andPOP » Abuse

Lindsay Lohan Released From Rehab – Will She Stay Clean?

Megan MacKay — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:35:17 +0000

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After 90 days in the Betty Ford Center, Lindsay Lohan is finally free once more!

Popeater is reporting that Lindsay’s parents, Dina and Michael Lohan, are incredibly proud of their daughter and firmly believe that she has taken huge steps toward getting fully healthy once more.

“She’s just a different person,” Dina explained in an interview with Matt Lauer. “Shes been in a couple facilities, but this one, to me, has really changed her.”

In a separate interview with the Early Show, Michael echoed Dina’s sentiments. “She has taken the right steps and put the right people back into her life,” he gushed.

Lindsay’s parents have had a history of public feuding, especially over what is best for Lindsay, so it’s nice to see them agree about something for once!

Lohan is expected to stay in LA to work on her clothing line rather than return to her Long Island home. She has no upcoming film projects after dropping out of what was supposed to be her comeback vehicle, a Linda Lovelace biopic titled “Inferno”, due to her time in jail and rehab.

Keep up the good work, Lindsay! You can get better! We believe in you!

But what do you think? Do you think she is doomed or will she make it this time?

Halle Berry Opens Up About Her Traumatic Childhood

Megan MacKay — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:58:14 +0000

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The beautiful Halle Berry is best known for dazzling audiences on the big screen, but few know about her childhood battle with an abusive father in a violent home.

In an interview with CNN, Berry opens up about her past in the hope that it will bring the issue of domestic violence into the spotlight. Berry spent the beginning of her life watching her father physically and mentally abuse her mother before blossoming into the on-screen siren we know today.

“I’ve spent my adult life dealing with the sense of low self-esteem that sort of implanted in me. Somehow I felt not worthy,” Berry, now a mother herself, explains. “Before I’m ‘Halle Berry,’ I’m little Halle…a little girl growing in this environment that damaged me…I’ve spent my adult life trying to really heal from that.”

Berry dedicates an enormous amount of her time to the Jenesse Center, a shelter in Los Angeles that takes in abused women. She also renovates low-cost apartments to provide a new home to victims and their children as they get back on their feet.

Watch Berry’s interview on CNN here:

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2010/12/14/exp.am.intv.berry.cnn

Chris Brown Receives Domestic Violence Diploma

andPOP Staff — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:49:33 +0000

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Chris Brown has completed his court ordered 52 week course in domestic violence. He is so proud of his accomplishment that he took to Twitter to share the good news.

On Monday Brown posted a picture of his diploma, which he received Monday afternoon. You may recall Brown was ordered to take the course after assaulting his then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

Good work Chris! Too bad you didn’t figure out not to hit girls when you were 8 years old.

Interview: Phildel Had to Run Away From Home to Stay Alive

Sara Harowitz — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:45:20 +0000

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Her story isn’t a fairytale, but it sure reads like one.

Phildel lived a happy life in London, England, until she was eight years old. She used to play concerts for her mother on her little toy piano. Then her parents divorced and her mother remarried to a strict and abusive man. Phildel’s step-father banned music from their household, claiming it to be an unholy waste of time.

“It was probably the worst 10 years of my life,” Phildel (yes, it is her real name; it is a compound name of her Chinese father, Philip, and Irish mother, Della) told andPOP about growing up without music. “It was absolutely awful.”

She grew up depressed and isolated, unable to practise and listen to the one thing that kept her happy. Forced to play music in secret, Phildel would spend her spare time at school in the music room, playing on the school piano. It was there that her talent for the art took shape.

When she was seventeen, living in that home became too much for her and she ran away. All Phildel left behind was a note.

“It was really hard because I was leaving my sister and mother behind and I didn’t know whether we were going to be able to keep any kind of relationship going,” Phildel, now 26, said (it should be noted that she does now have a relationship with her mother again). “But at the end of the day I was really suicidal and I just got to the point where if I didn’t leave I wouldn’t be able to go on anymore.”

She ran away to friends’ houses, keeping a low profile until she turned 18 and was legally allowed to live on her own. Finally free to express herself through music, Phildel recorded a demo in a small bedroom apartment, and it quickly gained momentum. Last year she was signed to Warner Chappell Music Publishing, and now her music is ready to be shared with the world.

“What I’m really happy about is that I have total control over everything that I do even now and will continue to in the future,” she said of signing with the label. “I’m creating something that I believe is, more than anything, sincere.”

Phildel’s music is not only sincere; it is breathtaking. Her high, angelic voice ripples over her piano melodies, creating a haunting and eerie expression of pain and beauty.

“My imagination is the biggest inspiration for my work,” Phildel said. “In my imagination, I guess because of my past, there’s a lot of dark imagery and sinister feelings.

“I just hated my stepfather so much at times I felt I could kill him,” she continued. “I really considered how could I murder this man and get away with it. The haunting [quality of my music] comes from the feeling of isolation, having been through all those emotions, and other people not really understanding what it’s like.”

Phildel is aware that many view her present-day life as the fairytale ending to her wicked step-father story. But she is quick to explain that while she is much happier now, the damage that was done when she was young has not gone away, and probably never will.

“You actually develop a kind of brain damage in that your brain gets used to feeling incredibly afraid all the time,” she said of living in an abusive home. “It’s like the battle never really ends, and I look back on that whole childhood and I definitely feel angry because it’s left me with a lot of long-term issues.”

Still, if anything can help her work through the pain, it is music.

“I cry every single time I write any of my songs, whether it’s from being really touched or overwhelmed or upset. I suppose I just feel like an open wound generally when I’m writing, and when I finish each song it heals a little bit more,” Phildel said. “It’s completely become my reason to live.”

Tila Tequila’s Football Star Boyfriend Arrested for Abuse Accusations

Emma Renda — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:27:03 +0000

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In a weird twist of celebrity co-mingling, reality TV star Tila Tequila’s NFL boyfriend Shawn Merriman was arrested yesterday, according to TMZ.

Police were called to the home of San Diego Charger’s Merriman early this morning where Tila claimed he had choked her and restrained her from leaving the apartment. Tila was taken to hospital but no injuries reported.

Merriman was taken into custody with a bail set at $58,000.

His lawyer released a statement this morning saying Tila was extremely inebriated following a birthday party at Stingareer Nightclub in San Diego and Merriman did not want her to leave the house because he felt it was unsafe.

In a statement to FoxNewsSports.com, Merriman denied the allegations.

“There have been no charges filed against me. I want to thank the San Diego Sherrif’s Department for their professionalism,” read the statement. ”I will continue to cooperate fully with the Department, and I look forward to clearing my name regarding these false allegations. I want to put this behind me so I can continue to focus on a successful season for the San Diego Chargers.”

Tila has taken to Twitter to plead her case, saying she was not drunk because she is actually allergic to alcohol. Go figure.

“I am allergic to alcohol,” Tila said via Twitter. “It has been publicly known for years. That is how I got the name Tila “Tequila” cuz the irony. I cant drink.”

Tila has since returned to Los Angeles and no word on Merriman’s legal follow-up has been released.

Hayden Panettiere’s Father Arrested for Spousal Abuse

Irene Ogrodnik — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:34:41 +0000

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Hayden Panettiere’s father might just need a hero to get him out of this predicament.

According to E! News, Alan Panettiere was arrested early Monday morning for allegedly hitting his wife, Lesley Panettiere. Sgt. Scott Wolf, a spokesperson for the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department, said Hayden’s father got into an argument with Hayden’s mother and struck her on the left cheek up to two times with a closed fist.

The “Heroes” star’s mother called the police who arrive at the home and took her statement.

Reports claim that the spat occurred over a party the couple attended. Hayden’s dad is currently being held for $50,000 bail.

No word whether the 18-year-old star or her younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, were present during the altercation.

Dennis Rodman Out of Jail, in Rehab

andPOP Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:57:54 +0000

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Rehab isn’t just trendy. Occasionally it’s necessary, especially for Dennis Rodman.

Days after being arrested for domestic battery, Rodman has checked into an outpatient rehab facility, People magazine has learned.

According to Rodman’s manager, “[Rodman's] life has not been going smoothly for the last few months since his divorce. He has not been able to see his kids. And he has been drinking too much.”

Rodman was arrested in a Los Angeles Hotel last Wednesday, after police received reports that he had abused a woman. The woman sustained injuries to her arms. Rodman is expected in court May 22 after posting $50,000 bail.