Here’s a news segment about the infamous Heath Ledger drug footage. It includes a clip of the promo from last night on The Insider. From watching the little bits included, I feel like this whole thing was blown so out of proportion. Just from the promo, the entire story seems so sensationalized and includes the most cliché line ever used in a dramatic voice over (of course): “Heath Ledger faced the temptations of Hollywood”.

Common’! As John Stossel would say, “Give me a break!”

9RAW: Ledger drug video exposed

Greetings from Phoenix, AZ- I woke at at 5am this morning and I was so restless when I finally landed that I went on vlog craze. Actually shot only two mobile video updates- but I feel many more are to come.

Yesterday, was pretty fun and busy in my world. I had an audition in the AM, then off to inplacenews.com to co-anchor their newscasts from 11am-3pm, then off to a studio to go live on The Fox Report w/ Shepard Smith at 4:50pm, run to hairdresser for blowout and finally back to studio for at 6:40pm hit on Live w/ Dan Abrams on MSNBC.

The real madness ensued during my blowout when a mass email was sent from ID-PR telling people to pressure Entertainment Tonight/The Insider to pull a segment containing video footage of Ledger snorting cocaine and talking about his drug use.

Here’s a look at the email:

Tonight Entertainment Tonight/The Insider are previewing an extremely distasteful segment regarding Heath Ledger. The segment centers around a two-year old video ET purchased for a large sum of money in the hopes of stirring up a salacious and exploitive story about Heath, which would win them big ratings on the first day of sweeps. The two outlets did not even have the courtesy to wait until after Heath’s burial to broadcast this segment. They intend to air the full segment tomorrow.

For the sake of his grieving family and friends, his child, and common decency, we hope to pressure Entertainment Tonight and The Insider to do the right thing and pull the spot. This is not journalism, it is sensationalism. It is a shameful exploitation of the lowest kind, to a talented and gentle soul, undeserving of such treatment.

We are asking the Hollywood community to pressure Entertainment Tonight to pull the segment. Please take action so that Heath’s family can grieve in peace. Please forward this message to everyone you know and ask them to personally call Linda Bell Blue at Entertainment Tonight and Brad Bessey at Paramount to express their outrage and request Entertainment Tonight to pull the distasteful spot. Their information is listed below. Thank you.

Pretty wild stuff- ET did end up pulling the segment an hour or so later after it was teased on the East Coast airing of the show. Yes, they did the right thing but they also probably realized that if they aired it, they would be banned from all of ID-PR’s clients and coverage in the future. Everyone is disgusted by the outlet for wanting to air the footage but what about the person who leaked it to the press? Shouldn’t we be more disgusted with them for selling the video for $200,000 and profiting from this tragic loss?

Hello all! My cold is finally going away just in time for my trip out to Phoenix for Superbowl tomorrow AM.

In the meantime, be sure to catch me on the Fox Report w/ Shepard Smith at 4:50 PT/ 7:50 EST chatting about American Idol. Then at 6:45 PT, I’ll be appearing MSNBC’s Live w/ Dan Abrams to report on a much more somber topic: Heath Ledger.

I have a cold for the third time in practically two months. How could this be?!
Well, it seems like I’m not the only one. Even hard working Ryan Seacrest called in sick last night to host E!’s red carpet from the SAG Awards. Something must be wrong if Hollywood’s biggest workaholic is actually getting hit with the common flu too.

So, I’m trying to chill out before things get crazy again and I head to Phoenix, AZ for Superbowl Thursday at 6:30AM. Tonight, this entails: Drinking Emergen’C water, green tea, Grabbing a Mcdonald’s McFlurry (half m&m’s, half oreo), watching Project Runway on Tivo, finishing screener of No Country For Old Men and finally following up on biz cards from Sundance.
That’s me relaxing… hmm… is there something wrong with this picture? Then back to work tomorrow AM!

Shira continues her coverage of the Sundance Film Festival with actor interviews and updates. Read Article

Have a laugh this Monday with the animals of the world:

Not sure if this is actually funny but the monkey part does make me laugh. They’re just soooo cute!

Weird- I finally watched past the cute monkeys part and realized that I went to college with the creator Max Goldberg. Inneresting!

I’ve been working for LX TV for over a year hosting lifestyle segments and the weekly show, “First Look L.A.”. I’m so proud to announce that the company has been acquired by NBC. It’s so exciting and such an honor to be working with a company since the beginning and be able to be part of such growth. 

Watch me on Foxnews.com’s Lips & Ears giving you some Sundance scoop.
Yes, my voice is a bit hoarse from working and playing in the cold. Oopsies!

Thanks to ANDREW MARC for the fabulous silver jacket.

Shira gives an initial report of the Sundance Film Festival. Read Article