Barton Out of Hospital, Returning to Work

Mischa Barton has left hospital after spending two weeks under psychiatric hold at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre and is ready to go back to work, her rep has confirmed.

Craig Schneider told Usmagazine.com earlier today: “I can confirm that [Mischa has] left the hospital with the intention to resume production [of her new show The Beautiful Life].”

The actress and former model was admitted to hospital on July 15 after making a distressing call to 911 which suggested she was on the verge of suicide.

Ashton Kutcher, the brains behind the new CW series The Beautiful Life, said on Friday that his leading actress was recovering well.

“I can tell you right now Mischa Barton is doing great,” he said.

Ironically, Barton’s character in The Beautiful Life is a pill-popping supermodel, something which is shockingly similar to her own life in recent times.

Production on her new show is set to begin on Friday.

[Source]

Suicide Fears for Mischa Barton

Mischa Barton was placed under psychiatric hold by the LAPD on Wednesday after friends of the actress phoned police, afraid she was about to kill herself.

The former television starlet was supposed to be flying to New York for the premiere of her new film, Homecoming, but had become so disheartened by the movie’s poor reviews that she’d gone on a marathon three-day coke bender and threatened suicide, according to a source.

“She’s in very bad shape,” the source explained.

“She’s running out of money and can’t find love, so now she is looking for a good time to escape her misery. She is on a downward spiral.”

The source added: “She is a mess. She is a suicidal, uninsurable mess.”

Barton’s publicist, Craig Schneider, released a statement on her behalf, confirming that the actress “remains in the hospital under doctor’s orders.” The St. Trinian’s star is being held under section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code, whereby authorities can hold a person who presents a risk to themselves and/or the community for up to 72 hours – the same law that saw Britney Spears hospitalised at Cedars Sinai last year.

Spears bounced back pretty quickly from her little episode with the help of her family and a strong management team behind her, however, a pal of Barton’s believes it won’t be so easy for the former O.C. star.

“She is a tortured and troubled person,” the friend said. “You can survive a bad review, but when you don’t show up for the premiere of your new film, it’s not a good sign of where your career is heading.”

[Source]

Split With Girlfriend Caused Actor to Jump

Mark Priestley, the Australian actor who took his own life on Wednesday, jumped to his death just weeks after splitting with his long-time girlfriend, according to reports.

The 32-year-old star of Aussie medical drama All Saints split with girlfriend, playwright and actress Kate Mulvany, a few weeks before checking himself into a hotel in central Sydney and committing suicide.

Sources claim that the actor had been severely depressed since the split, and wasn’t coping very well.

Police discovered Priestley’s body on a 10th floor ledge of a building next to the Swissotel hotel, where he’d checked himself in under the pseudonym Damian Barker at 11.30 a.m. According to the reports, Priestley had requested a room with a balcony on the 23rd floor.

He plunged to his death 90 minutes after checking in. It took police three hours to recover his body from the opposite building.

His former cast members are said to be in shock, with filming on the Seven Network show shutting down for the day while they come to terms with his unexpected passing.

[Source]