December 21, 2010

Oh, Eric Roberts. What On Earth Happened?

So last night I was flipping channels and I stumbled across some doggerel on VH-1 called Celebrity Rehab or some other such twaddle. You know, H-list "celebrities" check into a rehabilitation facility, have their every foible filmed, and then that awful Dr. Drew "helps" them.

Yuck.

Imagine my surprise, my ghastly surprise, to learn that one of the "celebrities" is none other than Eric Roberts, brother to Julia and the far better actor of the two. What is a talent of his caliber doing on a show like Celebrity Rehab? How dreadful.

Roberts seared his way into my memory in Bob Fosse's Star 80, with his electric portrayal of small-time pimp Paul Snider, the man who murdered 1980 Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten before turning the gun on himself. In this scene from Star 80, Snider demonstrates his meticulous, albeit creepy, preparations to meet those assembled at the Playboy Mansion.


2 comments:

  1. I met him last year and told him that we share a birthday. I'm ten years younger though. Seemed like a nice guy.

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  2. I'm responding to this way too late, but I heard that the Celebrity Rehab appearance was a publicity stunt to get national TV airtime for Eric Roberts' stepson, Keaton Simons. You may recall that Keaton made a dramatic appearance on the show during Eric's supposed treatment for "pot dependence."

    Eric's agent wife, Eliza, is a tireless promoter of her 35-year-old son's musical career. Eric is a good sport and always plays along.

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