Tag Archives: former child star
Former Child Star DEMI LOVATO Bashes Disney’s “SHAKE IT UP!” for Insensitive Treatment of Eating Disorders
Posted on 24. Dec, 2011 by Hollywood Mom.
Child no more but still a star, Demi Lovato in 2011
UPDATE: The official PR Twitter account for Disney Channel tweeted to Lovato in response: “We hear you & are pulling both episodes as quickly as possible & reevaluating them.” Disney PR added, “It’s NEVER our intention to make light of eating disorders!”
Disney “Sonny with a Chance” star Demi Lovato has accused Disney of poking fun and making light of eating disorders on its hit TV series “Shake It Up.”
Demi, who earlier in the year revealed her history of bulimia and anorexia, took to Twitter after watching a recent episode of Shake It Up, a music and dance-focused sitcom that stars two girls in their early teenage years.
Apparently in the offensive episode one of the chacters says to another: “I could just eat you up… well, if I ate.”
“What are we promoting here? #notfunnyATALL,” Lovato tweeted. Lovato’s twitter
“I find it really funny how a company can lose one of their actress’ from the pressures of an EATING DISORDER and yet still make joke about… that very disease.
“And is it just me or are the actress’ getting THINNER AND THINNER…. I miss the days of RAVEN, and LIZZIE MCGUIRE.
“Dear Disney Channel, EATING DISORDERS ARE NOT SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT.”
Raven Symone of Disney's old hit show RAVEN
Disney's SHAKE IT UP teen star, Bella Thorne
Lovato goes on to say: “… and society wonders why there are 7 yr old with eating disorders…yet disney is making jokes about it.”
Later she posted: “Just clearing things up, I have nothing against any specific actress/actor or tv show.. Nor do I think there’s anything wrong with girls who aren’t curvy, I just was stating a fact that there needs to be more variety on television so young girls growing up don’t feel pressured to look one specific way. Tall, thin, curvy, short, whatever you are, you are beautiful. 
”
As an adult who has battled eating disorders and my relationship with food since early childhood, I commend Demi from speaking out on this issue. There should absolutely be children and teens of all sizes and shapes on television and when it comes to children’s programming, eating disorders should never be treated as a joke.
Save to Browser Favorites
Ask
backflip
blinklist
BlogBookmark
Bloglines
BlogMarks
Blogsvine
BuddyMarks
BUMPzee!
CiteULike
co.mments
Connotea
del.icio.us
DotNetKicks
Digg
diigo
dropjack.com
dzone
Facebook
Fark
Faves
Feed Me Links
Friendsite
folkd.com
Furl
Google
Hugg
Jeqq
Kaboodle
kirtsy
linkaGoGo
LinksMarker
Ma.gnolia
Mister Wong
Mixx
MySpace
MyWeb
Netvouz
Newsvine
PlugIM
popcurrent
Propeller
Reddit
Rojo
Segnalo
Shoutwire
Simpy
Slashdot
Sphere
Sphinn
Spurl.net
Squidoo
StumbleUpon
Technorati
ThisNext
Webride
Windows Live
Yahoo!
Email This to a Friend
If you like this then please subscribe to the Continue Reading
THEN & NOW: Christina Ricci Thankful She Is Not A Child Star in Today’s World
Posted on 23. Oct, 2011 by Hollywood Mom.
Christina Ricci (PAN AM) became a household name in the 1990′s at age nine working on film projects like The Addams Family, Now and Then, Sleepy Hollow, Mermaids, The Ice Storm, Casper, and quickly graduated to respected indie fare like Pumpkin, The Opposite of Sex and Monster.
Unlike today’s teen and child stars who are under constant media scrutiny, Christina reveals that she was not pursued by paparazzi in the 90′s and led a normal teen life.
“You know, I made all the mistakes a lot of young stars are making today. I partied, I drank. But during my time there weren’t that many photographers around. I had more freedom,” she said.
Christina further states that when pressures of fame overwhelm her she reacts by chilling out at her home.
“If I feel stressed, I take a personal day, which basically entails me being on my couch with a book and my puppy! I don’t leave the house. And I like to visit my friends, and just hang out with my family,” she said.
You can watch Christina on Sunday nights 10/9 pm on ABC. If you’d like to dress like Christina and the other Pan Am Stewardesses for Halloween this year, ABC has made posted the step by step instructional manual complete with print outs!
Continue Reading
THEN & NOW: Former Child Actor LAURA DERN on Her Strict Upbringing
Posted on 18. Oct, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
18 year old Laura Dern in SmoothTalk (1985)
Laura Dern’s parents’ are Academy Award nominated actor Bruce Dern and Academy Award nominated actress Diane Ladd, whom divorced when she was only 2. You could say she was born into the business and you’d be right. However, she made her own mark early in a series of heavy projects like “The Stains,” and “Foxes” at age 13, “Smooth Talk,” at age 18 and David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” at 19. Dern then graduated to lead roles in “Citizen Ruth,” “Wild at Heart,” “Rambling Rose” and “Jurassic Park.” Laura earned her own Oscar nod for “Rambling Rose.”
But although Laura began performing professionally as a young girl, Mom Diane Ladd was strict with her teen.
“Luckily for me I had both – with my grandmother and my mother particularly – both my parents, but I was living with my mom most of the time. (They had) a real longing to make sure I was very involved in school,” she said. ”So I was lucky in that for me it worked that I was never home-schooled. I was always in school, had to be involved in two activities or I couldn’t do a job. It was like swim team and president of whatever club or something like that, and classes and play dates and over-nights,” she says.
Dern continues: “I was also lucky, frankly, to start young but my mom really balanced it. Where there were a few things that meant a lot to me that she let me audition for, but didn’t push me to go out there. And she asked my agent not to send me on everything. So I just didn’t work that much. I wasn’t doing a series for five years as a teenager. I didn’t have to deal with severe high-visibility celebrity, which is a whole other level that I feel fortunate to not have had to walk through.”
Dern’s latest project, HBO’s “Enlightened,” premiered Oct. 10, 2011. She stars in the series with Mom Diane. Last week Dern was served with divorce papers from husband Ben Harper. They share two children Ellery, 9, and Jaya, 5.
THE STAINS: Diane Lane (15) center with Laura Dern (13) far right
Continue Reading
THEN AND NOW: Sarah Jessica Parker Thankful She Was A Child Actor
Posted on 20. Sep, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Former Square Pegs Child Star Sarah Jessica Parker (I Don’t Know How She Does It) recently told the Associated Press that she is glad she was a child actor.
SJP: ”I’m glad I did. I had great experiences. I worked in a different time when the emphasis was entirely different. Being a great actor and merit was everything. It wasn’t about being rich or famous, it was simply about hard work. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.”
Sarah began her career with a TV movie at age 8 and now her son James Wilkie, 8, has indicated that he too wants a career in show biz.
Parker’s reaction to that news? “I hope he pursues it with seriousness, if it’s what he wants to do. The only rule is he has to go and finish a four-year college course – then he can do whatever he wants.”
Continue Reading
HMB GIVE-AWAYS! “HOODWINKED TOO” on DVD August 16, 2011!
Posted on 10. Aug, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Update: THE WINNER IS JENNY KROMPEL! Congratulations to Jenny and family!
The story of everyone’s favorite red-hooded heroine continues when Hoodwinked Too is released on DVD later this month! And to celebrate, Hollywood Mom Blog is giving away a copy of this good-time tale for one of our lucky readers. Just enter in the reply section below why you and your kids would LOVE to own this magical movie!
Our Winner will be announced soon! The DVD Release Date is August 16, 2011
ABOUT HOODWINKED TOO:
The good…the bad…the Twitchy. The sequel finds our heroine, Red (Hayden Panettiere), training with a mysterious covert group called the Sisters of the Hood. But Red is forced to cut her training short when she gets an urgent call from Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers), the head of the super secret Happily Ever After Agency, aka the HEA. A wicked witch (Joan Cusack) has abducted two innocent children, Hansel (Bill Hader) and Gretel (Amy Poehler), and Nicky needs the whole Hoodwinked gang—Red, Granny (Glenn Close), the ever-clueless Wolf (Patrick Warburton) and his over-caffeinated little partner, Twitchy (Cory Edwards)—for the search and rescue mission.
Continue Reading
Former Child Actor Elijah Woods Credits Mom With Keeping Him Grounded
Posted on 06. Jul, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Former Child Actor Elijah Wood ( The Lord of the Rings), now 30, recently told media outlet Nylon Guys that unlike many child actors’ parents, his mother Debbie Wood was more reserved when supporting him in the film industry. He can next be seen in the new FX comedy series, “Wilfred.”
Wood states, “This is a funny industry for a child, and I think there are a lot parents who put their kids in it for their own motivations. I was lucky – that was never my situation. In fact, my mother would threaten to take me out of it more frequently than support it. She knew I loved it and that it was a good motivator for keeping me in line.”
One pitfall of being a successful, professional actor according to Wood is become full of oneself. He directly attributes his “grounded” home and family life with keeping him from succumbing to that temptation.
“Life on a film set, the surreality can seep into your daily life. You can be treated in ways you’re not deserving of” says Wood, “and you can start to believe it. But I was always so grounded at home that it provided a sense of balance.”
Continue Reading
LA CASTING CALL: CLEAN HOUSE is Seeking Cluttered Homes!
Posted on 04. Apr, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
THE STYLE NETWORK’S CLEAN HOUSE SHOW IS LOOKING FOR CLUTTERED HOUSES!!
Do you need help ridding your home of clutter? Are you having a hard time letting go of stuff you don’t need but just can’t seem to part with? Is your house in dire need of a makeover? If AT LEAST 3 ROOMS IN YOUR HOUSE ARE MESSY, then you need CLEAN HOUSE!!!
If you OWN a SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSE (sorry, no apartments, condos, or townhouses) and at least 2 adults live in your home, then please email the following info to us and we’ll be in touch with more details:
1. Names & relationships of EVERYONE living in the house. (You must OWN the house)
2. Address & phone number.
3. Photos or video of all your cluttered rooms.
4. Tell us about yourself and why you and your family need CLEAN HOUSE!!!
5. Do you own or rent your house? For prompt attention, please answer ALL of the above questions!!
Email me at rosecastingcleanhouse@gmail.com
We look forward to hosting your yard sale!
THE CHILD ACTOR CONNECTION:
Former COSBY Child Star Tempestt Bledsoe is the new host of The Style Network’s “Clean House," taking over for comedic actress Neicy Nash. According to Bledsoe, the "Clean House" producers "had no idea that I’m really a neat freak.” Tempestt began her entertainment career playing Vanessa Huxtable on NBC’s “The Cosby Show” from 1984-1992. “I like transformative TV,” Tempestt told Laura. “This is a show where people are really helped and transformed each and every week and you can feel good about watching it… “Every time I’ve talked to a family member that says, ‘You’ve really helped me, you’ve changed my life… You can’t replace that,” she added.“Clean House” airs Wednesdays at 10 PM on The Style Network.
Continue Reading
Former Child Actress Elizabeth Taylor, 79, Has Passed Away
Posted on 23. Mar, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Actress and Humanitarian, Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, has died at age 79. Born in Hampstead, London, England on February 27, 1932, she was a child star and one of the great Hollywood beauties. She began her career with several Lassie movies and the beloved, “National Velvet.” She went on to star in film classics “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Butterfield 8,” “Cleopatra,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and many others.
She was nominated five times for an academy award and won twice for Best Actress is a Leading Role for “Butterfield 8″ and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Taylor was married 8 times, twice to her great love Richard Burton. About this she was quoted as saying, “I am a very committed wife. And I should be committed too – for being married so many times.”
She holds the record for Life Magazine Covers, having been featured 11 times.
Taylor pioneered the campaign against HIV and AIDS awareness in Hollywood after her good friend Rock Hudson died and The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation has raised millions of dollars for the cause.
About her life she was famously quoted as saying, “Everything was handed to me – looks, fame, wealth, honor, love. I rarely had to fight for anything.” She was also known for saying, “When people say, ‘She’s got everything’, I’ve got one answer – I haven’t had tomorrow.” Rest in Peace Ms. Taylor.
Continue Reading
Former Child Star Christina Applegate Says Baby Sadie Will Not Follow in Her Show Biz Foot Steps!
Posted on 01. Mar, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Following the recent trend of former child stars turned parents, Former “Married… with Children” child star Christina Applegate will not be introducing newborn daughter, Sadie Grace, to the world of show biz as she was in her babyhood. According to an adamant Christina, ”She’s allowed to study, and if she wants to take acting classes or dance classes, she’s allowed to, but I have a very strong ‘No’ when it comes to monetary exchange for your talents until she’s 18.”
Christina's TV Debut with Mom Nancy Lee Priddy
Christina got her start in acting at the tender age of 3 months old, making her TV debut opposite her mother, Nancy Lee Priddy, on the popular soap opera Days of Our Lives. The actress continued to work through childhood, taking her first movie role (Jaws of Satan) at age 7, and tackling guest-starring roles in ’80s sitcoms like Charles in Charge, Silver Spoons and Family Ties. At 16, Applegate got her big break, landing the role of ditzy Kelly Bundy on Married… With Children.
Continue Reading
Former Child Actors Take Top Honors at the Academy Awards 2011
Posted on 28. Feb, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Former child star Natalie Portman made her big screen debut in “The Professional,” in 1994 at the age of 12. After winning the Academy Award for Best Actress (Black Swan) last night, the pregnant star paid tribute to her own Hollywood Mom and Pop for always encouraging her to act, saying: “I want to thank my parents. First and foremost for giving me my life and for the opportunity to work at such a young age and for showing me everyday how to be a good human being by example.”
Former child actor Christian Bale also took home the gold as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “The Fighter.”
In atypical fashion, Bale was teary-eyed as he emotionally thanked his wife Sibi and daughter Emmaline: “I didn’t think I was like this. [Thanks to] my wonderful wife and our little girl, who’s taught me so much more than I’ll ever be able to teach her.”
Continue Reading
Former Child Star Christian Bale, Says “No Bl**dy Way” His Daughter Will Be a Child Actor
Posted on 13. Jan, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Former Child Star (and current SAG Awards and Golden Globe nominated Actor) Christian Bale, who recently indicated that being a “child star” bothered him immensely, further shares that he would never permit his 5 year old daughter Emmaline (with lovely wife Sibi Blazic) to emulate his career as a young performer. The reasoning? Bale believes children should have time to “get into trouble” and make mistakes without the world watching. Bale says, “It’s just too young. You need to be anonymous at that age, you need to go and get into all sorts of trouble and not have anyone know who you are. It’s ruined when everyone knows who you are.”
Young Christian Bale with Director Steven Spielberg on "Empire of the Sun."
Bale was only 13 when he was cast in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, and now wishes enjoyed more of his youth our of the spotlight.
According to Britain’s Empire Magazine Bale states, “(I) didn’t like that (being famous as a teen). That wasn’t for me at all. Some people can deal with it, but I found it to be a complete pain in the a**e and embarrassing. Also, there was the annoying notion of everyone going, ‘Ah, you should know better’ when I was done for shoplifting. But, no, I shouldn’t have known better. There was no reason I should. I could have done without that side of things. It was nice to go travelling and have those experiences (filming movies), but look, if anyone in my family – my nieces or my daughter – wanted to start at that age, I’d absolutely believe in and support their dreams, but I would tell them, ‘No b***dy way – not professionally.’
Continue Reading
THEN & NOW: Former “FULL HOUSE” Child Star, Candace Cameron Bure, Shares Her Fitness Story in “Reshaping It All”
Posted on 02. Jan, 2011 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
It’s that time of the new year when resolutions are made to lose weight and become more fit, and former Full House child star, Candace Cameron Bure has written “Reshaping it All,” to help motivate us in that regard. However, the svelte star is quick to point out that this is not some new or faddish diet plan, but a recounting of her personal discovery that physical and spiritual fitness go hand in hand.
In the 1980′s the Cameron Family was sitcom royalty. Candace starred for 8 seasons on the hit ABC television series Full House, still syndicated in more than 100 countries, while her older brother Kirk Cameron was the star of his own television series, Growing Pains (1985–1992). You may recall that Candace played the pretty, elder sister D.J. of the Tanner clan, spending most of those on-camera years with chubby cheeks and long, golden hair. Of all the child actors on the show, she was the one I believed would be the big break-out star. Below is an excerpt from her book which acknowledges her Hollywood Mom And Dad:
Candace Cameron during her "Full House" years.
In recent years, Candace’s healthy lifestyle has been featured in magazines and national talk shows including The View and NBC’s Today. In “Reshaping It All,” she continues the story, inspiring women to embrace a healthier lifestyle by moving faith to the forefront, making wise choices, and finding their worth in the eyes of God. Candace shares a candid account of her struggle with food, bout with bulimia and ultimately her healthy outlook on weight despite the toothpick-thin expectations of Hollywood.
More than a testimony, her account is a motivational tool that will put readers on the right track and keep them there. In addition to practical advice, Candace offers a biblical perspective on appetite and self control that provides encouragement to women, guiding them toward freedom.
Bure is now a featured cast member of ABC Family’s popular gymnastics-based drama, Make It or Break It. She speaks nationwide about her faith-based weight loss success story. Candace lives with her husband, National Hockey League star Valeri Bure, and their three children Natasha, Lev and Maksim, in Los Angeles, California.
Continue Reading
IN THE NEWS: Father of Former Child Star Thora Birch Get’s Her Booted Off An Off-Broadway Production
Posted on 17. Dec, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Paul Alexander and Thora Birch
Seems an over-involved stage dad has officially put the “OFF” in Off-Broadway, as in “Turned Off,” “Laid Off” and just plain old “Kicked Off.”
Former Child Star Thora Birch, 28, (American Beauty, Ghost World, Hocus Pocus) was set to make her New York stage debut in an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s horror classic, “Dracula,” but was dismissed from the cast last Friday amid allegations her father and manager Jack Birch had threatened another actor during a rehearsal. Paul Alexander, the director of the off-Broadway production, reveals that his decision to release Birch from the show was based on her father Jack Birch’s “bizarre” behavior on set. Alexander claims the “release” occurred last Thursday after a number of “strange” on-set run-ins with Jack Birch.
Although Alexander was disappointed to do so, he told ABCNews.com, “I had to let [Thora] go for the safety of my cast and crew. It’s unfortunate because Thora’s performance would have been an extremely interesting and innovative performance to watch – that’s why I hired her in the first place…It really was like ‘Nightmare on Elm Street.’ It was bizarre. He [Jack Birch] also insisted on hanging out in the girls’ dressing room. And all the girls are in it. Including other people besides his daughter! I just thought, ‘This is getting stranger and stranger.’
Alexander continued, “I have a 31-year-old daughter and it would never occur to me to be that involved in my daughter’s life. It seemed to be exactly the opposite for them.”
Jack Birch denied that he threatened an actor in rehearsal, telling the New York Times, “I was trying to convey Thora’s discomfort. In no way was I making a threat.”
Prior to becoming her manager, Jack Birch performed in pornographic films with Thora’s mother Carol Conners. Conners most notably played the nurse in the film Deep Throat. Both her parents co-starred in the sex western Bad Girl of the West and Tasty Candy Goes to Hollywood among others.
Birch has been replaced as Lucy Seward by understudy Emily Bridges, the daughter of veteran actor Beau Bridges.
Thora Birch in "Now & Then"
Cast of "Now & Then" Gaby Hoffman, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch and Ashleigh Aston Moore
Thora Birch
Continue Reading
Gary Coleman’s Death Ruled Accident, No Foul Play
Posted on 06. Oct, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.
Santaquin, UT – The case on Gary Coleman’s death has been closed. While there were initially doubts that the 42-year-old “Diff’rent Strokes” star’s death was accidental, it has now been ruled an accident and not a murder. There was no foul play.
Coleman passed on May 28, 2010, days after suffering a brain hemorrhage from a fall in his home. His ex-wife Shannon Price, who lived with him, called 911.
A spokeswoman for the Santaquin, Utah police told eonline.com that the probe into the former child star’s death has been completed.
Coleman’s fans were angry at Price not because of her alleged involvement in his death, but for her seemingly apathetic behavior when she called 911 during the accident. She didn’t try to win anyone’s favors as well when reports that she shopped around the deathbed photos of the actors. Price was the one who told doctors to take Coleman off life support just two days after he was admitted to the hospital. She previously insisted that contrary to reports, she did not push her ex-husband to his death.