The inspiration to write this post came from an episode of Oprah that was on a while ago. For those of you judging me, I have two responses: my mom watches Oprah, not me. The computer where I was working at the time is in the same room as the TV so back off. Second, I owe my degree to Oprah. No, my parents didn't attend one of her lavish birthday parties where the goodie bags included a voucher for a free college education. And I wasn't on her "Give free stuff for those who managed to get tickets for this show taping day" and hocked all the merchandise on eBay. What actually happened was when I was in elementary school, I watched an episode where the one of the guests was doing algebra. (I guess at one point in time the show didn't just have celebrities plugging their latest movies.) I didn't have a clue what was going on and my mom sat me down and taught me algebra that afternoon. Of course she didn't teach the three years worth of algebra that I got in junior high and high school, but I got the idea. When I got tested to be put in the advanced math class I knew what to do because my mom had already taught me. From then on, I was one class ahead of my peers in math. During my senior year I passed the AP Calculus test and in college I told myself to just keep going. Now I have a B.S. in Math and the right to feel like a smarty pants whenever I want. I should thank my mother and yet I give credit to Oprah for starting the whole thing. (I should point out that my mother has received eternal gratitude for the influence she has had over me including the math thing so no judging. I swear I have a point coming up.)
What does this have to do with entertainment you might ask? I give you this additional information for a reason. I have a tendency to ramble and say things that almost have to do with what I was talking about in the first place. But more importantly these points in my childhood helped build me into the person I am. I consider myself to be a pretty decent member of the human race. I look at pictures of me at eight years old and wonder how I got to this point in my life. And like it or not, we do the same thing with childhood stars. Case in point, that episode of Oprah I was talking about (see, it all ties together) featured an interview with Jamiee Foxworth.
That's Foxworth, not Fox. And it's Jamiee with two e's, not one. This is not about the Academy Award winning multi-talented actor who had a slight lapse in judgment when he signed on for the movie Stealth, but the young actress who played Judy Winslow on Family Matters for four years. Her character just one day wasn't there anymore (this has been referred to as Chuck Cunningham syndrome). And if you watch subsequent episodes, there is no reference to the third Winslow child.
On this episode of Oprah, she admits to turning to porn as a means of income. If you were to look up her film credits you will see they include some titles not suitable for younger viewers. I personally had to absorb this information for a minute. You notice some young actors disappear for a span of time and you marvel at how they changed when you do see them again, but this was too much. She is an incredibly beautiful woman and here she was admitting that she did it because it was a quick and easy way to make money. Not a few weeks later I found an article about Jodie Sweetin (aka middle daughter from Full House) admitting to a crystal meth addiction. Her reason for taking drugs is that she was bored.
I don't want to sound callous but this sounds more along the lines as standard young star behavior. I'm young with all this money. I need to do something. I mean so many young stars are associated with drug problems so this seems normal. There was so much speculation that Olsen Twin #2 really didn't have an eating disorder, but a drug problem. In either case, you have a teen with serious problems that the public would rather dish on then address that it's probably a good idea to find a way to protect younger performers.
We look at Drew Barrymore and think about how it's so great how she turned her life around from the teenager with drug problems to a beautiful thirty-something with her own production company and some decent movies under her belt. I say good for her. Some others aren't so lucky. Just recently Brad Renfro pleaded guilty to heroin possession. Hopefully he was just holding it for someone. Then again having it in the first place isn't a great start.
For those of you how aren't familiar with Brad Renfro, I would call him a low grade Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Funnily enough they were in the movie Tom and Huck together back in 1995. Speaking of which, last I read Jonathan Taylor Thomas has been out of the spotlight for awhile and was studying at Harvard. Here's the other side of the spectrum. He's going the way of Jodie Foster (assuming he returns to movies and wins a few Oscars). I have to say that's the way to go.
Though there is no easy way to mention this, as long as I am on the Tiger Teen Beat cover boy subject I have to make a note of Jonathan Brandis. He was one of those guys I admit to having a sixth grade crush on. I was shocked when I read that he had committed suicide in 2003. I have no jokes, judgments or witty remarks to make here.
There is one childhood star I would like to give my kudos to before finishing my post. This actor has seven movies to his credit. Five of which feature Academy Award winning performers while one more features an Academy Award nominated actress. Oddly enough it's because of the movie that has no Oscar prestige attached that I found myself developing a fondness for him. Can't Hardly Wait is a guilty pleasure and one I admit to owning. It's full of bad stereotypes that you find yourself rooting for one type and praying for humiliation for another. Blame my math geekiness background, but I have a soft spot for "the nerd". At least that's the stereotype title for such a character. I would call him the overachiever (in a good way) or the guy who will be worth something more after high school. Marry the football star if you want, but there's more glory to be had after high school. I'm sorry, I got caught up in a Revenge of the Nerds moment.
Anyways, he is Charlie Korsmo. (My apologies to him if his biography on imdb is accurate. He prefers to be called Charles. That might work out for him, but not so much for Charlie Sheen.) This fine young man has managed to graduate from M.I.T. with a degree in Physics. He's currently a student at
I don't know from personal experience but based on what I have witnessed, it's not easy being a star as an adult. Why do people think children can handle it? For those of you trying it, I wish the best to you and for those parents trying to force their children into it, make sure you've thought this through beyond the paycheck. Not everyone will end up like Ron Howard. In fact, if you make it to Clint Howard status, consider yourself grateful.
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