After Heath Ledger's Death, Is Media Ignoring Hollywood Males in Crisis?

At a time when we're drowning in dispatches about the various debilitations of Britney, Lindsey, Amy and Paris, news about the death of Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger seemed to hit us from a pop culture blindspot.

Sure, we knew he was struggling a bit, having separated from his ex-fiancee, Brokeback Mountain co-star Michelle Williams and their two year old daughter Matilda. But a gossip press that goes into convulsions when Britney drives over a paparazzi's foot or Lindsay gets a parking ticket, seemed oblivious to Ledger's struggles until he was found dead in his apartment, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication reportedly in his apartment.

To be sure, no one has concluded he died of deteriorating personal circumstances. But if he was a male celebrity in crisis who was overlooked by the media, he's not the only one. 

Actor Brad Renfro, who nailed roles in Apt Pupil and The Client, struggled with substance abuse problems for years before his unexpected death Jan. 15. Wedding Crashers co-star Owen Wilson offered a clown's smile to the world before his unsuccessful suicide attempt in August.

And I've already written about how 24 star Kiefer Sutherland hasn't received one-tenth the media attention for his 48-day stay in the slammer over drunk driving charges in December. Though he parties hard enough that entire episodes of 24 reportedly have been re-written to cover his injuries, Sutherland still escapes the kind of attention lavished on young women self-destructing in Hollywood.

As '80s TV icon Michael J. Fox recently noted in Esquire "I have such empathy for all these young women. I was there, and I did all that crap. We'd rip it up, y'know? And we never got busted on any of that stuff."

Ben Montgomery's excellent Floridian story Tuesday cobbling together a possible obit for modern starlets was a wonderful piece of writing, but it too focused on females. And when the Associated Press admitted preparing an advance obiturary on Britney Spears -- an honor usually reserved for much older celebrities -- managing editor for entertainment editor Lou Ferrara cited Anna Nicole Smith as inspiratino for the "pre-bit." (my fave line from that story: "Who in the 60s would have thought Keith Richards would outlast John Denver?") 

Of course, I'm not advocating the kind of senseless media fixation which so often marks Paris/Britney/Lindsay coverage. But it seems we are ignoring one end of the problem while over-covering another. It's time to bring some quality journalism attention to both sides of this equation and highlight these struggles before anyone else dies unexpectedly.

Comments

[Eric Deggans]

Well, Courtney, I may just be an entertainment journalist. But in 12 years at the St. Petersburg times, I know my work has accomplished these things:

I kept a good anchor who was getting shoved out the door from losing her job at a local station.

I kept an unscrupulous con man from getting the key to the city in St. Petersburg by pretending he was a Grammy-winning gospel artist.

I got a radio show that trafficked in awful racial language kicked off the air in Tampa.

I exposed a plan by a local TV station to trade advertising dollars for news coverage.

But the post isn't really abouyt keeping peopel heralthy by covering them. it's more about keeping people informed and trying to trace the toxic nature of fame these days....

[Courtney]

Are you serious?? Do you honestly think that MORE media coverage will HELP these people in crisis? You need to check your God complex at the door the next time you sit down to write another blog post. You're an entertainment writer!

[NonchalatSavant]

I heard some pundit the other day bemoaning the fact that it was going to take the death of one of these starlets for something to be done.

Well, Anna Nicole DID die, and nothing was done (I'm not sure what the pundit was hoping WOULD be done... my guess is they hadn't thought that far).

That said, nothing will happen because A) most stars believe they're invincible B) the media treats troubled celebrities as newsworthy events (which equals viewership eyeballs, which equals advertising profits).

Simple. Salacious. Sad.

[dreaming]

let's face it: most of the stuff written about britney is by aging male journos who can't help themselves. ditto lindsey lohan, paris hilton etc.

they dont care about the foibles of male stars.

and a pap pic of britney is still worth more than a beefcake pic of some actor dude...

[Diana]

It's not that the behavior of male celebrities should be reported (as in we all have a right to know). It is the acceptable level in which female celebrity behavior is demonized in the media. Is anyone asking what kind of father Kiefer Sutherland is? We don't hesitate to speculate on Britney's parenting skills. If we're going to be a celebrity-worshiping culture, we should at least be less sexist about it.

[Kristin]

But how is reporting male celebrities with similar drug/alcohol problems going to help anything? The problem starts with the permissive attitude by stars, papparazzi, and agents/publicists, etc. who deem this 'typical' Hollywood behavior.

If this were anyone else, they would be labeled a loser or a druggie. But in Hollywood the stars seem to accept that this behavior will happen and do nothing but stand by...or encourage it.

If I were a celebrity with any amount of fame, and I saw young promising stars like Heath Ledger or River Phoenix dying, I would have to do something about it. Start a group or promote a drug-free Hollywood. Take the drugs and alcohol out of the mix. Show people that there can be 'clean' fun and celebration.

But in the world of celebrities and excess, the two seem to go hand in hand...and it is treated as 'normal' behavior. It's sad and it's sick.