mr_pikachu
27th July 2007, 10:17 PM
Let's run through some recent news, shall we?
In September of last year Paris Hilton was arrested for driving under the influence, and in January her license was suspended as a result. She was given a fine and 36 months probation for that charge. Nonetheless, she was caught driving with her suspended license once in January and again in February. She was later sentenced to 45 days in prison. Despite an initial legal battle (during which the Los Angeles Sheriff transferred her to her home for a period of house arrest), she eventually served 22 days before being released on the grounds of good behavior.
Lindsay Lohan's unusual past goes back further (although not quite as much as Hilton's infamous tape). In 2005 the actress/singer had a total of three car accidents. The first of these almost resulted in a lawsuit, and police said they believed the second was intentional on her part. 2006 brought more trouble, as the taping of Georgia Rule was delayed because she checked into a hospital for what her publicist described as "heat exhaustion."
But this year has been the most eventful of all for Lohan. In January she checked into rehab and attended regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, though she continued to deny being an addict. In May, she struck a curb in her car and was found with a "usable" amount of cocaine. She was charged with a DUI, entered rehab, and was given a court date of August 24. But on July 24, Lohan's personal assistant reported that she was being chased by a white GMC. The assistant and Lohan were soon found having a "heated debate" in a nearby parking lot. Lohan was again over the legal limit to drive, and she again had cocaine. She has now been charged with felony counts of cocaine possession and transfer of a narcotic.
Britney Spears has hardly avoided this unsavory spotlight. On February 16, she entered a drug rehab facility and stayed for less than 24 hours. She shaved her hair the following night and admitted herself to another rehab center February 20. After leaving briefly, she returned on the 22nd and stayed through March 20 having "successfully completed their program." A few days ago (July 24), she broke down during a photo shoot. No pictures or video have been released, but a few personal accounts have leaked regarding the incident.
Remember Paris Hilton? Her partner on The Simple Life, Nicole Richie, is not immune to the current trend. She's just been sentenced to 90 hours in jail and orders to attend drug and alcohol rehab for her own DUI incident in December 2006.
And I'm hardly going to just pick on the ladies. Anyone who follows professional sports should know all about the current scandals. Whether it's Michael Vick being charged as part of a dogfighting ring, Michael Rasmussen being removed from the Tour de France while leading the race (and Floyd Landis being stripped of his title last year for using performance-enhancing drugs), continuing suspicion of steroid abuse by baseball players in particular (including the soon-to-be all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds), or similar cheating scandals running all the way to such innocuous sports as golf, the heroes of couch potatoes everywhere are continually breaking the rules and the law to get what they want.
This is all a very complicated way of asking a few simple questions.
1. Why do so many of us succumb to an obsession with these stars?
2. Will the recent scandals disenchant us with them? If so, to what will our focus be diverted? If not... well, what will come of this situation?
3. Many have claimed that the legal system gives extra leeway to celebrities. Is that still the case? Or has the balance shifted in recent months or years?
So, yeah. Lots of stuff to discuss, including plenty of things outside the bounds of those three tiny topics. Have at it!
Note: All facts taken from either Yahoo! or Wikipedia. I didn't feel like adding several dozen links, but feel free to search these people on either site if you feel like confirming the validity of my post.
In September of last year Paris Hilton was arrested for driving under the influence, and in January her license was suspended as a result. She was given a fine and 36 months probation for that charge. Nonetheless, she was caught driving with her suspended license once in January and again in February. She was later sentenced to 45 days in prison. Despite an initial legal battle (during which the Los Angeles Sheriff transferred her to her home for a period of house arrest), she eventually served 22 days before being released on the grounds of good behavior.
Lindsay Lohan's unusual past goes back further (although not quite as much as Hilton's infamous tape). In 2005 the actress/singer had a total of three car accidents. The first of these almost resulted in a lawsuit, and police said they believed the second was intentional on her part. 2006 brought more trouble, as the taping of Georgia Rule was delayed because she checked into a hospital for what her publicist described as "heat exhaustion."
But this year has been the most eventful of all for Lohan. In January she checked into rehab and attended regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, though she continued to deny being an addict. In May, she struck a curb in her car and was found with a "usable" amount of cocaine. She was charged with a DUI, entered rehab, and was given a court date of August 24. But on July 24, Lohan's personal assistant reported that she was being chased by a white GMC. The assistant and Lohan were soon found having a "heated debate" in a nearby parking lot. Lohan was again over the legal limit to drive, and she again had cocaine. She has now been charged with felony counts of cocaine possession and transfer of a narcotic.
Britney Spears has hardly avoided this unsavory spotlight. On February 16, she entered a drug rehab facility and stayed for less than 24 hours. She shaved her hair the following night and admitted herself to another rehab center February 20. After leaving briefly, she returned on the 22nd and stayed through March 20 having "successfully completed their program." A few days ago (July 24), she broke down during a photo shoot. No pictures or video have been released, but a few personal accounts have leaked regarding the incident.
Remember Paris Hilton? Her partner on The Simple Life, Nicole Richie, is not immune to the current trend. She's just been sentenced to 90 hours in jail and orders to attend drug and alcohol rehab for her own DUI incident in December 2006.
And I'm hardly going to just pick on the ladies. Anyone who follows professional sports should know all about the current scandals. Whether it's Michael Vick being charged as part of a dogfighting ring, Michael Rasmussen being removed from the Tour de France while leading the race (and Floyd Landis being stripped of his title last year for using performance-enhancing drugs), continuing suspicion of steroid abuse by baseball players in particular (including the soon-to-be all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds), or similar cheating scandals running all the way to such innocuous sports as golf, the heroes of couch potatoes everywhere are continually breaking the rules and the law to get what they want.
This is all a very complicated way of asking a few simple questions.
1. Why do so many of us succumb to an obsession with these stars?
2. Will the recent scandals disenchant us with them? If so, to what will our focus be diverted? If not... well, what will come of this situation?
3. Many have claimed that the legal system gives extra leeway to celebrities. Is that still the case? Or has the balance shifted in recent months or years?
So, yeah. Lots of stuff to discuss, including plenty of things outside the bounds of those three tiny topics. Have at it!
Note: All facts taken from either Yahoo! or Wikipedia. I didn't feel like adding several dozen links, but feel free to search these people on either site if you feel like confirming the validity of my post.