Publicists hate to look bad They know it will happen and that they will be embarrassed by clients from time to time, but when they say that someone is going to rehab to get help with exhaustion and just to get more healthy and then a 911 tape is released highlighting the drugs your client was taking which put them in rehab in the first place, then you look kind of foolish. But, the District Attorney in Los Angeles cares about publicists and has decided to redact the names of all the drugs Demi Moore was taking when the 911 call about her is released. The DA cites privacy reasons. Uh huh. I don't think they have done that before, but whatever, we don't need to hear someone announce the names of the drugs, although it would be nice to know if Demi was doing more than Whip Its and Adderall.
ALL the drugs, you say? Oh Demi... get your act together, girl.
ReplyDeleteI have been following this story thinking that it's a cry for help that is badly needed. If it wasn't this, I think it would have been something else, and soon.
I think its ridiculous that 911 calls can be released to the public. There's no privacy whatsoever anymore and it's really quite disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI want to know why the DA is getting involved in 911 tapes. I'm still on the fence about 911 tapes being released in the first place, but censoring them? Really DA? Not enough homicides in Los Angeles to work on, so you have to get involved in Demi Moore's 911 tape?
ReplyDelete@princess, I am not surprised at the involvement. It is Hollyweird, after all. Where the little people don't matter, only their imdb credits and/or caliber of their public image.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessi. The only time 911/999 calls should be made public is during a criminal trial.
ReplyDeleteSo if Demi (or anyone else for that matter) is in serious emotional trouble, how is embarrassing her nationally going to help?
ReplyDeleteWas about to type everything that Jessi said.
ReplyDeleteI had to call 911 once, on a night I'd much rather forget. Couple weeks later, I'm talking to a woman who I see on a regular basis, and she tells me SHE was the one who took my call. That was "public" enough for me.
@Jessi & Basil -- I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking she must have been into some hardcore drugs if they are going to edit that part out. If it were just Hollywood standards like pills I can't imagine the need for such secrecy. That said, I see no reason for releasing the 911 tape at all (not that I won't listen to it when it shows up)
ReplyDeleteJesus. It's all been said already in this thread.
ReplyDeleteI don't even like the woman one bit, but I have ZERO desire to hear those calls. C'mon.
I think the idea is that 911 calls are public property because they represent citizens interacting with the government, and we should all be able to see whether the police/emergency services are doing their jobs, taking people seriously when they should be taken seriously, etc. Remember that old rap song, "911 is a joke"?
ReplyDeleteThat said, I still remember hearing the 911 call from River Phoenix's death on the radio in New York, and it was really disturbing. Joaquin (then called Leaf) Phoenix was watching his brother die, and there is nothing more personal. I was so appalled that I called the radio station and asked them to stop broadcasting it. They foisted me off on some student intern and kept playing it anyway.
There are really strict medical privacy laws in this country (HIPAA so the DA isn't just doing something special for Demi because she's a celebrity. Plus, 911 are usually only released to the public in cases where there is some type of ongoing criminal investigation or a the news is reporting on a particular trial and the 911 tape is being used as evidence. There really isn't any reason why we should hear this tape, edited or not. I mean, no one believes "exhaustion". Plus, anyone who has eyesight can take one look at that walking skeleton and know that there's a lot of emotional/mental/addiction stuff going on with her.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to hear 911 calls. They are too upsetting for me.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe 9aa tapes should ne released to the public - that being said, I reeeeeally want to know WHAT ELSE she was high on!! Crack? Meth? Rubber Cement? Hershey's kisses? My imagination is running wild!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but Whip Its? Seriously? Whip Its?!
ReplyDeleteI agree with @RJ. Every year I have to sign a new document saying I understand my medical privacy rights and do I want my husband privy to my medical status. 911 Calls should only be released for legal reasons as evidence for instance. They are not for public entertainment value.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm completely honest I did hear a what was *said* to be a 911 tape, guy called and said his wife had collapsed. Asked where they were he said Rhododendron Way, asked to spell it, he struggled then said "Hell I'll just drag her over to Oak St."
I just listened to it, and if I so chose, I could jump in my car right now and drive straight to her house. I can't believe they weren't more careful about describing where she lives!
ReplyDeleteConsider every state is selling every bit of information on your drivers license. Every credit card is selling everything they know about you including your social security number. Play a game on Facebook? Well, guess how Zynga makes their money.
ReplyDeleteThere is no privacy so don't do anything you have to be ashamed about.
911 calls should be released. It is a public service paid for by tax dollars. There is nothing for anyone to be ashamed of for calling 911. If you're calling, you're probably saving a life or at the very least preventing harm.
And if it's about your order at McDonalds, I want to hear it and want to see prosecution. If the employee doesn't handle the call properly I want to hear it. I don't want stuff like that swept under the rug. And that is exactly what will happen if this becomes faux-private.
Nothing should be redacted ever. All this is my not-so-humble opinion.
Recordings of 911 calls are always available to the public, via the Public Information Act, because they involve the acts of government officials and employees. Anyone can request any calls made from any address (practically; I'd guess the White House / Pentagon may be excluded ;) via a public records request. The benefit of releasing the records in high profile matters is so that the involved government entity isn't flooded impossibly with requests. The onus is then on the individual as to whether they choose to listen (or support whoever is broadcasting). They may redact the recordings for release, but my guess would be you could still make the typical request for an unredacted copy. Hippa wouldn't apply here, despite the distraction tactic cast, because the 911 operator is not a healthcare provider, and the caller was not the patient with an expectation on their right to privacy.
ReplyDelete^I should say, I can't believe they didn't redact the street names and "right turns." They seriously gave directions to her house.
ReplyDeletePS - Strong point.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what whip its are or why they can make those calls public but I hope she has caring people around her. Nobody deserves this.
ReplyDeleteENT I have faith that you can get the scoop on the drugs.
ReplyDeleteSo the people on the phone dicked around for 2:30, after an address was given, to figure out who should service the call and what address they should go to. That, to me, is unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteThey were repeatedly told she was burning up but did not say to put a cool cloth on her head. No ice. I don't like that either. Someone could have done that, probably should have done that at the 2:00 mark.
I don't think this was handled well. And I don't like to see tax dollars wasted.
I second everyone who thinks 911 calls are traumatic enough for all involved that they don't need to be released publicly, save for criminal trials. Celebrity or not, they should be kept under wraps.
ReplyDeleteAnd @Nutty_Flavor -- I still remember Leaf's 911 call, too. I wish they'd never played it. I've never been able to forget the anguish in his voice. So awful.
I hate it when they release 911 calls.
ReplyDeleteJust saw what TMZ posted, what I want to know is - what can you smoke that is similar to incense? Never heard of such...clOves is the only thing that comes to mind...with that much money, why is she doing high school drugs, seriously!
ReplyDeleteDid you see the spin on how she's addicted to Red Bull?
ReplyDeleteThe reason 911 calls shouldn't be released is because in many cases, they are disclosing patients' personal, private medical information. Honestly, if I were a celeb, I'd be less likely to even call 911 or want to tell them anything over the phone if I knew everyone would later be privy to it. Offside.
ReplyDeleteAnd Adderall, Demi? Ugh. That worked out so well for Lilo.
Heres the tape.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/videogallery/67684740/News/AUDIO-Demi-Moore-911-Call#gl-0
You know what? She's only going to get sympathy from a lot of us. I can't hate on her.
ReplyDeleteHow is this not an invasion of her medical privacy?? I could not as a hospitial worker go out and tell/sell what she had OD'd on. So how is this kosher? Leave her the heck alone. She needs help not humiliation.
ReplyDeleteSnowstorms - there is a "legal weed" that smells similar to potpourri. It sort of tastes like it as well. The high is very different from marijuana.
ReplyDeleteI am very surprised that a private physician wasn't summoned. If I am not mistaken wasn't Heath Ledger's doctor called before the police? I don't need to know the drugs she was using. She obviously had a huge problem. Hopefully she is getting help. I do want to know where she bought her outfit. I would wear that.
ReplyDeleteI find it offensive enough that people abuse their bodies by smoking cigarettes and they are ok with that, but smoking some unknown substance is nuts. Convulsions? That's pretty major.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this will give her a new perspective, I hope she goes on a vacation for a few months and sorts her life out, maybe put on some weight. This is serious.
Thanks Dani! I am a novice to all that kind of stuff - as evident...lol
ReplyDelete