Saturday, February 2, 2008

Heath Ledger video...should it or should it not be shown?


Internet Movie Database is reporting that Sarah Jessica Parker, Josh Brolin and Natalie Portman are among the celebrities trying to get Entertainment Tonight to not show a 1996 video showing the recently-deceased Heath Ledger drinking and using drugs at a party. In an open letter, Ledger’s representative Mara Buxbaum said: “This is not journalism, it is sensationalism. It is a shameful exploitation of the lowest kind.”

Is it really?

Let’s see…John Belushi…River Phoenix…Chris Farley…Brad Renfro, and now Ledger. Maybe the only way to save more talented entertainers dying prematurely from booze and alcohol abuse is to show the ugly side. Maybe showing the video of Ledger would open the eyes of some out there who are traveling the same path and help them to get the help they need. With all due respect to Ledger, we as a society glamorize—far too much—celebrities who get high or who can hold large quantities of alcohol. That’s not real life, though. Maybe the video can help people to see how tragic things can get if you let substance abuse take over.

1 comment:

Missy said...

I'm glad they didn't show it, its not gonna stop people from doing drugs. Plus he didn't do drugs in the video. If they showed it when he was alive, he would still be here.