Posts Tagged ‘Celebrities’
Schwarzenegger Kids Tweeting About The Scandal
The Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal is out there in a big way. To me, the aspect of the story that stood out was the news that his kids are tweeting about the whole thing. Read more »
Elton John’s Father Never Heard Him Play [Elton John’s Daddy Issues]
Imagine your son was a great musician. You’d be proud of him, right? Now imagine that your son was not only a great musician, but an insanely successful one. Like, oh, I don’t know, Elton John. Odds are you’d show up to hear him play, right?
Not if you were Elton John’s father. According to a story posted on TimesLive.co.za, Sir Elton’s father never heard him play piano.
This little tidbit comes at the end of a story about how “flamboyant musician” (their words) Elton John and his husband David Furnish are dressing their adopted son in hand-me-down clothes from friends (“All you need is a couple of Babygros and a lot of muslin,” says David; I’ve raised two kids and have no idea what that means). According to TimesLive, Elton John told the Sunday Times magazine that “my father never came to hear me play. Not ever. He was a tough and emotional man. … He was dismissive, disappointed and finally absent. I just wanted him to acknowledge what I’d done.”
If that’s not enough, Elton adds that he doesn’t think his father “didn’t know how to relate to kids. He left us, remarried and had another family, and by all accounts was a great dad to them. It wasn’t children, it was me.”
Read that last sentence again. OK, I’ll do it for you.
“It wasn’t children, it was me.”
Again, these quotes are from an outside source. I didn’t speak to Sir Elton personally. If I had, I’m not sure I would have been able to restrain myself from saying, “Dude! It wasn’t you! He was a prick!” Or maybe crying. Hell, I’m getting a little teary-eyed now.
Granted, things have worked out pretty well for Sir Elton. He’s worth at least a couple of hundred million dollars, has sold a bajillion albums (that’s a rough estimate) and by all accounts lives about as nice a life as one could hope to live. But if the quote, “It wasn’t children, it was me,” is accurate, that’s sad. I’ve still got a pile of issues that I’m dealing with relating to the fact that my father died when I was 10 (details to come if I decide I can share them publicly; it’s fairly depressing stuff). Elton is older than I, and also a bajillion times more successful in his chosen career (again, rough estimate on the exact multiple). I guess it’s fair to say that when it comes to kids dealing with daddy issues, I think it’s gonna be a long long time.
Elton John’s son wears ‘hand-me-downs’ – Times LIVE.
Image via Amazon
Is Ke$ha Lying About Not Knowing Who Her Father Is?
Ke$ha annoys me for several reasons. Guess what? I’ve found another one. According to published reports, Ke$ha may be lying about not knowing who her father is.
Ke$ha is one of the pop stars that make me glad I don’t have daughters. I’m not a fan of her music (and I use the term loosely), and I find her image inappropriate. Do I sound like a cranky old man? Sure. But (a) I sort of am (cranky, although not THAT old yet) and (b) I’m right. Her song (again, using the term loosely) “Tik Tok” begins with her explaining that she “brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack.” As in Daniels. Charming.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6XpLQM2Cs&ob=av3el]
Anyway, to the matter at hand. According to the blog Allie Is Wired, Ke$ha told Rolling Stone magazine that she doesn’t know who her father is. She says that her mother “went through the necessary ways of having a child” and “didn’t want a man telling her what and what not to do. She just wanted a baby. It’s an interesting topic of conversation to other people more so than it is to myself. I don’t obsess about it.”
It could be that Ke$ha’s doesn’t obsess about not knowing who her father is because it isn’t true. (Note: this is all according to published reports, but they are from sources that most people consider reliable in terms of celebrity news.) Star Magazine interviewed Bob Chamberlain, who claims that he is spelling challenged pop tart’s father, and that both she and her mom are quite aware of his identity. Chamberlain tells Star: “I was in her life from the time she was born until she was 19 years old… [then] The contact ended, and I have no idea why.” The articles describes the dad as “devastated” by the whole she-bang, and quotes him thusly: “Maybe someone around her thought it would be better to perpetuate those myths; I don’t know.”
Gee, ya think? A manufactured image is one thing. I’m not a fan of that sort of thing, but I get it. For example, the “Avril Lavigne is a punk rocker” routine was a big pile of poop from the first time it was mentioned. Annoying, but whatever. But why would someone tell Ke$ha to pretend that she doesn’t know who her father is? Is that supposed to make her seem “edgier”, like brushing her teeth with Jack Daniels thing? Whatever the reason, it’s stupid.
Here’s an idea. Write and record good songs. Then you won’t have to worry so much about your image.
Ke$ha’s Father… Denied! | Allie is Wired.
Michael Lohan Defends Daughter Lindsay [But He Should Just Shut Up]
Michael Lohan is speaking out about the accusations that his daughter Lindsay assaulted someone at rehab.
This is not a surprise. And it’s nice that he’s supporting his daughter. It is.
Here’s what I wonder, though. Why say anything at all? Is there a point when you decide that you have to speak to the press about your life and the lives of your children, and once you’ve made that decision, there’s no turning back?
Look at someone like Howard Stern. He makes his living talking. (Unlike Michael Lohan, who must make a living somehow, but we don’t know what he does.) He seems able to restrain himself from talking about his children’s private lives, and he almost never mentions his ex-wife Alison. (I imagine this was part of their divorce agreement, although I don’t know this for a fact.)
That’s only one of the many differences between Michael Lohan and Howard Stern, of course. The main one is that Howard is incredibly talented and is the most successful radio personality of all time, arguably the most successful media personality of all time. (Go ahead. Debate me on this topic. You will lose.)
Back to père Lohan. If I were talking to him, I would ask the following:
Dude. What’s up with the press conferences? The talk show appearances? Did it ever occur to you that maybe you should just be there for your daughter? What’s that? You don’t know what to say to reporters when they bombard you with questions? Here’s an idea. Are you ready? You might want to write this down. Got a pen? Okay. Here you go:
“No comment.”
Lindsay Lohan`s father Michael defends his daughter [MonstersAndCritics.com]
Lindsay Lohan a Suspect in Assault Case at Rehab [Blame The Parents?]
I’m not the fan of celebrity news that some folks are, but I admit to having an above average interest in the train-wreck that is Lindsay Lohan. She went to rehab, which is usually a good thing. But according to People.com, Lohan is now a suspect in an assault case.
At what point do you do some kind of major league intervention? Or lock up her parents? Michael Lohan will probably be on any talk show who will have him, talking about his daughter. And Dina. Is she any better? Didn’t she try to turn Lindsay’s younger sister into a star, despite the fact that things were going less than well for her older daughter?
It can’t be JUST the pressures of celebrityhood that turns someone into a kook. Look at Mel Gibson. No, really. Look at him. He’s holding a beaver.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOSOWNS3jts]
In August it was reported that Mel Gibson’s father thinks the Pope is gay. And then there’s that whole “the Holocaust didn’t happen” thing. We can safely imagine that Mel probably grew up hearing that kind of stuff all the time. (We weren’t there, hence the “probably.”)
Having crazy parents has to be a contributing factor when an adult turns out nutty. Right?
Lindsay Lohan Named a Suspect in Assault Case at Rehab – Crime & Courts, Lindsay Lohan : People.com.
Lindsay Lohan Meets With Father Michael At Rehab
I’m not sure why I’m obsessed with Lindsay Lohan and her father Michael. Admittedly, Lindsay’s ongoing downward spiral is more intriguing than some, in part because it seems to be a true never-ending story. It’s not a train-wreck, because, well, when you wreck a train, that’s it. It stops moving. Lindsay Lohan’s life keeps getting more and more tumultuous.
At the moment, Michael Lohan’s little daughter is in court-ordered rehab. Michael, according to published reports, visited her there. She hadn’t seen him in seven months, they say.
An unnamed eyewitness (spywitness?) described the tender scene thusly:
“Lindsay met him at Betty Ford and the pair spent hours together… it was not a fleeting encounter, this appeared well-planned in advance. It was an emotional reunion… there were hugs, kisses and even a few tears when Michael and Lindsay first saw each other.”
Big Daddy Michael Lohan said in a statement that he has “pledged not to comment about anything relating to my daughter.” He then went on to talk about his daughter, saying, “However, what I will say is that I am an incredibly proud father tonight. My daughter is progressing extraordinarily well.”
At least he said something nice. Right?
Magician David Blaine to Be a Dad
Magician David Blaine is going to be a dad.
And for my next trick… I’m going to make a baby appear.
The mom is French model Alizee Guinochet, according to UsMagazine.com.
Attention Moral Majority: Blaine and Guinochet are not married, but they are engaged.
News – Magician David Blaine to Be a Dad! – Moms & Babies – UsMagazine.com
