Lilly wrote:I'm very uncomfortable reporting Alex's score this week. We've talked at length here about how little these numbers really mean, and the fact that they can rise for very distasteful reasons.

As you might expect, his score did go up quite a bit this week. Of course, this time, it isn't anything to celebrate.
2012 Mar 4 -- 252
I completely understand, Lilly. We all feel the same.

It's kind of haunted, bc a few weeks ago I posted how it seemed that celebs numbers went way up when some sort of tragedy came upon them. Either something like death---Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse as recent examples, or personal troubles that explode in the media---Charilie Sheen. I remember commenting that I'd rather Alex's numbers be lower than have those type of reasons for an upsurge. Unfortunately, as news of this hits more mainstream media and magazines, expect next week to be even higher.
But, none of us have our heads in the sand and we know what's important, so posting this information is the right thing to do. We have our heads on straight about the whole situation. To me, it speaks even more to the courage necessary for Alex and others who struggle with things like this to be able to come out and admit they need help. They know they are going to be the 'big story' for a while and that sucks no matter how you look at it. Unfortunately, by next week there may be another more salacious story that eclipses Alex's. It kind of gives you a new appreciation for what these people have to deal with, doesn't it?