Instead of going the traditional rehab route, Owen Wilson is working on finding his own path to recovery after attempting suicide about six weeks ago. He has hired a sober companion to stay with him and make sure he fights the temptation to drink and do drugs. He is said to be taking a healing journey to Arizona, where he will be treated holistically using the traditional Native American method of a sweat box to rid the body of toxins. He will also undergo hypnosis and attend group therapy for addiction.

Yoga is also on Owen Wilson’s itinerary. Jennifer Aniston is a strong proponent of the practice, and has spoken candidly about how it helped her to work through her negative emotions following the breakup of her marriage.

Aniston will be working with Wilson on the upcoming film Marley and Me, and is said to have sent him some books and to have encouraged him to pursue meditation and yoga as part of his path to healing. It’s possible she influenced him to take the trip to Arizona and to embrace holistic practices as part of his recovery:

Owen Wilson has a concerned Friend rooting for his recovery – Jennifer Aniston! The two, who are slated to work on the film adaptation of the best seller Marley & Me, have been speaking regularly by telephone and e-mail since Owen was taken to an L.A. hospital after a failed suicide attempt on Aug. 26.

Jen has sent him some of her favorite books, including The Power of Now, and she’s “been encouraging Owen to practice breathing techniques, yoga and meditation,” says a source close to the actress. “Owen has come to rely on Jen’s phone calls.” They’ve connected, adds the source, because “both are wounded souls.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 15, 2007]

If you read between the lines Star is suggesting a love match there, but since Aniston and Wilson haven’t been seen out together and their source probably just knows that she sent him books, there’s not enough to go on to declare a relationship, even by tabloid standards.

Jennifer Aniston is portrayed as a sad sap who can’t get a man while Owen Wilson has the stigma of a failed suicide attempt and crippling depression. It’s a match made in tabloid heaven, and it would certainly sell copies on the week they’re declared an item. If they’re ever foolish enough to be seen in each other’s presence when they’re not on set making that movie it’s sure to make the covers of the glossies. I don’t mean to sound too harsh, and I don’t view either of them that way, but celebrities become caricatures for our entertainment and the paper cut outs of these two would make a nice couple.

I’m a big Own Wilson champion in terms of his road to recovery. In his case, he doesn’t just need to recover from addiction, but from depression as well. He’ll also have to deal with lingering feelings about his suicide attempt, which will include both his own issues and the way it impacted those in his life. It’s a painful process, but it seems like the guy is essentially a good person with a good family, and that means everything in a situation like his. There are all sorts of roads to recovery, and when someone has as many issues as Owen, it gets a little more complicated. But I think that – although is treatment plan is certainly unorthodox – he’s trying to figure out something that’ll work for him, and it’s not really possible for the rest of us outsiders to know whether he’s got the right idea.

Owen Wilson, to the shock of his friends and family, is opting for a “sober trip” instead of rehab, says an insider. “Owen believes a spiritual journey, which includes holistic practices, is what can bring him back to total mental and physical health,” says the insider. He also wants to get out of L.A. because “he feels it’s full of negative, harmful energy,” adds the insider.

Owen will first stop in Sedona, Arizona, where he will use a Native American sweat box to get rid of toxins. Also on his itinerary: Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, group drug-addiction meetings at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, hypnosis and rebaptism in a river or lake! The Darjeeling Limited star will be accompanied by a “sober companion” on his trip.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 8, 2007]

I’m a big proponent of both traditional and alternative medicine and healing. I think that a lot of practices beyond the scope of the doctor’s office have merit. Owen is lucky to be in a financial situation where he can avail himself of so many facilities. The guy definitely has some serious issues to deal with, and it sounds like more than anything else, he just wants to be happy. And that is a great thing. As long as we can deal with our sadness a little bit and then move on, there’s hope. I really hope Owen gives himself the time and the space to really get better and feel whole again.

Although it’s been reported that Ben Stiller had to (or chose to, who knows) fire good friend Owen Wilson from his upcoming movie “Tropic Thunder” after Wilson attempted suicide, it appears the two are at least on speaking terms. Stiller was on Ellen DeGeneres’ show on Friday, and said that, though he tries not to talk about it too much, Wilson is doing a lot better. I really hope reports that Stiller fired him aren’t true, as that would make him a giant douchebag, and a terrible friend. People have the right to react to a suicide attempt however they want to, but I can’t imagine anything that would be more thoughtless.

“Ben Stiller says things are looking up for his longtime pal and frequent costar Owen Wilson. ‘He’s doing really well,’ Stiller, 41, tells Ellen DeGeneres on her show Friday. ‘I sort of like to protect his privacy, ’cause I feel like it’s his own thing,’ says Stiller. ‘But he’s a really good friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy and I wish him as everybody does, all the best.’

“Wilson, 38, was set to begin shooting the comedy Tropic Thunder with Stiller this month, but was hospitalized on Aug. 26 for what police called a suicide attempt. He dropped out of the film after issuing a statement requesting that he be allowed to ‘receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.’

“Wilson’s withdrawal from the project – which is about actors on a war movie location where a real battle erupts – was reportedly a mutual decision between him and Stiller, and Matthew McConaughey has stepped in to join the ensemble cast that includes Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Nolte.

“Speaking at Thursday night’s Westwood premiere of his and his son’s latest movie, The Heartbreak Kid, Ben’s dad Jerry Stiller, 80, expressed concern for his son’s best friend and said he was ‘surprised’ to hear of Wilson’s apparent suicide attempt – but he was sure that Wilson would ‘recover.’

“‘I know that he’ll put his life together,’ the elder Stiller, who also costarred with Wilson in 2001′s Zoolander, told PEOPLE. He added that his son has been ‘very close to Owen for most of their careers, and that Ben had been an ‘advocate’ in ‘intervention and all that stuff.’”

[From People]

So I guess they’re still going with the official “mutual decision” line about dropping out of the movie. That preserves everyone’s dignity. I wonder, when Jerry Stiller says that Ben has been an advocate for “intervention and all the stuff,” if he means in terms of Owen’s obvious depression, or his rumored drug/alcohol abuse. Hopefully Wilson will continue to get better, and has lots of loving and supportive people around him. As long as there are good people, he can get better and still have a really great career.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Ben Stiller with wife Christine Taylor at the premiere for his new movie, “The Heartbreak Kid” yesterday. Header image with mother Anne Meara Images thanks to PR Photos.

The incident that is said to have triggered Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt was a fight with a close friend after he failed to deliver promised material for a comedy project. It was reported that Wilson pulled out of the comedy he was involved in with good friend Ben Stiller after he was hospitalized, but that might not have been the case. Variety reported that the decision for Stiller not to be involved after his illness was “mutual,” but The National Enquirer says that Stiller and Steven Spielberg, who were directing and producing the film, decided they needed to fire Wilson and arranged to have the news delivered to him in his hospital bed.

The film had been shooting for six weeks at that point, according to People, so they probably couldn’t afford to wait any longer. There were millions at stake and Owen was a major liability:

It’s hush-hush and strictly confidential, but tragic comedy star Owen Wilson didn’t “quit” his movie after that drug-fueled suicide bid – my spy reveals he was actually fired by pal Ben Stiller and mogul Steven Spielberg… although both agonized endlessly over how to deliver the blow without sending him over the edge! Even as Wilson was rushed to Cedars-Sinai, director Stiller and producer Spielberg – under the gun because “Tropic Thunger” rolls next month – huddled desperately, debating two major points: (1) Could Wilson recover fast enough to handle the grueling shoot; and (2) would insurers of the multimillion Dreamworks flick underwrite a drug-taker/suicide risk?

“Ben was literally sick about making a decision to fire his good friend,” said an insider – but after hours of deliberation, Stiller and Spielberg concluded Owen had to go! But how to soften the blow? Incredibly, Plan A was to phone Wilson at the hospital and ax him on his bed of pain… gently of course! “Ben proposed calling directly so Owen wouldn’t hear the news from the press or a flunky,” said the insider. “But after family members told them Owen was not in a good state of mind, they realized the direct approach was far too stressful.” Rather than order studio lawyers to contact Wilson’s people, however, Stiller and Spielberg conferenced them personally to deliver the bombshell that Owen was goin’!

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, September 24, 2007]

So instead of having their people contact Owen’s people, Stiller and Spielberg contacted Owen’s people and by eliminating one level of detachment from the situation were able to relieve some of their guilt. At least they considered contacting Owen directly, and it sounds like they were told not to do it that way. Hopefully Owen’s people broke it to him once he was feeling a little better and was able to handle the news.

There’s a really nasty article in this week’s Star Magazine about how Owen must not have really tried to cut his wrists because a recent picture, not the ones from the beach, showed no scars on his right wrist. Photos taken recently on Malibu beach do reveal scars on his left wrist, showing that the suicide attempt did involve some cutting on Owen’s part.

The article is titled “Was it All a Hoax?” and circles a picture of Owen’s right scarless wrist with an arrow pointing to it:

The truth about what happened to Owen Wilson on Aug. 26 has now become a mystery that seems to be getting deeper by the day. While it’s been reported that The Wedding Crashers star sliced his wrists and took drugs in a desperate suicide bid, Star has learned that the entire incident may be cloaked in a cover-up that began right after Owen was found bleeding at his Santa Monica home.

“I’ve seen many patients who have attempted suicide by slashing their wrists, and even weeks later there are red marks and scarring,” says Louis Mueller, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based near Tampa, who has not treated the actor but has studied photos of him taken shortly after his release from the hospital. “These photos do not computer with attempted suicide by slashing of the wrists.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, September 24, 2007]

The article goes on to say that 911 was not called until an hour after Owen’s brother Luke found him, and brings up the fact that a criminal attorney was called to visit Wilson when he was at the hospital. They then put even more emphasis on the pictures, with another quote from that random psychologist.

Star is grasping at straws. Owen’s other wrist shows a clear scar, which is because he’s probably right-handed and used that hand to cut his left wrist without getting to the other one. Maybe the reports were incorrect that both wrists were slashed, but it’s not some big conspiracy and Star should have passed up that story instead of needlessly speculating about it. The guy needs help, not more grief.

Owen Wilson will forever be known as the celebrity who tried to take his own life, but he has also become a much-needed symbol of the very hidden and deep pain of depression. As I mentioned earlier, Owen shows us that anyone can suffer from mental illness, and that there is no shame in getting help before its too late. While the rest of us yearn for fame and wealth, we may be better off just as we are. Rich celebrities aren’t immune from problems any more than the rest of us, and they’re certainly subject to a lot more nasty speculation about their personal lives.

Owen Wilson is shown in the header image on Labor Day paying a visit to his brother Luke Wilson. Thanks to Splash News for the pic.

According to the latest National Enquirer, Owen Wilson was on a new antidepressant right before he attempted suicide, sparking fears that side effects from the unnamed drug might have prompted his self-destructive behavior.

Owen’s suicide attempt, in which he slit his wrists and took a large quantity of pills, was his third attempt at killing himself. His friend Woody Harrelson staged two interventions to try and save him. And while most of us thought that Owen was in the hospital in the week before Labor Day, The Enquirer claims he was holed up at Harrelson’s house for several days.

Owen’s recent depression also had nothing to do with his split from Kate Hudson or with her high-profile romance with Dax Shephard, according to the Enquirer. As is consistent with other reports, they say that he was the one who broke up with Kate, that he didn’t regret it, and that it was an argument with a friend over a business matter that left him distraught:

An in-depth Enquirer investigation also reveals stunning new details about the story that has rocked Hollywood, including the fact that the deeply troubled star was on a deadly drug cocktail in the months before his most recent suicide attempt, mixing illegal drugs with antidepressants and Valium.

As Owen spiraled downward into drug use and depression, his close friend Woody Harrelson tried two interventions to save him.

“This isn’t the first time Owen tried to commit suicide,” a family friend revealed exclusively to the Enquirer.

“A good portion of his life has been dedicated to fighting depression and addiction. Owen’s been on and off drugs for years – and this is actually the third time he’s tried killing himself…”

The Enquirer has learned that Owen secretly has been plagued by many career and personal demons for a long time, but was sent hurtling toward the edge by a huge fight with a close friend, who was working with him on a movie project, say sources.

The comedy star’s failure to write any material for the production triggered the clash…

While most of the world thought Owen was still in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – where he was transferred after being treated at Saint John’s Health Center – The Enquirer learned he quietly checked out on Wednesday, August 29, at around 11 am and went to Woody’s Beverly Hills home, where he stayed for several days…

Contrary to reports elsewhere, Owen’s breakup with Kate Hudson is not what pushed him over the edge. In fact, it was Owen who ended that relationship…

The actor also started taking a popular antidepressant – which can have devastating side effects, according [sic] a source close to the case. The antidepressant was legally prescribed to him…

The side effects of the antidepressant could well have triggered Owen’s suicide attempt, say medical experts contact by The Enquirer.

[From The National Enquirer print edition, September 17, 2007]

Several commentors mentioned here that while a lot of people were surprised over Owen’s suicide attempt, it just brought home how common and hidden depression can be. Commentor Amanda said “I have read numerous reports about people saying he doesn’t seem like the type. There is no type. My best friend killed himself 13 months ago and he was the last person you would think would do it. I also deal with manic depression and no one would guess that I am depressed let alone that I nearly killed myself 6 months ago. Point being just because someone appears happy and ‘normal’ doesn’t mean they are.”

After hearing those type of stories, I guess it’s not surprising that Owen had earlier attempts. He seems to have a good support system with his two brothers and good friends like Woody and I hope he makes it through to the other side soon. He seems like a very good guy, and he’s quite talented. We would love for him to continuing entertaining us well into his old age, if that’s what he wants to do.

If you or a friend or family member is depressed please talk about it and get help. Owen’s case shows us that you shouldn’t wait until it’s too late, and thank goodness he didn’t do permanent damage.

Header image is an older one, thanks to Splash News.

Owen Wilson is improving and getting better everyday, according to his friend, director Wes Anderson. Anderson was at the Venice Film Festival this week promoting his latest film with Wilson, “The Darjeeling Limited.” The two go way back – Wilson’s been in a number of Anderson’s films, and they were roommates in college. Wilson wasn’t able to attend the festival, as he’s been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center the last week after his suicide attempt. He’s back home now and being watched under 24/7 care. Anderson says that Wilson’s spirits have lifted enough to crack some jokes and make people laugh – and any progress is good.

“Just one week after being admitted to the hospital following an apparent suicide attempt, Owen Wilson is back home and “doing very well,” according to friends.

“While the actor has canceled all immediate public appearances, including what was expected to be a high-profile screening of The Darjeeling Limited at the Venice Film Festival this week, his director on the project, Wes Anderson, did show up to the festival and spoke publicly about his collaborator and longtime friend—the two were college roommates—for the first time since Wilson’s hospitalization.

“‘We all miss having him here very much. Obviously, he has been through a lot this week,’ Anderson told reporters on the Lido Monday. ‘I can tell you he has been doing very well—he has been making us laugh.

“‘When he’s ready, he’s going to speak for himself much better than any of us could. He has a very good way with words.’”

[From E! News]

Owen Wilson seems to have a pretty tight-knit family, and as long as he has good people around him that will love him and not judge him, then he’s got a good support system and that can make all the difference in his recovery. I hope he conquers whatever sadness is in his heart.

In related news, “The Darjeeling Limited” isn’t getting the greatest reviews. A lot of viewers are saying that it comes across as trite or hackneyed – though to be fair, appreciating Wes Anderson’s movies requires a very specific kind of humor, so it’s hard to say if the reviewers just don’t get that, or if the movie really is bad. After previewing the movie at the Venice Film Festival, Reuters called it a “tortuous train ride” and noted “The film is overly pleased with itself, and the characters are way too self-absorbed. There’s never a man-eating tiger around when you need one.” I think it’ll probably be like most of Wes Anderson’s movies – you either get it or you don’t, and you love it or you hate it, and there’s no in between. Hopefully Owen’s not reading the reviews and just focusing on getting better.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Owen Wilson at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Owen Wilson was hospitalized this weekend in what The National Enquirer and Star Magazine are calling a suicide attempt. His brother Andrew is said to have found him at home with an empty bottle of pills and wrists that “were slashed superficially.”

Actor Owen Wilson was hospitalized after attempting suicide, sources tell the NATIONAL ENQUIRER and Star magazine exclusively.

Wilson was transported to St. John’s hospital in Santa Monica , Calif. on Sunday, August 26, by ambulance. Sources tell the ENQUIRER and Star that he sliced his left wrists and took an indeterminate amount of pills.

He was discovered by a family member who summoned help.

Police and an ambulance responded to a 911 call from Owen’s house around noon on Sunday.

His wrist was sutured and bandaged at the hospital.

The ENQUIRER and Star broke the story of Owen’s hospitalization earlier Sunday and revealed that he was being transferred from St. John’s after being stabilized. The publications learned that he was going to be detoxed.

Owen was brought in to St. John’s in very serious condition. Police were on the scene immediately as was a criminal defense attorney, believed to be working for Wilson. Some of Owen’s family was with him.

[From The National Enquirer]

Police confirmed that they responded to an emergency call at Wilson’s house at noon on Sunday and that the person they picked up is in stable condition at a hospital in LA. They would not state whether it was Wilson due to medical privacy laws.

Along with his brother Andrew, his other brother, Luke, is said to be with him at this difficult time.

The first thing I thought of when I heard this story was Kate Hudson. I know that she and Owen broke up months ago amid rumors that he couldn’t commit, and he might regret it.

His apparent suicide attempt might have nothing to do with his old relationship with Kate Hudson, but there’s article in this in week’s Star Magazine with pictures of Kate and her new boyfriend, Dax Shepherd. It’s titled “Kate & Daddy Dax” and shows Dax holding Kate’s three year-old son, Ryder, on a trip they recently took to Boston. They mention Owen unceremoniously and say Kate dumped him. Here’s the relevant part of the article:

Could these be the first of many family snapshots? Comedian Dax Shepherd, 32, flew to Boston and spent soem quality time with new love Kate Hudson, 28, and her son Ryder, 3, on Aug. 16! The cozy threesome was spotted touring the birthplace of the American Revolution while Kate was on break from filming Bachelor No. 2…

If these pictures are any indication, Ryder looks to be in good hands. But then, Kurt Russel, who’s been like a father to Kate, did set the two up soon after she dumped Owen Wilson in May.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, September 3, 2007]

If Wilson still cares for Kate at all, it’s got to sting if he saw this article. It’s hard to know what happened between them, although they seemed to have an on-again off-again relationship and only went public toward the end, when Kate attended an after party for the film Owen made with his family, The Wendell Baker Story in mid May. His brother Andrew was quoted praising Kate at around that time. By early June, they had broken up.

Again, if Owen did attempt suicide there is no way to know why he was that distraught. The times in my life I’ve been the most depressed it’s either been about the death of a loved one or a lost relationship. His career seems to be going well as he’s got four films coming out next year, according to IMDB.

Thank goodness he’s ok and I hope that he’ll get effective treatment for his depression. He seems like a happy go lucky guy, but it just shows that he’s probably nothing like the characters he plays and that severe depression can happen to anyone.

If you or someone you love is considering suicide, please get help immediately. Here is a link to resources for help.

Owen Wilson is shown in the header photo on 6/18 after having dinner with Bruce Willis in Berlin. Thanks to WENN for the photo.

The relationship between blonde B-movie co-stars Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson might be back on. They were rumored to be broken up after spending a few months managing to keep their relationship semi-secret with just a few witnessed outings after the bustup of Kate’s marriage. Kate has since been linked with her typical rocker-type, Nic Cester of Jet, but rumor has it that Wilson joined her in Australia, where she’s filming Fool’s Gold with Matthew McConaughey.

Owen Wilson has been rekindling his romance with Kate Hudson this week in Australia, according to a close source.

Hudson is Down Under filming “Fool’s Gold” with Matthew McConaughey in the tropical state of Queensland.

A pal says Hudson and Wilson are back together after a bumpy patch over the holidays. “Owen backed out [of Christmas and New Year] because he didn’t want to deal with the whole situation with her family,” the friend tells me.

“There’s [estranged husband Chris Robinson] and the baby, and also Goldie [Hawn] and Kurt [Russell] don’t approve of the relationship.”

The extended family was to spend the holiday week together in Aspen, says the source, but in the end neither Owen nor Kate went.

I’m not sure if I believe this, but if it’s true I don’t think they’ll last. Wilson seemed reluctant to admit to a relationship with Hudson, probably because he didn’t want to cause any controversy with their divorce, and he doesn’t seem like the committed type.

In early January it was reported that they were broken up due and couldn’t maintain a long distance relationship while they were working. Wilson was said to have phoned his friends to let them know that he was back on the market.

Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson are no longer together, according to a new cover story in US Magazine. These two were low-key with their relationship and were only spotted out together a few times in the past few months. Kate threw a big New Year’s party and Owen wasn’t there. It looks like Wilson is going back to his girl-chasing ways while Hudson is dating hot Irish singer Damien Rice. She must love those musicians.

When Kate Hudson, 27, threw a raucous New Year’s Eve party at her home in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades, guests such as Justin Timberlake, Ryan Phillippe and Eva Mendes showed up to party their way into 2007.

Conspicuously absent from the bash? Actor Owen Wilson, 38, whose torrid affair with Hudson resulted in the actress’ separation from husband of nearly six years, Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson.

“They have definitely cooled off,” a source close to the actress tells Us of Hudson and Wilson’s summer fling. “She adores him and wishes it had worked out. But it didn’t.”

Seconds a Wilson source, “Owen is calling girlfriends to tell them he is single.”

The actress, meanwhile, is back to dating musicians. She brought Irish singer Damien Rice (whose haunting song “The Blower’s Daughter” was the theme of 2004′s Closer) to a December 9 birthday party for director Brett Ratner. A Hudson pal assures, “She is exploring everything while trying to get over Owen.”

The article says that Kate’s ex, Chris Robinson, is dating a woman that has dated Matthew McConaughey. It also seems like Kate is on good terms with her ex. I read an article in The Enquirer a short time ago that claimed that they were renting houses next to each other in Australia while Kate was filming Fool’s Gold, and that they were visiting each other six times a day. Their three year old son, Ryder, must love being around his dad and mom together, and I bet their still-close relationship had something to do with Kate and Owen’s breakup.

Kate Hudson’s estranged husband Chris Robinson just filed for divorce after they were separated for about three months. That may have been the opening Kate’s semi-secret lover and costar, Owen Wilson, was looking for. He was said to be eyeing engagement rings at a Harry Winston store with his mother in tow:

IT looks like Owen Wilson is about to pop the question to Kate Hudson. The so-called “Butterscotch Stallion” was spotted Friday with his mother at the Harry Winston store at the Highland Park Mall in Dallas. “They were looking at a huge, pear-shaped, flawless diamond engagement ring,” said our witness. Owen and Hudson fell in love filming “You, Me and Dupree” last year, and Hudson soon left rocker hubby Chris Robinson. Though the bauble was an engagement band, a rep for Wilson said, “Owen’s mother was looking for jewelry for herself.”

It could be true that the visit was just for Wilson’s mom and she cajoled him into checking out the engagement rings. You know how moms can be pushy like that when there are potential grandchildren to be had.