Tatum O’Neal, an Oscar-winning actress and daughter of famous actor Ryan O’Neal was arrested on Sunday after police caught her buying cocaine on a NY city street corner. O’Neal in her adult life, has become as famous for her substance abuse problems as she has for her stellar acting skills, and sadly, this past weekend’s arrest shows the difficulty of overcoming addiction.

Back in the 90’s after her divorce to tennis star John McEnroe, Tatum’s drug problems became a public issue when McEnroe filed for custody of their three children when he discovered she was addicted to heroin and NOT taking appropriate care of their children. Tatum worked hard to recover from her addiction, and went on to write a book about her life, chronicling her abusive relationship with her father, being sexually abused by a family friend and growing up in the limelight.

Addiction seems to be a family curse, as Tatum’s mother Joanna Moore also battled drug and alcohol abuse and her half-brother Redmond (mother Farrah Fawcett) has made news for having debilitating substance abuse problem (check Glosslip’s coverage of that story here.)

Tatum in recent years has had an upsurge in her acting career, with a regular spot on the Dennis Leary show Rescue Me, and then appearing on the popular ABC’s reality show, Dancing With The Stars. Tatum could have easily had a lucrative and successful film career after her teen years (she won an Oscar for her role in Paper Moon, opposite her father, and was tremendous in Little Darlings) but instead took time off during her marriage to McEnroe, and then sadly, got back into drugs.

This recent arrest, which she claims “saved her life” came on the heels of a difficult time for her having lost her beloved pet. Here Tatum explains:

“There is no excuse for what I did, I lost my Scottish terrier Lena … that sort of set me off.”

Under normal circumstances, I would go into one of our usual tirades, condemning Tatum for a selfish and destructive act (she has children to think about) but knowing her family history and that she’s a recovering addict of many years does make her situation more sympathetic. She also gets credit for eventually coming to terms and admitting she had “no excuse,” but not before pulling out her ‘celeb get out of jail free card’ asking arresting officers “Do you know who I am” and then tried the whole “I was researching a role” excuse. Fortunately, the popo weren’t buying it.

Nowadays, it doesn’t matter WHO you are, in fact, it’s often a disadvantage to be a celeb and get caught doing something stupid. My advice, avoid doing stupid things. Tatum, you can afford counseling, please get help before you really hurt yourself.

The mysterious “k” will be covering this story in more depth later, but I wanted to give a quick update on the Nick (Bollea) Hogan/John Graziano car accident trial.

TMZ, reporting live from the courtroom.

Nick is being given 5 years of probation, 500 hours of community service, had his license revoked for 3 years (until he’s 21) for his culpability in an accident which left his friend John (an Iraq-war veteran) in a coma-like state.

Nick is being handled ever so lightly. Unbelievable. What about the booze that was in his system provided by his father Hulk Hogan earlier in the day?

Nick stares blankly at the judge, revealing the dumbass lurking behind his eyes. This Judge is really playing for the cameras, shut the F up and get on with it. Who do you think you are, Judge Ito?
Everybody wants to be a star.

Judge reading from Nick’s letter to the court. Nick wants to make up for his mistake.

*rolls eyes* Read Glosslip’s coverage for context to my disbelief on his sincerity.

Judge says Nick had a cavalier attitude towards his driving responsibility, but believes Nick is being sincere in his apologies, but that doesn’t take away the pain from John’s life being destroyed, and his family being heartbroken. Judge is going to incarcerate Nick. Here it comes: 8 months in the Pinellas County Jail.

Well, there you have it. That judge was MORE than fair considering the history of recklessness from this family.

Oh wait, that was a different serial philanderer and liar.  My bad…they all run together after a while.

Roger Clemens is steadfastly denying that not only did he not take steroids and performance-enhancing drugs:

“I know that many people want to know what I have to say about the recent articles in the media,” Clemens, who has raised his four children with his wife, Debbie, in the Katy and Memorial areas, said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. “Even though these articles contain many false accusations and mistakes, I need to say that I have made mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry. I have apologized to my family and apologize to my fans. Like everyone, I have flaws. I have sometimes made choices which have not been right.”

While not admitting to any specific mistakes, Clemens did remain adamant that he never used steroids or HGH. He has been fighting to clear his name since Dec. 13, when he was implicated in the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the report former Sen. George Mitchell prepared for Major League Baseball.

“I believe my personal life has nothing to do with the accusations of steroid and HGH use,” he said in the statement. “I have already made clear that I did not use them.”

…but that he also did not have an improper relationship with country singer Mindy McCready:

“Now, I have been accused of having an improper relationship with a 15-year-old girl. Nothing could be further from the truth. This relationship has been twisted and distorted far beyond reality. It is just one of many, many accusations that are utterly false.”

McCready, however, told the Daily News that she “cannot refute anything in the story” about her relationship with Clemens.

…along with other (admittedly legal) women:

The Daily News also reported that Clemens had extramarital relationships with two other women, including the former wife of pro golfer John Daly.

Clemens is adamant that he won’t confess just so the scrutiny will go away.

“I realize that many people want me to simply confess and apologize for the conduct that I have been accused of, but I cannot confess to, nor apologize for, things I did not do,” he said. “I have apologized to my family for my mistakes. And having offered this apology to the public, I would ask that you let me and my family deal with these matters in private.”

Like I said before, had he just kept both his big mouth shut and his Rocket in his pants, this story about Mindy McCready might not have ever hit the press.  It seems that if she would have wanted to publicize it, she would have done so by now, and outside of one statement to the press when the story broke she has remained silent on the subject.  But because he filed a defamation of character suit against his former trainer, it all came out, and Roger has only himself to blame for it.  Yes, it might have come out anyway, but he could have then apologized and at least not looked like a lying hypocrite (yeah, as if he would have the humility to apologize).

Yes, we all make mistakes, and yes, we all have things in our pasts that we are embarrassed about and ashamed of.  But if you’re in the public eye, you need to make double sure that you’re not presenting yourself to the world as one thing, when you’re really another, because you will be found out.  Millions of dollars, a possible stint in the pokey, and his family are at stake, all because Roger Clemens is too arrogant to realize just what is going on.

I’m starting to think that if I ever wanted to do something like hoover up a line of coke or go all crazazy on somebody, I’d need to move to London to do it, because they seem to be pretty lenient on stuff like that over there.  Witness Amy Winehouse, fresh off a night in jail, who was let go after the face-punching/headbutting incident with a frowny look and a stern finger-waggle:

Winehouse was questioned about a street brawl in which she allegedly attacked two men in the early hours of Wednesday.

But when she originally arrived at the station, such was her state that a doctor deemed her “unfit to be interviewed”.

Her spokeswoman said today: “Amy Winehouse was questioned this morning at a London police station in connection to an incident in Camden in the early hours of April 23, 2008.

“She admitted to a common assault by slapping a man with an open hand and accepted a caution.

“Amy was fully co-operative with inquiries and apologised for the incident.

“She thanked the police for their professional handling of the matter. There will be no further action taken.

“Amy is looking forward to continuing her work on new music in the studio.”

“Unfit to be interviewed”?  What they probably meant was she was stoned off her face and had to have some time to detox that stuff out of her system a bit.

But on the news that husband Blake Incarcerated-Druggie has a new blonde woman in his life, Amy herself has picked up a new man:

Janis Winehouse told the Sunday Mirror: “I’d spoken to Alex [Haynes] a couple of times over the phone, but this was the first time I’d actually met him.

“He’s a lovely boy - gentle and sweet. He really looked after Amy popping out to buy cigarettes, papers, anything she wanted.

“He works for her manager so their relationship was professional to begin with but if they’ve made something of it, I’m thrilled.

“Blake has sent her down the wrong path - drugs and self-harm. She needs a man she can depend on, who can look after her.

“I’m praying Alex is that man.”

Oh…one of her family members finally emerges from the shadows to speak?

Look, I like Amy as much as the next person, but I also realize that no man is going to help Amy.  If Amy wants to be drug-free and clean, then Amy has to make that decision for herself.  Yes, having supportive people around you does help (isn’t that what one’s family is supposed to do?), but ultimately you have to make the decision to be clean because you want to be clean…just like you made the decision to take drugs in the first place.  I’ve no doubt Blake was a negative influence on Amy, but she’s the one who made the decision.

Oh well.  It’s always been Amy’s dad who has had to step forward and take charge.  He may have made mistakes in his life, but at least he has made attempts to help her (and I hope he is doing so now behind the scenes).  Her mom has usually sat in the background, wringing her hands and making pithy statements while Mitch has stepped in and done something:

Little wonder her father, Mitch, who remains devoted to his daughter but increasingly frustrated, is said to be “at the end of his tether”.

Together with some of her older, loyal friends, and Amy’s record company, Island Records, he is even considering mounting another drastic intervention and forcing Amy to rehab - or more pertinently back to rehab, as she has already been there on a number of occasions.

And what about, oh, I don’t know…this little thing called a marriage?  Couldn’t these two knuckleheads at least make an attempt at a divorce before they start picking up replacements?  And when’s she getting that “Blake’s” tattoo removed from her chest?  One more thing…you gotta wonder what it is about this guy.  Why take up with Amy now, if he’s so clean-cut?  Maybe he’s been assigned as her minder.

It’s pretty sad when the voice of reason in all this turns out to come from none other than Keith Richards, himself no stranger to the vices of drugs and alcohol:

Perhaps the best advice comes from a hell-raiser of a much older vintage, Rolling Stone Keith Richards, who has expressed concern for her future. 

“She isn’t going to be around long unless she sorts herself out pretty quick,” he has remarked. “She needs to get smart.”

Well, I didn’t see this one coming. I thought, like so many celebs, he’d get a slap on the wrist, but actor Wesley Snipes is facing three years in the pokey for tax evasion despite many famous friends attempting to intervene on his behalf:

The Blade star, 45, was sentenced Thursday to three years behind bars as his punishment for failing to file his tax returns, U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges announced in an Ocala, Fla., courtroom.

The actor sat stone-faced – and some people in the courtroom gasped – when the sentence was read. “I’m very sorry for my mistakes and errors. I apologize to my family, the court and the community,” Snipes said as his wife looked on. “I’ve asked the court to show me mercy and the opportunity to make things right.”

In February, a federal jury convicted Snipes of three counts of failing to file a tax return (from 1999 through 2001). Thursday he received 12 months for each count. Prosecutors say the actor owes a total of $41 million in taxes, of which he paid $5 at the sentencing. […]

In February, Snipes, an Orlando native, was acquitted on the more serious charges of conspiracy to defraud the government and filing a false claim for a $7 million refund – both felonies – as well as three similar counts of failure to file returns for the years 2002, 2003 and 2004.

The prosecution, seeking to make an example of Snipes, had requested the maximum: three years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million. […]

The defense, on the other hand, sought probation rather than prison time. “Wesley Snipes is not a dangerous man who needs to be imprisoned to protect the public,” Snipes’ attorney said in his sentencing memo.

“He is contrite, promises that he will never again break the law, and respectfully asks the court to consider not just the jury verdict but also all the good that he has done in his life.”

Oh man, don’t screw with the IRS. They will castrate you, d00d.

I have to agree, though, that they seem to be wanting to make an example of Wesley. I mean, while the charges are serious, and he should absolutely be made to pay what he owes, three years in prison seems to be a little much. In this day and age when we have drug dealers and rapists being freed early because of overcrowding in our jails, do we really want to stick a guy in there for three years because of something like this?

I mean, come on. Richie Sambora drives drunk with two underage children in his vehicle, and all he got was three years’ probation, three months of classes, and made to pay some fines.

But wait, there’s more…

Rob Lowe posted an impassioned article on Huffington’s Post recently about a very difficult situation in his personal life. According to his portrayal, his family is under attack by a former employee, Laura Boyce, who after many years of working closely with the family, suddenly disappeared last November without a clue as to where she went or why. The Lowe’s for their part became concerned enough for this woman’s whereabouts they filed a missing person’s report, only then did she come forward, and the nature of her disappearance revealed: she wanted money or she was telling on them.

Sounds mysterious and salacious, huh? No doubt Lowe’s own sordid past from his youth may be coming back to haunt him, or in this case, used against him. Before we even get into the specifics, I will give you my take initially.

Anyone in the public eye who is forthcoming with these kinds of issues strikes me as someone who has the facts on their side, I doubt Lowe, who has weathered his own personal storms, would be so bold as to make proclamations about his families innocence against claims of abuse, if he weren’t sure they could stand up under scrutiny. I could be wrong, but human nature is some instances, is VERY predictable.

But wait, there’s more…

It’s times like this I’m glad I grew up poor.  It was just a matter of time before somebody decided to hold the so-called parents of Nick Hogan Bollea Whatever accountable for both their actions and his.  The Grazianos, family of Nick’s passenger John Graziano, have officially sued the Hogans:

The suit, filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court, alleges that each of the defendants — Terry Bollea, a.k.a. Hulk Hogan, Linda Bollea, Nick Bollea and Daniel Jacobs [the other driver] – were negligent in the acts leading up to Graziano’s injury last summer.

The suit will seek damages in the millions, said attorney George Tragos, but the exact amount is not known because it remains unclear how expensive Graziano’s care will be. Tragos said the former Marine’s medical bills already exceed $1 million.

The crash left Graziano, an Iraq war veteran, in critical condition.

John Graziano remains in the hospital:

Lawyers today said that a portion of Graziano’s frontal lobe had to be removed because of the crash. He is in a “semi-conscious” state and responds to certain stimuli like heat and touch, lawyers said.

The proceeds from the suit would go into a trust for Graziano’s longterm care.

So much for Hulk Hogan’s words after the accident:

“[Nick’s] going to be okay. John’s going to be okay, and if things keep going the way they’re going…Nick and I are going to walk John right out of that hospital,” he said.

But wait, there’s more…

In the form of a restraining order, that is!  According to X17, after cruising around so that she could listen to some music in the car and going to (but not going into) a club, she and Osama bin Loopy invited a couple of the agency’s photogs inside for a bit of a party (what, she doesn’t have any regular friends?).  In the course of the evening she danced around in her pink wig to her own music and that of Amy Winehouse, and the photogs witnessed her drink a half a glass of champagne (no word on what she did out of eyesight).  Then Smarm showed them a paper, and whaddya think it was?

At one point in the discussion, Sam took a paper out of his pocket — it was a restraining order against Adnan Ghalib. He said, “Look at this!”

Britney expressed disappointment and anger toward Adnan for being “set-up” in photographs that Adnan and his agency have sold of Britney and Adnan together.

Roberto and Leandro didn’t ask questions — they were surprised at the restraining order. After talking about it briefly, the continued having a good time and around 6 am, our photogs said they had to leave. Britney begged them to stay, but Sam insisted that she get some sleep.

I find it amazing that it took this long for Brit to wise up to the fact that Anon was using her to further his own ambitions (and pad his own wallet).  People theorized that perhaps Brit was in on the whole deal, and who knows, she may have been…maybe her cut of the take wasn’t as big as she thought it should be.  Or maybe Smarmy bin Lousy thought that Anon was moving in on his territory money friend.  Or maybe the whole thing (’impromptu’ party included) was a massive publicity stunt.  Or maybe…was Brit truly that naive?

Just because you’re an adult, just because you’re a famous person, doesn’t mean that you know how to ‘protect’ yourself from people like Anon.

And what does Anon do now?  I wouldn’t think he could go back to being a pap…I’d think his former colleagues would have a few choice words to say about that.  I wonder if he can assemble a Big Mac?

This is what was going on while I was doing my ”Brit is here, no she isn’t, yes she is, no she’s left” updates.  While we were waiting for Mark Vincent Kaplan, or anyone that looked remotely like an official representative of the court, this guy showed up and decided to grace us with his presence.

He gave a rather rambling psuedointerview with the assembled press, in which he touched on the fact that he had the solution to the mortgage crisis (one month you pay somebody else’s mortgage, the next month somebody else pays yours, and we all help each other), he didn’t quite know who Britney Spears was, and he supports Hillary Clinton for President.

Really no reason for this post, other than I wanted to use these screenshots I took.  Only in LA, folks, can you wear a house on your head yet still not be home.

The question on every celeb blogger’s lips this morning is…will Britney show up for her latest court appearance today in the ongoing custody battle for her sons?  Or will she blow it off and not show up at all?  Her lawyers are stressing the importance of her making an attempt to look interested in getting her sons back (or maybe they’re just stressing), but no word on if it is actually sinking in or not:

The hearing is expected to focus on the four-hour standoff at her Studio City home on Jan. 3. Police, firefighters and paramedics will testify in a Los Angeles courtroom as to what occurred that night, which ended with Spears’s forced hospitalization.

Spears, 26, and ex-husband Kevin Federline, 29, are not required to show, but, “Britney needs to be there because it’s much easier to defend your client if he/she is present to refute what witnesses say,” says L.A. family lawyer Scott Weston, who’s not involved with the case.

“Whether she takes the stand or not depends on what witnesses say, and whether or not her lawyers think her testimony may backfire,” Weston adds. “But they’ve got nowhere to go but up at this point. Also, if she doesn’t attend, it shows a lack of interest on her part in getting back her kids.” […]

Also at issue Monday is whether the court would extend its ban on Spears’s visitation. Federline’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told PEOPLE that it’s possible Spears might not see her children until April, when the ex-couple’s custody trial begins. (Federline has requested primary physical custody.)

Kaplan told the Associated Press that he didn’t know if Spears would appear at the hearing, but that if she does, she would be expected to testify.

“She will have the opportunity to persuade the court that she can have some visitation under monitored conditions,” he told AP.

Like I said on GlossLip radio last night, the only thing you can predict about Britney is that she’ll be unpredictable.  I could say that I think she’ll show up, considering that she said that she would do anything for her children, but then again she has proven that she really does not quite grasp the enormity of the situation at hand.  So then I could say that I think she’ll decide to stay away, but then again I think she really does love her children.  So who knows?  It’s a 50/50 split at this point.  And there’s no word yet on whether efforts by her family to get her serious medical help are moving along or stalled.

In other Brit news, apparently she’s on her own when it comes to parking and getting into court if she does decide to make an appearance:

Sources tell us Britney has been “totally uncooperative” with the Sheriff’s Department — she had never worked with deputies by giving them information as to when she’ll show, etc. We’re told the Sheriff’s Department has thrown up its hands and has no plans to assist her in getting in the building tomorrow. She’ll have to find her own parking and navigate her way through the media crush.

Our sources say, however, if Britney works with her lawyer and the attorney drives her to court, they would be open to dealing with the lawyer to arrange her passage into the courthouse — but that will be last-minute.

Oh man.  Don’t piss off the police, Brit.  That would be stupid decision #930286760402 in your life.  Plus, I can imagine that running over a deputy’s foot didn’t help matters any.

Plus, news is that her new man, Addon Jones (I can never remember his real name, but why bother, he won’t be around much longer…we hope, because if he is I’ll have to think of a better name) is now her driver and assistant.  Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Photographer Adnan Ghalib is earning several thousand pounds a week for his services as a driver and assistant to Miss Spears, according to sources.

In addition, Birmingham-born Mr Ghalib, 35, has been cleaning the singer’s house, running general errands and acting as her chief defender and representative in interviews.

Hey, no fair!  I want an ugly paparazzi to clean my house, too!  Would I have to buy him a new Mercedes, though, like Brit just did for her new man?  Ostensibly it is to drive her around in, however I can’t help but think it would have been cheaper to just get the old one out of police hock.  We may have a new contender for the “You Can’t Fix Stupid” segment this week on GlossLip radio for the “buying a new Mercedes when you’ve already got one in hock” stunt, and it’s only Monday morning.

But wait, there’s more…apparently the karma doctor is calling in a prescription:

The stress of being in the public eye appeared to be showing on Mr Ghalib, who reportedly “threw a wobbler” at photographers yesterday - demanding respect from his former colleagues as he took the Toxic singer out for lunch in Los Angeles.

“He came out spitting bullets and started demanding respect,” said an eyewitness. “He said he had seen people hiding in bushes by his house and told them they had better stop or they’d be sorry.”

Enjoy it while it lasts, Addon.  Remember that commercial Kevin made for Nationwide insurance?  -sets watch for fifteen minutes-

Apparently TMZ will have live, streaming video of the courthouse, so tune in to see the traveling circus.  Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends/We’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside…

UPDATE:  As of 3:30 PM ET, Brit is still blowing.  Her lawyers are there, Kevin is there, but no Brit.  Call Kevin an ass if you want, and he probably is, but at least he is showing interest.  Oh, and he DOESN’T have a recent incident holding his son hostage.

I can understand not wanting to show up to court, and perhaps even being scared of court, but this is ridiculous.  If she’s got a phobia there are ways of helping her.  If it’s just her not getting the fact that she could lose her kids…

UPDATE:  3:52 PM ET, and Britney has left her house.  She may or may not be headed to the courthouse.

UPDATE:  4:20 PM ET, and I’ve sat here watching TMZ and seen Brit go around and around the courthouse.  She’s there, but isn’t inside yet.  Maybe she just can’t find a parking spot…maybe it’s true about the police not helping her this time.

UPDATE:  4:30 PM ET, and Brit is inside the building, I believe via the tunnel.  Osama bin Loopy was driving the Escalade while somebody else was in the passenger seat while two other guys were with her in the back.  It’s unknown who they all are.  According to TMZ, only one of the witnesses has testified (there are six or seven total) and the hearing is liable to go on until tomorrow.  Fabulous, we get to do this all over again.

UPDATE:  4:41 PM ET, and woah!  Apparently Brit is no longer at the courthouse…according to TMZ, she decided there were too many photographers so she would NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR.  She left and is now no longer at the courthouse.  Apparently, she will do anything for her boys except jostle her way through paps and fight for them.

UPDATE:  Both TMZ and X17 are reporting that Brit is on her way home.

UPDATE:  TMZ is reporting the following:

When Britney got out of the car at the courthouse, she screamed at photogs, “Move back, I’m scared. Stop it, stop it. I want to get back in the car. Just stop it. Let me get in the car, please.” At that point she got in and they left the courthouse.

It sounds like Brit has some mental health issues going on today.  There are ways of helping her, both medicinal and with behavior therapy, but she has to be open to it.

But the thing is…I don’t think that a judge will look favorably on this without Brit seeing a doctor and getting some sort of evaluation…which, thus far, she has completely refused to get.  It seems to me that if she does not receive mental health therapy, and soon, her chances of getting any sort of visitation are slim to none.  The best chance she has are for her family to step up and have her involuntarily committed.

However, TMZ is now reporting that she may be returning to the courthouse at 3:30 PM PT (6:30 PM ET).