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American Morning

Pressures of Showbiz Pushing Entertainers to the Edge

Aired August 10, 2001 - 10:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You know, it's getting tough in Hollywood. Getting a lot of stars in -- on injured reserve nowadays. Mariah Carey is recovering. Ben Affleck's now in rehab. What's going on here?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: it's a tough gig being famous...

HARRIS: I guess it is.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: ... and having all those perks.

Jodi Ross joining us from New York to give us the lowdown on some of these stars trying to fix their problems.

Hi, Jodi.

HARRIS: Hi, Jodi.

JODI ROSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, you guys, and it is a tough gig being famous. You know that.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: I wish. Oh, yeah, in my dreams, believe me.

KAGAN: I'm in ice cream rehab.

ROSS: Yeah, me too, Daryn.

If you think it's easy being rich and famous, imagine this: You sneak away to the salon for a couple of hours to get your hair down, check your pager on your way out to find more than 200 messages. That's what reportedly happened top Mariah Carey recently.

She's just one example of a hot star burning the candle at both ends.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSS (voice-over): Mariah Carey just spent two weeks in the hospital for extreme exhaustion. Ben Affleck heads to rehab to treat his alcoholism. Rosie O'Donnell says she's suffering from depression. What seems like an epidemic is spreading quickly through Tinseltown.

DR. NORMAN SUSSMAN: There's a lot of stuff that goes on with being a celebrity that can make you burn out. A lot of that has to do with drugs and alcohol. And also, it's a very insecure business. You can be very successful, and you have one flop of a movie or one flop of a record and you don't have a career anymore. And I think a lot of people are very aware of that.

KEVIN RICHARDSON, BACKSTREET BOYS: We were concerned about his lifestyle changes in the past year.

ROSS: So bad for A.J. McLean that he's currently being treated for anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse, which has forced the Backstreet Boys to put the brakes on their summer tour.

Same goes for "Glitter," the Mariah Carey movie, which was set to open at the end of this month, has been pushed back to late September. Anthony Esposito is a producer on "Wisegirls," the other film Carey just finished shooting.

ANTHONY ESPOSITO, CO-PRODUCER, "WISEGIRLS": She's a total worker and nonstop worker. And I just think that as far as that I don't even see the reality of everybody's talking about breakdowns and all of that. To me, that's not the reality. I just think that you have a lady that's a bit tired.

SUSSMAN: But to be admitted to a hospital and be -- and for it to be said that it's exhaustion, it's usually a code word for something else. Certainly, in my experience, I can never remember anyone having been admitted for exhaustion.

ROSS: Busy celebs can suffer all sorts of medical ailments due to busy schedules.

(on camera): After playing five nights here at Madison Square Garden, Madonna canceled a show in New Jersey due to laryngitis. And the flu has recently kept Janet Jackson off stage as well.

BUDDY ARNOLD, MUSICIANS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Staying up without artificial aid, without sleep is very difficult. And coffee will only work so long.

ROSS (voice-over): Saxophonist and former junkie Buddy Arnold is the founder of MAP, Musicians Assistance Program, an organization offering treatment for addiction to anyone in the music business.

ARNOLD: There is not the stigma attached to it that there was for so many years. I think the times have changed, and it's kind of OK to say, "I'm in trouble, I need help."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Problems are problems. Everybody has them. And it just so happens that ours are diagnosed under a microscope a little more than the norm.

ROSS: But can life go back to "the norm" once the disease has been licked? Experts say, in most cases, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People love her, so I think that she's -- her future is by no means in doubt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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