actually, you'll be surprised to know the top ten earnings from celebrities comes from alicia keys and Norah Jones according to a time article i read last year. They truly have their unique style and great song writing ability and they deserve that fame. They definitely do not "whore" themselves to the world. It's surprising to know that only these two artists are on the same list with oprah... not christina aguilera or britney. search up top 10 celebrities or something on time's website and you should find the article.
we always have a misconception that pop= selling out= bad= sex appeal.
To some degree, this is true, but pop/ mainstream also encompasses a thousand variety of styles.. it's not just a homogenous mixture of beyonce, britney, and christina aguilera. Being popular means selling music and doesn't alwys mean that one is trading artistic integrity for money.. some people choose to be the way they want to be.
Alicia and Norah deserve their fame, because they were lucky in the first place and also (i'm not afraid to say this) because they are more talented, educated, and innovative songwriters than vanessa carlton.
Nessa needs to develop her own unique sense of songwriting within a pop context... You can't argue that it's impossible in pop... just look at tori amos.