Growing up involves some twists and turns and sometimes takes unexpected forms

Today's example is the troubled young actress Lindsay Lohan, who seems to be having a David Mamet moment.  As Robert Stacy McCain says, "She's our bimbo."  And I would say she's had her first glimpse at a worldview beyond bimbohood.

There's actually an established tradition of bad boys and girls in Hollywood having a road-to-Damascus experience.  Kelsey Grammer, you may recall, used to wreck cars while ripped on toots, and we all know about Dennis Hopper.  Jon Voigt.  Sonny Bono.  There's room in the conservative tent for a rowdy, postmodern energy that finds a channel for expression which actually amounts to something and therefore gets it off more than any drug it ever imbibed.