Dena Ross: July 2007 Archives

Out of the "3 Bimbos of the Apocalypse" (as the New York Post calls Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton), I've always felt more sympathetic towards Lohan. She has a dad who's done his own share of jail time, and a manager mom who cares more about making it in show business than she does about her own daughter. It's no wonder she's so self-destructive.

That's why I was so sad to hear that Lohan, who was just released from rehab two weeks ago, was arrested again early this morning for drunk driving, possession of cocaine, and driving with a suspended license--among other charges. Apparently Lohan was driving in a Santa Monica parking lot, "chasing" another vehicle. This also comes after she was booked last week on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and a misdemeanor hit and run stemming from an incident in May.

Interestingly enough, the SCRAM alcohol monitoring device she's been spotted wearing on her ankle as part of her rehab release (she wanted to "prove" that when she was out partying with friends, she was sober) supposedly did not indicate she was intoxicated and notify police, as it should. According to TMZ.com, who contacted the company who monitors the bracelet, a rep claims she "didn't even know [Lohan] was arrested." And, according to the manufacturer's website, "The SCRAM Bracelet's patented anti-tamper features ensure that test results are accurate and from the correct subject."

Even porn star Ron Jeremy has to draw the line somewhere when it comes to sex.

The aging adult film legend and wannabe actor has teamed up with Christian organization XXXChurch.com and their anti-porn mascot, Pete The Porno Puppet, to create a public service announcement stressing that porn is for consenting adults--not children.

Watch the PSA below and then read more about Jeremy in this Beliefnet interview.

If you haven't already seen this music video, check it out. It's in response to the widely popular "I Got a Crush on Obama" video that circulated the Internet last month.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation released lab results today indicating that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star Chris Benoit had steroids, painkillers, and anti-anxiety drugs in his body when he killed his wife and 7-year-old son last month--before committing suicide.

Although the steroid found in Benoit's body was the hormone testosterone, the extremely high levels indicated he had injected it shortly before he murdered his wife, Nancy. Dr. Kris Sperry, chief medical examiner, however, refused to draw any conclusions as to whether that may have contributed to Benoit's behavior, since testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone and it's possible Benoit was taking it for a "testicular deficiency." Sperry also noted that Nancy's body was much more decomposed than her son Daniel's, who was found to have a high level of the sedative Xanax in his system.

Though Sperry did not go into detail on this, to me the finding may indicate that a significant amount of time went by before Benoit murdered Daniel and that perhaps he took his wife's life out of anger, and then, knowing he was going to take his own life, took the life of his son first. But first he made sure he was drugged up so that he couldn't feel what was happening to him.

However, Sperry would probably not agree with my "rage" theory. He said, "There is no reliable scientific data that says excessive testosterone leads to excessive rage."

Doctors and scientists have argued for years over whether 'roid rage' actually exists. But I would argue that most, if not all, murderers are mentally unstable in some form, and that taking any kind of drug--steroid or otherwise--would only further aggravate their chemical imbalances.

As I noted in my earlier Idol Chatter post, "Who's to Blame for the Wrestler Murder/Suicide?" the WWE also needs to take responsibility for encouraging, or at the very least, turning a blind eye toward, steroid use among its wrestlers.

I'm not saying every person who uses steroids is a walking time bomb--I personally know people who take them or have taken them for a variety of purposes and who are productive members of society--but I do believe that for someone like Chris Benoit, it might have made the difference between life and death.

Every summer has its song--the one you blast through your car's open windows and sing along to as the sun beats down on your face, your sweaty legs sticking to leather upholstery, and your hair blowing in the breeze. I remember back when Sisqo's unfortunate "Thong Song" was the summer song of 2000 and how much happier I was in 2003, rockin' out to the Ataris' remake of the Don Henley classic, "Boys of Summer." And how wonderful the summer of 2004 was, as my friends and I danced around while "shaking it like a Polaroid picture" to OutKast's "Hey Ya!"

Ahhh, memories!

This summer is a little different, though. Instead of the upbeat pop songs I've been accustomed to hearing most of the summers of my life, the two songs I've been singing along to are uninspiring, if not downright depressing--"Rehab," by Amy Winehouse, and "Beautiful Girls," by Sean Kingston.

Winehouse, the English-Jewish soul singer, stands out from the crowd with her sultry, raspy voice, messy beehive hairdo, thick black eyeliner, and '60s girl group sound--although in the tabloids, she's reported on more for her depression, anorexia, "cutting," violent relationship with her husband, and not surprisingly, her alcohol and drug escapades.