Life imitates art in Sopranoes

[killercroc]

Did you guys see about the kid that plays AJ? He was arrested for having pot and for robbing a couple of kids.

Personally, I'm not to upset about the pot, he was only hurting himself. But to rob someone when you're already a highly paid TV star is incredibly lame. What a spoiled brat! Of course, he says his friends did it and he didn't even know they were doing it.

Yeah, right. How could he not know? He's just trying to save his butt.

[James Harvey]

I totally agree here! The kid, Robert Iler (or Iher) has it made! He's loaded to the gills, yet still goes out and tries to rob someone. I just don't get this! WHile there's a 2% chance he's actually innocent, it's hard to believe when they find a water pipe on him.

[DR. BELCH]

....no surprise here, but I like to examine these things from a psychological perspective. There is a term that has been making the rounds of AM talk radio called "fear of success". At first I thought it sounded like total horsepuckey; if I'm succeeding in life, my biggest fear is frigging up and losing it all. However, look at the long list of celebrities that have had it all and then inexplicably sabotaged themselves: Robert Downey Jr., Pee-Wee Herman, O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump, Zsa-Zsa Gabor, Michael Jackson, Shannen Doherty...what does this say? Is the drive towards self-destruction an innate abberation, or is it socially-inspired--i.e. "Yeah, he's rich, he has everything, he's a s.o.b who doesn't deserve to breathe." I suppose a big question here is success' effect on the emotionally unstable and childish. This is what happens when we crown immature men as gods.

[Calhoun07]

Who can truly handle success on that scale? I don't think there is one person on this planet who can be equipped for that kind of fame, but I suppose there are those who cope with it better than some. They make private time so they don't go over the edge. But nobody, I don't care how mentally balanced they are, can take having their lives in a fish bowl.

[James Harvey]

I was hoping we'd have one generation where the child actors don't resort to drugs or breaking the law. But being in a fish bowl is alot to handle when yer only 16.

[Calhoun07]

Child actors rarely surface unscathed. Some do better than others, tho, but I think it's the ones who manage to get out of the lime light at the right time, but others are scarred for life.

[Nightwing]

That's right. But unfortunately, I think it's not that suprising. I mean, look how sleezy and crappy Hollywood is. Lord only knows it'll have a bad effect on the child actors. Things can just get.....screwed up some way or another.

So I doubt that punk is innocent. What a stupid thing to do, BUT, since things like that can happen, I'm sure there is some sort of explaination, whether it's a happy one or not.

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
Robert Downey Jr., Pee-Wee Herman, O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump, Zsa-Zsa Gabor, Michael Jackson, Shannen Doherty.....

I don't think it's all about the fame, I think, as psychology says, it depends with the individual. So it might just take longer for some to turn over to Hollywood's dark side than it does others. I don't think the thing with Michael Jackson was about fame as much as it was how he has opinions and actions that freak me out. And I think Donald Trump is a jerk and pretty much always has been. And I'm a little iffy on the Pee Wee Herman thing. I think he's really funny and that unfortunate incident was freaky, but I think forgiveness should have been found somewhere. I dunno, maybe I don't know the whole story. Or maybe it's because I grew up with his great show.

[Vigo Sprax]

I heard a couple days before incident of some band member, I can't remember the band's name but its a big one, who was all strung up on heroine and with some guys whent and stole some SUV. Kinda crazy huh?