Drugs

January 19th, 2009 | 9:27 am by Becky Howard

Amy Winehouse: The New Jay-Z!

When you’re a recovering drug-addicted singer causing havoc on a Caribbean island during the longest vacation ever, what else do you do to fill your time? Why, start a record company (of course!) Apparently, that’s what Amy Winehouse has done, with a new $2m venture called Lioness. We weren’t sure whether she could even string coherent sentences together that didn’t contain the words “My Blake,” “I’m really off the drugs this time” or “Give me that rum and coke or else”, but clearly, we underestimated our Amy. She’s even enlisted her own 12-year-old goddaughter Dionne Bromfield as her first signing.

“Amy thinks Dionne is so talented that she didn’t want to wait for record companies to come knocking in a few years … This is a very exciting business venture for Amy. It marks a new phase in her career, just like when Madonna set up Maverick Records,” a source told the News of the World.

Funny, we don’t recall Madonna’s mental drugs-and-booze breakdown, but she did get a bit obsessed with her ladybits a few years ago so maybe that’s what they meant. Anyhow, we’re very interested to see the progress of young Dionne’s career and just what a solid, guiding mentor like Amy will produce. [Photo: Splash News Online]

January 8th, 2009 | 12:15 pm by Kate Spencer (@katespencer)

Celebrity Fit Club’s Willie Aames Attempts Suicide

Willie Aames totally charmed our yoga pants off on Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp, with his amazing positive attitude, neverending energy and laser focus. But after he beat out all the other D Listers to win the weight loss competition, things took a bit of a downturn in Willie’s life. The former child star (and our personal 80′s crush) has admitted that he attempted to take his own life after his wife of 22 years, Maylo Upton, asked for a divorce. His relationship crumbling was the final devastating blow for Aames, who had also recently declared bankruptcy and had his car repossessed. The actor left his home in Kansas and ended up renting a room in Los Angeles, where he fell off the wagon after 20 years of sobriety.

“I stole a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from the guy I was renting the room from. I’d been sober for 20 years when I took that first drink. I was also taking antidepressants and antianxiety pills. It got so bad, I put a knife to my throat and cut myself in six places. The police came, put me in handcuffs and whisked me away. I was completely devastated… I kept asking, ‘What did I do wrong?’”

Willie landed in the psych ward at the University of Southern California, where we hope he’s on the mend. Perhaps reviving his role as the muscular and heroic Bibleman could reinvigorate his career?

January 7th, 2009 | 12:36 pm by Kate Spencer (@katespencer)

LiLo Whines About Screwing Up Her Life

Actress-turned-professional loiterer, Lindsay Lohan, is spending her free time angrily ranting about her lack of employment. In a new interview with model Lauren Hutton for Interview magazine, the rebellious redhead revealed a distaste for her reputation as a coked up party girl. “I have become this girl who just loves to be photographed, doesn’t know how to focus, doesn’t know how to work on set, just loves the attention, knows how to go out at night, knows how to party,” she complains. “I lived maybe six months out of my life like that, doing something wrong, and then I stopped. God forbid I should have ever learned my lesson.”

We understand the young star’s frustration, but perhaps we’d feel more sympathy if she was actually honest about her antics. Lindsay got in her first car accident in 2004, lost serious weight during her stint as Nicole Richie‘s BFF in 2005, was hospitalized in 2006 (and also began attending Alcoholics Anonymous that year) for asthma, and then spent 2007 in and out of three different rehab facilities. That seems like a little bit more than just six months of drama. Linds is also pissed off that people won’t hire her for fancy acting gigs “because people are so distracted by the mess that I created in my life.”

Can you blame them? If she wants to compete with Scarlett Johannson for roles, perhaps she should start by acting like her. ScarJo had a super secret wedding to hubby Ryan Reynolds – when was the last time Lindsay avoided the cameras? [Photo: Splash News Online]

January 7th, 2009 | 8:41 am by Becky Howard

Lily Allen: Taking Cocaine Isn’t A Problem


If we were of a more cynical bent, we might think that Lily Allen was deliberately trying to get publicity for oh, we don’t know, maybe a new single that’s coming out later this month? Not a day’s going by where she’s not restarting a feud, hooking up with an older man, wearing a massive ring or now, getting all controversial about drugs.

“I know lots of people that take cocaine three nights a week and get up and go to work every day, no problem at all. But we never hear that side of the story. I have no statement to make, I just wish people wouldn’t sensationalize this thing that just exists. The only story is that drugs are bad and they will kill you – you will become a prostitute, a rapist or a dealer. But that’s not true,” the star told Metro.

Oh, Lily! You and your funny little ideas! It’s so strange that everyone thinks you’re just saying this to get noticed. We know you’re just a little naive. Never mind, love. We know how that jet-lag coming back from the Caribbean can affect your brain (we wish). [Photo: FilmMagic]

December 29th, 2008 | 1:39 pm by Kate Spencer (@katespencer)

Mexico’s Biggest Beauty Queen Busted For Drug Trafficking

What was Mexican beauty queen Laura Elena Zuniga Huiza doing cruising around her Western state with seven men (including her boyfriend), a stash of pistols and semi-automatic weapons, and $53,000 in cash? That’s what Mexican cops are trying to find out by detaining her for 40 days, pending charges of “racketeering, drug trafficking, guns and money laundering.”

If hot bad girls are your thing, you’ve apparently come to the right place. Laura, 23, is the reigning beauty queen in her home state of Sinaloa, and was recently crowned Miss Hispanic America. But Sinaloa is also home to some of the country’s most powerful drug cartels, and police are accusing Zuniga’s boyfriend, Orlando Garcia Urquiza, of being a big shot in the Juarez Cartel, which supposedly smuggles drugs into Texas.

Just how Laura connects to to the dirty drug world remains to be seen, but her involvement does put a glamorous face on Mexico’s gruesome and growing drug war – in which kidnappings, torture, and constant be-headings are now frighteningly commonplace. We smell a movie in the making! Maybe Laura could star – if she ever gets out of the clink, of course.  [Time]

December 19th, 2008 | 1:30 pm by Kate Spencer (@katespencer)

Bristol Palin’s ‘Mom-In-Law’ Arrested On Drug Charges

You honestly could not make this stuff up. Bristol Palin, the daughter of almost-Vice President Sarah Palin, caused a stir this summer when she revealed that she was pregnant with her first child.  Now her baby-daddy, Levi Johnston, is back in the news, after his own mother was arrested on drug charges – the day before her grandchild is due to be born. Sorry Governor, but we know who the fun grandma is gonna be!

Sherry Johnston, 42, was busted on six felony counts of misconduct during an “undercover narcotics investigation” that took place at her house. The Anchorage Daily News reveals that state troopers “charged Johnston with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance — generally manufacturing or delivering drugs — as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession.”

Sherry was released on $5000 bail, so hopefully she can be present when her grand-kid is born! Palin’s staff had no real comment of course, but might we suggest, “Aw shucks, she’s just bein’ a real American, yah know?”  [Photo: GettyImages]

December 18th, 2008 | 12:47 pm by Anthony Miccio

Mindy McCready Hospitalized After Suicide Attempt


The New York Daily News reports that country singer Mindy McCready has been hospitalized after slashing her wrists in an apparent suicide attempt in Nashville early Wednesday morning.

According to McCready’s brother Thomas, Mindy came home “visibly intoxicated” at 3:30am, leaving distressing messages with her mother and assistant during the night. When he checked on her at 10:15 that morning, she had taken pills and cut her wrists, severing a tendon that required immediate surgery.

Since confessing to a decade-long affair with married baseball pitcher Roger Clemens in April, McCready has been in and out of prison and rehab for drug and alcohol related offenses.

[Photo: Getty Images]

December 5th, 2008 | 8:34 am by Becky Howard

Get Your Amy Winehouse BA Here

Gossip fiends! No longer put up with celebrity snobs accusing your obsession of being low-rent and shallow. Instead wave this in their face (not literally, you may smack someone with your laptop/Blackberry) as proof that celeb culture is as culturally sound as the highest of literature — Amy Winehouse‘s life is to be studied as part of a university degree. The University of the West of Scotland will study the wrecky star as part of their music course – with information provided by her record company, Island.

“Amy Winehouse is a great example of the potential pitfalls in the music industry. She is recognized as a multi-award-winning great artist. But the by-product of that lifestyle can be stress and illness. We would look at how the industry is often not a supporter of longevity,” Allan Dumbreck, music course leader told a newspaper.

Bravo, students. Now perhaps you can work out a way of fixing the royal messes that are Amy and Blake Incarcerated after writing a 10,000 word dissertation? Thanks. [Photo: Splash News Online]

December 3rd, 2008 | 8:18 am by Becky Howard

Blake Back In Prison After Failing Drug Test

Oh for God’s sake. We get a little bit of good news about either Amy Winehouse or Blake Incarcerated, get a bit overexcited that a happy drug-free ending may be in sight, then BAM! Almost instantly, they f*ck up again. And that’s just what’s happened with Blake. After giving a heartfelt interview over the weekend where he blamed himself for Amy’s cracked-out state, he also claimed he was clean again. Nuh-uh. He’s back in the slammer once more after failing a drug test, then running off to Amy’s bedside in the hospital (sigh).

“Blake did a runner. He turned up in hospital and hell broke loose — everyone was totally shocked. He was asking Amy to forgive him. As he was going back inside anyway he felt he didn’t have much to lose,” said a source.

Yep, that’ll be about right. And we’re going to make a New Year’s Resolution for 2009 and not expect any good news from the pair to last longer than around four minutes. [Source: The Sun, Photo: Splash News Online]

December 1st, 2008 | 4:14 pm by Anthony Miccio

Winona Ryder Under Police Investigation Again

Seven years later, and all that’s changed is the size of her salary. Winona Ryder—who hasn’t had a hit since Mr. Deeds in 2002—was lent a diamond bracelet worth $125,000 for a Marie Claire magazine party in Spain two weeks ago. Yup, right after that whole stomach pumping thing. Maybe she was still flustered from the accidental Xanax overdose, as she’s gone and misplaced those expensive jewels. Whoops!

Ryder claims she handed the bracelet to hotel staff in Madrid, but the management says security footage doesn’t show any trade-off. Bulgari, the company that lent the rocks, has since called the police. Winona, painkillers and theft—when have we seen that before?

[Photos: WireImage]