Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of men and women with a pretty staggering addiction to RSS feeds… in the new new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!
By Eric Deggans
Mention the critics, and Dr. Drew Pinsky lets out a small sigh: He has heard these songs many times before. One that he disguises an exploitative look at high-profile addiction through his Celebrity Rehab and Sober House series on VH1. Another that he essentially pays celebrities through fame and fees to enter rehab before they are ready. That he might be addicted to fame, himself.
But after 30 years treating patients and a decade delivering information on radio and TV, Pinsky won’t let contrary voices keep him from talking about an illness he calls “the problem of our time.”
“I don’t know that I can change what people do. I just want them to think about it,” said Pinsky, who also will keep doing his Loveline radio program and Lifechangers daytime series for the CW while on HLN and VH1. “It’s just like if you drive by a freeway accident, you still might slow down and look, but at least feel bad about it (laughs). Maybe you’ll learn something.”
Turns out, his new show for CNN’s HLN channel (once known as CNN Headline News) won’t be limited to talk about addiction. Instead, Pinsky plans to bring his medical expertise to a range of news stories, trying to unearth why newsmakers act the way they do at the center of big events.
Dr. Drew Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • HLN • Celebrity Rehab • Sex Rehab • Sober House • Loveline
DR. DREW podcast excerpt: “When we study medicine, a doctor stands up and goes, ‘Here’s a 37-year-old white male who hasn’t slept in three weeks, speech is pressured and tangential, he was using cocaine a week ago, he’s infectious and grandiose, talking about special powers and privileges.’ You just go, ‘Okay, that’s a hypomanic patient.'”
Possibly the most critical guy at the St. Petersburg Times, Eric Deggans has served as music, media and TV critic at various times over 10 years. Read more of his work at TampaBay.com!
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