Celebrity Psychings

Archive for July, 2009

Will We Ever See Steve McNair's Suicide Prevention PSA?

Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Baltimore Ravens v Washington Redskins

Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who was found dead in his downtown Nashville condominium last week and later declared the victim of a murder-suicide (his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, was declared the perpetrator), filmed a youth suicide prevention public service announcement earlier this year.

According to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, the PSA was in post-production but has now been shelved.

I wonder if they’re ever going to air it? It seems appropriate to let some more time pass after this tragedy, but it would be a shame to never air it. McNair seemed to care a lot about children (The Steve McNair Foundation was founded in 2001 with the purpose of helping underprivileged children and made contributions to the Boys and Girls Club as well as encouraged the nation to donate for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction efforts), and I think it’d be sort of sad if his final message to the youth of the nation were hidden away for good.

What do you think?

L.A. Coroner's Office Holding Michael Jackson's Brain For Tests

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Janet Jackson, Latoya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson Speak to Fans at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service in the Staples Center

One of the least controversial topics surrounding Michael Jackson since his death has been the question of his final resting place (and when the family is going to finally lay him to rest) – especially now that both the family’s and the public’s memorial services are over.

However, according to E! Online, we might now have at least an answer regarding why Jackson has yet to be buried:

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office says it’s holding onto a section of the late King of Pop’s brain as part of its investigation into how he died.

Because toxicology tests take several weeks and are not yet complete, a coroner spokesman says pathologists need to wait for the organ to harden before they can conduct neuropathology tests to help determine what caused Jackson’s apparent cardiac arrest and subsequent death.

Investigators have focused on the possibility that Jackson accidentally overdosed on a potent anesthetic, and a thorough examination of brain tissue might shed some light on what drugs were in his system.

The coroner’s office has told Jackson relatives they have the option of burying Michael without the missing portion of his brain, or they can wait until tests are done and the tissue returned to its original place before finally laying him to rest.

That could explain why relatives have yet to hold a burial service for the late pop star.

E! Online later followed up with:

Spokesman Bryan Hill says that Jackson’s body was transported back to Forest Lawn following yesterday’s all-star memorial at Staples Center—thereby answering the once puzzling question of where Jackson’s remains ended up last night.

Of course, “temporary” still could very well mean temporary, as the family has yet to reveal any official burial plans.

“‘Temporary’ means the mortuary or the place where that person is sitting is where they will sit until [the Jackson family makes] a diagnosis of what they want to do,” Hill said. “If he was to be buried somewhere else, they’ll have to show the …

Megan Jackson's 'Crazy Idea': Pucker Up, Robert Pattinson!

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Megan Jackson launched EmsCharityKiss late last May to tell Robert Pattinson just that.

Wait, let’s back up for a minute.

Who’s Megan Jackson? What’s she doing for mental health awareness? And how does kissing Robert Pattinson play into any of it?

Simply put, Megan Jackson is one of the most courageous young women I’ve met in a long time. You see, after dealing with depression for the past ten years and, by her own admission, spending a lot of time trying to avoid attention, the lovely Australian not only had what she calls “one crazy idea,” but she’s also thrown caution to the wind and taken action to make her idea a reality.

The idea?

To start EmsCharityKiss, a campaign geared toward increasing mental health awareness and raising money for research.

The “crazy” part?

She hopes the campaign will not only draw attention to mental health advocacy and help raise money for research, but also that it will catch the attention of the heart stopping (and in more ways than one, depending on whether he’s in Cullen mode) Robert Pattinson who will then, if all goes according to plan, give Megan her first kiss.

Super Rich And Physically Dominant? Mental Illness Doesn't Care.

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
MLB: JUN 23 Reds at Blue Jays

How would you react if you found out your favorite athlete was struggling with anxiety, depression, or some other mental health condition?

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Professional Baseball Faces Loaded Issue: Mental Health, Shirley Wang states:

Some fans might not feel much sympathy for the psychological burdens of professional baseball players — athletes who typically earn huge salaries to do what many people would consider a dream job.

Sadly, that’s probably true for many people – and not just of how they feel when they find out a professional athlete is anxious or depressed. Some people feel the same way when they find out other well-paid current and former athletes (like Ricky Williams, Herschel Walker, and others listed in Wang’s articles) as well as rich actors, actresses, musicians, and other entertainers suffer from mental health problems.

It’s as if the general population believes not only that money can fix everything, but also that people who have money have no reason to to feel anything but happy.

After all, they’re rich, right? They’re famous, and everyone loves them, right? If they’re feeling down they can just buy something to make them happy or make some special appearance and listen to the crowds roar for them, right?

What a joke.

Recent Comments
  • Zero: I can see why she is confused – to have lived a life of privilege, which I’m sure she knew was due...
  • Celebrity: Doesn’t she look great? Great smile too!
  • Rapunzel: It’s a little disappointing, but not entirely surprising either. All of them started at such a young...
  • Alicia Sparks: @ Christine – Thanks for the heads up! I (sort of coincidentally) checked out the track listing...
  • Christine: Speaking of songwriting and singing and Bob Dylan. If you can afford it, go out and get Amnesty...
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