They Never Gave Up But The Darkness Won [View all]

I lived in Westwood and worked in the business for 10 years when I was in my twenties, mostly as a publicist and press relations but also in security. As you may know or imagine it is a very messed up scene. Young stars and, worse, their hangers-on, go to private parties and under-aged clubs (juice bars). They live in a bubble of bullshit and drugs. Money, drugs, fame, stalkers, TMZ and puberty are a bad combo. Every stupid thing they do, every trip to rehab is tabloid fodder and that doesn't help anything. The studios have mini hospitals, private rehab facilities, personal security details and publicists because this stuff goes on 24/7/365.

The timeline as I understand it is: Nick is tweaked out of his head at the Conan O'Brien party on Saturday, the first night of Hanukkah. He is walking up to people aggressively saying 'Are you famous?' He pulls this on Bill Hader and Hader says "this is a private conversation." Nick stares daggers at Hader before moving on.

Then Rob has a conversation with Nick that gets loud. Later the same night Nick allegedly uses a knife on his parents and then goes off to cop drugs near USC. The sister finds the parents and calls it in.

Legacy families tend to deal better with Hollywood than newcomers. Sean Astin for example seems to have done just fine. His parents are Patty Duke and John Astin -- they knew the dynamics. They seem to have guided him and Mack very well. Sean is head of SAG now. But the same generation included River Phoenix, Corey Haim, Feldman, Todd Bridges, Gary Coleman, Jonathan Brandis, the Menendez brothers, and many others who crashed and burned.

I'm not surprised it still goes on. Rob Reiner and his wife did as well they could with it -- rehab, tough love, therapy, engagement. Knowing all that leads us to perhaps the saddest and most unsettling part: They never gave up but the darkness won anyway.