Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week or so - or, for some reason, haven’t visited anything online except your email - I’d be willing to bet you’ve at least caught a whiff of Rihanna’s upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer tonight on ABC’s 20/20. It’s the first time the star has spoken publicly, and at length, about not only the night Chris Brown physically attacked her, but also the whirlwind of events that followed including how [...]]]>

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week or so - or, for some reason, haven’t visited anything online except your email - I’d be willing to bet you’ve at least caught a whiff of Rihanna’s upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer tonight on ABC’s 20/20. It’s the first time the star has spoken publicly, and at length, about not only the night Chris Brown physically attacked her, but also the whirlwind of events that followed including how the media storm that followed made her feel like “Britney Spears” and how she wanted to forget the entire thing and for life - and their relationship - to just return to normal.

Although you’ll have to tune in tonight to catch the entire segment, Good Morning America showed brief clips from the interview yesterday morning and this morning, both of which feature Diane Sawyer and Rihanna addressing issues we looked at here shortly after the incident became public and it looked as though Rihanna might reconcile with Chris Brown - for example, the concern that, by going back to Chris Brown, Rihanna might be sending the wrong message to girls about abusive behavior:

“It’s completely normal to go back. It’s not right. I learned the hard way, but again, this is what I want people to know [...] When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn’t be held responsible for going back.” (ABC News)

In addition to questioning Rihanna’s decision to go back to Chris Brown, we seemed to wonder - perhaps even on a daily basis - about the couple’s every move for a long while after the incident. Chris Brown lost endorsements and movie promotion spots, and we speculated (still, for reasons unbeknown to me) whether Rihanna would lose her endorsements, too. We also wondered about the third-parties involved (specifically Rihanna’s father and Puff Daddy or P. Diddy or Diddy or whatever - I cannot keep up with that man’s names) and whether Chris Brown was an abuser and what label meant.

Although I’ve only watched the two clips from the interview so far, it seems as if Rihanna has regained her footing since February. She seems to have come to terms - healthy terms - with what happened to her. She knows it wasn’t her fault. She also seems to have learned a lot about love, the kind of obsession she mentions, and relationships in general.

So, where does she go from here?

Now that she’s broken her silence, can we expect to see Rihanna take on the role of some kind of spokesperson against domestic violence? Rita Smith, the executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, thinks she’d be good at it.

Or, now that she’s had her say and issued her advice and warning to other women, can we expect Rihanna to try to detach herself as much as possible from the past and move forward with nothing more but the wisdom she gained from it?

Perhaps we’ll find out tonight.

Until then, what do you think she’ll do? For that matter, what would you do?

If you were excited about the chance to bid on “God of Carnage” tickets and schmooze time with James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden, you might also be happy to know that at its third annual dinner auction, the Karla Smith Foundation is going to accept bids to meet Glenn Close, the Oscar-nominated and Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe award-winning actress and the famous face behind the new mental illness organization Bring Change 2 Mind.

On November 7, 2009, the Karla [...]]]>

If you were excited about the chance to bid on “God of Carnage” tickets and schmooze time with James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden, you might also be happy to know that at its third annual dinner auction, the Karla Smith Foundation is going to accept bids to meet Glenn Close, the Oscar-nominated and Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe award-winning actress and the famous face behind the new mental illness organization Bring Change 2 Mind.

On November 7, 2009, the Karla Smith Foundation will hold its third annual dinner auction at the Fountains Conference Center in Fairview Heights, Illinois, and in addition to a trip to New York, a trip to West Palm Beach, a baseball autographed by Albert Pujols, jewelry, and a week spent at Camp Ondessonk, attendees will be able to bid on the Glenn Close package (it’s not really called that; I just made it up) which includes a meeting with Close and:

• Travel and accommodations
• Theater tickets
• A tour of the set of Close’s hit television show Damages

If you’re wondering, “Who is Karla Smith? What is this organization that’s offering such awesome auction items?”, the Karla Smith Foundation website sums up its history and purpose best:

Karla Smith’s seven-year struggle with bipolar disorder began when she was 19. It culminated with her suicide at age 26. In her memory, the Smith family continues her commitment to help other families face these challenges.

Karla Smith Foundation, founded by Tom, her father, Fran, her mother, and Kevin, her twin brother, is an avenue to share family experiences which similarly impact thousands of others.

(Of course, you can learn more when you peruse the entire website.)

To my understanding, you have to attend the dinner auction to be able to bid, so it might not be the most convenient thing for those of you who don’t live near Illinois; but, if any of you do attend, be sure to stop back by and let us know how it goes!

Out of those of you who weren’t familiar with Daniel Johnston when I told you about his performance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival last month, I’m willing to bet more than a few of you found him interesting (even if you read only my brief introduction to him).

So, I thought I’d pass along Fiona Shepherd’s interview with Johnston over at Scotsman.com.

Apparently, a new Daniel Johnston biopic is currently in the works - which Shepherd addresses along with [...]]]>

Out of those of you who weren’t familiar with Daniel Johnston when I told you about his performance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival last month, I’m willing to bet more than a few of you found him interesting (even if you read only my brief introduction to him).

So, I thought I’d pass along Fiona Shepherd’s interview with Johnston over at Scotsman.com.

Apparently, a new Daniel Johnston biopic is currently in the works - which Shepherd addresses along with lyrics to various Johnston songs - but what I found most interesting was Johnston’s comments on the first film about him, Jeff Feuerzeig’s 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston:

Johnston’s response to the film is ambivalent. “I didn’t know what to think about it because it was such exploitation,” he says, “but I finally surrendered and just decided that it’s kind of humorous.” So did he feel exploited? “Not at the time when they were filming,” he says. “It didn’t seem like it until the movie was finished. Even the title was a surprise – man, that’s pretty radical.”

Johnston felt exploited? Well, that’s completely understandable.

At the same time, however, I wonder if he felt like the documentary did any good (you know - aside from the “humor” part). I am in no way an expert on Daniel Johnston, but over the years I’ve ran into reader and viewer comments on various sites where fans have clearly stated Johnston’s successes despite his struggles with mental illness have inspired them - given them hope, and an example of living proof of the fact that people can succeed and live their dreams, regardless of what “obstacles” might stand in their way.

It’s probably a pretty safe bet that The Devil and Daniel Johnston WASN’T the first (or only) thing that gave EVERY fan insight into Johnston’s personal life, but it’s also probably a pretty safe bet that the film WAS the first thing that introduced SOME people to his story.

Does that make it an even trade? A few moments (days, weeks, years) of feeling exploited for a lifetime of inspiring and offering hope to people dealing with the same kinds of issues?

The announcement I received stated -

Win tickets to the Broadway show “God of Carnage” (including meet and greets with stars, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden), a set visit to “Nurse Jackie” and “CSI”, an appearance as a character in an upcoming work by acclaimed writer Patricia [...]]]> Speaking of celebrities and mental health organizations, Joey Pantoliano’s No Kidding, Me Too! is now one of the charities you can support when you bid on or buy “items” at CharityFolks.com.

The announcement I received stated -

Win tickets to the Broadway show “God of Carnage” (including meet and greets with stars, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden), a set visit to “Nurse Jackie” and “CSI”, an appearance as a character in an upcoming work by acclaimed writer Patricia Cornwell, and much, much more!

- but featured on the CharityFolks.com page for No Kidding, Me Too! right now, I only see the auction for the “God of Carnage” tickets and meetings with James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden. I don’t know if that means the other auctions have already ended or if they’re still coming up.

And, while we’re on Joey Pantoliano’s efforts, remember his trip to Iraq a while back? The NKM2 website now features a video and photos from that trip where he, along with Dr. Bob Irvin, a psychiatrist at McLean Hospital, and actress Lisa Jay, showed troops his documentary (also titled “No Kidding, Me Too!”) and held discussions with them about mental illness and coping mechanisms.

It is absolutely heartbreaking to listen to these soldiers talk about thoughts of killing themselves. Most of us can’t imagine what they’re going through - or have gone through - and I expect that kind of inexperience and unawareness doesn’t help these men and women any once they get home. Fortunately, organizations like Joey Pantoliano’s No Kidding, Me Too!, Glenn Close’s Bring Change 2 Mind, and Paige Hemmis’s Blueprint for Hope represent just a small handful of the people - celebrity or not - out there who not only care about and want to help folks struggling with mental health problems, but who also have personal life experience with these very kinds of issues.

If you’re struggling with issues in your personal life (say, mental health problems, a rocky pseudo-marriage, or a tumultuous relationship with your family, for example), I imagine the last thing you need is a fairly well-known investigative reporter and best-selling author to write a book about your woes.

Yet, that’s exactly what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (really, more emphasis on Angelina Jolie) are getting when Ian Halperin’s new book, Brangelina Exposed, hits shelves on December 1, 2009.

Halperin, who’s probably currently [...]]]>

If you’re struggling with issues in your personal life (say, mental health problems, a rocky pseudo-marriage, or a tumultuous relationship with your family, for example), I imagine the last thing you need is a fairly well-known investigative reporter and best-selling author to write a book about your woes.

Yet, that’s exactly what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (really, more emphasis on Angelina Jolie) are getting when Ian Halperin’s new book, Brangelina Exposed, hits shelves on December 1, 2009.

Halperin, who’s probably currently most notable for penning the July 2009 New York Times bestseller Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson, but whose resume also includes Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain, Celine Dion: Behind The Fairytale - A Very, Very, Unauthorized Biography (nice disclaimer), and Shut Up and Smile: Supermodels, the Dark Side, apparently leaves no stone unturned with Brangelina Exposed: According to UsWeekly.com, the author parses “through Pitt’s marriage to Jennifer Aniston and the ‘real reason’ for their infamous split,” “hones in on Jolie’s dark past, reporting ‘new details of her volatile relationship with and estrangement from her father Jon Voight, her struggles with suicidal impulses, her heroin use, her sexual exploits and her remarkable rise to become an Oscar-winning actress’,” and uses the book to “introduce ‘the key figure behind the scenes who orchestrated her makeover into a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.’”

Whether it’s out of respect for the celebrities’ privacy or out of frustration over scandalous gossip overload, celebrity bloggers and their readers - for the most part - aren’t reacting favorably thus far. I imagine reactions might be a bit different if the book were, say, at least co-written by one or both of the stars, but, as it is, we’re getting some pretty serious and personal information from a supposedly heavily-sourced third party.

So, will I be standing in line at Borders on December 1?

Only if Stephenie Meyer finally wraps up Midnight Sun and the release date just happens to be the first day of December.

In other words, no.

What about you?

Last Wednesday, Oscar-nominated and Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe award-winning actress and mental health advocate Glenn Close and her sister Jessie Close launched BringChange2Mind.org.

Similar to Paige Hemmis’s Blueprint for Hope campaign and Joe Pantoliano’s No Kidding, Me Too! organization, Bring Change 2 Mind is a nonprofit organization geared toward helping raise awareness about mental illness as well as providing information and support to people with mental illness and is already receiving positive reactions from Good Morning America, The View, [...]]]>

Last Wednesday, Oscar-nominated and Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe award-winning actress and mental health advocate Glenn Close and her sister Jessie Close launched BringChange2Mind.org.

Similar to Paige Hemmis’s Blueprint for Hope campaign and Joe Pantoliano’s No Kidding, Me Too! organization, Bring Change 2 Mind is a nonprofit organization geared toward helping raise awareness about mental illness as well as providing information and support to people with mental illness and is already receiving positive reactions from Good Morning America, The View, MSNBC’s Dr. Nancy, and AOL Health and, on launch day, The Huffington Post featured “Mental Illness: The Stigma of Silence,” a Close-written article in which the actress dives into her personal experiences with mental illness - experiences that have played roles in her quite active involvement with mental health advocacy:

I also have the challenge of confronting the far less entertaining reality of mental illness in my own family. As I’ve written and spoken about before, my sister suffers from a bipolar disorder and my nephew from schizoaffective disorder. There has, in fact, been a lot of depression and alcoholism in my family and, traditionally, no one ever spoke about it. It just wasn’t done. The stigma is toxic. And, like millions of others who live with mental illness in their families, I’ve seen what they endure: the struggle of just getting through the day, and the hurt caused every time someone casually describes someone as “crazy,” “nuts,” or “psycho”.

In addition to Close’s PSA, Bring Change 2 Mind so far offers:

• A Learn the Facts section where you can learn the facts about certain mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD (you’ll need to mouse over “Learn the Facts” to access this).
• An excellent Get the Help You Need resource section filled with the contact information of numerous mental health groups.
• A Contact Us section of a different variety (this form helps you find the best mental health organization for your situation).
• Suggestions on how you can Be Involved.
• An area where you can Share Your Story by posting your own video about your experiences with mental illness.

Obviously, I think it’s wonderful when celebrities use their star power to help raise mental health awareness and help eradicate stigma, but what I find even more encouraging is that celebrities like Close, Hemmis, and Pantoliano aren’t just sticking their famous names to a cause - these people actually have firsthand experience, whether it’s as a patient or as a loved one, with mental illness.

Visit BringChange2Mind.org to learn more about the organization, and don’t forget to connect with them on Facebook and YouTube, too.

What’s wrong, kid?

Upset your mom named you Kanye?

What I found a bit more interesting about [...]]]>

Recently published research supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that parents choose names for their babies based on which names happen to be “trendy” at the time. The study was based on 127 years worth of data collected from the Social Security Administration and the results are, in my opinion, common sense.

What’s wrong, kid?

Upset your mom named you Kanye?

What I found a bit more interesting about the study is that lately (1981-2006), the names parents choose are moving more consistently in one direction than they did in the past (1880-1905), a time when the popularity of names seemed to fluctuate from one year to the next.

Todd Gureckis, New York University Assistant Professor of Psychology, and Robert Goldstone, Indiana University-Bloomington Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, compare this more consistent movement in one direction to the stock market:

“Parents in the United States are increasingly sensitive to the change in frequency of a name in recent time, such that names that are gaining in popularity are seen as more desirable than those that have fallen in popularity in the recent past,” the authors note. (www.usatoday.com)

I’m thinking today’s parents are “increasingly sensitive to the change in frequency of a name” thanks to all the advances in today’s technology that allow people to interact much easier and quicker with one another and overall keep up with the goings on of the rest of the world that parents in the past didn’t have.

I’m wondering whether celebrity names play a role in any of this.

Would you consider naming your child after a popular celebrity, or your favorite celebrity? At the same time, would you avoid naming your child after a popular celebrity because that celebrity was popular for undesirable reasons?

I’m not a parent, but I can say that, if I ever am, I won’t give my child a name simply because it’s a popular name at the time - and I surely won’t name my child after any celebrity that happens to be popular at the time.

I would, however, probably give my child a name I felt meant something or reflected some importance to me. (Not really fair to the kid, now that I think about it.) And, knowing me, that name would probably come from some piece of literature, a movie, or a song.

Of course, I’m basing this off examples such as naming my cat Miss Penny Lane (not after The Beatles song; after the Almost Famous character).

So, what do I know?

What about you?

I’ve briefly touched on the subject of Lindsay Lohan’s roller coaster ride through apparent sobriety and…what’s a good antonym for sobriety? Intoxication? Drunkeness? Whatever - you get the point. She’s had her highs and lows over the past few years and, after her DUI arrest in 2007, spent a little over an hour in jail and was placed on three years of probation - probation that carried the requirement of having to attend 86 alcohol education classes.

Friday, Lindsay Lohan [...]]]>

I’ve briefly touched on the subject of Lindsay Lohan’s roller coaster ride through apparent sobriety and…what’s a good antonym for sobriety? Intoxication? Drunkeness? Whatever - you get the point. She’s had her highs and lows over the past few years and, after her DUI arrest in 2007, spent a little over an hour in jail and was placed on three years of probation - probation that carried the requirement of having to attend 86 alcohol education classes.

Friday, Lindsay Lohan appeared in court to get an extension on her probationary period in order to fulfill that alcohol education requirement. It seems that, even though she had nearly three years to do it, she was unable to attend each of the 86 classes because, as her lawyer put it, her work schedule kept her “extremely busy” (an extremely busy work schedule that had already played a role in Lohan getting an approved leave of absence from California for work-related reasons - a leave of absence she apparently thought extended far longer than it did as she failed to resume her classes upon returning to California).

The legal ramifications of driving under the influence depend on the state in which the offense occurs and the offense number. After putting her in jail for 84 minutes, California decided to place Lohan on probation for a three-year period - a three-year period in which she was supposed to complete 86 alcohol education classes. During that time, she failed to meet her probation requirements, and so L.A. Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel granted an extra year to do so.

Out here in the noncelebrity world, failing to meet one’s probation requirements - especially after having several years to do so - isn’t all that easily forgiven by judges. It happens, but it’s not all that common - especially when the offense is related to substance abuse and even more especially when the offense is related to substance abuse that leads the abuser to endangering the lives of others.

You know, like driving under the influence.

If Lindsay Lohan lived where I live - and wasn’t, you know, Lindsay Lohan - and hadn’t met her probation requirements during the three-year window she was given to do so, she probably wouldn’t have been given an extra year to complete them. She’d probably be enrolled in a rehabilitation program (something a bit more involved than substance abuse classes), an intensive supervision program like Drug Court (California has it - I checked), or she’d be sitting in jail right now.

Is California giving Lindsay Lohan special treatment? Maybe because of her celebrity status? And, if so, what kind of message is that sending to other celebrities? To impressionable children? Even if it’s not - even if California is granting her this extra time simply because it wants to give her the benefit of the doubt - is any of this really helping her?

At what point should the state say, “No, Ms. Lohan. You screwed up. You were given a break, and then you screwed that up too. Now it’s not only get get some help, but to learn a little responsibility as well.”

Mike Tyson might be the last person from whom you’d expect to get a lesson on the importance of self-awareness (okay, well maybe not the last - but close to it), but a lesson in self-awareness is definitely what the former heavyweight boxing champion who’s suffered some serious out-of-the-ring life blows over the past few decades offered during a recent interview with Oprah.

Actually, rather than an actual lesson in self-awareness, Tyson’s interview offers a glimpse at how important it [...]]]>

Mike Tyson might be the last person from whom you’d expect to get a lesson on the importance of self-awareness (okay, well maybe not the last - but close to it), but a lesson in self-awareness is definitely what the former heavyweight boxing champion who’s suffered some serious out-of-the-ring life blows over the past few decades offered during a recent interview with Oprah.

Actually, rather than an actual lesson in self-awareness, Tyson’s interview offers a glimpse at how important it is to be aware of oneself - and maybe even a tip on how a person can achieve that awareness.

The key development in Tyson’s life stems from what seems to be a newfound self-awareness following his participation in the movie “Tyson,” a documentary about his life filmed as he went through rehab two years ago. “If I’m not conscious of who I am, I’m just going to let myself run [wild], and I’m going to destroy my beautiful family, and I’m going to destroy myself, and I don’t want to go down that road any more,” he said. (Yahoo! TV Blog)

Tyson hit the nail on the head when he admitted he needed to be conscious of who he is - or else run the risk of destroying himself and everyone and thing in his life. We all need that. Self-awareness is important to one’s emotional awareness and self-confidence, and can come “from taking an inventory of your own strengths and abilities as a human being.”

Of course, not all of us have cameras following us around documenting our every move to help with that self-awareness, so, for those of us without spotlights and microphones, what should we do?

Below are a few articles and websites I’ve checked out that might be of interest. Note that I am in no way affiliated with any of them (besides Psych Central, of course); rather, I’ve simply found articles or information within each one that I think might help:

• Know Thyself: The Role of Awareness in Psychotherapy: Gary Seeman, Ph.D discusses the importance of awareness and how it applies to various kinds of psychotherapies.
• What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?: Steve Bressert, Ph.D. lists self-awareness and its major elements (emotional awareness and self-confidence) as one of the factors that make up your emotional intelligence.
• Building Self-Esteem: Lynn Ponton, MD points out that “meditating twice a day to increase your awareness of the current moment and of the goodness of being alive.”
• SelfCreation.com: This site points out that YOU are the expert when it comes to being aware of yourself, and offers a series of basic self-awareness questions, more specific self-awareness questions, and tips for answering those questions.
• Psychological Exercises for Insight & Self-Awareness Groups: If you choose to, you’ll only be able to complete a few of these as most of them are geared toward groups; however, even the ones you can’t complete on your own are interesting and offer more insight into self-awareness.

How’s your own self-awareness? Is it something you think you’d benefit from working on (we all would, I believe!), or do you already have experience working on self-awareness that’s worked for you?

Last month, Megan Fox shared some pretty personal issues during a Rolling Stone interview - personal to the the tune of a past filled with self-injury and issues with self-loathing, anger, and violence - some of which she seems to have a handle on, and some of which she seems to still be dealing with.

During my thoughts on the interview (thoughts which mostly dealt with OTHER people’s thoughts), I mused on how callus we, the public, can be when it [...]]]>

Last month, Megan Fox shared some pretty personal issues during a Rolling Stone interview - personal to the the tune of a past filled with self-injury and issues with self-loathing, anger, and violence - some of which she seems to have a handle on, and some of which she seems to still be dealing with.

During my thoughts on the interview (thoughts which mostly dealt with OTHER people’s thoughts), I mused on how callus we, the public, can be when it comes to the mental health issues of celebrities - people many of us assume should just be happy because of their fame and fortune. Some of you had thoughts similar to mine and some of you had differing opinions, but for the most part everyone seemed to agree that the public clings to this information in the ways we do because Megan Fox is a celebrity and because she puts herself out there and that, celebrity or not - lovable celebrity or not - such issues should be taken very seriously.

Now it seems someone else has taken an interest in Megan Fox’s mental health.

After announcing the third installment will hit theaters July 1, 2011, Transformers director Michael Bay suggested Megan Fox “consult with a doctor before getting on board.”

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you. (www.michaelbay.com)

Such snark, Mr. Bay.

Granted, Bay and Fox have been “exchanging words” for quite a while - and by “exchanging words,” naturally I’m referring to Fox publicly talking junk about the Transformer movies and Bay’s directing style, and Bay, well, retaliating. Given their history, it’s probably pretty safe to say Bay’s “P.S.” to Fox was in no way related to Fox’s confessions to Rolling Stone. If anything, Bay probably thought he was just being funny.

Still. Let’s play nice this go ’round kiddies. Whadya say?