We have all seen it happen before; your favorite child actor turns into your favorite talked about celebrity gossip. These child star horror stories occur so often, success stories are rare and seen as something to celebrate. The first time I had to experience this reality of my child star idol being less than perfect was with Mary-Kate Olsen and her battle with an eating disorder. Then I had to learn about the dark, drug abusing side of Jodie Sweetin who played Stephanie Tanner on my favorite show as a kid, “Full House.” My childhood was not quite ruined yet, so the universe threw me Britney Spears’ bald head and her umbrella to keep me in line. As most of us know, Lindsay Lohan has not had a pristine transformation from child star to adult actress. Lohan first got her start in the business when she was only six months old as a child model. She then began to appear in commercials. However, Lindsay did not get her big break until she appeared in the “The Parent Trap,” which we all know and love. Lindsay then went on to star in other movies such as “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls.” The year 2007 was when Lindsay started going downhill. In 2007 alone, she had two DUIs, two arrests, one drug possession charge, four stints in rehab and 84 minutes spent in prison. The next four years of her life were tainted with nonstop court dates, alcohol monitoring bracelets and numerous criminal charges. One child star who has recently joined the list of child stars gone wild is Amanda Bynes. She got her big break when she was cast in Nickelodeon’s television show “All That.” Soon after, Amanda received her own show called “The Amanda Show.” After that ended, she starred in “What I Like About You.” The first hit movie she starred in was “Big Fat Liar” and from there she went on to star in movies such as “What a Girl Wants,” “She’s the Man,” “Sydney White” and “Easy A.” The trouble for Amanda Bynes first began recently when she was charged with a DUI and two counts of hit-and-run. Without question, Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan have been added to the list of has-been child stars. The drama between Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes began after Amanda’s car was impounded because she was driving with a suspended license. Amanda was not arrested, and Lindsay felt this was not fair considering how often Lindsay has been arrested. Lindsay decided she would take to Twitter to discuss just how unfair it was saying, “Why did I get put in jail and a Nickelodeon star has had NO punishment(s) so far?” Then she added, “These are the moments that I appreciate my life experiences, living without regrets and Disney for supporting me as an actress.” As any normal human being, Amanda is reportedly not happy about the things Lindsay had to say about her. As for me, I would only like to offer up some advice for the troubled celebrities. Amanda, get your act together, girl. Spin class is no place to put your makeup on. You were funny when you were on “All That,” and you can still be funny now. The world is rooting for you, and in return we simply ask that you do not dye your hair lavender anymore. Ignore Lindsay and the rest of the media and focus on you and your career. Lindsay, I have to admit, you were so cute in “The Parent Trap,” and I even liked “Freaky Friday.” But what happened after “Mean Girls”? Did “Herbie Fully Loaded” put too much stress on you? As much as the world would like to see you succeed and change your life around, we are losing hope. I would tell you to stop while you are ahead, but to say you are ahead would confuse even you. People in glass houses should not throw stones, and you just threw a boulder at some very thin glass. The public quit feeling pity for you several years ago and if you want to keep any type of fan base at all, you should probably quit talking negatively about other celebrities in similar predicaments as yours. Especially considering that troubled celebrity has pending criminal charges against you and is still managing to keep it together better than you.
