Proving the prophetic lyrics of Jerry Lee Lewis correct: “I’ve fallen to the bottom and I’m workin' my way down…” the once in-demand actress Lindsay Lohan sits in rehab while Hollywood prepares for the release of her last soft-core effort: “The Canyons.” Her costar is the sleazy male porn actor James Deen. This reminds me of the desperate career moves made by the unpopular and washed-up 1950s blonde bombshells, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren, and Brigitte Bardot, who had to settle for quick-nudie films and sexploitation movies during the uninterested 60s. But, they were all in their mid to late-30s, this woman is only 27. Like in the porn industry, so-called main-stream Hollywood judges someone as irrelevant if you are passed a certain age. And, that cut-off is getting lowered all the time. The current shelf-life of contemporary queens will be short-lived: Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and the Fanning girls. The downward spiral is already very evident in the lives of Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Rihanna. They still outwardly exude a certain amount of glamour, but cultural decline is oftentimes intoxicatingly beautiful: Rome, Pre-Revolutionary France, and Weimar Germany.
Note: I am not judging or damning these women. In my late-20s, when I had worn out my welcome, even in the world of low-grade gay porn, I was even willing to do “snuff” films. The hold of fame, and what it promises within the lies of eternal happiness, are strong and not easily broken. This goes for everyone who is unable to give-up some sort of addiction: drugs, alcohol, sex, porn, gambling. It promises everything, but never delivers. Most are heard-headed. And, just keep spinning.