When enough is enough

(4) Lindsay Lohan
As we mentioned, growing up is tough. Though it seems only yesterday that Lindsay was just a freckled, rosy-cheeked kid in "The Parent Trap," that was back in 1998. 

Until recently, Lohan seemed to have things pretty much on an even keel.  "Freaky Friday" was a wise pick for her — maybe not your cup of tea, but a good vehicle to show the teen Lindsay on screen in a fun, age-appropriate way. Ditto "Mean Girls," which put her in a perfect light: pretty enough to be popular, but not catty at heart.

Evan Agostini / Getty Images Actress Lindsay Lohan attends the grand opening of the first U.S. retail location of De Beers Jewelry in June. She seems to need more than "Herbie" to put sparkle into her career.

So what the heck happened? We're not going to say that "Herbie: Fully Loaded" was a total mistake; it might still appeal to the younger end of Lindsay's fan base.

Slideshow   Evolution of Lindsay Lohan From cute kid to redheaded bombshell to svelte blonde.

No, the problem here is that her off-screen shenanigans have completely overshadowed her still-blossoming career. On the "Herbie" front, Lohan had to dodge the did-they-or-didn't-they rumors that her now-fully-grown chest was digitally shrunk so as not to titillate young moviegoers. (The director insisted he didn't.) There's the never-ending train wreck that is her father Michael, whose misdoings prompted a divorce filing from Lindsay's mom Dina and a hailstorm of gossip about his problems with drinking and anger.

And there is a growing body of evidence that her weight loss has become a problem, even if she insisted it was just a sign of exhaustion after her breakup with Wilmer Valderrama. (Speaking of career interventions, our "‘70s Show" pal might do well to remember you can't make a career out of a silly sitcom accent. For every Robin Williams, there are 10 Bronson Pinchots.)

Speaking of anger, we keep hearing tidbits about Lindsay's own temper, most recently when she stormed out of the "Herbie" premiere after discovering that one of her songs, "First," was moved to the closing credits.

Yes, there are less graceful ways for child stars to grow up. (We're thinking of you, Drew Barrymore.)  And no one should be forced into a demolition derby with paparazzi. But maybe it's time for Lindsay to tell Mom — and no need to be mean — that someone else should call the shots. Because she's got enough talent that our attention shouldn't be distracted from her on-screen abilities.

Train wreck factor: 5 out of 10.

Could take a lesson from: Hilary Duff. We know you two don't get along, but Hilary seems a lot better at keeping the focus on her career.

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