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Britney Spears and Other Dysfunctional Divas

 Troubled pop songstress -Britney Spears- has surely provided enough fodder to keep the tabloids and online gossip websites extremely busy. The continuing saga of her sadly dysfunctional existence just keeps on drawing our curiosity. It's kind of like seeing a horrible crash on the side of the road, where you know the whole situation is tragic and appalling, yet you cannot bring yourself to look away from it.

Britney is, however, not a rarity in the annuls of entertainment history, for there have been other female superstars before her, who committed various acts of self-destruction that negatively affected both their personal and professional lives. In most cases, the end result.was tragic.

Here are two good examples of such:

Judy Garland was far more gifted than Britney Spears has ever been, yet she, too, had a bent towards addictive behavior, bad choices in relationships and irrational behavior. Judy was probably the most gifted performer the entertainment world has ever seen. She sang, danced and acted, all with an equal degree of excellence.

Like Britney, she was thrust into show business at an early age, first singing onstage with her two older sisters, then later getting signed by MGM. She starred in various memorable motion pictures throughout her long career, but is more universally known across generations for her portrayal of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz."

Ironically, it was the very studio that made her famous that contributed to her eventual downfall, for it was MGM head -Louis B. Mayer- who insisted that the budding teen be put on pills to keep off her "baby fat" and, of course, she had to also have pills to help take her down at night.

This began a lifelong dependence on and abuse of these drugs and Judy frequently sabotaged her career by delaying film shoots, giving less than stellar performances (remind you of anybody?) and going into a downward emotional spirals. She also got into relationships with men who were ill-suited for her and brought her children up in a somewhat circus-like atmosphere. There were suicide attempts, as well, and on June 22, 1969, Judy Garland died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 47.

Another figure who immediately comes to mind is Janis Joplin. She was a 1960's-era rocker, probably far more raw than Britney Spears and, some would say, possessed of a more serious vocal gift. Still, like Britney, she was one of the top female artists of her day. Her performances were unapologetically tinged with sexuality and she became a huge fan favorite who ended up defining a generation. While there are obvious differences between her background and music genre and those of Judy Garland and Britney, she joins their "sisterhood" in that her lifestyle choices led to bitter results. Janis also leaned on drugs and booze to get her through and on October 4, 1970, was found dead of a heroin overdose. She was only 27 years old.

Three different singers of three different eras and three different styles, yet there are so many similarities.

We can only hope that Britney doesn't end up being included on the same macabre list that Garland and Joplin are included on, of female singers who died way before their time, due to their own excesses..

All we can do is pray that she gets help, before it's too late.
By: Ezriela Devereux
Published: 01/15/08


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1 Posted Comments:

Too Late

@ 2:51 am 01/15/08 by Douglas
It's already too late... it has been too late.
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