A year of celebrity meltdowns

2007-12-18 13:16

Dublin - In a bumper year for the tired and emotional, a celebrity-addicted public soaked up Pete Doherty's rehab diary, Britney Spears' and Lindsay Lohan's assorted antics, and Amy Winehouse changing her tune about not going to rehab.

To a case-hardened public, British band Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty's ins and outs of rehab hardly raised an eyebrow.

Doherty back in, Doherty checked out, Doherty in again was hardly the stuff of scintillating headlines and the only real interest was generated by his break-up with British model and uber-celebrity Kate Moss.

Nonetheless, there was a smattering of amusement to be gleaned from Doherty's diary, not least his political musings as quoted by Britain's Guardian newspaper:

"First time I've had a telly in me cell, watching Prime Minister's Question Time. A lot of hot air if ever there was any... Stone me what a life. Hear, hear."

Rehab for Amy

Humour aside, the descent of the supremely-talented British retro-soul and jazz singer Amy Winehouse was one of the truly sad rehab stories of the year.

Winehouse, famed for a song written about her refusal to attend an alcohol rehabilitation centre after her management team encouraged her to go, sadly seems to have had to eat her gritty words.

However, Winehouse's scepticism about the efficacy of rehab seems to be well-grounded in her own case as she doesn't appear to have reaped the benefit of the expensive, yet brief, treatment she received during a reported "retreat" in August.

She was booed by fans as she delivered a shambolic set on the first night of her British tour in Birmingham in November.

Her poor performance was attributed to her sorrow over the absence of her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, who is currently being held on remand pending charges including grievous bodily harm.

Some fans reportedly contacted the venue and tour promoter to ask for refunds. Still, Winehouse was somewhat vindicated towards the end of the year when in December she earned six Grammy nominations including for Album of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

According to CBS news, US comedian George Lopez as he announced one of her nominations, joked, "Can somebody wake her up this afternoon around six, and tell her." He added, "She makes Lindsay Lohan look cool."

Lohan's woes

US actress and celebrity, Lindsey Lohan did have an active year with at least three stints in rehab, drugs possession and drink- driving arrests and even a jail sentence.

On August 23, 2007, it was announced that Lohan would serve a day in jail and 10 days community service. She was also put on probation for a maximum of three years.

Lohan was also ordered to complete an 18-month alcohol education programme, pay hundreds of dollars in fines and to complete a three- day county coroner programme that includes a visit to a morgue and a meeting with victims of drunk drivers.

In November, she served her prison sentence without actually making it to a cell. She was kept in a holding area for 84 minutes and then released.

Britney's back

Usual suspect Britney Spears was also kept going in 2007, as she continued her public meltdown in a fierce court battle with her former husband Kevin Federline over the custody of their two children.

In the light of Spears' well-documented troubles with alcohol and drug abuse, a Californian court decided in October that Spears had to continue to submit to two random drug tests per week.

In her professional life, ugly Schadenfreude seemed to be the prevailing mood as Britney appeared at the MTV music awards in September. Her performance was roundly criticized and declared a flop.

However, success is the best revenge and her comeback album, the aptly named Blackout, made it to number two in the US and British charts while court documents have revealed that she makes more than $700 000 per month.

It seems that Britney, who is something akin to a trail blazer for the bad-girl sorority, will keep going until a judge bans her from making music. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA