I haven’t heard a lot about her over the years.  I remember a little while ago that Perez Hilton quipped that she wasn’t very pretty in comparison with her mother, which I thought was cruel (and she expressed her disgust on her MySpace page), but aside from that, she’s a quiet girl.  For the record, I find her attractive so maybe Perez is just jealous.

Anyway, I was shocked and horrified on December 5, 2009 when she was admitted to the hospital for an apparent suicide attempt.  She swallowed a handful for homeopathic pills (which happened to be incapable of killing her) and then panicked and called 911.  She was taken to the hospital where she was checked out and eventually released. 

Joel has started to open up about the incident saying it was caused by "heartbreak-related depression" and added on Facebook: "I just wanted to thank you all for the incredible outpouring of love and support.  It’s certainly been a whirlwind of a month, but reading all of your encouraging posts has never failed to cheer me up!"

She says that she plans to help other young women who are trying to get over a breakup.  She adds:  “Although it does not get much attention in our society, it is a very serious and painful condition that often gets ’swept under the carpet.’ I hope to bring this topic more to light… I’m even going back to school for Psychology in hopes to learn more about this and many other afflictions that many of us have had to face.  After all, there’s nothing more fascinating than the human mind and it’s respective conditions."

I’m glad that she seems to be okay and was able to celebrate her 24th birthday on December 29, 2009. 

image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

I can’t believe I missed this when it first came out. Score one more for YouTube’s recommendation engine. Check out this montage of viral video phenomena set to a parody of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire: Internet Stars are Viral.

I like this video’s international perspective. Unlike other montages I’ve seen, this one also pays tribute to Asian viral video phenomena.

Post from: EveryJoe