Testing It Up

In life, it doesn’t matter as much how low you fall for as long as you go ahead and pick yourself up. This is especially true in the world of show business, where we normally see people come and go, experiencing incredible highs and unbelievable lows.

No two names are being talked about more nowadays than Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke, who have been earning accolades in the recent gamut of awards shows. Both have also been nominated for much sought after Academy Awards.

If we flash back to 1999, we will see an entirely different Downey. The actor was out of sorts as he struggled with heroin and cocaine addiction, eventually spending almost a year in jail. It was a complete turnaround from where he was only seven years earlier, when he earned an Oscar nomination for playing Charlie Chaplin in the movie “Chaplin” in 1992.

Now clean and sober, Downey is definitely getting back on track. His two movies hit the big time in Hollywood in 2008. Iron Man was a box-office success, and his performance as a white actor playing a black army sergeant in Tropic Thunder earned him an Oscar nomination.

Iron Man is now in the negotiation stage for a sequel, and another comeback King, Mickey Rourke, is being tapped to play a villain in the new movie. Rourke led a rather troubled life the past few years, battling, among others, substance abuse and other excesses. He has since cleaned up his act and now handles his work with professionalism, consistency and a sense of responsibility – things that were glaringly absent during his darker days.

2008 proved to be a magical year for the actor as aside from getting an Oscar nomination for his role in “The Wrestler”, he also earned a SAG Awards nomination. He also won the Golden Globe for the same role last week.

There had been numerous accounts from both past and present, highlighting the drug habits and worse, death by drug overdose, of well-known celebrities.

In the past, among the notorious ones were Elvis Presley (the legendary singer-actor who died of a heart attack brought about by long-term drug abuse), Marilyn Monroe (model, actress and sex symbol who died in her sleep caused by overdose of sleeping pills) and Jimi Hendrix (guitarist, singer and songwriter who died as a result of mixing sleeping pills and alcohol).

As seen by the celebrity news, gossip and stories circulating today, it’s clear that times have not changed. It may have gotten worse. There is no clear-cut explanation as to why celebrities are most often found to be abusing drugs. Factors may include hidden insecurities, inability to cope with the demands of fame, peer pressure or pride. But then, who knows? The only obvious thing that you can discern from this is that they are struggling.

At present, icon Britney Spears and singer-actress Lindsay Lohan makes it to the list. They have both been in and out of rehabilitation, manifested destructive behavior and severed several social relationships.

Both women have started their careers at an early age, and throughout the years they have been placed keenly under a microscope, and the whole world watched as they produced one spectacle after another. However, as of now, both women have been shown to have picked up the pieces of their lives and are straightening out their priorities.

Another presently famous celebrity who joins the ranks of drug abusers is actor Robert Downey Jr. A perennial presence in court houses, prisons and drug rehabilitation centers, Robert Downey Jr. was trapped in an unceasing cycle of drug abuse, arrest, rehabilitation and relapse. However, he was finally capable to start his recovery from his drug addiction and was able to make a big comeback as the lead role in the blockbuster hit ‘Iron Man’ in 2008.

Some celebrities never learned – either from the legends who came before them or from their own past mistakes. As millions of young fans look up to celebrities as role models, we can only hope that these stars are able to shed better light for our youth.

Britney Spears is back to Number 1, a position that she has held long during her reign as the country’s pop princess and the world’s pop icon. After a turbulent period for Britney (we covered her drug issues in this blog, too), it seems that she is making a powerful comeback.

Her latest album ‘Circus’ has hit the top spot on its debut week, with Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’ and Beyonce’s ‘I Am … Sasha Fierce’ trailing behind at Nos. 2 and 3 respectively. Estimates indicate that more than 500,000 copies of her album were sold from the time it was released. The album was out in time for Britney’s 27th birthday (December 2) – and that was only last Tuesday!

Her video has also debuted at No. 1 in iTunes. She is now very busy preparing for her ‘The Circus Starring Britney Spears‘ tour, which will also feature the Pussycat Dolls as her guests.

If Britney is doing this well right now, what is she still doing in this blog?

Well, whether you’re a fan or not, we have to admit that Britney is not just any ordinary artist. She has sold 30 million album copies in the US alone, and has practically supplied the stories needed to make the tabloids stay in circulation. She is the artist.

And to prove that it is not that easy to be even one of her dancers, all her back-up talents in her upcoming tour have been asked not only to display their remarkable dancing skills, but also to undergo drug tests.

The music world has not been used to this kind of practice, but this is Britney we are talking about – she can get away with almost anything. Dancers who failed the drug tests have to be fired as Britney’s aides wanted to make sure that she is only surrounded by ‘good influences’.

We just hope that her issues with PETA on the use of caged animals for her ‘Circus’ tour will also be resolved soon.

Martina Hingis tested positive for cocaine on a drug test and retired from tennis. Though she vehemently denies ever taking drugs, the Wimbledon drug testing garnered positive results.

Hingis was in the middle of a comeback after a previous stint at retirement due to repeated leg injuries.

We’ll see what happens as the results of her drug test are further investigated.

Well it’s about time, don’t you think? A court commissioner that was overseeing her case has ordered Britney Spears to undergo mandatory drug testing due to her use of illicit substances.

But the drug testing isn’t where it ends. Nope, Brit Brit has to meet with a parenting coach at least 8 hours a week as well. And she and Kevin Federline have to take Parenting With Conflict classes. Yikes! Looks like someone is finally doing something about this situation and focusing the attention where it should be. Yes, that’s right people, not on Britney’s “comeback” or on her latest hijinks. Rather, on her kids.

Let’s hope this drug testing will either A) help her realize the seriousness of substance abuse and seek the help she so desperately needs or B) keep her away from her children until she is prepared to take care of them.