Simply put,yesterday was not a good day. After much speculation and many a rumor,a rep for the family of Natasha Richardson confirmed that the actress was indeed dead,two days after her catastrophic skiing accident. The loss of such a talented actress,who seemed to be loved and appreciated by so many in her acting community,was beyond sad. Her family,including her husband Liam Neeson and their two sons,must be beyond devastated,as to lose such an important and wonderful person in their life. I would like to go into deeper detail as to what the coverage and perception of this story meant,because unfortunately,yesterday was not only sad for that reason. One of my best friends lost her father yesterday. There was no long term battle with anything,no warning signs,just gone. I found it odd that on a day where I was sitting by my friend’s family as they mourned the sudden loss of a man so dear to them,that many people were doing the same for an actress they hardly knew. It’s quite remarkable what death can bring out in humans. I have heard nothing but kind words and sentiments in regards to the passing of Ms. Richardson. There are already tributes,anthologies of her career and the many “what could have” beens. What bothers me in regards to the treatment of Ms. Richardson’s untimely death is the idea that a family grieving,in much the same way that my friends’ is,was not afforded privacy in dealing with this loss. Obviously,as a public person,you are aware that anything noteworthy about yourself or your family has the possibility to become a front page cover story. The media isn’t biased in this regard. And I even reported the story on Tuesday,but it’s not the reporting of the facts of the story that is so bothersome. It was the rush from Time Out New York to be the first one on the story and their callous reporting of her being brain dead,especially with no true confirmation on the news. It was Liz Smith and her pithy comment on WOWOWOW about how knowing Ms. Richardson was dead ruined her friend’ lunch. And it was the obnoxious paparazzi assholes following friends and family into the hospital,waiting for comments and expecting money for such shots. I become annoyed at the stalkerazzi when they pursue Lindsay Lohan when she is shopping;imagine what I feel about them on this level. It’s a sad statement on America and its publications that it would not be enough for us to understand that a mourning widower,a saddened mother and heartbroken friends would be upset at a death like this,but we would need pictures to illustrate this. I personally don’t need to see Mr. Neeson kneeling over his dying wife,leaving a hospital or heading home in a state of shock. I had enough of that sadness up close and personal yesterday. The difference between documenting a news story and celebrating it is very big and unfortunately,many of our news outlets seem to either not understand the difference or just not care. Patrick Goldstein of the LA Times Blog has a perfect post on this very subject. So now to be officially lame,please cherish what you have,who you share it with and look forward to your tomorrows.
For more coverage on the life of Ms. Natasha Richardson,please visit these sites:

Peoples’Coverage