The hotness of the Tudors

Forget the Spears or the Hiltons; The Tudors -- the royal family that included wild and crazy Henry the VIII, Ann Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth -- are the hottest thing in Hollywood at the moment.

There's the been the four queen Elizabeth movies, two starring Cate Blanchett, the latest one just last year, and two starring Helen Mirren on HBO as a package last fall. There's the second season of the Showtime series The Tudors. There was the recent release of "The Other Boleyn Girl" based on a book by the same name by Philippa Gregory (which I confessed I have read, and quite enjoyed), a novelized version of Anne Boleyn's rise to queen and fall to headlessness. Indeed, this was just one of a series of books by Gregory on the many women of Henry VIII which are also hot, hot, hot.

What was it about the royals of the 1500s that so fascinate us right now? That they lived their decadent lives with little care to the commoners? That they grossly indulged themselves with no regard to moderation? That they partied all the time? That they killed one another with impunity? That they wore outlandish clothes that cost a fortune? Sounds pretty familiar.