Drizzt
Member
Chicago Sun-Times
February 19, 2003 Wednesday
SECTION: NEWS SPECIAL EDITION; Pg. 11
LENGTH: 870 words
HEADLINE: Far too many celebrities end up as shooting stars
BYLINE: Richard Roeper
BODY:
Remember that time in the 1960s when a gang of LSD-tripping hippies stormed Charlton Heston's home, only to be scared off when the "Ben-Hur" star grabbed a rifle, fired a warning shot and bellowed, "The next one will hit more than the stars, you bastards!"
Or how about that time in the 1970s when Farrah Fawcett thwarted an attempted kidnapping by reaching into her handbag, pulling out a Derringer and firing a shot that wounded one of her attackers?
Or how about that time in the 1980s when football great Lawrence Taylor accidentally prevented a suicide by waving a gun at a man who had barged onto the roof of a penthouse party in New York, with the intention of killing himself? The poor guy was scared straight by LT.
And, of course, just a few months ago, pop star Christina Aguilera walked in on a heated quarrel between a knife-wielding backup dancer and his lover, and was able to diffuse the situation by drawing her weapon and commanding the dancer to drop the knife and back off. If she hadn't been packing, who knows what would have happened! Remember all those great examples of celebrities using their guns to protect themselves and others? Anyone?
Of course you don't remember because, of course, I made up all of the anecdotes. They're 100 percent fiction. In fact, I can't recall a single episode in which a famous or semi-famous pop star, actor or athlete used a gun to prevent violence from occurring. I'm sure if I missed one, someone will let me know.
But what I do know is that there have been numerous tales of tragedy involving celebrities who either injured or killed somebody with a gun, or were injured or killed themselves.
Only last week, police said the gun retrieved from Phil Spector's home tested positive as the weapon used to kill B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. Spector, who had a history of waving and pointing guns in the studio during sessions with the Ramones and others, reportedly will claim the shooting was an accident.
In the meantime, former NBA player Jayson Williams awaits trial on manslaughter charges in the shooting death of limousine driver Costas Christofi on Feb. 14, 2002. Williams allegedly mishandled the shotgun and accidentally killed Christofi, then attempted to make the shooting look self-inflicted.
Also awaiting trial: Actor Robert Blake, whose wife was shot with a .380-caliber Walther PPK handgun. Blake, who had an extensive firearms collection, claimed he had gone back into a restaurant to retrieve his own gun when somebody shot his wife. Ahem.
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the shootings of the B-movie actress and the limo driver really were accidents. If neither Spector nor Williams had a fondness for firearms, wouldn't it be safe to say Clarkson and Christofi would be alive today?
And what if Blake's eggshell-fragile alibi is legit? If Blake hadn't gone around strapped all the time, that means he wouldn't have been in the position of forgetting his gun, which means Bonny Lee Bakley wouldn't have been alone when that mystery assassin approached the car.
Ah, yes, the gun advocates will say, but what if Blake hadn't forgotten his gun that night? He'd have been armed and ready to defend himself and his wife from the supposed attacker.
But that type of scenario doesn't play out much, does it? I know there are stories about citizens using their guns to protect themselves and their families--but there are also tons of stories about children who find handguns in the home and kill themselves or someone else, and spouses who use a handy shotgun to blow away their betrothed in a fit of mad passion, and people who shoot themselves by mistake with their own guns.
And, in the world of the famous and the infamous, the wrong people always seem to have access to guns at the wrong time.
"Don't worry, it's not loaded," said guitarist Terry Kath of the rock group Chicago as he pointed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger, accidentally killing himself.
In 1984, the great Marvin Gaye got into a disagreement with his 71-year-old father at his parents' home. Gaye's father took a .38-caliber handgun and fired two shots into his son's chest, killing him.
Comedian and "Saturday Night Live" veteran Phil Hartman was shot and killed by his wife, who then turned the gun on herself. Mary Tyler Moore's son accidentally shot and killed himself. Singer/actress Claudine Longet, who claimed she accidentally shot and killed skier Spider Sabich, was found guilty of criminal negligence. Singer Johnny Ace accidentally shot and killed himself playing Russian roulette backstage in Houston. Actress Jennifer O'Neill accidentally shot and seriously wounded herself with a gun her then-husband kept in the home.
Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Cobain, Freddie Prinze and George "Superman" Reeves are among those who committed suicide with guns.
Gun owners: I don't want to take away your weapons. If we could start all over in this country and have gun control, I'd be all for it. But we can't. So arm yourself if you so desire.
I'm just asking you to explain this: With so many stories about celebrities and guns, where are the tales of self-defense? Where are the stories with happy endings?
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Of course, an awful lot of those stars get to keep bodyguards and others around them, so that they don't have to be responsible for their own self-defense...
February 19, 2003 Wednesday
SECTION: NEWS SPECIAL EDITION; Pg. 11
LENGTH: 870 words
HEADLINE: Far too many celebrities end up as shooting stars
BYLINE: Richard Roeper
BODY:
Remember that time in the 1960s when a gang of LSD-tripping hippies stormed Charlton Heston's home, only to be scared off when the "Ben-Hur" star grabbed a rifle, fired a warning shot and bellowed, "The next one will hit more than the stars, you bastards!"
Or how about that time in the 1970s when Farrah Fawcett thwarted an attempted kidnapping by reaching into her handbag, pulling out a Derringer and firing a shot that wounded one of her attackers?
Or how about that time in the 1980s when football great Lawrence Taylor accidentally prevented a suicide by waving a gun at a man who had barged onto the roof of a penthouse party in New York, with the intention of killing himself? The poor guy was scared straight by LT.
And, of course, just a few months ago, pop star Christina Aguilera walked in on a heated quarrel between a knife-wielding backup dancer and his lover, and was able to diffuse the situation by drawing her weapon and commanding the dancer to drop the knife and back off. If she hadn't been packing, who knows what would have happened! Remember all those great examples of celebrities using their guns to protect themselves and others? Anyone?
Of course you don't remember because, of course, I made up all of the anecdotes. They're 100 percent fiction. In fact, I can't recall a single episode in which a famous or semi-famous pop star, actor or athlete used a gun to prevent violence from occurring. I'm sure if I missed one, someone will let me know.
But what I do know is that there have been numerous tales of tragedy involving celebrities who either injured or killed somebody with a gun, or were injured or killed themselves.
Only last week, police said the gun retrieved from Phil Spector's home tested positive as the weapon used to kill B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. Spector, who had a history of waving and pointing guns in the studio during sessions with the Ramones and others, reportedly will claim the shooting was an accident.
In the meantime, former NBA player Jayson Williams awaits trial on manslaughter charges in the shooting death of limousine driver Costas Christofi on Feb. 14, 2002. Williams allegedly mishandled the shotgun and accidentally killed Christofi, then attempted to make the shooting look self-inflicted.
Also awaiting trial: Actor Robert Blake, whose wife was shot with a .380-caliber Walther PPK handgun. Blake, who had an extensive firearms collection, claimed he had gone back into a restaurant to retrieve his own gun when somebody shot his wife. Ahem.
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the shootings of the B-movie actress and the limo driver really were accidents. If neither Spector nor Williams had a fondness for firearms, wouldn't it be safe to say Clarkson and Christofi would be alive today?
And what if Blake's eggshell-fragile alibi is legit? If Blake hadn't gone around strapped all the time, that means he wouldn't have been in the position of forgetting his gun, which means Bonny Lee Bakley wouldn't have been alone when that mystery assassin approached the car.
Ah, yes, the gun advocates will say, but what if Blake hadn't forgotten his gun that night? He'd have been armed and ready to defend himself and his wife from the supposed attacker.
But that type of scenario doesn't play out much, does it? I know there are stories about citizens using their guns to protect themselves and their families--but there are also tons of stories about children who find handguns in the home and kill themselves or someone else, and spouses who use a handy shotgun to blow away their betrothed in a fit of mad passion, and people who shoot themselves by mistake with their own guns.
And, in the world of the famous and the infamous, the wrong people always seem to have access to guns at the wrong time.
"Don't worry, it's not loaded," said guitarist Terry Kath of the rock group Chicago as he pointed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger, accidentally killing himself.
In 1984, the great Marvin Gaye got into a disagreement with his 71-year-old father at his parents' home. Gaye's father took a .38-caliber handgun and fired two shots into his son's chest, killing him.
Comedian and "Saturday Night Live" veteran Phil Hartman was shot and killed by his wife, who then turned the gun on herself. Mary Tyler Moore's son accidentally shot and killed himself. Singer/actress Claudine Longet, who claimed she accidentally shot and killed skier Spider Sabich, was found guilty of criminal negligence. Singer Johnny Ace accidentally shot and killed himself playing Russian roulette backstage in Houston. Actress Jennifer O'Neill accidentally shot and seriously wounded herself with a gun her then-husband kept in the home.
Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Cobain, Freddie Prinze and George "Superman" Reeves are among those who committed suicide with guns.
Gun owners: I don't want to take away your weapons. If we could start all over in this country and have gun control, I'd be all for it. But we can't. So arm yourself if you so desire.
I'm just asking you to explain this: With so many stories about celebrities and guns, where are the tales of self-defense? Where are the stories with happy endings?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, an awful lot of those stars get to keep bodyguards and others around them, so that they don't have to be responsible for their own self-defense...
.
