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This is not something I want to be writing. E news says that Thomas Jane was pulled over for speeding and then the officer discovered he was not just driving under the influence – he was also driving with a suspended license. This has to be very stressful for Patricia Arquette, the kids and, of course, for Thomas Jane.
Monday, March 17, 2008 - 7:22 pm ET
Thomas Jane Pulled Over for DUI
Monday, March 17, 2008 - 7:22 pm ET
I read this too, Katelyn, and it is very distressing for me too. But to make things very clear, the truth of the story is that Thomas lost a very dear friend to leukemia last week, which he was already taking very badly, and he was returning from the funeral when he was stopped. I know that doesn’t excuse him driving under the influence, but I have already seen so many negative comments by the media and by gossip bloggers that I felt that the whole story should be told. There are so many negative commetns being made about this that it really upsets me, because Patricia and Thomas are two people that I respect greatly, and no matter what, they don’t deserve that kind of treatment. I just wish that everyone would send them all of their love and positive thoughts and energy to get through this difficult time. They are in my thoughts and prayers.
Dawn,
Well it is certainly a better excuse than the I just want to party attitude that most celebrities who drive under the influence have. Losing someone you are close to can definitely affect your judgment.
I really feel bad for celebrities because while we have the luxury of privacy and anonymity when we make mistakes, they have the added stress of seeing their lives, and their mistakes, played out in front of millions of people. And not only that, in today’s society of the juicier, the better, where the more salacious they can make the gossip, the better it spreads, they are faced with amoral, opportunistic slimebuckets who will write or say anything to draw attention to themselves, no matter who they have to slander to do it. What a sick world we live in.
Wow Dawn, it’s a sick world because people (celebrity or not) drink and drive too much. Not for your reasoning.
I’m not saying that what he did wasn’t wrong. I’m just saying that people shouldn’t be judged any differently or more harshly because they’re celebrities. Celebrities make mistakes, just like everyone else. And people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw bricks.
Dawn, the fact is, because he is a celebrity, he will be treated differently by the court system -it’s become very popular among the celebrity community to immediately go to rehab and then receive a slap on the wrist. Even ones that don’t go to rehab aren’t treated like the average person – just look at Paris and Nicole to name two. Lindsay went to rehab and I sure hope is getting herself straight, because, unlike Paris and Nicole, Lindsay is enormously talented.
Since TJ has a suspended license, obviously he is no angel when it comes to driving and being impaired or driving wrecklessly.
Sure, it’s a tough road when something happens, even something very personal, and its blasted across our TV screens and makes headlines in all the papers, but unfortunately, a celebrity has to take the good with the bad – the big pay days, the fabulous red carpet events and bling and gift bags bestowed upon them, the fabulous designer clothing given to them, and the many other perks they receive. Thomas Jane doesn’t suffer from the cailber of craziness that follows Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston and Britney Spears. Britney has a lot of problems and who knows what the root of those problems is, but she is followed EVERYWHERE all the time – it’s gotten to surreal proportions.
Yes, it’s sad Thomas Jane lost a dear friend, but the average person doesn’t receive any slack from the cops if caught, no matter what is going on.
We need to be careful who we admire and look up to and make into role models. One’s public image can be vastly different than what goes on in their private world.
What does that mean, Betty?
” We should be careful who we look up to”.
He made an error in judgement. That doesn’t make him a hardened criminal or a habitual violator. That’s why I’m saying that the press is blowing this out of proportion and he’s being treated unfairly by the media. Because according to the press, he was driving with a suspended license AND he had prescription drugs with him. None of which is true. And according to the press, he had been stopped twice that night for speeding, so if he had a suspended license, or if he was as drunk as they say he was, how was he allowed to continue driving that night? I’m saying don’t believe everything you read.
And don’t even put him in the same category those celebretards like Paris and Nicole and others. Thomas isn’t a part of that lifestyle, and he doesn’t make a habit out of getting drunk and driving his car, as far as I know. Neither he nor Patricia goes in for that “glamour” lifestyle like those other celeb-idiots, so you can’t say that he’s spoiled by the fame and the glitz.
And I am not condoning drinking and driving, by any means. I am just saying that he shouldn’t be vilified by the media, and the public, because he’s a celebrity. He’s human, he screwed up, and I’m sure he will accept his punishment as any of us would if we made that mistake. But the way people are so quick to be ready to hang him just because he’s a celebrity is wrong. Treat him like everyone else. When we make a mistake like that, we have the luxury of anonymity to hide behind, but he doesn’t. I’m just saying I feel sorry for him for having to deal with this in the glare of the media spotlight.
Dawn, how do you know those things that were printed AREN’T true? Did you ever factor in he may have been speeding earlier and due to his celebrity, was let go with a warning? Maybe he was given a break because he is a star and then blew it because he kept speeding. I wasn’t there and neither were you – it’s irresponsible to try and rationalize his behavior and make it OK because you “think” you know him. What if he had hit someone or caused an accident or even killed someone? Do you think their family would want to hear, “it wasn’t his fault because he was really upset that day? Or “He doesn’t usually drive like this, but he was having a bad day?”
Don’t put all the blame on the news media – they are just reporting the news and like it or not, being a celebrity makes them news whether it’s good or bad. I respect someone so much more if they come forward and acknowledge they made a mistake.
A few months back, Ty Pennington, from Extreme Makover Home Edition and Trading Spaces was arrested for drunk driving, but he stepped up immediately and said he made an error in judgement and it was wrong and he apologized. No excuses. You know what? The story was over.
The ladies of The View were just talking about what and who makes news nowdays and acknowledged they were partly to blame as is everyone who continues to buy the magazines, tune into the shows that propogate the gossip, and click on the online stories in droves. If there weren’t any hits on the blogs and stories and no ratings for the shows that keep profiting from this celeb news, it would stop. I’m not talking about the shows that just report true entertainment news – who’s doing what movie and when this show is coming back, etc. but the ones that deal mostly in the stuff like who had plastic surgery, who’s drinking, who’s cheating, etc. Courtney Cox’s show “Dirt” is a satire on the magazines that look for the dirt – as long as people keep buying them, they’ll keep making them.
When you put someone up on a pedastal, something or someone is bound to come along and knock them off.
Betty, how do you know that they are true? Don’t believe all of the stuff that you are reading in the tabloids and seeing on television.
The information that I have gotten comes from a much more reliable source than that, and everything that I have been told points to the fact that the media has been spinning the news the way they want to to make it more salacious. I wouldn’t put too much faith in anything that those people tell you. Even everything that has come out about all those celebretards you love to talk about has been spun by the media, true or not.
Don’t judge Thomas based on the previous history of other celebs or the media. Neither can be trusted. I’m not defending Thomas drinking and driving, but I’m saying don’t crucify him based on what is being reported in the media, because only half of it is even close to the truth, and even that is unreliable.
Dawn, I’m not judging Thomas Jane, nor am I having a “pity party” for him because I enjoy Patricia’s work and admire what little I know about her and instinctually feel about how she lives her life. Fact: TJ was caught doing something against the law and arrested for it(DUI). Because he is a celebrity and married to another celebrity, it was reported in the media. Period. Whether or not any of the other info coming out is true or not makes no difference to me – I don’t have to live with him – only God has the right to judge our rights and wrongs.
In the scheme of things, TJ isn’t on my radar except for the fact he is married to Patricia. I would have more respect for him if he would come forward and acknowledge he made a mistake and apologize instead of sending out excuses.
Betty, Thomas has made no official statement to the public, neither apologizing nor making excuses. And frankly, why should he be expected to? Just because he is a celebrity? It has been my experience the more one tries to deny, defend, or amend for such an action only makes the action that much more indefensible.
Yes, he screwed up. Period. So let it go. Let him, and Patricia, deal with it in their own way, and let the media, and us, stay out of their business. That’s all I’m saying.
Betty, I’m not having a “pity party”, as you put it, for Thomas, either. I’m just saying people shouldn’t be so quick to rush to judgement. The same thing happened when Heath Ledger died. Before anyone knew the facts about his death, there were dozens of rumors being circulated, by the same media and gossip-mongers who are now vilifying Thomas, and speculation was rampant about a possible suicide or drug overdose ( which it was, but it wasn’t the type that they were saying it was.) I just feel sorry for anyone in the public eye because their mistakes are looked at more closely and harshly than others. There’s no “pity party” here. I’m just saying leave him alone and let him deal with it in private.