Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 9/18/07 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Paramount Pictures Shia LaBeouf is one of Hollywood's few young stars that has managed to keep his reputation clean and his resume professional. His career has been promising so far, with blockbuster hits like 2007's "Transformers" opening new doors for the 21-year old.

When I read the story by Vanity Fair about how Shia LaBeouf could be the next Tom Hanks it made me realize that it may be true. If he is the next Tom Hanks, then who will be the next Meryl Streep? Julia Roberts? George Clooney? Each generation has its own group of actors that they can relate to. Our generation has its own promising stars of the future as well as those who may have prematurely overstayed their welcome. Such is the case with Lindsay Lohan, who was also on the cover of Vanity Fair four years ago next to other young female actresses and was dubbed as a great teen star.

Shia LaBeouf has quickly built up a strong resume and has churned out three blockbuster movies this year alone including: "Disturbia," "Surf's Up" and "Transformers." Now the latest "It" boy has an impressive line-up of films on his plate that includes the long awaited fourth installment of the "Indiana Jones" series with the title of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." And he is already attached to reteam with his "Disturbia" director D. J. Caruso for the 2008 thriller "Eagle Eye," a film that gives him the part of a young man who, along with his mother, becomes unwittingly mixed up with a terrorist cell's plot.

Another important note is the fact that he was named the ShoWest Male Star of Tomorrow, an award given to Ryan Gosling in 2004 and Heath Ledger in 2001, both of whom are Oscar nominees. In spite of all the success that he has earned, Shia refrains from the pitfalls of young stardom. Coming from a notoriously tough neighborhood in L.A. called Echo Park, he truly appreciates and understands the position that he is in. He has expressed in interviews that he knows that he can't mess up in his personal life. If only every great talent had this wisdom at the age of 21.

Lindsay Lohan was once poised to become the star of our generation. In 2007, however, she became less famous for her work and more famous for her troubled rehab hopping. Her multiple DUIs, club hopping, and her now infamous drunken car chase this past summer sold more tabloids than her films sold tickets. Her last few flicks have been nothing short of bombs with titles like this summer's "I Know Who Killed Me" and "Georgia Rule." In fact, her last hit was "Herbie Fully Loaded" which came out in 2005 and was, ironically, a wholesome Disney movie. It seems to me that the girl who once said that she wanted to win an Oscar by 30 peaked at 17 years old with 2000s first teen classic, "Mean Girls".

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