Oscar's Grouch

What's up with Gary Busey's crazy antics at the 80th Annual Academy Awards? Apparently, Busey was almost to the point of being escorted off the red carpet for harassing American Idol and E! host Ryan Seacrest as he was attempting to interview actresses Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney. Things escalated when Busey then moved on to Garner herself, kissing her unexpectedly on the neck and making her uncomfortable to the point that Linney pulled out the "girlfriend escape card" and dragged Garner away. While I don't remember seeing this moment during the televised pre-show on the red carpet, it didn't take long for the video to circulate the Internet and raise questions on Busey's mental health, if not social health.


I feel kinda sorry for Busey, as he used to be an A-list celebrity, nominated for an Oscar at the high point in his career. Over the years, however, it seems Busey has earned a reputation as a "nut" of Hollywood ever since he suffered brain damage in a serious motorcycle accident, and most people couldn't name a movie he's been in within this decade. In fact, the only movie I can really remember him from is Rookie of the Year where he played, ironically enough today, a famous baseball player whose best years were behind him. Although most of the attention in the movie was drawn away by boyishly cute Timothy Ian Nicholas, Busey's only important line of "Throw the heat" was good enough to render him a slot in our memories. Busey seemed to really want to be interviewed by Seacrest, well, it was more like he wanted for somebody to WANT to interview him.

But, back to the video. I can only assume that Linney was whispering to Garner something along the lines of "this guy is crazy we need to walk away as soon as possible." Linney probably didn't have time to say that Busey is THE Gary Busey and I felt particularly sorry for Garner who didn't seem to even know who Busey is, referring to him as "this man." She looked genuinely scared especially with the absence of hubby Ben Affleck. Even more interesting was the woman Busey was dragging around as his date for the evening. If Busey was attempting to get attention and getting nowhere, this woman was attempting something doubly impossible. She stuck her face into people's conversations, shaking hands with people who looked at her with blank stares. But, I suppose that made her a perfect date for Busey. I don't quite understand what Busey was doing at the Oscars to begin with. I always wondered how old celebrities got invites to the Academy Awards every year. I suppose once you have been nominated for an Oscar you have a permanent invitation to the shindig. Poor Busey. I suggest next time he watch the show from the comfort of his own, camera free, home. It would save him much embarrassment and won't revamp the phrase of 15-minutes-of-fame into 15-things-not-to-do-on-the-red-carpet. In case these things escape you here they are:

• DO NOT harass reporters for attention or interviews
  
• DO NOT forget to brush your hair
  
• DO NOT bring a date more desperate for attention than you
  
• DO NOT act like everybody knows who you are
  
• DO NOT talk to people who don't seem to want to talk to you
  
• DO NOT embarrass yourself in front of millions of people
  
• DO NOT kiss a married celebrity
  
• DO NOT kiss a woman half your age
  
• DO NOT kiss a woman who doesn't know who you are
  
• DO NOT kiss Jennifer Garner
  
• DO NOT call yourself Gary Busey
  
• DO NOT talk like Gary Busey
  
• DO NOT act like you are "stoned"
  
• DO NOT interrupt interviews that aren't your own
  
• DO NOT mess with Ryan Seacrest
  

Celebrity Obsessions Peaking

What's up with the incredible increase in celebrity obsession? Has anyone noticed that we learn more about the lives of a handful of select famous-faces (ranging A-D on the celeb scale because gossip is never prejudice) than we do about our own families? I find it alarming that the media is more concerned with the newest person to grace Paris Hilton's beef list 2008 or where Cameron Diaz ate lunch last Wednesday. I realize this discussion lies on the borders of hypocrisy considering the fact that I am sitting here perpetuating the cycle of surreality obsession. But, my intention is to facet a better understanding as to why I have chosen to keep up with a blog on celebrity gossip rather than any one of a multitude of other topics more worthy of a person's time. Such as the following topics being explored by my classmates:

• Politics
• The Iraq War
• Guitars
• Coffee
• Tattoos and Piercings
• Fashion

In fact, this is a post long overdue, and which probably should have been my first one. Well, I think I have figured it out. My life is boring and real news is either depressing or uninteresting. My stomach tightens and my eyes water when I sit and attempt to watch what is going on in the world. So, of course it is much more fun to watch, read, and laugh at the seemingly perfect lives of celebrities either fall apart or get destroyed. Then again, there is such thing as a nice gossip, but that wouldn't be any fun would it?

Depp, Law, and Farrell...all for one

What's up with three actors substituting for Heath Ledger in his unfinished movie? I'll tell you what's up: my respect for actors and human beings. I think it is so fantastic that Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell (though this choice makes me skeptical on choice of actor) have reportedly stepped up to share the character played by Heath Ledger in the unfinished film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus."

www.comcast.net

Ledger's unfinished film centers around a fantastical world with three dimensions, making it easy to allow the face of Ledger's character to change. Apparently, the film's budget was supported by the name Ledger carried into the project, so bringing in three well-known actors was a necessity for the production team. While I am sure that these three actors will be getting paid for their performances, I think it takes great humbleness to set aside ego and support a fallen comrade. Most actors find it degrading to step in as a so-called "substitute," but I would not be surprised for anyone to consider it an honor to sub for the great Heath Ledger. Yes, I understand he was not around for that long, nor was he involved in many well-known projects, but in anything I have seen him in, I have never been disappointed, and I have always been pleasantly surprised. I am incredibly happy that Ledger was able to finish the role as Joker, however, for the upcoming Batman sequel. Just the pictures of his character makes me eager to watch the movie and see Ledger's take on one of the greatest villains of all time. The last actor to play the Joker, Jack Nicholson, is one of the toughest acts to follow, but it has been said that while Nicholson focused on the Joker's comedicly evil side, Ledger focused more on the evil itself. I am sure Ledger's performance will have more people wishing he had stayed around longer, if not indefinitely.

Queen of the night

What's up with Aretha's attack on Beyonce? Apparently when Beyonce introduced Tina Turner onto the stage at the 2008 Grammy's, the choice of words, although performed via an abstract mixture of song, narration, and dance, was not to Aretha's liking. Perhaps it was the fact that Beyonce mentioned more than 10 other historical and influential, black, singers before introducing Turner as the "queen." Aretha was included in these other references, of course, but not as "The Queen of Soul," which she was is so famously remembered as far back as 1960.http://www.aretha-franklin.com/

"I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce," Franklin said, "However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."

In my opinion, the night belonged to Turner, not Franklin, and the fact that Turner was called the "queen" doesn't suggest for a moment that she was upstaging or stealing the name bestowed upon Franklin. I mean, is she mad at Queen Latifah? or Queen Elizabeth II? The irony is that Turner does carry a title as the "Queen of Rock and Roll," which is perfect for a duet with Beyonce, as her music has taken a slight shift in that direction, lately. So what made Franklin get so offended? I think the real problem Franklin has is that she wasn't offered the prestigious position of performing at the Grammys, and following that long-wanted path of "Great Comebacks." Even Beyonce's father, and manager, is perplexed at Franklin's very public statement. Mr. Knowles counter-acted with a public statement of his own: "I am not taking something this ridiculous to Beyonce. Beyonce referred to Tina Turner as a 'queen.' Not queen of gospel, queen of soul, queen of blues, Queen of England. I consider my wife a queen and sometimes call her that. Does Aretha have a problem with that?" I suppose we can give Franklin a small break, considering she has had such an influence on the music world today and she's in her 60s. At least the performance that night was worth this stir of controversy.

Rehab...the greatest thing since sliced bread

What's up with the latest popular trend among the rich and the famous: rehab?

While many celebrities reject the term "rehabilitation" and prefer the more flattering term "relaxation," the bottom line is that a large number of well-known names are filing exhaustion as a reason for a random check-in. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and anxiety are among other reason for celebrities' visits to centers such as Promises Treatment Center and Passages. So who can be held responsible for this surge of celebrity visits?

Well, we could say that Britney Spears is the initiator of the raging trend. The young pop star has pretty much started a tab of rehabilitation center stay receipts in the United States, with stays ranging from a matter of hours to almost a week. The question is whether these centers are doing anything for the 26-year-old. www.newsday.com

Does she keep leaving and checking back in because they can't help her or is it because she really thinks that there isn't anything wrong with her? Isn't it part of the centers' job to determine when a patient is healthy enough to leave the care they applied into? Spears has generated enormous amounts of publicity with her constant ins and outs, but at least she has her very public custody battle to draw attention away. I can't really say that much for Lindsay Lohan.


blog.daylife.com

It's been a downward spiral for the actress, like many others, with her life of endless drinking, smoking, partying and drugs. It wasn't until recently, however, that Lohan came out to say that rehab has actually helped her out a lot. In fact, her testimony is one of the only positive personal testimonies of a recovering celebrity that I have seen. Call me crazy, though, I think this whole "I was so stupid" scene is simply a way for her to get some of her fans back, especially after being arrested more than twice and having her latest two flicks flop. Whether or not it will work will depend on the next few months, but I don't think anybody has really lost interest in her anyway, at least not as a celebrity, but maybe as an actress and fortunately as a singer.

Amy Winehouse may deserve the best recognition for the rehab trend, now that I think about it. I mean, when it comes to rehab, she wrote the song:





The irony lies in the song itself, considering she was recently placed into rehab after her boyfriend was arrested for domestic violence, among other charges. It doesn't end with just her, though, Grey's Anatomy star Justin Chambers, and film stars Eva Mendes and Kirsten Dunst have all recently checked into rehab for "exhaustion" and other reasons. I think it's kind of crazy that they need to go to a rehab center to relax, while the rest of us make plans to take what we call a "vacation." But, I suppose when you have enough money to pay people to relax you for yourself, then you can go and do whatever you want. The least they could do is call it what it is, though, I mean, they can't all have drug problems...can they?

Opps she does it again...or did she?

Well, if you haven't already started to feel bad for Britney Spears, this may be your chance to feel like a sympathetic celebrity stalker. The 26-year-old pop star has been ordered by a court to receive a series of mental examinations to determine if she is able to fully understand her current legal position, including her on-going custody battle with ex-husband K-Fed. Personally, I think the poor woman should have had somebody give her a psyche evaluation when she married Kevin Federline and then proceeded to have two kids with him. Or, maybe somebody should have called her out when she shaved all her hair off, attacked a car with an umbrella, or when she got the silent cricket treatment at her hideous lip-syncing performance in a way-too-tight ensemble that would normally cause the FCC to switch to censor and fee mode. I used to think that she simply enjoyed the attention she received. I mean, didn't somebody once say that any publicity is good publicity?



But, lately my opinion on the whole Britney thing has somewhat changed. The more and more I hear about her check-ins to rehab and the fact that she locked herself in a room with her son so that he wouldn't be taken away from her makes me feel sad for the singer. Anybody can say that she is crazy, but, lately, I see her as a mother who just doesn't want to lose her children and I don't believe her actions constitute her as crazy. It seems like so many people are quick to attack her with reference to the fact that she has lived a life of luxury and deserves the scrutiny she gets. Well, maybe this is true, but she is still a mother and while she had more luxuries than most teens, she didn't really have an actual childhood; and for that, I pity her. Add company to the madness and you have her oddly involved manager Sam Lutfi, who was recently issued a restraining order under charges that he was drugging Britney, setting her up for paparazzi attacks and taking control of all her finances. Now, her parents are in charge of Britney's assets and are taking Lutfi to court. I think it is about time that her family stood up and took her situation seriously. I feel that it is partly their fault for letting Britney dig herself into a doomed marriage and lousy management. I really hope that her time in the rehab center, the medical evaluations and the now primary attention from her parents will help her gain control of her life, and maybe even her kids. I mean, Kevin Federline: "Father of The Year?" Now who's crazy?