Celebrities and White Collar Crime … Why?
Any celebrity news we run across these days, it’s usually scandal, and if it’s a crime being committed, most likely it’s a white collar crime. These people are chancing everything they’ve earned and won and throwing it out the window. It’s incredulous to the rest of us that would do anything to have the things these people are throwing away. The question we always ask is … why?
I recently got the chance to speak with an expert in the field. Ms. Wendy Feldman is an expert in the criminal justice process, specifically for white collar crime. She has a consulting service, Custodial Coaching, helping defendants and their families learn what to expect during this time of incarceration. Being based in L.A., she has an interest in the celebrity crime wave and has even represented some celebrities. Ms. Feldman has spent time being incarcerated as well, and knows the system inside out. She wants to take the myths out of spending time in prison.
There was no point messing around here; I got to the main question right away. Why do celebrities throw it all away? I’m looking at Adam “Baller” Jasinski, the Big Brother winner, who squandered his half million earnings buying thousands of oxycodone pills, then tried reselling them, making the mistake of trying to sell them to a government witness. He now faces twenty years in jail and a fine double the amount that he won a year and a half ago.
Ms. Feldman feels it’s different reasons between a reality show person and another wealthy person. She sees the reality TV stars as “quick fix junkies.” They get rich quickly and don’t know how to sustain it. They continue to do things unlike regular people trying to earn a living. She suggests maybe Adam was already a drug user on his own, and perhaps that’s why he decided to get into that, as you “don’t just decide to start selling pills.” I remember during the series he was sure this was going to make him into a star and get him lots of girls, so perhaps he felt let down there.
Switching away from celebrities, I asked about the subject of the movie The Informant, starring Matt Damon. Mark Whitacre had a six figure income, chanced it by blowing the whistle on his own company, then in the end was found to be stealing from the company all along. Ms. Feldman stated that that type of scenario actually happens a lot. “The person who blows the whistle is really the one behind it.” It happens often with the FBI with people trying to ingratiate themselves with them, giving themselves empowerment where it makes them do things they wouldn’t normally do, or makes them cover up things they’ve already done.
Either way, whether it’s celebrities or folks like Whitacre, they do it because they think either that they’re entitled to it or that they can get away with it. It’s “grandiosity.”
I wondered if celebrity status lead them to get more lenient sentences. Ms. Feldman recognizes that they have in the past, but believes it’s rapidly changing. Yet, she then saw Lindsay Lohan in court the other day and thought maybe it’s not changing as quickly as she thought, with Lohan getting another year of probation, having not fulfilled her original agreement to complete a substance abuse program. She hopes that if the celebrities start facing stiffer penalties, they’ll begin to curb their behavior, although that could take some time.
Looking at cases of people that throw everything away to bilk money out of celebrities, such as the Travolta and Letterman cases, Ms. Feldman thinks the Senator and ambulance driver trying to extort money from John Travolta was nothing more than greed, as there is no emotional attachment. However, in the Letterman case, the 48 Hours Mystery producer had emotion attached to it, since David Letterman had allegedly slept with a woman he was involved with, bringing back in the impulsivity factor.
We also discussed Survivor’s first winner, Richard Hatch. He neglected to declare his million dollar winnings, along with the money he earned in apperances after his win, and was sent to prison for tax fraud, then once he was let out under the guise of finishing up his sentence in home confinement, he granted interviews without checking with authorities first and was sent back to prison. I wanted to know how he and other celebrities can blend back into society once they’re released.
Ms. Feldman suggested Richard still didn’t seem to understand that he needed to follow the rules. She feels he and others will hard a hard time with a re-entry until they grasp why it is that they chose to do things they shouldn’t do in the first place. Yet, for a regular person, it’s even tougher, as they don’t have the celebrity to capitalize on to help them once they’re out. With Richard’s celebrity, he can go on TV and talk about what he did, making more money, but regular folks don’t have that advantage. So while he got in more trouble for talking to the media, it can help him out in the end.
I wanted to get away from the celebrity factor and talk about prisons in general, as this is Ms. Feldman’s particular area of expertise. I wondered if we even have the right impression of what the prison system is like from what we see on TV and in movies. Ms. Feldman thinks our impressions “are completely wrong.” The Federal system is different than the State system, then each state is different than the next. So there isn’t one overruling system for us to look at.
Federal prison is where the more high profile criminals go, such as Richard Hatch and Martha Stewart. These two were in camps where nothing was blocked, and while they have to stay in their own particular area during certain times, there are no bars. They’re more short term, though, as people wouldn’t stay in these types of places for years and years. If you commit a violent act, you’re going to be in a hardcore prison. Ms. Feldman knows people think that celebrities are sent to nicer places because of their celebrity status, but says the place you end up serving your time is based on criminal points, which does not take into account celebrity status.
However, if the particular inmate is so high profile that they can’t be mixed in with the general population, they might go into protective custody. No one wants to end up there, as they’re segregated from everyone else and have less privilege and not more. Robert Downey, Jr. and Martha Stewart weren’t in protective custody and were placed within the general population. It was actually a better choice for them, as then they wouldn’t have had the privilege they did have, as being in protective custody, there are less privileges than the general population.
These are many of the things Ms. Feldman helps people understand in her consulting business. She takes the myths out, as it’s not all about getting gang-raped and getting beaten up. It’s a great equalizer. The others in prison don’t care if you’re a doctor or lawyer on the outside. For some of those more hardened criminals, they view their situations by thinking if they had the things a doctor or lawyer had, they wouldn’t have needed to commit the crime in the first place, which may or not be true, but with the white collar criminals, they always had a choice in what they did or didn’t do.
This lead into a conversation of substance abuse and the people accused of providing Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith with the drugs that eventually killed them. I admitted that I grappled with laying fault in those situations. Like many people, I ask if these doctors hadn’t gotten the drugs for these celebrities, wouldn’t they have gotten them somewhere else anyway?
Ms. Feldman feels the doctors involved still need to be prosecuted, though. She feels they’re more at fault than the patients, as once you’re on drugs, you don’t think clearly. The doctors have a responsibility to protect people. Potentially she could have, and would have, gotten drugs elsewhere, but the doctors were contributing to and enabling Smith. “If you’re going to prosecute a drug dealer on the street, you have to prosecute a doctor.” Once I pointed out that a pharmacist testified that he told one of the doctors he advised against giving Smith the drug that eventually killed her, I noted he still filled the prescription anyway. Ms. Feldman blames it on the money, “because they get paid for it.”
The same goes for Michael Jackson. It appeared he was “doctor shopping,” looking for any doctor that would give him the drugs he wanted, and he probably was, yet she still blames the doctors for fulfilling this role for him. Again she doesn’t see the difference between a drug dealer on the street and a doctor prescribing drugs illegally. In fact, she sees the doctors doing it as worse, as the person can always say, “My doctor gave it to me.”
Knowing that Ms. Feldman understands the prison system so well, I wondered if there was anyone that she has worked with as a client that she thought should never get out, that they should just lock up and throw away the key. She replied she didn’t work with any violent criminals, so in that sense she thought they could all be rehabilitated. Yet, outside of her clients, some of the more violent criminals she does feel should never get out, as their acts are so violent and heinous, that they cannot integrate back into society.
After speaking with Ms. Feldman, I understand the “why” a little more. I don’t know if we’ll ever completely understand why these people decide to throw it all away, but I do certainly understand it more. And I do hope, as she does, that the celebrities will start facing tougher punishments and that maybe it will begin to curb their appetite for that quick fix.
Child Psychologist Checks In On What’s Healthy and Not With Balloon Boy’s Family
Any parent out there will agree that raising their kids is the most difficult thing they’ve ever done, and I’m right there at the front of the line. I question everything I do, wanting to be sure it’s healthy, safe, morally sound, etc. for my two teenagers. Sometimes, though, we see other parents’ decisions and have to ask ourselves what they were thinking. This is certainly the case with Balloon Boy’s family, the Heenes. I had the opportunity speak with a child psychologist, Dr. Frank Farley, who also understands very well the psyche of risk-takers, having counseled Evel Knievel’s family.
My first question to Dr. Farley was when he started to suspect this whole boy being stuck in a balloon story was a hoax, and what cemented it for him. When he first wondered what was going on was looking at the “craft” that Falcon Heene had supposedly taken off in. Dr. Farley has done his own share of ballooning, and thought “That’s not much of a balloon.”
After learning that family were thrill-seekers and “excitement junkies,” the red flag really stood out for Dr. Farley, once it was revealed that Falcon hid in a box in the attic for five hours. It just didn’t “compute psychologically” that this 6-year-old boy would remain in silence in this box for that amount of time. He believes human behavior would have had the family searching the house first.
I had read somewhere, although I can’t remember where it was, that one of the brothers had said Falcon was afraid to go into the attic, and to me that was my red flag, as why would this little boy would hide somewhere he was afraid to be. If you’re hiding, it’s because you don’t feel safe, so why go to a scary place? Dr. Farley hadn’t heard that, but agreed that would have strengthened his idea of a hoax even more.
What cemented the idea this was a hoax for Dr. Farley, as it did many others, were the boy’s words of “for the show” that the young Heene boy uttered in an interview. He was theorizing before that even, and those words indicated to him there was a definite plan. The idea that this boy was afraid of his father didn’t compute either, as there was no “compelling evidence that the father was abusive to the kids.” As far as the father running around yelling when they balloon went off, he doesn’t think it reveals an aggressive person, just that he was acting.
One thing that has stuck with me reading the news stories on this incident was the little boy vomiting in the interviews. I wondered if that was because of a fear or his own 6-year-old moral stance that he was doing something wrong. Dr. Farley isn’t sure, but thinks it’s possible Falcon could have been just tired and stressed, because this media coverage is so phenomenal with the media camped outside. He doesn’t put too much weight in the puking incidents. He knows he had to be coached to be in the box, and knows it would have been hard for someone of his age to stay on script. Falcon wanted to be part of the show and do the right thing, making it more stressful. He says in times of that kids would want to stick close to their parents, but it would be hard here, as he was surely being pulled in different directions.
I went back to it not seeming like the Heene parents even considered how this could affect their kids, that it might mot be healthy, safe, etc. I wondered if they just see it differently. For Dr. Farley it’s pure speculation, as he has not interviewed the family, but families can be raised in terms of being risk-takers or thrill-seekers, and while we often criticize those types, risk-taking is a key factor in the success of America. He’s not ready to condemn them just yet.
Dr. Farley also believes that despite everyone wanting to lock away the Heene parents and throw away the key, he would guard against that. He thinks it would be detrimental not just to Falcon, but to the other kids as well. Having been such a part of the elaborate hoax, they would feel it was their fault that their parents ended up “in the slammer.” He thinks in putting the children’s welfare first, that would be the absolutely the wrong thing to do.
Additionally, as a society, Dr. Farley thinks we need to not necessarily condemn this family’s risk-taking ways, as sometimes it leads to great accomplishment, and he’d hate to see our nation go limp and believe Chicken Little is right. There’s positive and negative aspects in risk-taking in families, and in this case, no one has come forth with any evidence that the kids have ever been harmed, and he notes they actually have a very strong family bond.
Dr. Farley isn’t sure if the kids were ever in any danger in this storm-chasing they participated in, but notes you want your kids to “grow up to be fearless and take risks as needed,” and his recommendation then is to go into it slowly, by entering the shallow end first, then the deep end. The idea here is to get kids to be strengthened by the smaller risks they take first, so that they’re ready to take on the challenges of life.
Dr. Farley furthers his advice, saying none of us are going to get through this life without calamities and tragedies, and terrible things happening, “witness 9/11.” he’s not going to condemn their lifestyle without more information, although it was definitely bizarre and unusual, but people in history have done fantastic things after living an unusual lifestyle. He withholds judgement on them when it comes to the effect the family’s risk-taking has had on their kids.
If it would be detrimental to the kids to remove them from their parents by being separated, either by the parents being jailed, or the kids being put in foster care, then what does Dr. Farley suggest the authorities do since they are looking at definite criminal charges? While he doesn’t have first-hand knowledge, his best guess would be probation for the parents with supervision of some sort where the authorities stay in contact and check on them to see how they’re doing. The family seems to be extremely close knit and while they lead an unusual lifestyle, he can’t condemn them without knowing a lot more. Yanking the kids away would then indicate to the children that they’re the reason they’re being separated. The family seems to spend an awful lot of time together, and often kids look up to the their parents when they see them willing to take those risks and not be as stuffy as parents often are.
I then looked at an even larger scope, looking at this whole topic from a reality TV standpoint. Is that in itself detrimental to kids, putting their lives out there for everyone to judge? Dr. Farley notes the question is, “What is the right way?” He does have reservations about it, and feels the scrutiny attributable to reality TV can be detrimental to child development, as judgements are being made all the time on what the family does.
Dr. Farley doesn’t think that allows normal family development to take place as they’re forced to be put in a specific mold. They show “on-stage effects,” as they’re not living their real life, but living reality TV, and they’re not necessarily the same thing. He worries about the medium, not only for the kids, but the extent that it distorts anything in the family life. It can have ripple effects as other young people watch the show and can then affect their lives in what they call “modeling,” with young viewers modeling what they see on TV, which isn’t even real in the first place.
Barring all that, it puts the Gosselin clan in a much different light. It’s also made me think of the Heenes a little differently. Where I started seeing them only as fame whores, I now see them as a loving family with a much different lifestyle than mine. I personally would have a hard time making such choices for my kids, but in a way that’s what does make the world go round. Many of the choices I make for my kids, others wouldn’t make. Yet, above all, they probably don’t need their lives splashed on TV and Internet. Falcon Heene will be in his 30s and still being called, “Balloon Boy.”
The Real Housewives of Late Night
We’ve had the Real Housewives of Atlanta, of Orange County, of New York City, and even New Jersey. Now we have the Real Housewives of Late Night. Jimmy Fallon and some of his staff’s “wives” appear in their own version of the show. Tonight Jimmy’s wife hits the gym, then takes all that aggression with her into the Late Night kitchen.
I have to say that watching it, I found it interesting, as obviously it’s Jimmy and his staff dressed up as women, with hilarious results. Yet, Jimmy actually makes a very attractive woman. And another member of his staff, when he’s all done up with his wig and makeup, it’s really hard to tell he’s really a man. I’d be alarmed if I was him.
See for yourself below.
Jaywalking With Real Housewives
It’s good to see some things don’t die. One of the funniest sketches Jay Leno used to do on the Tonight Show was his “Jaywalking,” asking people in the street some of the easiest of questions and chiding them when they were obviously wrong. Sometimes he’d bring the people in studio and ask the questions Jeopardy-style for even more fun.
It’s good to see that hasn’t died out with Jay moving to primetime on NBC with The Jay Leno Show every night. He’s still doing the Jaywalking, and picking up right where he left off. On last night’s show he did some Jaywalking with three of the Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo. (more…)
Boyz II Men Performing the Theme From Psych
Surely everyone remembers me having the theme to Psych running through my head a few weeks ago and not being able to get it out of my head? Well here’s something to reinforce that today. For tonight’s episode of Psych, BoyZ II Men are singing the theme song.
I suppose that’ll got along with tonight’s episode about Gus’ old singing group, with guest stars Kenan Thompson and Jaleel White.
I just may never get this song out of my head. And, BTW, USA, I’m waiting for this to come out on video or mp3 so I can get it on my iPod. It’s a very big hint.
Okay, everyone. Sing along with me. … Psych you out in the end …
What’s Hot On TV Tonight – Big Brother’s Crucial Competition
Tonight will be the all-important Power of Veto competition and ceremony. veryone will be playing, and everyone has a stake in it. If Natalie or Kevin win, they’ll take themselves off the block and Russell will go up. If MIchele or Ryan win, they’ll keep the nominstaions the same and either Natalie or Kevin will go home, and if Jeff or Jordan win, they’ll take either Natalie or Kevin off the block and Russell will be the replacement with the intention of him going home. Jeff and Jordan have been waffling, as they don’t want to make a mistake, but I think they feel they have better odds with Kevin and or Natalie than Russ.
1. Regis and Kelly. Today’s guests are Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman, Ciara, and Ouidad. Syndicated, check local listings.
2. Crocodile Dundee. A country guy from Australia is brought to New York City and experience a total culture shock. Crikeys! 12:00 PM CT TBS
3. Wild Hogs. Four middle-aged men, Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy, take off on “Hogs” riding across the country trying to prove they’re still young, with hilarious results. 3:00 PM CT FX
4. Hell’s Kitchen. The chefs roll dice to figure out what ingredients they will use in their challenge dish, and the winning team gets to go to las Vegas. Chef Ramsay’s chefs from other restaurants participate in the dinner service, which once again has too many mistakes and a bossy teammate. 7:00 PM CT Fox (more…)
What’s Hot On TV Tonight – Who Are Final 4 Dancers?
There are six people who probably didn’t get much sleep last night, the final six on So You Think You Dan Dance. Four of them will be there next week competing for the top prize, while the remaining to will be out. It’s such a close race this season that I don’t know if there’s anyone that’s a sure bet, other than Brandon, who I sometimes wonder if he’s doing it all just to get back at Mary Murphy for not wanting him in the final 20.
1. The View. The guests today are Seth Rogen and director Judd Apatow form the new movie Funny People. 10:00 AM CT ABC
2. The Women. Remake of a 1939 film with an all female cast starring Meg Ryan, Annette Benning, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Debra Messing as socialites who discover one of them has a cheating husband. 2:20 PM CT 5Star Max
3. Sex and the City. I hadn’t watched the series save for one or two times until the movie came out. I so much enjoyed the movie, I’ve now seen every episode of the series. 4:30 PM CT WMax
4. Big Brother 11. Who’s leaving tonight? Jordan or Casey? I’m going to miss the banana man if he goes. 7:00 PM CT CBS
5. So You Think You Can Dance. We’ll lose more tonight, setting us up for final four next week. Sean Paul will sing So Fine and the dance troupe JabbaWockeeZ will perform as well. 8:00 PM Fox
6. Burn Notice. Michael is called on to track down Barry’s stolen client list, and Fiona and Michael are then at odds over him getting back into the intelligence community. 8:00 PM CT USA
7. She’s Got the Look. The models go to Miami for the final photo shoots of the competition. The first involves sexy swimsuits, and the other involves being painted like exotic animals. They’ll then walk the runway at a live fashion show before the winner is crowned. 8:00 PM TV Land
TV Land SHE’S GOT THE LOOK FINALE Season 2 Episode 8 Sneak Peek from Mitchell Squires on Vimeo.
8. Royal Pains. Hank treats an illustrator with a heart ailment, putting a strain on his relationship with Jill, and Divya struggle to diagnose a newly whose plans are ruined by his illness. 9:00 PM CT USA
9. Wendy Williams Show. Guests tonight are Tori Spelling and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. 10:00 PM CT BET
10. Real Housewives of Atlanta. It’s the new season checking in on the housewives, as Sheree celebrates her divorce with a party, then everyone turns up at a birthday party for Niecy Nash. Kandi Buruss is added to the cast, as DeShawn Snow is out. 9:00 PM CT USA
11. Most Popular. Competing tonight are a beauty queen, a gossiper, and a salon owner. 9:00 PM We
12. Penn & Teller: Bull!. On the menu tonight is organic food and whether it’s really healthier and easier on the environment. 9:00 PM MTV
13. Late Show With David Letterman. Tonight’s guests are Adam Sandler and Cage the Elephant. 10:35 PM CT CBS.
What’s Hot On TV Tonight – Will Jillian Get Her Man
It all comes down to this. Tonight we find out who Jillian chooses, Kiptin, who has seemed like the perfect guy since day one, or Ed, who left her to go back to work, then changed his mind and came back. Like always, she’ll suffer some indecision and face something that puts questions around everything.
1. Regis and Kelly. Holly Hunter is the guest, and Top Dog Week begins with dogs that have all broken records. Syndicated, check local listings.
2. Rachael Ray. Today’s guests are Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser and David Ortiz. Syndicated, check local listings.
3. License to Wed. It’s definitely not my favorite Robin Williams movie, but it’s still worth a look. 2:30 PM CT Starz
4. Great American Road Trip. The families reach the mid point of Route 66 with a pie-eating contest, and then stop in Albuquerque for a hot air balloon adventure before a challenge at Meteor Crater in Arizona. 7:00 PM CT NBC (more…)
What’s Hot On TV Tonight – Entourage Is Back
In with the new, out with the old, as Ice Road Truckers and Expedition Africa end their seasons, and Entourage is just starting up. And in between that is The Next Food Network Star that is really heating up.
1. IndyCar Racing: IndyCar Series In Toronto. It’s the inaugural race in Toronto with a course set through the city’s streets. 12:00 PM CT ABC
2. Valley Girl. Nicolas Cage’s starring debut as a gnarly guy from the wrong side of the valley who has the hots for the valley girl. 12:00 PM CT Fox
3. Swimming: U.S. National Championships. Today’s events include the men’s 100 butterfly, 200 breast stroke, and 100 freestyle, and the women’s 100 freestyle and 200 breast stroke. 1:00 PM CT NBC
4. Gidget. Sandra Dee stars as the girl who finds love at the beach. 1:00 PM CT Turner Classic Movies (more…)
See Farrah Fawcett In Her Career Defining Role
Farrah Fawcett gained quick notoriety as one of Charlies Angels, and combined with her appearance in a red swim suit tank on one of the most infamous posters ever, and a hairstyle that every young woman wanted to emulate, her talent was seen only on the surface. Yet, after leaving Charlies Angels after just one year, Fawcett seemed determined to be seen as a serious dramatic actress, taking on roles such as the battered wife in The Burning Bed.
Tonight, Encore Drama will air The Burning Bed, at 9:35 PM EST. Fawcett plays the role of Francine Hughes, an abused wife who finally had enough, and after being raped by her husband, sets their marital bed, with him still asleep on it, on fire. She was nominated for both an Emmy and Golden Globe for this role. It was a shock to see her so battered and worn down as Francine, but in a way, it made her even more real to us.