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Mr Bullock, Jesse James, checks into rehab. Sound familiar?

It might come as no surprise to hear that Jesse James,  the tattoo-loving husband of Hollywood darling Sandra Bullock, has checked into rehab in the hope of saving his marriage. With four women now claiming to have had affairs with James during his five year marriage to Bullock, his representative told People magazine that he was seeking professional help.

“Jesse checked himself into a treatment facility to deal with personal issues,” his rep said in a statement. “He realized that this time was crucial to help himself, help his family and help save his marriage.”

His rep was not giving details of the treatment or the center but one source confirmed to the magazine that James, 40, a custom motorcycle manufacturer and reality TV star,  checked in on March 26. It was said to be  “100 percent his own idea,” not an ultimatum from 45-year-old Bullock whose Oscar win for best actress in ”The Blind Side” was quickly overshadowed by her marital problems.

Bullock is said to have moved out of the family home since the scandal erupted on March 15 while James has spent the last two weeks sticking to a routine, dropping his kids at school and working at West Coast Choppers in Long Beach, California.

Does his move into rehab sound familiar? James joins a long lists of celebrities whose reaction to a public scandal has been to check in for treatment. Both golfer Tiger Woods and actor David Duchovny have admitted to seeking treatment for sex addiction, a condition  some experts say is becoming  more common.  Charlie Sheen checked into rehab earlier this year as did his wife Brooke Mueller after he was charged with assault during a marital fight. Actor Rip Torn left rehab this week after being treated for alcohol addiction and pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his arrest on suspicion of being drunk and armed inside a bank.

Should the media go easy on Tiger?

(Writing and Reporting by Corinne Heller)

Is media coverage of golf legend Tiger Woods’ alleged infidelity driving you crazy?

Woods lashed out at the press on his website on Wednesday, saying that while he felt he let his family down and strives to be a better person, husband and father, his privacy should be protected and that “personal sins should not require press releases”.

Woods has canceled an appearance at his own tournament and he and his wife have stayed out of the public eye since he crashed his Cadillac Escalade outside his Florida home last week, which spurred a flurry of reports of a furious argument with his wife  and  women claiming to have been intimate with the married golfer.

US Weekly magazine on Wednesday morning posted on its website a sound bite of what it says is a voice mail Woods had sent one of the women.

As a result of the hype, jokes about Woods are being Twittered faster than Woods’ golf swing. Even Spirit Airlines ran an animated ad on its website depicting a tiger wearing a black cap and driving an SUV into a fire hydrant.

Has the media gone too far? Should Woods have been left alone to handle his family issues without having to worry about questions over his personal life.  Or does he forfeit that right as a major celebrity, constantly in the public eye and the best golfer in the world?