Hollywood and Mental Illness

This summer has been rough, hasn't it? We lost lots of young talent and TV personalities lately. Amanda Bynes will hopefully be saved, but I'm not sure the media will be saved. Yep, I am one of the people who has to cover celebrities with drug addictions, mental illness and trips to rehab. So, I am guilty as charged. However, I do feel like we have a responsibility to some of these celeb having public breakdowns.

I got to a point midway through the Bynes saga where I just felt sorry for her. I didn't want to write about her latest cry for attention on Twitter. I didn't want to hear who she targeted for her latest "you're ugly" comment. I just wanted her to get help.

The problem is that it ain't easy.  Every comment I read on articles about the former Nickelodeon star insinuated that her parents were horrible for not helping their daughter. Hey guys, guess what? Their daughter is over 18 years old, she can do whatever she wants. It wasn't until she had an epic event like burning someone's driveway that the law could finally do something with her. She's on an involuntary psychiatric hold where she is reportedly being treated for schizophrenia. It's a lot less funny now, right?

In the last week, the entertainment community has lost a reality TV star with Gia Allemand and Rizzoli & Isles star Lee Thompson Young to suicide. Depression runs deep and for some, suicide seems to be the only answer. Sadly, Allemand and Young felt like they had no other place to turn. 

In this 24/7 news cycle that I actively participate in, I want Hollywood to step up and be more sensitive to those that are suffering. I hope we don't see another saga like Amanda Bynes or even Paris Jackson. I hope their story has a better ending like Britney Spears who has moved forward with her life under controlled circumstances. 

Let's try to understand a bit more about mental illness and depression. Perhaps one more life will be saved.

If you need help, reach out to someone: National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Media Mondays

It's kind of awesome to see the shows that were taped on Stage 8 on the Fox lot.

How was your weekend?  I hit a screening of the animated film Epic on the Fox lot as a follow-up to the article I did for SheKnows and I had fun on the red carpet with a lot of familiar faces from SYTYCD and DWTS at last night's Shaping Sounds performance. That article will be out later this week.

In the meantime, here are my media appearances from last week.

AfterBuzz TV DWTS:  I cannot believe we are here: finale week. I'm going to miss my weekly chats with Anna, Suri, and Jake, but we will be back next fall. (Although I do hope Anna is back on the show as a pro!)  See our interview with Henry Bylalikov here.

AfterBuzz TV SYTYCD:  Jake and Chloe West join AJ Gibson and I for our first week on SYTYCD. It's weird doing both shows at once. If you missed last week's show, you can watch it below. We will be moving in the DWTS slot beginning next week.



SheKnows:
Paris Hilton speaks up about The Bling Ring:  I cannot wait to see this Sofia Coppola movie. It was big news here in LA when the thefts happened.
Jaden Smith wants emancipation for his 15th birthday:  The Smith family has an interesting way of raising their kids and their kids are kind of bratty.
Miley Cyrus' engagement ring is back on her finger: While I don't think she should get married so young, I like this badass new version of Miley.

Tom Barnard Podcast:  I dished way too much gossip about Jeremy Piven. Way too much. I come in right at the beginning. Listen here.

The Radio Dish:  I talk about Britney Spears heading to Vegas and Carrie Underwood as the new voice of Sunday Night Football. Listen in at the 22:05 mark.

Also, listen later today to start your entertainment news week:
1:30pm PT Metro News Hotline with Dave Weekley