• Stumble
• Google Buzz

Yeah, it’s true: Accidents do happen. However, if you happen to be famous for one reason or another, accidents seem to be a little more intense. In years’ past the gossip hungry public had a field day with Hollywood superstars like Mel Gibson and Billy Joel providing the drunken antics we craved.

You’d think, with all the power and money these guys have, they’d be smart enough to avoid damaging their reputation by damaging cars (and people)? Well, it’s time some new blood stepped into the arena. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you Exhibit A: Nick Bollea (AKA Nick Hogan) , and Exhibit B: Shia LaBeouf.

NIck Bollea

In case anyone didn’t know (and really, everyone should know) Nick is the son of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. Nick ended up in the spotlight via the Vh1 reality show “Hogan Knows Best”. On the show, 18-year-old Nick was portrayed (oh, who’s kidding anyone – reality television shows are, for the most part, scripted) as an immature, spoiled, car-loving teen.

Well, his “need for speed” and his love of cars crashed together (nice pun, huh?) one night. According to one Floridian News Article, in August of 2007, Nick’s 1998 Toyota Supra crashed into a palm tree when he lost control of the car because of excessive speeding.

He wasn’t hurt, but the car was totaled and, more importantly, his passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano, was seriously injured. Ironically, Graziano had recently returned from Iraq unscathed. Now, as a result of the crash, he will need special care for the rest of his life.

Well, now Nick is paying for his actions. According to a Wikipedia Article on Nick Bollea, in May of 2008, Nick was sentenced to 8 months in Pinellas County Jail, a 3-year suspension of his driver’s license, 5 years of probation, and 500 community service hours.

Because of his young age (17) when he entered the jail, he was kept in solitary confinement, but was recently transferred out. Nick recently turned 18 in jail, so let’s hope that while he’s serving his sentence and doing those community service hours, he changes from an immature, selfish teenager into a responsible man.

Shia LaBeouf

Let’s move on now to the very recent situation befalling “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” actor Shia LaBeouf. This 22-year-old has been riding high on the wave of power that is Young Hollywood. He’s rich, has reasonably good looks, and some acting talent.

It seemed as if Shia could do no wrong, until the fateful day when an Associated Press Article announced that on July 27th, 2008 at 3 AM, Shia was arrested for a DUI. More specifically, he had crashed into another car, and all parties involved suffered minor injuries. He would eventually be cleared of charges but did lose his license for one year for refusing a breathalyzer.

So, jury members, I ask you: Do they deserve their fancy cars? Do they deserve modest punishments? I think we can all agree on one thing: They need to go back to driving school. Or, perhaps they should take a crash course (wait, no more crashes!) at the School of Common Sense and Responsibility.

• Stumble
• Google Buzz