Leave Lindsay Lohan Alone! Her Career Is Not Over

By Amber James Posted Jul 7th 2010 01:10PM

Pop-Ed: The courtroom walls seemed to cave in on Lindsay Lohan when the judge sentenced her to 90 days in jail for violating her probation in a three-year-old drug and drunk driving case. The young woman, who just minutes earlier was anxiously fidgeting in her seat, was now broken and bawling. At that moment, I was heartbroken. She was being thrown under the bus and made an example of.

I am not denying that she's had some low points (from her drug and alcohol abuse to her stints in rehab), but she doesn't deserve to be turned into a Hollywood scapegoat. No one is perfect. I'm a firm believer in second chances, and believe Lohan will pull it together and people will start taking her seriously again. Yes, I am rooting for Team Lohan.

The gripping reality of her past reared its ugly head in court yesterday, exposing a young and vulnerable woman who just needs help. Imagine being 24 years old and having your every move critiqued. Honestly, if paparazzi followed most twentysomethings, they would probably make Lohan look like a saint. (There's a reason why college franchises like 'Animal House' and 'Van Wilder' are so popular -- most people can relate to it.) Yet the world is so fixated on her missteps that they refuse to forgive and move on. What are we waiting for?

Lohan optimistically tweeted on January 2 that she wouldn't let people bring her down. "My New Years resolution is to stop letting the lucky few that have my heart try to constantly tear me down." She continued, "2010 is about moving forward, not backwards. Leaving the bad (people, habits, and negative energy behind) time to make changes-right!?!?"

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Lindsay in Court

Lindsay Lohan reacts to a judges sentence at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010 in Los Angeles. More Photos >>

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Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: (EDITORS NOTE: THIS IMAGE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE ON THE SUBJECT'S FINGERNAIL) Actress Lindsay Lohan attends her probation revocation hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Lindsay Lohan was found in violation of her probation for the August 2007 no-contest plea to drug and alcohol charges stemming from two separate traffic accidents, she is scheduled to surrender on July 20, 2010 to serve her 90 day jail sentence. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

Lindsay Lohan cries as she is sentenced to 90 days jail by Judge Marsha Revel during her hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010. The star had apparently painted the nail of her middle finger with the words 'Fuck U'. Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan broke down in tears after she was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating her probation in two 2007 drunk driving cases. The actress, once a red-headed Disney films star and promising A-lister whose career since has spun off course, also was ordered to participate in a 90-day inpatient substance abuse program. After Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel sentenced Lohan, 24, the actress and fashion muse wept in court. AFP PHOTO/POOL/David McNew (Photo credit should read DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images)

Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actress Lindsay Lohan attends her probation revocation hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Lindsay Lohan was found in violation of her probation for the August 2007 no-contest plea to drug and alcohol charges stemming from two separate traffic accidents, she is scheduled to surrender on July 20, 2010 to serve her 90 day jail sentence. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

Lindsay Lohan cries as she is sentenced to 90 days jail by Judge Marsha Revel during her hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010. She sobbed and pleaded in court not to be thrown in jail, but troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan had another, far less plaintive message for the judge, written on the fingernail of her middle finger. Photographers using telephoto lenses captured photos showing that Lohan, hand pressed against her mouth, had the words "fuck u" carefully written over a multicolored pastiche of pastel nail polish(Middle Finger-R). The judge ordered Lohan, 24, to spend 90 days in jail for violating probation in two 2007 drunken driving cases. She also was ordered to take part in a 90-day in-patient substance abuse program. AFP PHOTO/POOL/David McNew (Photo credit should read DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images)

Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actress Lindsay Lohan (L) and lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley attend a probation revocation hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Lindsay Lohan was found in violation of her probation for the August 2007 no-contest plea to drug and alcohol charges stemming from two separate traffic accidents, she is scheduled to surrender on July 20, 2010 to serve her 90 day jail sentence. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lindsay Lohan;Shawn Chapman Holley

Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actress Lindsay Lohan (C) and lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley attend a probation revocation hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Lindsay Lohan was found in violation of her probation for the August 2007 no-contest plea to drug and alcohol charges stemming from two separate traffic accidents, she is scheduled to surrender on July 20, 2010 to serve her 90 day jail sentence. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lindsay Lohan;Shawn Chapman Holley

Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

In December, Lohan traveled across India to film a BBC documentary to raise awareness and find a solution to stop child trafficking. Although we think her trip was done out of the the kindness of her heart, the public seemed to think it was simply a PR stunt to tweak her "party girl" image. Either way, it was obvious that even her humanitarian efforts failed to positively change her career ... even a little bit.

The backlash continued after the BBC released a trailer of her documentary. Gossip blogs tore the clip apart: Lindsay Lohan Pretends To Care; Lindsay Lohan Does Good, Looks Awkward; Samaritan LiLo's Comic Relief Skit. The public was skeptical of her sincerity, even though she was trying to shine a light on a serious issue that desperately needs more attention. What do you want from her? She never said she was going to change the world in one day.

Public perception of the starlet started to go downhill during the summer of 2007 when she was arrested twice for driving under the influence. Aside from driving drunk, police involved in her July arrest found cocaine in Lohan's pocket. Weeks later, Lohan checked herself into Cirque Lodge Treatment Center, a high-class rehabilitation center frequented by many stars. It was her second rehab stint, having gone once before in January of 2007.

She seems to be face-to-face with the same reality Britney Spears had when the pop princess shaved her hair in an effort to tell the world to leave her alone. With celebrities so overexposed today, their public and private personas get blurred. People seem to associate "Lindsay Lohan" with the scandals and gossip and don't give her the opportunity to be accepted as a real person with feelings. She's not plastic, folks.

No one can deny the talent she had in 'The Parent Trap' and 'Mean Girls,' but few can get past her hard-partying ways. I'm not saying her recent films like 'Herbie Fully Loaded,' 'I Know Who Killed Me' and 'Labor Pains' (which went straight to cable) were blockbusters, but she was pretty much blamed for bringing each film to the ground. That's a lot of pressure. Could you perform at your best if everyone used you like a punching bag?

Her upcoming films are said to be make or break career moves and are proof that her career is getting a reboot. She is due to portray 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace, star of 'Deep Throat,' in the biopic film 'Inferno,' and she's already filmed Robert Rodriguez's 'Machete,' which is scheduled for release on Sept. 3, 2010. 'Inferno' writer-director Matthew Wilder told the AP after the ruling that he and his crew remain "100 percent behind Lindsay" and "proud to have this remarkable artist work on our film," he said.

Even Kerry Wallum, a producer with Lucky Films, said Lohan was in negotiations for a role in the upcoming Willie Nelson movie 'The Dry Gulch Kid,' and that the production would wait for her if she wanted the part. "We're behind her," he said Tuesday. "We'll wait until all of this blows over."

Even though she's made a few mistakes, give her a break. She's human. The actress must begin serving her sentence on July 20, however, she likely won't serve the entire 90 days. Immediately after leaving jail, Lohan will spend another 90 days at an inpatient rehab facility. If Lindsay has made it this far, she'll persevere. The actress will again make headlines for her acting and not her acting out if she just puts her mind to it. This could mark the beginning of a new decade for Lindsay, as people begin to accept her as a serious actress and entrepreneur.

Here's to you, Lindsay. Now show us what you've got.

Should the world leave Lindsay alone?

Tags: lindsay lohan

Comments

(101)

Thursday 08 July

By Kate

Vote down Vote up Report this

Meryl Streep described Lindsay as the greatest talent of her generation . Iam a huge fan .She is gonna do it.Go Lindsay.Thank you for a great article at last.

Wednesday 07 July

By Krasovitz

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

If you're implying that your behavior makes Lindsay look like a saint, I'm scared for you. Substance abuse to the point where it ruins your career and relationships is not normal.

By Dave

Amber James--I think your apologetics and excuses in this article reflect the exact attitude that got LL into this mess in the first place. "Oh, well, she's got talent, so we should let her get away with her DUI's, endangering people's lives, her addiction to alcohol and drugs. After all, she's very gifted and beautiful....yada yada yada."

This is nothing but enabling. She needs to spend some serious time in incarceration thinking about how she got herself into this mess and where her life is headed. All the major news agencies and networks already have her obituary ready to go, they're just waiting for the final date to publish.

The big problem is that LL is in total denial that anything is really wrong, and articles like this support her self-delusional thinking. I had a friend who died years ago because he was in this same mindset, and he finally expired from an overdose.
Stop making excuses for this girl and let her take her punishment like an adult.

By TruDat

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Lindsey is the one who is derailing herself. Her career can recover as long as she rights herself! She keeps getting chance after chance from her peers that cast her for projects. She is the one by making poor decisions, sets herself back with the public and the law. If the law has to step in and try to protect her from herself, so be it....if it's played out in public...so be it...that's how she's lived her life and websites like this make money off of her...so pardon if your "poor Lindsey" sounds disingenuous..

By boydanb203

So funny how many people will throw the first stone, guys lets be honest, some people here have done worst than her when they were her age....I will never throw the first stone, I used to drink and drive, I partied, and I have changed and I bet a lot people on here had done the same, the only difference is that we did in private , she had the camera on her 24/7, and even if we were given 10 chances then we would be screwing the 10 chances, you really start changing your ways around age 27 or so.

By syndisworld

Wah Wah Wah. What a waste of time, money, and energy. Lohan started crying in court because she realized she might have to actually pay a price for breaking the law. What? Little ol’me?
She hasn't done anything note worthy in a long time except get out of trouble. She should be serving three years instead of three months. Any other 'regular' person with DUI’s, caught with cocaine, etc etc, and then missing probation, and drug and alcohol rehab appointments would be thrown in the slammer for years.
The justice system is very blind indeed.

By Bothepro24

What an idiot you are, she has had to many chances already. If it were you or I the key would have been thrown away. Anyhow, she doesn't have any talent worth watching, she may as well do her 90 days and find someone else to scam.

By manmean99

F this no-talent tw@t. I can't stand her and I hope this is the end of her and her loser family. The Lohans suck!!!

By kd

I believe her career is over. In Hollywood, the producing of movies must carry insurance. Lohan is considered a high risk to
those that insure production. Her past behavior; such as not
showing up on the set, holding up crews and driving up the cost of production. Most studios won't take the risk because of her poor behavior...it is simply too costly to take a chance on her.

By Koz

B.S. she got what she deserved.

My brother was on the back end of 2 years probation for a DUI when he went to a party with friends and the driver of the car was busted for a DUI and when they ran my brothers name they found out he was on probation and he is now finishing off his entire sentence in jail.

By rex

sounds like your brother got what he deserved also

By Nicole

TOO HARSH? HA YA RIGHT... IF THAT WAS ME I WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN IN JAIL A LOOOOONG TIME AGO... AND IDK WHY THE HECK SHES CRYING.. WE ALL KNOW SHE WILL BE IN THERE MAYBE A COUPLE OF HOURS BECAUSE AMAZINGLY EVERY TIME A CELEBRITY IS TREATED LIKE A NORMAL PERSON LIKE THEY ALL CLAIM THEY WANT TO BE TREATED THERE IS "OVER CROWDING" IN THEIR JAIL AND THEY GET RELEASED IN SAME FREAKIN DAY.. SO ITS OK LINDSAY GO DO UR 1 OR 2 HRS AND THEN U WILL BE RELEASED AND BACK TO DOING DRUGS AND DRINKING...

By Dr. Dave

Amber James is missing the bigger picture. Lindsay Lohan is in the grip of a progressive and possibly fatal alcohol and drug battle. She has repeatedly chosen to get drunk and loaded despite many attempts to sanction her and slow her down. She is headed for an early grave. A 90 jail sentence followed by a 3 months stay in a well-run rehab will at least get her attention. However, celebrity addicts have a poor track record of staying sober. Lohan has enough money to feed her habits and is surrounded by sycophants, just as many other celebrities were (think Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Chris Farley, John Belushi, Anna Nicole Smith etc. etc.). I am not optimistic.

By Pam

I do not believe the sentance was to harsh. I believe the judge did her a favor by sending her to jail. This will either make or break Lindsey. This will give her time to rethink her life and hopefully find a road to recovery. She is a talented young lady and I would love nothing more than to see her get her life straightened out and get back into her profession

By TOM HOLLEMAN

HER LIFE IS OVER IF SHE DOES NOT GET CLEAN AND SOBER, EVERYTHING WILL BE OVER...

By Buckeye Brent

Amber, this is probably the best thing to happen to Lohan in a long time. It's people like you and her mother who fall for the tears and enables her immature, sense of entitlement. It's not just her DUIs, drug use, and party life style. You have an actress with a reputation of not showing up for work and when she does, she's difficult to work with. Maybe if her movies were still bringing in millions of dollars, the film industry would continue to put up with her crap, but lately she has made more bombs then the defense department. If she was Lindsey the cashier, instead of Lindsey the movie star, missing court dates and violating parole, she would have been in jail a long time ago. But honestly, this is the best day of her life, and I suspect in a few years she'll probably say so herself.

SHE IS ALREADY A HAS BEEEN, LOL,LOL,LOL...

By P Montgomery

she has been given break after break. finally she is getting a punishment she deserves. go home and find another career because you obviously don't care about acting and you're not good at anyway. one movie years ago as a child does not an actor make.

lindsay god is waiting for you with open arms. maybe you should considering going to him now and leaving the misery of your earthly troubles

SHE IS A TRAIN WREAK, YOU PLAY YOU PAY, LOCK HER UP...

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