Mischa Barton – arrested for DUI.
Mischa Barton, Facebook Are Symptoms of ‘Me Generation’

by David Foxley  |  December 27, 2007

We called celebrity life coach Patrick Wanis, PhD, to hear his thoughts on today’s news concerning Mischa Barton, former star of The O.C.

According to an official police report obtained by TMZ, the 21-year-old actress was arrested early this morning in West Hollywood for driving under the influence of alcohol. Police stated, in part, that Ms. Barton was picked up after she was “seen straddling two lanes of traffic and failed to signal when making a turn.” (The full L.A. County Sheriff’s press release can be found here.)

“It’s astounding,” Mr. Wanis said after we broached the topic of the actress’ arrest. “And yet it’s not astounding. The majority of people [who confront substance abuse issues] are obsessed with treating the symptoms and not the causes.” Additionally, he said, people like Ms. Barton turn to drugs and/or alcohol in order to either numb a feeling or to create a feeling.

What then of her decision to drive a car while she was loaded? Surely Ms. Barton—more readily than most—could pay for a taxi or hire a designated driver.

“It comes down to a lack of responsibility, a lack of accountability,” he said, moving on to address the apparent D.U.I. upswing among Hollywood’s young and female coterie of stars. “What you’re seeing are examples of the “Me Generation”—it’s all about taking and never about giving back. So they’re what I refer to as ‘the narcissistic people.’ Narcissism is caused by low self-esteem,” Mr. Wanis said.

“Even though they act as if they’re confident, most of them act out of arrogance and vanity,” he continued, “Deep down they have huge insecurities and self-doubt; they can’t handle criticism or judgment; they tend to be all about themselves.”

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Pop Tarts: Top Ten Celebrity Meltdowns: Who Went Mad and Made a Mess in 2007?

Thursday , December 20, 2007

By Hollie McKay 

LOS ANGELES — Bald beauties, booze and stars behind bars — every year keeps us busy and 2007 was no exception.

And while Britney Spears won’t be winning any awards for her VMA performance, she does (surprise, surprise) take the gold for the greatest meltdown of the year, topping Pop Tarts’ list of Tinseltown’s most troubled.

“2007 has probably been the worst year of Britney’s life, with so many bizarre behaviors — fights with the paparazzi and her mother, custody battles, binge drinking and car accidents. However, the number one meltdown is the shaving of her head,” said Patrick Wanis, a psychologist and celebrity behavior expert who worked with Pop Tarts to compile the Top Ten.

“Few people realized how serious this incident was and what it signified. Although in some cultures shaving the head can represent cleansing or letting go of the old self, in Britney’s case it was really more about self-mutilation and self-loathing than a spiritual ritual.”

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by David Foxley  |  December 17, 2007 New York Observer

The Expert: Rules of Engagement for Paparazzi, Scientology

|  Tags:

• The City
• Julia Roberts
• Lindsay Lohan
• Mike Huckabee
• Patrick Wanis
• Tom Cruise
• Will Smith

Last week, celebrity life coach Patrick Wanis, PhD, wanted to tell our readers his list of the Top Ten Celebrity Meltdowns of 2007.

Today, on the phone with the Daily Transom, he got a little more daring.

First up: recent news that Lindsay Lohan has started to use the paparazzi to her own advantage, setting up and pocketing proceeds from snaps of her own mug.

“I say kudos to her!” he said. “I was thinking last week, Why don’t celebrities just use their brain?”

Mr. Wanis said that working with the roaming shutterbugs, as opposed to making them your enemy, simply makes good business sense.

“If you’re smart or mature enough to accept that it’s going to happen, then just use the system to your favor. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“I understand and empathize with both sides. I can understand when celebrities want privacy, but then don’t go shopping down Rodeo Drive,” he said. “How can you expect to have privacy then? That is so absurd. Don’t go into the haunts where all the celebrities hang out, because you’re not going to get privacy there.”

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New York Observer

The Expert: Top Ten Celebrity Meltdowns of 2007!

by David Foxley  |  December 10, 2007

|  Tags:

• Style
• Boy George
• Britney Spears
• Owen Wilson
• Paris Hilton
• Patrick Wanis

What better way to lighten your Monday load than with a little celebrity lifestyle coaching from Patrick Wanis, PhD? He’s just miraculously survived an invasion of legion New Yorkers in town for Art Basel Miami. Despite all that distraction, he offered up a gargantuan platter of super-chewy goss. It’s The Top Ten Celebrity Meltdowns of 2007!

We’ve included his list, which Mr. Wanis released only to The Daily Transom, but we decided to focus first on El Numero Uno: the biggest celebrity train wreck of the year-at least in Mr. Wanis’ view. And you’ll likely never guess who it is. (Hint: It’s not Britney Spears. It’s not Lindsay Lohan. And it sure ain’t Paris Hilton.)

Speaking to the idea of a “celebrity meltdown,” Mr. Wanis acknowledged that a lot of people think celebrities have always been a mess. They claim, he said, that it’s just that today’s technology makes keeping track of their every slip-up too easy. “It’s not just our ability because of technology to know more about their lives. It’s that their lives are in much greater turmoil than ever before,” he told us, adding: “They are losing sight of who they really are. They’re getting carried away by their persona, by their image, and by the grandeurs of delusion and power. It’s a corruption of power.”

After composing his list, Mr. Wanis was able to find a pattern, one common theme linking all the stars on his list. “They all need help,” he mused. “Help beyond just going into a rehab clinic or a detox clinic. Most of them need to actually deal with their inner demons. And not just try to escape them via drugs, alcohol and partying.”

So, back to the number one meltdown of 2007-it’s Boy George! Yup, the Karma Chameleon himself fills Mr. Wanis’ top slot this year for celebrity meltdowns. Why? Namely, because the Culture Clubber (a.k.a. George Alan O’Dowd) has been arrested and charged with falsely imprisoning Auden Karlsen, a 28-year-old Norwegian male model, in his East London home. According to Mr. Karlsen’s testimony, he was lured under false pretenses to Mr. George’s apartment, where the sassy singer then produced whips and sex toys, shouting, “Now you’ll get what you deserve.” Handcuffed to Mr. George’s wall, Mr. Karlsen claims that his escape was only possible because he yanked on his handcuffs hard enough to dislodge a hook holding him down.

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Monday, December 03, 2007

By Hollie McKay

Did Reality Show Lead to Demise of Hulk Hogan’s Marriage?

LOS ANGELES —  After 24 years of marriage, Hulk Hogan‘s wife and star of “Hogan Knows Best” Linda Bollea thinks it’s “best” she start fresh by filing for divorce.

Add Nick and Linda to Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, whose romance was ruined by the reality show “Newlyweds,” Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, who split after starring in “Chaotic” and Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro, who broke up after appearing in “Til Death Do Us Part?” and we wonder … are the reality show cameras cursed?

“Four seasons of TV cameras following Linda around and edging her and the family to create drama has added mental, emotional and physical stress to their marriage,” said celebrity life coach and human behavior expert Patrick Wanis, who coached and hypnotized the star-studded duo during their VH1 series.

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