With today's obsession with celebrities, it's hard to remember at times that they are human. Because they are so scrutinized, people are often quick to offer their two-cents. Celebrities become easy fodder for the media, and everything they do is thrown into the spotlight. So when they break, it becomes a field day for those who are willing to monopolize off of their downfalls. They are no longer seen as people who are suffering. Instead, they become targets.
Britney Spears
Who can forget her descent into self-destruction? From lopping off her locks to her bizarre performance at the 2007 MTV awards, Britney became the favorite target for paparazzi. Considering how young she was when she started her career, the pressure of fame would eventually consume her. From a brief marriage (twice), two kids, stints in and out of rehab, the pressure from being constantly pushed into the spotlight would catapult Britney into a tailspin of destruction. She lost her children, her career hit an all time low, and everyone wanted to cash in on her illness. Only time will tell if she is capable of gaining back what she once had.
Tom Cruise
From calling Matt Lauer glib to jumping on Oprah's couch, made people wonder “What the heck is up with this guy?” No one can forget his tirade with Matt Lauer on drugs and psychology. And while his antics on Oprah's show made it seem like he was just a guy in love, everyone had to make such a huge deal out of it. Perhaps it was a bit out of the ordinary for a man to be jumping on a couch, or maybe it's his belief in Scientology. Who am I to judge? You should see what my hubby does on a daily basis.
Amy Winehouse
Clearly this girl is crying for help. From public drunkenness, smoking a crack pipe on video, and walking around in disarray, she has become a new favorite for paparazzi. She's been known to spit on her fans during concerts, start fights, and publicly cut herself during a Spin magazine interview. Her song “Rehab” mirrors her life, and she still continues to implode.
Owen Wilson
It's hard to imagine that someone as funny as this guy could be depressed. Depression however, strikes millions of people. Rumors had speculated that Wilson was battling a heroin and cocaine addiction, which catapulted into a suicide attempt. He took pills and slashed his wrists, but fortunately was rushed to the hospital to seek medical attention. Others in his situation (like Marilyn Monroe) have not been so fortunate.
Mariah Carey
In 2001, she reportedly suffered a breakdown. It was obvious she was overworking herself, and whether or not this led to a “breakdown” is anyone's guess. But her antics are indicative of one. She pushed around a popsicle cart and did a “striptease” on MTV's Total Request Live, and not long after the incident, she checked herself into a hospital. However, it seems that the stress of producing music and the death of her father only added to her tumult. But by 2005, with the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah was able to bring herself back on top.
Anna Nicole Smith
The media loved to massacre her on the frontlines. Her slurring of words and bizarre behavior on her show, to her addiction of medications, not to mention her weight gain/loss, made it easy for the paparazzi to make fun of this woman. And when her son as well as herself, tragically died, her life became a circus for the media. Never mind that she had just had a child who will one day have to confront the memories of what was once said about her mother's life.
Syd Barrett
He was one of the co-founders of Pink Floyd. But he left the group in 1968, due to mental illness and heavy drug abuse. He recorded two albums with Pink Floyd before going into self-seclusion that lasted more than 30 years. His antics on stage (deigning to play the guitar or just wandering around stage, made the fans love him, but annoyed his band mates. He dabbled heavily with LSD and even once cut off his hair at a dinner party while locked up in a bathroom. Purportedly his heavy LSD use made his mental illness worse, and in 2006, he passed away from pancreatic cancer.
Stephen Glover
Also known as Steve-O, this crazy guy of MTV's famed Jackass, has made millions of teens, and college kids laugh with hysteria. Little did anyone know, was that he suffers from bi-polar disease and has battled with various kinds of drug addictions. After trying to battle his drug addictions, he was moved to a mental ward at LA's Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Friends began to suspect that something deeper was happening when Steve-O began to act erratically, and show up on shows heavily inebriated.
Sean Young
She has been notorious for many bizarre antics, like donning a Catwoman suit in a desperate attempt to score the role. She heckled director Julian Schnabel's acceptance speech at the Director's Guild of America. She tried to crash an Oscar party in 2006, and was also reported to have stalked an ex-lover. It is now known that she suffers from alcoholism.
Courtney Love
She's been known to flash people (including David Letterman). She's violent at times, irrational, has battled drug-abuse, and has even been arrested for hurling a microphone stand into an audience and hitting a kid in the head. And while she's admitted to having a nervous breakdown, there's no telling what to expect next from this troubled lady.
