Crank That Party Boy

I like to party as much as the next guy, as long as I’m not standing next to Corey Worthington.

The Melbourne, Australia 16-year-old threw a rager when his parents were out of town, causing about $20,000 worth of damage to the neighborhood on Saturday night.  

The party, promoted on Myspace, drew 500 guests and (surprise!) riot police. 

Now he’s on YouTube, CNN, and all over the Australian press’ headlines (replacing lead stories about Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson fighting over a half-drank can of Foster’s). He’s been picked up by police and refuses to talk to his parents, with whom he lived until earlier this week.

The online consensus is that “Party Boy” Corey is the most notorious thing to come out of Australia since Errol Flynn.

Is he? Take a look at the rest of the world’s young celebrities. Watch Laguna Beach, Newport Harbor, The Hills or any of MTV’s “The O.C.” reality ripoffs. 

It’s kids like Corey Worthington, but with no ambition. They’re spoiled, rich teenagers, essentially doing nothing and displaying all the entertainment value of O’Doul’s. They’re the felines of the celebrity world. 

Corey’s more like a young wolf puppy. He found his own attention. And, once he had the camera on him, he kept it interesting, but not quite to the point of self-destruction. 

Did he do anything wrong? Sure, he threw a party. You could even argue that things got a little out of hand, and now he doesn’t really feel like apologizing. Parents around the globe are appalled.

But ask any kid that’s ever been to a party in Australia (or, for that matter, North America) if they’d trade places with Corey right now. He’s on TV. He’s picking up girls at the beach. People are offering him money to do the only thing he cares about: party. He’s a self-made Paris Hilton, without the little dog. 

And, at the end of the day, what did he do? 

He didn’t burn down a school, manslaughter someone or run an illegal dogfighting operation. He didn’t even get arrested driving drunk and throw racial slurs at the cops. 

He threw a party. He didn’t force anyone to go; he didn’t run outside and wreck $20,000 worth of property by himself; and he didn’t personally put anyone in danger.  

Give him a break. Besides, in five years, we’ll probably see him on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Daniel Radcliffe, Clay Aiken, Howie Mandell and Britney Spears’ little sister.