Truman Show’ all those years ago. The question of why, exactly, the story is so compelling – how to negotiate the line between poignant and voyeuristic, whether newspapers are exploiting Ms. Goody or she is exploiting them – has twisted the media into knots, even as they provide daily updates on Ms. Goody’s deteriorating condition and state of mind.”

I wonder what Americans, particularly religious leaders, would say should such a spectacle reach these shores.