G4 to 'salute' Ryan Dunn?

G4 has announced plans to air the so-far unseen episodes of ‘Proving Ground’ as a salute to the late Ryan Dunn. The tribute begins on July 19th at 7pm, Eastern. I have to be honest, where is the teachable moment in all of this?

This idolization seems as insensitive towards Zachary’s family as Ebert’s minutes-after-death tweet that “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.” Ebert’s poor timing and lack of sensitivity made him look like a…what is the word… jackass?

With time to grieve and digest the tragic and unnecessary deaths of Dunn and Zachary Hartwell, we need to take the ball and run with it for our children’s sake. We may need to sting a little so that the thousands of young Dunn fans KNOW not to make the same mistake. Driving drunk and recklessly repeatedly, taking the life of another human being, is not something we as a society should idolize.

Ryan Dunn, if alive, would be facing a vehicular manslaughter charge right now. It has been reported that Dunn had been cited 23 times for driving infractions in the past 13 years- including 10 speeding and careless driving tickets and three for driving with a suspended license. There was also a drunken driving arrest in 2005. Best friend and MTV star Bam Margera even shared that Dunn had crashed in the same exact location where Dunn and Hartwell met their deaths.

Margera told The Hollywood Reporter, "He flipped me in a car eight times at the same exact spot in 1996, Thank God I had my seat belt on, because Chris Raab put one on me, but my brother didn't have one on. He flew 40 feet. Thank God he's alive. But like, Dunn was always a maniac at driving."

There was another person in this car. His name has been mentioned peripherally at best. Zachary Hartwell. I can’t imagine what his family is feeling as Ryan Dunn is being 'saluted' on G4. Ryan Dunn reportedly had a blood alcohol content level nearly twice the legal limit when he crashed his Porsche. I don't believe in condemning Dunn, but let's point out the faults of this behavior. Let's air PSA's. Let's shout from the mountaintops the err in his actions so that some lives may be saved from these lost two.

Nj.com reader Todd Kostrub shared, "Dunn is not only being idolized, he's being cast as someone who was a great human being, ignoring the glaring problem that honoring human life is the first qualification for such honor. Children will die from this exercise and in the end more lives will be lost since there are many that are bound to emulate and seek this same treatment."

Kostrub's opinion may not be the popular one, but he makes a very important point. My heart grieves for Dunn and Hartwell. Especially as I ponder HOW they met their deaths. I pray it was the impact and not the fiery aftermath that took their lives. But here is where I'm going to sound 'judgmental' - we need to be clear-there was nothing heroic or worth saluting by Dunn's final action, driving drunk and vehicular homicide.

What do you think? Is paying tribute to Ryan Dunn on G4 sending out the wrong message to our kids?

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RYAN DUNN

Steve-O: 'I can't defend Ryan Dunn drink driving'

Steve-O has commented that he can't defend the circumstances surrounding the death of his friend Ryan Dunn.

Dunn and his friend Zachary Hartwell were both killed in a drink driving accident in Pennsylvania last month. Dunn was more than double the blood-alcohol limit at the time of the crash, it has been reported.

Steve-O admitted that he can understand why some are reluctant to think fondly of Dunn due to the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Jackass star told BBC Radio 5 Live: "If people are upset about drunk-driving, I think there's some validity in that… I'm not going to be wounded or offended by people speaking out against drunk-driving.

"My only position in this is that I lost a friend, and I'm not defending drunk-driving. We were all a very close family, and here we've lost a brother. We're devastated by this."

Steve-O is currently in the UK to promote his scheduled stand-up comedy performance at the Sonisphere music festival at Knebworth House this weekend.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RYAN DUNN

G4TV Changes Mind, Will Air Ryan Dunn's Proving Ground Episodes

It turns out that Jackass star Ryan Dunn will be sharing a little more love with his fans after all, as G4TV has done away with its decision to pull all remaining Proving Ground episodes. The series had only just begun to air on G4TV prior to Dunn's passing, but was yanked before the second of nine scheduled episodes could air.

A special episode of Attack of the Show is now scheduled to kick off on July 19th, and will feature Dunn's closest friends and colleagues. Immediately after the special Attack of the Show episode wraps up Proving Ground will experience its revival, beginning with the second episode in the line-up.

"Ryan was an incredible talent who will be missed tremendously by his many fans, including G4 viewers," President Neal Tiles said.

"It was important to all of us at G4 to find a way to celebrate his life and pay tribute to him. With the support of Ryan's family, we've decided to air the remaining episodes of 'G4's Proving Ground' and give his fans the opportunity to continue watching this series that he was so passionate about."

Brad Pitt pays tribute to Jackass star in text to Bam Margera

Brad Pitt has paid tribute to Ryan Dunn in a text message sent to best friend Bam Margera.

The Hollywood actor contacted the Jackass star the day after Bam and other close friends and family held a memorial service for 34-year-old Ryan, who died on Monday in a high speed crash in Pennsylvania.

Bam, who broke down in tears earlier this week when he visited his friend's crash site, said the text, along with all the others he had received,
"cheered him up".
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Bam tweeted: "Wow, just got a nice text from brad pitt concerning dunn, tnx (thanks) 2 (to) everyone for the texts, cheers me up."

Earlier this week Ryan's friends gathered for a memorial service.

Jackass frontman Johnny Knoxville was among those who came to remember Ryan.

Knoxville used his Twitter page earlier this week to pay tribute to his friend. He wrote: "Today I lost my brother Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie. RIP Ryan, I love you buddy."

Bam joined the congregation with parents April and Phil and wife Melissa Rothstein.

Earlier this week Margera admitted he was struggling to cope with the death of his best friend as he gave a tearful interview at the scene of Dunn's car crash.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia actors Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney were also at the service, which was held at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith and Boyd funeral home in West Chester, Philadelphia.

Dunn's fans have created their own memorial at the site of the car crash, leaving flowers, notes, balloons and candles.

Dunn died in the early hours of Monday morning when his Porsche left the road, flew over a guardrail, hit a tree and burst into flames.

Passenger Zachary Hartwell was also killed in the crash. He had worked on the second Jackass film as a production assistant.

The pair had been out with another friend earlier in the evening, with Dunn tweeting a picture of the trio.

Blood test results published yesterday showed Dunn was drink-driving, with his blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash.

Police say their reconstruction of the crash as part of the investigation into the deaths shows the car was doing 132-140mph in the 55mph zone at the time of the crash.

Bam Margera Opens Up About Ryan Dunn's Death.

This is just so awful. He looks completely inconsolable.

Bam Margera recently sat down to discuss the tragic loss of his dear friend and Jackass co-star, Ryan Dunn - who lost his life in a car accident last week - and we think it's pretty safe to say that this is not an easy interview to watch.

Check out the segment, in which he goes over his last words to his friends, how he discovered the news, and a chilling story in which he nearly suffered the same fate at the exact same spot years earlier (above).

Such a poor thing. It's so difficult to watch someone go through something like this.

Just so broken.

We can't even begin to imagine how he's feeling right now, but we sincerely hope that he can find it in himself to stay strong and get himself the help he needs to move past this devastating loss. We know that's what Ryan would want.

You're in our thoughts, Bam. Hang in there.

Watch the video…. after the jump.

'Jackass' stars post tribute to Ryan Dunn online

The production team behind Jackass posted an online video tribute to Ryan Dunn, the daredevil who died last week in a car accident. It’s the first time Dunn’s fans can see the poignant montage, which was first played at the 34-year-old’s Pennsylvania memorial. Dunn, who had been drinking and driving, died along with another passenger, Zachary Hartwell. See the full video after the jump.

Dedicated to “our brother,” the five-and-a-half-minute clip features some of Dunn’s most (in)famous and hilarious stunts. It opens with the oversized-hand smack-down from Jackass 3D. Dunn is laughing and in good spirits throughout, even as he is covered in excrement, hurled from a rooftop in a bucket, defiled by a toy car, throttled by a female Muay Thai boxer, decked out in a ballerina costume, practically gored by an angry bull… the list goes on and on.

Spanning years of gags — even dance numbers! — the tribute is underscored by two songs, one of which is an original that reminds fans “he ain’t gone long ’cause he shines on and on in our hearts” and “God lets the light outlive the star.” Above all, the tribute portrays a guy who just liked to have fun and make his friends laugh — sometimes so much that his passion exceeded his pain threshold. The clip ends with Dunn laughing hysterically, with the words “we love you ryan” beneath.

Bam Margera: Ryan Dunn 'Flipped Me in a Car 8 Times' at Fatal Accident Scene

Bam Margera is continuing to open up about his deceased "Jackass" cohort Ryan Dunn, and the latest details offer chilling insight into Dunn's persistent recklessness behind the wheel.

Margera tells E! Online that Dunn -- who perished behind the wheel in a fiery car crash in Pennsylvania last Monday -- had crashed at the same scene, with Bam and his brother in the vehicle, several years ago.

Also read: Ryan Dunn Remembered: Tributes and Criticism for the Late "Jackass" Star

"He flipped me in a car eight times at the same exact spot in 1996," Margera revealed. "Thank God I had my seat belt on, because [former CKY Crew member] Chris Raab put one on me, but my brother didn't have one on. He flew 40 feet. Thank God he's alive. But like, Dunn was always a maniac at driving."

Margera also revealed the last message sent by Dunn in the hours before his death: "Stopping for a beer, be there when I can."

Also read: Ryan Dunn Death: Bam Margera Rips Roger Ebert for "Jackass" Tweet

According to police, Dunn, who was 34 at the time of his death, had a a blood-alcohol content of .196 and was driving between 132 and 140 miles per hour when he crashed his Porsche. In the hours before the early-morning wreck, Dunn tweeted a photo of himself drinking at a Philadelphia-area bar with his passenger Zachary Hartwell -- who also perished in the crash -- and another associate.

Prior to his fatal crash, Dunn reportedly racked up 23 driving citations, including for DUI.

Despite the circumstances of Dunn's demise, Margera says that his friend did not deserve the fate that he met.

"He was my best f---ing friend in the world," Margera told E! "It's been five days now and I can't stop crying man. I just don't think it should've been him."