Osbournes

November 25, 2002 6:48 PM

Yesterday's NYT magazine section (reg req'd) featured a profile of Jack Osbourne---whose family's show premieres its second season tomorrow---and discussed the unpleasant repercussions of his new fame: a prescription to Zoloft, a discontinued high school education and severe threats that warrant his own eye-patched bodyguard. Is this kind of exposure (especially in a reality TV context) too much for a 17 year old kid to handle?
posted by adrober (16 comments total)

"Man fame seems to have caused this guy a lot of trouble. Let's do a profile of him!"
posted by ODiV at 7:22 PM on November 25, 2002

No. Almost every american kid wants to be on tv - peep the Columbine kids and their neverending parade of tv-induced boohoos.
posted by owillis at 7:29 PM on November 25, 2002

Seeing as how teenagers are usually the ones influenced by pop culture, pointing a camera at Jack Osbourne and putting it on MTV seems little bit like a snake eating its own tail. Honestly, I'd expect one of those infinite tunnel effects when the new season airs because there is so little content involved. Forcing a teenager to define the personalities of tens of thousands of imitators when he is trying to define his own personality will most likely cause him to fall in on himself like a bad souffle.

On the other hand, it sounds like he's getting laid more than I am. Kudos.
posted by mmcg at 7:31 PM on November 25, 2002

On a related note, this is from Michael Musto's column in the Village Voice concerning Jack's sister:

"The otherwise attractive (if seven-eighths alien) Kelly Osbourne has adopted the rotten trend of using the word gay to signify obnoxious. When the Post asked her what she's listening to these days, Kelly said, "This is gonna be really gay, but it's myself." Well, this is gonna be really fat, but shut up, be-otch!"
posted by adrober at 7:35 PM on November 25, 2002

Maybe if both kids stopped acting like such typical spoiled, rich, privileged pricks (thankless, spoiled, rich, privileged pricks, at that.), then maybe those of us with larger than average anger management problems wouldn't assault them in bars.

Honestly, with the way the kid acts on TV, I wouldn't mind a shot at him.
posted by SweetJesus at 7:49 PM on November 25, 2002

shut up!
posted by quonsar at 8:02 PM on November 25, 2002

I dunno how I feel about that whole gay=bad trend. I used to try to correct people or try to turn it around and say stuff like "What's so homosexual about x?" Then after awhile I didn't really feel like it anymore.
posted by ODiV at 8:13 PM on November 25, 2002

I got some advice for this squirt: HEY SON!!! GET UP FROM THAT COmputer and go out and......get......a....life....?
posted by hama7 at 8:39 PM on November 25, 2002

I try really hard not to judge people by appearances, but every time I see Jack I have to ask, "Who could take this kid seriously?" He is attempting to become a mover and shaker in the music industry with his record label, but he looks like a big fat baby.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 9:23 PM on November 25, 2002

His mother's right -- he is exceptionally eloquent for a 17-year-old, even if those were well-culled quotes. I also suspect he's a lot more resilient than people are giving him credit for. Jeez, a Zoloft prescription -- that's not exactly an exclusive club, even for high-schoolers.

I do have to respect the third sibling, the daughter who chose not to participate. It's amusing to occasionally see her blurred out in the background, and I imagine the editing is a challenge every time she shows up.
posted by dhartung at 9:46 PM on November 25, 2002

according to one Los Angeles publicist, ''girls cling to like Saran Wrap.'' (Despite his usual candor, Jack refuses to address the topic of women, conceding only that he ''already did pretty well before the show started.'')

Sure fatty, whatever.
posted by CoolHandPuke at 5:20 AM on November 26, 2002

Yeah, cause fat guys get no play.

Jack's a cute kid. If he has even a small amount of his parents' abilities he'll go far.
posted by SuzySmith at 12:58 PM on November 26, 2002

Is this kind of exposure (especially in a reality TV context) too much for a 17 year old kid to handle?

Is the answer "it depends on the kid" (rather than a yes-or-no answer) too much for a MeFi reader to handle?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:54 PM on November 26, 2002

SuzySmith:

If he has even a small amount of his parents' abilities he'll go far.

What abilities are those exactly? A father who once bit the heads off of a bat but now is too fried to work the remote? A mother who's a shameless money grubbing whore?

I suspect Jack will end up on this list as soon as he finishes pissing away his trust fund on hookers.
posted by mark13 at 3:17 PM on November 26, 2002

I'm concerned that none of these kids are finishing school. Even with the dyslexia stuff-it isn't like his folks couldn't afford tutoring or something. And we all know how "stable" the entertainment industry can be.

Somehow this whole thing makes me sad.
posted by konolia at 3:38 PM on November 26, 2002

Somehow this whole family makes me sad. Sad that two parents who could have given their kids so many opportunities have fucked up so badly.
posted by dg at 5:52 AM on November 27, 2002