Wednesday, December 11, 2002
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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 |
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A sad tale of fame and fortune
By MONROE
ROARK Sometimes it seems as though stories about entertainers ruining their lives and families are getting a bit old. But in this age of media dominated by "Entertainment Tonight"-style programs and periodicals - which I affectionately call "Celebrity Butt Kissers" breathlessly reporting every move these people make as if the security of our republic depended on it, perhaps it is wise to attempt to use the tragic events in some celebrities' lives as a lesson to those of us who would consider fame and fortune the end-all of existence. A lot of people in this country sat at attention in front of their television sets last Wednesday night as Diane Sawyer spent an hour with singer-actress Whitney Houston. It was roughly akin to watching a train wreck. I remember seeing her in concert at Chastain Park in Atlanta in 1986, right after the release of her first album. She appeared to have it all a fabulous singing voice, style, great looks, and her whole life ahead of her. I bought her first two albums on cassette tape and wore them out. I also could play most of the songs on the piano (note to guys: chicks dig that). The woman on television last week is a far cry from the rising star of the 1980s. I know, we all get older, but Whitney Houston appears to have aged twice as much as she should have. Painfully thin, with a raspy voice, she looked closer to 59 than her actual age of 39. Anyone who saw her on the street and did not know her might think she simply has had a rough life. Of course, the truth is that she is solely responsible for her present condition through a serious of ridiculous lifestyle choices. She admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs at various times in her career, although she vehemently denied using crack (what a relief). She also refuted the rumors of anorexia and serious health problems, rumors fed by a number of missed concerts, a drug arrest and the alarming video from a Michael Jackson tribute concert where she appeared to be little more than skin and bones. But she hasn't lost her edge as a performer, as she demonstrated in the Diane Sawyer interview. Her answers bordered on melodramatic, as if she rehearsed before sitting down in front of the cameras. She defiantly said that she would not let drugs defeat her, while mentioning that she is not in any form of conventional drug treatment. Incredibly, when asked if she will completely stay off drugs, she said, "Well, I'm not going to tell you that." Of course, there were the obligatory references to spirituality and how God would play a role in her recovery. One hopes those comments are sincere, but given her track record and even the rest of the interview itself, you have to wonder. Actually, many viewers were probably wondering just why Houston's handlers didn't do everything in their power to stop this interview from taking place, given her condition. But just about the time you start think about that, husband Bobby Brown appears. Anyone who reads the Atlanta newspapers or watches the news on television knows what this guy has been up to. He's been in and out of more courtrooms in the past few months than Judge Judy. But he was able to put our fears to rest as well, saying that he has never used cocaine or hit his wife, and that he only smokes marijuana about "every other day" for his bipolar condition. I wonder which doctor prescribed that. Everything you have just read would probably be a waste of time except for Bobbi Kristina. She's the 9-year-old girl who is rarely mentioned in the stories about her parents' troubles. You might think that she has everything in the world going for her wealth, privilege, endless opportunities. I'm sure many people thought that before last week. Now that millions of Americans know the truth about her situation that she lives with a mother in denial about her drug problems and a father who is an admitted dope-smoking manic depressive maybe the rest of us should have a different point of view. As I have so many times after watching a "Celebrity Butt Kissers" installment, I turned off the television this time feeling pretty good about my own life ordinary, middle-class, just trying to make a living and raise a family and feeling sorry for a deprived 9-year-old girl. [Monroe Roark's Web address is www.mroark.com.]
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