Whatever her plan is, I think it’s working. Over the past few months, countless articles have been published about Amanda Bynes and her apparent meltdown. I admit it. I am guilty of reading just about every single one of them. I can’t help it. It’s kind of like a train wreck, I have to see who she’s called ugly, what crazy thing she did at the gym/cupcake shop/her apartment and who she is fighting on twitter. Although I am enjoying all the drama, what I’d really like to see is a headline that says “Amanda Bynes Gets Help”
The celebrity meltdown isn’t new. There have been more than I can list here, but I’d like to highlight a few.
Mariah Carey: Around the time that Glitter was released back in 2001, an exhausted Mariah Carey went on TRL with Carson Daly. She sang her way on set, rambled about how she wished she had a day off and handed out popsicles to the audience. Daly clearly didn’t know that she was going to be on the show when she ran onto the set rambling about a present for him and how everyone needs therapy and ice cream every now and then. I remember watching this live and wondering what in the world was wrong with her. It wasn’t any surprise that a few days later she checked into rehab. Fortunately – she’s stayed mostly meltdown-free since her release (although there have been a few close calls).
Britney Spears: Oh Brit-Brit. I can’t even imagine the enormous pressure someone like Britney Spears is under on a daily basis. Adding a bitter divorce to that mix could have only meant even more trouble. Shortly after her divorce to Kevin Federline in 2006, Britney began partying with good influences Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton. The paparazzi ate it up and seemingly harassed Britney even more for it. In February 2007, she walked into a salon and demanded they shave her head. They refused, so she did it herself. And who could forget when she attacked a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella. I’m sure they deserved it, but her father’s conservatorship couldn’t have come at a better time. Spears did her time in rehab, and she seems to have overcome her issues. Her comeback started in 2008 and with her recent stint on X-Factor and her Femme Fatale tour, she’s doing better than ever.
Anne Heche: This is one of the first celebrity meltdowns I remember reading about on the internet! Shortly after her breakup with Ellen DeGeneres, Heche showed up at the front door of some poor woman who lived out in Fresno. She asked for slippers and took a shower, and when the woman finally called the cops, Heche told them that she was God and that she had a spaceship. Turns out Heche has a history of mental illness, and she sought help. Oddly enough, her most recent work is an NBC show about a housewife with the ability to communicate directly with God.
Lindsey Lohan: I can’t really pinpoint the exact moment when Lindsey Lohan started going downhill. She had such potential with Mean Girls, she could have done so much more! The trouble seemed to start after the success of Mean Girls, with a couple of accidents and driving under the influence arrests. She’s been in and out of jail and rehab since, and no matter how hard she seems to try, she can’t get any credible work. I have found myself wondering if she’s just being picked on, but based on her history that’s highly unlikely.
Charlie Sheen: Tiger blood, goddesses and Winning! Oh My! In 2011, Charlie Sheen had one of the most public and vocal celebrity meltdowns I think we’ve ever seen. After being fired from Two and a Half Men, Sheen took to the web to air his grievances of his former bosses. In the midst of all of this he joined twitter and gained over a million followers in record breaking time. He held his Torpedo of Truth tour, and was replaced by Ashton Kutcher on Men. And then as quickly as his meltdown came, it went. Sheen cleaned up his act and turned himself around to land a brand new show, Anger Management. In 2012, Sheen’s new show was renewed for 90 episodes just after the premiere.
In most of these cases, these celebrities have found their way back after their meltdown. If they haven’t yet (we’re looking at you, Lohan) I know we’re all rooting for it to happen.
No one is sure how Amanda Bynes’ meltdown is going to end just yet, but it looks to be taking the Lindsey Lohan route and I think we’re going to be watching the Amanda Show for a while. With all the twitter bashing, half-naked selfie posting, and name calling, I think deep down Bynes is enjoying all of the attention. She said it herself, all of the media attention she is getting lately is just making her more famous. But I think it is pretty clear that if Courtney Love tells you “Pull it together dude”, you probably aren’t getting the type of attention you want.
