Question:
Oh go the fuck away, you odious webtv cunt. Your html is a flagrant about you? [snip annoying html SHIT]
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NEWS > CURRENT Ozzy Osbourne Hurt in ATV Accident (12/7/2003) Ozzy Osbourne was seriously injured Monday in an accident on the grounds of his estate in England and underwent emergency surgery, a spokeswoman said. The 55-year-old rock star was riding a "quad bike," or all terrain vehicle, on his Buckinghamshire property when the accident occurred, according to publicist Cindy Guagenti. His injuries were not considered to be life-threatening, she said. An examination showed Osbourne broke his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in his neck, according to Guagenti. He was in surgery Monday evening at an undisclosed English hospital. The operation was intended to lift the collarbone, which was believed to be resting on a major artery and interrupting blood flow to his arm. Surgeons also were trying to stem "some bleeding into his lungs," Guagenti said. Osbourne was taking a day off from promoting the United Kingdom release of "Changes," a duet with his daughter, Kelly, when the accident occurred. Guagenti’s office said no further information was immediately available. "The Osbournes," the MTV reality show featuring the rocker, wife Sharon and their children, started production about a month ago on its third season, scheduled to begin Jan. 13. It was not immediately known how the accident would affect production or how or whether it might be included in the series, an MTV spokeswoman said Monday. Thanks mostly to Mark’s Friggin.com for this recap. Ozzy Fires Doctor, Accuses Him Of Overmedicating (12/7/2003) Ozzy Osbourne says he was ‘Wiped out’ on drugs ordered by a physician investigated for Over prescribing for others. Week after week, viewers tuning in to the hit reality series "The Osbourne’s" saw the star of the show in a perpetual stupor. With cameras rolling, Ozzy Osbourne fell on his backside into the surf off Malibu. He passed out during a party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He struggled to swat a fly in his dining room only to slap himself in the face. The sight of the aging rocker staggering around his Beverly Hills mansion, glassy- eyed and mumbling, became a staple of the MTV series last season. The cause of Osbourne’s disorientation was never explained. It turns out he was on Valium and Dexedrine, Mysoilne, Adder, all and a host of other powerful medications. They were all prescribed by a Beverly Hills physician who, unknown to Osbourne, was under investigation for over prescribing drugs to other celebrity patients. Prescription records show that Dr. David A. Kipper had Osbourne on an array of potent drugs – opiates, tranquilizers, amphetamines, antidepressants, even an anti- psychotic. The singer said he swallowed as many as 42 pills a day. "I was wiped out on pills," said Osbourne, who fired Kipper in September, more than a year after becoming his patient. "I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t walk. I could barely stand up. I was lumbering about like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It got to the point where I was scared to close my eyes at night – afraid I might not wake up." The state medical board last week moved to revoke Kipper’s license, accusing him of gross negligence in his treatment of other patients. Osbourne, who has battled substance abuse for decades, sought Kipper’s help last year in kicking a dependence on prescription narcotics. Kippers ad ministered a 10-day detoxification treatment. Osbourne was grateful. Then his wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with cancer, arid the rocker’s relationship with Kipper took a new turn. Kipper began writing prescriptions for a broad range of medications he said would alleviate Osbourne’s anxiety and depression over his wife’s illness. The number and potency of the drugs grew steadily, records show. At one point, Osbourne was on 13 different medications. Medical experts who reviewed Osbourne’s prescription records at The Times’ request described the drug regimen as extreme. Although they said they could not make definitive judgments without examining Osbourne and knowing his medical history, the doctors said the battery of medications prescribed by Kipper appeared excessive for any patient. "The amount and potency of drugs being prescribed to this patient was outrageous," said Dr. Greg Thompson, an assocate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC Medical School and director of the Drug Information Center at County USC Medical Center. Dr. Drew Pinsky, medical director of the chemical dependency program at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, said the regimen was especially risky for someone like Osbourne. "This was an extreme amount of medication for a doctor to prescribe to a patient with an addiction history," Pinsky said. "On my chemical unit, patients like this are not allowed to be exposed to any of these kinds of addictive drugs." Kipper, 55, declined to be interviewed. In a statement, he said that "ethical and medical privacy laws" barred him from discussing patient care. "I have only good wishes for Mr. Osbourne and for his family and for their good health," the statement said. The doctor’s attorney, John D. Harwell, declined to comment beyond saying: "I can tell you that virtually every allegation you are reporting is inaccurate, incomplete, or . . . false." Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne described their dealings with Kipper in a series of interviews by phone and at their six-bed room, Spanish-style mansion above Sunset Boulevard. They made available prescription records and the doctor’s invoices, along with credit card receipts and photocopied checks documenting their payments. The Osbourne’s said Kipper had won their confidence and had become a regular presence at their home. He accompanied Ozzy on tour and appeared in several episodes of The Osbourne’s. After Sharon was diagnosed with colon cancer last year, Kipper prescribed anti-anxiety medications for her and installed a team of nurses at the couple’s home to care for her. "It’s like we let him just take over our lives," Sharon Osbourne said. "We didn’t do anything without telling him." Kipper charged the couple $650,000 for his services from June 2002 until they fired him three months ago, records show. The medications he prescribed cost them an additional $58,000. RAPID REHAB TREATMENT Kipper, a UCLA-trained internist, is not certified as a specialist in addiction medicine or psychiatry. He practices from an office on Lasky Drive in Beverly Hills, next to the posh Peninsula Hotel, and owns an estate above Beverly Glen. He often socializes with his clients, who include entertainment executives, actors, producers and musicians. Kipper carries a Screen Actors Guild card and has had bit parts in several films, including "As Good As It Gets," "Jackass – the Movie" and "Shallow Hal." In Hollywood circles, he is known for offering speedy and painless addiction therapy in luxury hotel suites or in patients’ homes. Kipper has used a combination of drugs to wean addicts off narcotics. Key to the treatment is buprenorphine, a powerful synthetic opiate that spares patients the agony of withdrawal. Some celebrities have preferred Kipper’s method to conventional drug rehab at licensed facilities, which can take months and requires years of follow-up therapy. But addiction experts say treatments such as Kipper’s offer only temporary relief because they do not address the underlying causes of addiction or pro vide the sustained psychological support needed to overcome a drug habit. State authorities began investigating Kipper in 1998 after The Times reported that he was detoxifying celebrity addicts in luxury bungalows at the Peninsula. The medical board complaint issued last week accuses him of operating an unlicensed detox program, improperly using buprenorphine for addiction treatment, and over prescribing habit-forming drugs to eight patients from 1999 to 2002. Harweil, the doctor’s lawyer, said Kipper could not comment on the complaint without violating patients’ privacy. Harwell said he hoped to reach a settlement with the board that would allow Kipper to keep his license. Osbourne became Kipper’s patient in June 2002. The singer was overwhelmed by the success of his new TV series and, by his own account, was "strung out on narcos." Osbourne, 55, rose to fame in the late 60’s when he formed Black Sabbath, a British rock quartet often cited as a pioneer in the heavy metal genre. He launched a solo career in 1979 and went on to sell more than 40 million albums. Guided by wife Sharon, who is also his manager, he reinvented himself during the ’90s as an elder statesman of heavy metal. His annual "Ozzfest" tours, featuring Osbourne alongside hot young bands, attract huge audiences. In March 2002, MTV launched its unscripted series about Osbourne’s home life, portraying him as the doting patriarch of a dysfunctional family. "The Osbourne’s" was an immediate sensation, attracting record audiences for a cable show and spawning books, DVDs, a clothing line, playing cards and other merchandising spin-offs. In May and June of that year, Osbourne signed a $10-Million renewal deal with MTV. He met President Bush at a Washington dinner. He performed at Buckingham Palace and shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II. It was more than Osbourne could handle, and he suffered a relapse, abusing prescription narcotics. He declined to say what narcotics he was taking or how he obtained them. Sharon, who had heard about Kipper from a friend, contacted him to arrange an intervention. The doctor showed up at the Osbourne mansion with a team of nurses on June 27, 2002, and began his detox program. The treatment took 10 days. Kipper charged $30,500 – nearly triple the rate at traditional rehab centers. By early July, Osbourne was ready to start his next "Ozzfest" tour. Then he learned that Sharon had cancer. He postponed the first two concerts while she had surgery. By
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