Like kids making sand castles, tabloid perusers derive a sadistic glee from builidng up celebrities just to tear them down. It’s no longer good enough for stars to be ‘just like us’—they need to be less than. Sometimes these starlets feel the pressure of fame and fortune too acutely--and some would combust even without an audience. Either way, these debauched stars are as compelling, tawdry and messed-up as any Tennessee Williams character, and their real life antics are often stranger than fiction. The line between reality and celebreality blurs more every day as Hollwood's rebels and ne'er-do-wells become caricatures of their former selves. Some hot messes can get their shit together; but others never learn:
Courtney Love
Courtney Love has released number one albums, garnered a Golden Globe nomination and linked arms with some foxy celebrity boyfriends (Edward Norton is nerdy AND dreamy). However, she has gained much of her notoriety for numerous bouts in rehab, losing custody of the daughter she had with Kurt Cobain, conspiracy theories surrounding Cobain’s death, and her ever-changing visage. In recent years, Love has sworn off the junk, gotten her kid back and, aside from yoga-attributed weight loss and a nose job, has been keeping a low profile. With another solo album in the works, hopefully Love can put her past behind her and avoid the trappings of rock ’n roll chaos. Recommended: Live Through This (album), The People vs. Larry Flynt (film), Man on the Moon (film)
Lindsay Lohan
Who could predict that the freckled, red-headed moppet from The Parent Trap remake would make it to rehab twice in one year and get arrested as many times? Prior to admitting to drug and alcohol abuse, Lohan’s questionable film choices, taste in men (um, Fez from That 70s Show?) and panty-flashing partying made her paparazzi bait and tabloid fodder. It wasn’t until Lohan paired up with DJ Samantha Ronson that she got her act together, and the majority of her more recent celeb shots simply depict the quiet domesticity of shopping and pushing grocery carts. Things are looking up for LiLo. Recommended: Mean Girls (film), The Parent Trap (film)
Robert Downey Jr.
The original gangster of crazy, Robert Downey Jr. enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame preceding his Oscar-nominated performance in Chaplin. However, drug abuse played a critical role in his life, he says, since he was eight years old. Found wandering and dazed several times by police (including once when he broke into his neighbor’s house and fell asleep in their son’s empty bed), Downey squandered all his Oscar goodwill and bounced between rehab to parole for several years. Uninsurable, Downey would have never worked in that town again if it hadn’t been for the money and faith of his high-profile Hollywood buddies. Presently, Downey has played Tony Stark in Iron Man to rave reviews and blockbuster sales. There is now talk of a trilogy on the horizon. Recommended: Iron Man (movie), Weird Science (movie), Tropic Thunder (movie, Aug. 2008 release)
Britney Spears
What kind of list of hot messes would this list be without the indefatigable Ms. Spears? With several stints in rehab, bizarre head-shaving deliriums, losing custody of her children to an unemployed back-up dancer, getting carted off to a psych ward on a stretcher, and releasing financial control over her own assets to her father, the past two years have not been kind to this former Mouseketeer. Spears did manage to release an album that earned begrudgingly positive reviews from critics, but after her failure to marshal the energy to promote and tour, Blackout fizzled away. Recently, Spears has been keeping the umbrella brandishing to a minimum and has focused on re-growing her hair and earning more custody time with her two little boys. Word has it that another album in the works, but time will tell if this will be the comeback that should have happened two years ago. Recommended: How I Met Your Mother (TV, 2 episodes), I’m a Slave 4 U (Music/ guilty pleasure)
Amy Winehouse
With her sophomore album Back to Black, Amy Winehouse brought a 60s vibe to the masses with her towering beehive and smoky, blues-filled voice. Unfortunately, even Winehouse’s undeniable music talent couldn’t save her from her headline-grabbing antics. As a newlywed, her husband was arrested for “attempting to pervert the court of justice” (that’s obstruction to you). Amy is no stranger to the wrong side of the law either; on several occasions she has had altercations with fans; spitting and throwing punches are not an uncommon occurrence. Allegedly, Winehouse has been a user of crack and is said to be in the early stages of emphysema as of result of her freewheeling drug habits. The fame achieved after Back to Black could be her making and her undoing, but with court proceedings and medical problems on the horizon, Winehouse has more pressing matters at hand. Recommended: Back to Black (Music)