Every single celebrity does charitable donation. They do them for the tax breaks.

With Jon, he takes his humanitarian work very serious and does it because he wants to make a difference. I truly believe this. He's not just doing it for the tax breaks and the good publicity. He exhausts way too much time and energy into it.

However, I'm not sure where Richie falls.

Okay, I have thought about it more and I apologize for the idiot comment... but your idiot comment pissed me off :) childish... I am sorry.

I will elaborate on my OPINION... Most addict's addictions end up defining them (those who don't get help). It is usually the first thing they think about in the morning and the last thing they think of before going to sleep. It is what drives them, or should I say takes away their drive. I doubt Richie was too different shortly before going into rehab. But, I do not know... everyone is different. Richie has donated his time and money to charities. But do you think that is what drives him? To back up my claim for those celebrities that are determined to destroy themselves... I have been told, most people with a serious substance addiction is hell bent on killing themselves, even though they may not realize it. If you make the comment at an AA meeting, "I have never hurt anyone because of my addiction." Most likely someone will say "You tried to kill your mother's son." This may be kind of harsh for the few that just drink a little too much, but I believe for the most part it is true.

Jon, on the other hand, is driven by philanthropy. Partly because of the A) attention, which helps him B) stay relavent and sell albums and tickets, and C) because he is helping those less fortunate. Only he knows his reasons.

Not everything is as black and white as I stated above. Not every celebrity is either Lindsay Lohan (a lush who has donated money to charities) or George Clooney (or Brangelina, or Sean Penn or whoever (agree or disagree with their politics but they believe they use their power to better the world the best they know how)). There is plenty of grey area unlike my original statement. But there are MANY that fit into my original assessment.

I'm not knocking Richie. I love the guy and want him to get better so he can write his opus and be defined by that.

grr.. still bummed by the fact nobody knows anything about richie's progress. i mean, it's understandable, the last thing the man needs right now is a bunch of paparazzi around him. but oh how I desperately want to know if he'll be back in time for the european tour...

Mhm.. That's crossing my mind every day and I try not to think about it too much, but damn. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :?