Alright, first: I feel bad about everything that's happened to whatever starlet celebrity is in jail right now. One part of me doesn't want to see them go through something like that. The other part of me is laughing uncontrollably thinking that they deserve nothing more.
And I can't help but think that my views would be changed if they (a) didn't get chance after chance after chance and lenient punishments, and (b) if they would be treated like "normal" people who might get a five minute spot on the local news but not national and perhaps international news. It almost seems that, when a young celebrity has their popularity falling, boozing things up, getting high, flashing crowds with various body parts, and acting like you have a negative IQ will top out your ratings. Acting like a fool will get you your popularity back.
And sometimes I don't even think that that will help. I don't think that you can really have a comeback until you've cleaned yourself up. Look at Robert Downing Jr. He was a mess, and then he got cleaned up, got his act together, and became Tony Stark AKA Iron Man. I haven't seen the second movie yet, but the first one seemed like a huge success. With his downward spiral, his work suffered. It was only after he got things together did his work seem to improve. No longer was he cast in bad movies. Now he's working in the superhero gig -- which is becoming the new "big" Hollywood thing to do. Why? Because that's what's interesting people nowadays. And if you're working in some sort of superhero (or even Zombie movie, because, let's face it: zombies kick ass!), you're working with what's popular among the "little people" -- i.e. us.
So, maybe this will be a lesson to Miss Lohan and all the other stars that are young, getting into the wrong crowds, doing drugs and booze, and acting like an idiot. Maybe this will show them that they're not going to be exempt from the same laws that govern us just because they have money. When it comes right down to it, just because they're actors doesn't mean that they can do illegal things -- things that would land the rest of the population in jail with no second or third or fourth chances. (Although, the glass-half-empty side of me is telling me that this is just going to go through one ear and out the other. When you're young, you think that nothing can touch you, but, baby, you're dead wrong.)
Hollywood says that no publicity is bad publicity, but I think they're wrong. I think that it's ridiculous how celebrities are behaving -- young, old, and everything in between. There should be a public persona and a private persona -- something that doesn't need to be aired out like dirty laundry. It's not good for their fans -- especially the younger ones who idolize and look-up to these people. Yes, they should have the ability to be people -- to not have their mistakes and wrongs broadcast all over the place every five minutes on every other channel -- but they should also realize that, with their fame and popularity, there comes people who can't separate between the fantasy and reality or forgive mistakes or realize what these celebrities are doing is wrong or some form of illegal -- be it because they're young and impressionable, blinded by their fandom-love, or decreased awareness. And I'll be honest -- I think that it's also the parents' job or the job of their caretaker to try to show them that there is a difference between how they act and what is actually "socially acceptable." A parent shouldn't let their daughter, for example, dress like a two-dollar hooker because Celebrity X is dressing that way. It may seem like the parent is being too strict or harsh or "square", but once the daughter learns that dressing like a whore isn't going to make life any easier, they'll look back and thank their parent. And it would likewise make the job of the guardian easier if the really popular stars set a good example. Let's face it -- an impressionable child would rather listen to Hollywood and magazines than their parents. That's life: how it's always been and probably always will be.
(If there were more role models like the Mythbusters cast, I think that it wouldn't be so bad. They're intelligent and funny, popular, and they haven't had any serious -- or not so serious -- run in's with the law. Just saying!)
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