Gynomite!

Hi all!  Back from vacation, and other than a pointlessly canceled flight back to NYC that resulted in us hanging out in an airport in North Carolina for 7 hours and waking up at 3:45 this morning to catch a flight that we were actually scheduled for, it was an awesome trip.

The news that the formerly drug-addled George Carlin passed away today, coupled with the news that apparently smoking crack is bad for Amy Winehouse’s lungs, got me thinking about how dangerous the business of show is, and how lucky some of these former child actors are that they got out in time!

Fairuza Balk, who was in Return to Oz, and the Worst Witch (!!!) and of course, The Craft, has been in movies randomly throughout the years as an adult, and was a voice in Vice City, but that’s not her passion.  Her passion is paganism.  From 1995 to 2001, Fairuza owned the largest occult store in America, Panpipes Magickal Marketplace, in Hollywood.

Goth only gets more terrifying as the years pile on…

Ilan Mitchell-Smith, better known as the other guy in Weird Science, quit acting in 1991 and went to school.  A lot.  He got his PhD from Texas A&M University and now teaches medieval studies.  Still pretty dangerous profesh, but less paparazzi, I guess.

Why do all Ren-Faire guys wear mis-matching denim?

Edward Furlong, who I had a massive crush on as a kid when he played John Connor in Terminator 2, decided to make drugs his full time career rather than acting.  He got all puffed out and bloated and was asked not to be in Terminator 3 because of it.  Other than drugs, he enjoys animal activism, and was arrested in 2004 for trying to liberate some lobsters from a grocery store.

Watch out Daniel Radcliffe- this could happen to you!

Mayim Bialik, that little moppet from Blossom, left acting (and let’s face it, she had a very specific face suited for very specific roles) in 1995, though she has returned to some random cameo roles in recent years on shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm.  She got her bachelors in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and decided why not, let’s go for a PhD in Neuroscience!  I couldn’t find out whether or not she completed the program, which would mean completing her thesis on Prader-Willi Syndrome, but either way, that’s badass.

Eat it, Six!

Michael Oliver played Junior in a couple of those Problem Child movies.  I don’t remember much about those things, but he hasn’t really done any acting since then.  He’s too busy touring with the reggae band The Samples as a crew member!  Rawk!

No problem adult here!

Erik Per Sullivan played the precious little big-eared Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle, and unlike his fictional older brother, who “dropped out” of acting to be a race car driver and have creepy hair…

Erik is completing high school like a normal human being, speaks Swedish and Japanese fluently, and is a first degree blackbelt.

Life is unfair, indeed.

And finally, this little adorable creature, who starred in the remake of Parent Trap, a movie with Tyra Banks called Life-Size, and the remake of Freaky Friday, went on to become a cardiologist after traveling the world with the Peace Corps for six years from the age of 17-22.  She also has created a children’s fund for…..

…just kidding!  It’s just ole’ leggings-loving Lindsey Lohan!