By Alicia Sparks
It’s a sad day for NASCAR fans and the family of racing legend Richard “Dick” Trickle.
On Thursday, May 16, 2013, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call informing them they’d soon find the dead body of the 71-year-old “White Knight.”
Upon investigation, authorities found Trickle dead from a gunshot wound outside his pickup truck at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, NC.
According to reports, authorities believe the phone call came from Trickle himself, and Sheriff’s Lieutenant Tim Johnson has stated they do not suspect foul play.
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By Alicia Sparks
Yesterday, The New York Times published an opinion piece titled “My Medical Choice,” an article in which Angelina Jolie explained her decision to undergo a double mastectomy after she found out she had an 87% risk of developing breast cancer.
The 37-year-old actress couldn’t have made the decision lightly, but after considering her mother’s battle with cancer and death at age 56; her BRCA1 gene; and undoubtedly her own family, Jolie opted for the mastectomy, essentially cutting her risk from 87% to 5%.
During the article, Jolie talks about her mother’s struggle with cancer and how most of her own children will never know their maternal grandmother as anyone other than “Mommy’s mommy.”
She paints a picture of trying to assure her children they have nothing to worry about, even though she knew she carried that “faulty” gene.
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By Alicia Sparks
Mariel Hemingway is sharing her life-long struggles with mental illness, drug addiction, and family suicide (seven relatives — including one of the most influential writers in American history, her grandfather Ernest Hemingway — have committed suicide) in her new documentary, Running from Crazy.
The 51-year-old model and actress teamed up with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA; American Dream) to create a film that “places an emphasis on suicide awareness and the importance of mental health evaluations” and one that, the two hope, “offers hope for people living with mental illness by showing that they are not alone in their struggles.”
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By Alicia Sparks
R&B star Mario recently talked with The Fix about the Mario Do Right Foundation, an organization he established in 2007 to help kids who deal with alcoholism and drug abuse in their families and communities.
Through the Mario Do Right Foundation, the 26-year-old also created the “Live Right Do Right” program, a 16-week after-school program that both educates children about substance abuse and helps them cope with drug addiction and alcoholism in their families.
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By Alicia Sparks
Yesterday (April 29, 2013), Washington Wizards center Jason Collins announced he was gay, making the 34-year-old NBA star the first male professional athlete for a major American sport to openly come out.
It’s 2013, but who’s counting? Like the majority of the country (with the exception of NFL player Mike Wallace, perhaps) am proud of Jason Collins. I applaud is bravery and look forward to how his honesty and
I didn’t used to be such an advocate of celebrities (including athletes) “coming out.”
Not because I thought they shouldn’t, but because I thought they shouldn’t feel like they have to.
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By Alicia Sparks
(Initially, I had another post planned for today’s “Weekend Reading,” but in light of today’s passing of country legend George Jones, I thought it appropriate to switch gears. )
It’s a sad day for country music fans, dear readers.
George Jones died earlier today (Friday, April 26, 2013), after checking into Vanderbilt University Hospital April 18, 2013 for a fever and blood pressure issues.
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By Alicia Sparks
I love Tumblr. I don’t have an account, but I routinely visit certain (and sometimes random) Tumblr blogs just to look at cool pictures, read inspiring quotes, or find some fitness motivation.
(I know the “fitspiration” trend is a somewhat controversial, but personally, if the picture is of some healthy food or a fit person working out or playing a sport, it gets me motivated. Sorry.)
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By Alicia Sparks
Back in February, Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper teamed up with former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy to do a press conference on the movie industry’s progress toward “removing stigma of mental illness.”
(If you remember, the DBSA named Kennedy, who was the author and lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and co-founder of One Mind for Research, an honorary advisory board member back in 2012.)
Glenn Close launched Bring Change 2 Mind because she has a personal connection to mental illness; her sister, Jessie, has bipolar disorder. Joey Pantoliano launched because he manages what he calls brain “dis-ease.” Most of us admire these celebrities for being so open about such stigmatized conditions and advocating for awareness, research, and acceptance.
However, not everyone is comfortable with celebrities taking on advocacy roles — especially those celebrities who don’t have any personal experience with mental illness — and that is exactly what Bradley Cooper has done during his global Q&A sessions about Silver Linings Playbook and mental health.
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By Alicia Sparks
So, I got to meet Boyd Tinsley last Saturday night.
BOYD FREAKING TINSLEY!
Some of you might know him from an awesome little group called Dave Matthews Band and, if you do (and you’ve been reading this blog for a while), you know how obsessed I am with DMB.
I don’t play favorites, but if I did, Boyd and Dave would be it. I just love Boyd, for reasons irrelevant to this post so I’ll spare you, so this was a huge deal for me.
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By Alicia Sparks
Despite the 17-year album-making hiatus he took after his 1995 album Wonderful, Adam Ant has been around for longer than some of you, I’m willing to bet.
Yet, most of you are probably somewhat familiar with the former frontman of Adam and the Ants. His 1982 hit “Goody Two Shoes” launched his solo career into serious MTV orbit, and he hit the Top 40 several more times before taking the extended break.
So, what happened?
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Having someone like that in your life is absolutely invaluable!
