It’s a new day in Hollywood. Before, celebrities were notorious for breaking the law and having their hot shot-top of the line lawyers get them off with little more than a slap on the wrist and community service that consisted of supporting a charity. Today, celebrities spend time behind bars. There have been a number of famous faces who are trading portfolio pics for mug shots, the latest being Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Collins. Kiefer Sutherland will serve 48 days in jail for drunk driving and will begin serving his sentence on Dec. 21, 2007. The difference between celebrity sentences and those in the general public seems to revolve around working out a “reasonable” time to go to jail. Kiefer will go to jail while his television series takes its winter production break, however there is progress. At least celebrities face punishment for their crimes.
In addition to Kiefer (who was previously arrested for drunk driving in 2004; his new arrest violated his probation), Gary Collins, who hosts The Home Show and Hour Magazine, is the latest celebrity to find himself behind bars. On Tuesday night, October 23, 2007, an 89-year-old driver hit Gary Collins. Upon impact, Gary lost control over the car and plowed into two parked vehicles. However, though the other driver failed to yield to oncoming traffic, the police on the scene detected alcohol on Collins’ breath. They gave him a field sobriety test and he failed. Though the statement is that Gary Collins was not responsible for the accident, he was still taken to the Van Nuys county jail and booked for DUI. While at the jail, he was also given a blood alcohol test. He was released on $40,000 bond. What is interesting is that like Kiefer Sutherland, Gary Collins was previously charged with drunk driving back in 2002. However, he was found not guilty in that case during the trial. Though in the past, it was very common for celebrities to walk away from their crimes, we may see that this time around Gary will actually serve time or be placed on probation.
There have been a number of celebrity arrests recently, but when it comes to drinking and driving, this is an area where celebrities seem to continually find themselves in trouble. It would seem reasonable that if the common citizen can arrange to have a friend drive them or call for a cab, celebrities could easily avoid driving drunk. Many celebrities have access to chauffeurs and drivers that the everyday person simply doesn’t have. I have a friend who makes sure that if he is going to be drinking he won’t drive. He simply doesn’t take his car with him. Instead, he takes the subway or a taxi cab into town. Thinking ahead and choosing a designated driver is one of the best preventive methods anyone can take to prevent a fatal accident. Drunk driving is a serious issue and it seems that celebrities don’t realize that fact. Maybe they miss watching all of the “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk” commercials. Could it be that they spend so much time behind the camera that they haven’t grasped the dangers of drinking and driving?
I have an idea that I think would solve the problem. What if all of the celebrities that have been arrested for drinking and driving made public television “anti drinking and driving” ads for each other? The ads could feature notable celebrities such as:
- Mel Gibson
- Nicole Ritchie
- Lindsay Lohan
- Paris Hilton
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Tracy Morgan
- Busta Rhymes
- Eve
- Vivica A. Fox
- Haley Joel Osment
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Cynthia Watros
- Tracey Gold
- Chris Klein
- Glenn Campbell
- Nick Carter
- Gary Collins
And of course, the star of the ads would be Robert Downey Jr. Maybe the slogan could be, “Celebrities don’t let other celebrities drive drunk.”
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That’s exactly what I blog! Celebrities can afford a limo…..
Comment by Kemi Joshua — December 6, 2007 @ 1:58 pm