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.

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.

(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.

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.)

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.

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.

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?

We’ve seen a lot of celebrities step up to stamp out bullying: The cast from True Blood joined in with the It Gets Better project; several famous names including Amy Poehler, Shaq, and Mario Lopez stepped up for the Amplify Your Voice campaign; and Glee got in on the action, dedicating an episode to the bullying epidemic.

But, what happens when celebrities get bullied?

Wait a minute…

Do celebrities get bullied?

Yes, according to Jada Pinkett Smith, who recently took to her Facebook to address the issue.

Speaking of recovering addicts and sobriety…

Before he hit it big, rapper Macklemore struggled with substance abuse.

The “Thrift Shop” mastermind went to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse and has been sober since 2008.

However, he opens up in the latest Rolling Stone (March 29) about how, in the wake of his massive success, his sobriety has been hard to hang onto.

Jane Velez-Mitchell is one of the few nighttime HLN hosts I can stand (note that I said “few” – they don’t all make me want to pluck out my eardrums).

It’s Jane’s mix of no-nonsense and understanding that makes me like her, and I’m sure that comes from her own life experiences.

(Jane is a recovering addict who has a personal stake in LGBT issues and works with humane and environmental causes, too).