I’ve come up with a new rule: never write (or probably read) a story about Amy Winehouse while trying to eat lunch. The only thing worse than that is researching a story on Winehouse, because you’re bound to be accosted with a plethora of unsightly, stomach-churning images. Now I know the girl’s got issues, and I truly do feel badly for her, in a way I don’t for a lot of celebs. But that doesn’t mean I can look at the crusts on her face and still want to eat the crust on my sandwich. Amy’s still having her skin issues – and it was reported last week that she was using her some concoction involving her own urine to try to clear her skin. Interestingly, the other thing that works really well is washing your face. Also, showering more than once a fortnight can do wonders for the entire body. Since the invention of plumbing, people have been really big fans of it. Now Amy’s decided to add a little more crazy to her plate (I’m sticking with the lunchtime metaphors here). According to The Sun, Amy believes she’s being “tormented” by demons, and is going to move house for the third time in four months.

She is said to be tormented by “demons” in her new pad in Camden, North London. Though this hasn’t stopped her from letting in some late night guests… Wino wants to quit her home just a few weeks after moving in because she feels her surroundings have contributed to her disturbed state of mind.

A pal said of her latest pad: “She feels it is full of bad vibes and demons bringing her down.” The star quit Camden for Bow, East London, late last year to escape bad memories. Amy then collected more bad memories in Bow, where The Sun’s shock video of her smoking crack cocaine was filmed in January. She then went back to Camden, but believes the demons followed her.

Her face complaint [skin infection] has made her lock herself away, writing her darkest ever material. Maybe she should stay put in her current house and kick out the demons instead of moving – by stopping pumping them into her body.

[From the Sun]

Rarely do I find myself wholeheartedly shouting, “I agree with those logical people over at The Sun!” But today is that day, because holy crap are they right. Dear Amy Winehouse, the demons aren’t following you from house to house. You’re transporting them. The little hitchhikers are latched onto you so tightly you don’t even see them anymore. I really couldn’t help but wonder how a logical person could think it’s demons that are mucking everything up – and then I remembered that we’re dealing with an addict who likely is neither sober nor logical. So I guess Amy might really think there are actual demons following her – in which case, it’s time to head back to rehab. Actually it’s time to head back to rehab no matter what – and for a good long while this time. I know they say that for rehab to really work, the addict has to hit rock bottom and really WANT to be there. The problem is that Amy Winehouse’s rock bottom is a pretty terrifying place to be.

Here’s Amy coming out of her London home to go and visit her husband in prison today. She’s been wearing the leather gloves for the past few days, causing a lot of speculation about just what she may be hiding under there. Images thanks to Splash.

Late comedian and SNL alum Chris Farley’s brother, Tom Farley, has written a book chronicling the star’s last days before his death by drug overdose. The book, with the imaginative title “The Last Days of Chris Farley,” will be hitting bookstores in May, but you can get an early peek in this week’s Playboy magazine, which printed some excerpts from it. Mostly, the book captures the desperation of Chris’ friends, co-stars and family as they tried to stop the actor from killing himself with drugs, alcohol and overeating.

CHRIS Farley’s pals shoved extra helpings of tough love down his throat but still couldn’t save the comic actor from himself, according to “The Last Days of Chris Farley.” The book by Farley’s brother Tom Farley and Tanner Colby quoted several of the actor’s friends, who saw the tragedy coming a mile down the line. Excerpts from “Last Days” will run in May’s Playboy, which hits newsstands Friday. Former “Saturday Night Live” star Chevy Chase recalled how he dressed down Farley while preparing for a reunion show: “Look, you’re not John Belushi. And when you overdose or kill yourself, you will not have the same acclaim that John did . . . You’ll be a blip in the New York Times obituaries page, and that’ll be it. Is that what you want?”

Farley’s sidekick David Spade said he’s still taking heat for failing to save Tommy Boy: “I got a lot of s - - - at the end about ‘Why weren’t you there for him?’ But being that close, I dealt with it all the time. And in that situation, before the guy’s dead, he’s just kind of an a - -hole. Truth is, you get a junkie who’s wasted all the time and moody and angry and trying to knock you around, you say, ‘OK, you go do that, and I’ll be over here.’ ” Farley overdosed in Chicago on Dec. 18, 1997. He was 33.

[From Page Six]

I disagree with Chevy- I think Chris Farley was every bit as talented as John Belushi, and his death was a lot more meaningful than a blip on the obituary page. He was one of those actors who would do absolutely anything for a laugh and didn’t care how foolish he looked. Some of my favorite SNL moments are courtesy of Chris, especially his infamous Chippendale dancer audition skit with Patrick Swayze. And who could forget Matt Foley, the motivational speaker who lived- say it with me- in a “van down by the river”! I know I’m not the only one who still misses Chris and wishes he could have straightened himself out. Well, at least I own “Tommy Boy” in DVD.

Jack and Kelly Osbourne on 10/21/07. Scroll down to see video of their interview
Jack and Kelly Osbourne were on ABC’s “2020″ last night and talked about their battles with addiction. Jack, 22, says he’s been sober for 5 years and that he still struggles with urges to drink. Kelly, 23, wouldn’t specify how long she’s been sober after three stints in rehab, and says that as soon as she starts to count time that’s when the bad thoughts creep in, telling her it’s ok to get high again.

Kelly was the one who did most of the talking and who seems to be still battling her demons. After watching this I have a lot more respect and sympathy for her. She was very candid about what she’s been through.

Kelly’s early start: Vicodin at 13
Kelly said that she first experimented with drugs at 13 and took Vicodin. She said it silenced all the self conscious thoughts in her head telling her she wasn’t good enough. All the negative coverage of her weight in the media fueled her drug use, she said.

Kelly was usually high on “The Osbournes”
Kelly said that a lot of the screaming and fights you saw on “The Osbournes” were due to all the drugs she was on at the time and that they really heightened her emotions. She said it made her bratty and selfish.

Kelly took 100 pills a day; threw up blood
Kelly admitted that her parents did find a bag of pills that she had with 500 pills in it before she went to rehab, and explained that, “my mom would come into my room every single night and I was throwing up blood, because the Tylenol in the Vicodin was wearing away at my stomach lining.”

Kelly’s low point
She said her low point was waking up to her mom pounding on her back trying to resuscitate her because she had stopped breathing. She had peed the bed and said “At 20 years old, to wake up, by your mother trying to resuscitate you in a bed of your own piss. That is mortifying.”

Jack drank and smoked a lot of pot
Jack said he drank to go along with the crowd and that he used to limit pot-smoking to weekends, but that he was doing it more and more and had no boundaries.

Kelly told a story about how she found him throwing up on the floor and that’s when she realized he was “really f’ed up.”

Jack said he had suicidal thoughts on a daily basis before suicide attempt
After their mom Sharon was diagnosed with cancer, Jack said he struggled with depression and had suicidal thoughts “pretty much on a daily basis.”

Jack attempted suicide with booze and prescription drugs, the narrator explains, and he said “I wasn’t happy when I was drunk or high and I wasn’t happy when I was sober.”

Rehab worked for Jack, didn’t work at first for Kelly
Jack went into rehab after his suicide attempt at 17 and it’s safe to say it worked for him as he says he hasn’t had a drink since.

Kelly said that after she went into Promises rehab for the first time in 2004 she got high the day she got out and that it didn’t help her. “All I did there was buy 30 days of time and learn tricks from other addicts. And get a massage, lay by a pool… I was out of there… that night I was high.”

The narrator explains that Kelly’s third stint in rehab worked for her, and she said “It just clicked. You have to have that realization that you’re never going to win.”

Kelly and Jack’s futures
Both Kelly and Jack are living on their own now. Jack is hosting a reality show in Britain called “Adrenaline Junkies” that features people having adventures, and he said he wouldn’t be doing it if he were still drinking, and that “it’s taught me to live life to the fullest.”

Kelly is hosting “Project Catwalk” in England, which is their version of “Project Runway.”

Kelly always came off as a bit of a spoiled brat to me, and if she was taking handfuls of pills throughout the day you can see how it would radically change her personality. Both Jack and Kelly seem to have come to terms with their addictions and to be living a sober lifestyle now. I admire them for talking about it candidly and not glamorizing what they were going through.

Addiction is a lifelong struggle and maybe their story will help others who are facing similar problems realize that they’re not alone.

Here’s the video, thanks to clipper Monkeyboy on Redlasso.

Jack and Kelly Osbourne are shown at the National Television Awards on 10/21/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

As much as we tried to stay optimistic about Amy Winehouse, it appears that she’s worse off than ever. The “skin infection” on her face no longer bears the one large roundish mark but is instead replaced with dozens of spots and scabs, including a nasty one near her lip. Amy also bears fresh cuts on her arms, leading most people to believe that she’s back to cutting again. The scabs on her face look like she’s been picking at them, and almost look worse for the concealer she’s used to try to mask them. Supposedly she’s still suffering from impetigo, though a lot of people think her terrible skin is a result of copious amounts of drug use.

After a harrowing visit to her husband in prison, no one would expect Amy Winehouse to be looking her best. But even by her own standards, the award-winning singer appeared to be in particularly desperate shape. Heavy make-up failed to conceal the spots and scabs on her wrinkled cheeks, chin and nose. There were also angry red welts on her arms, leading to fears that she has started self-harming again.

Miss Winehouse’s spokesman has insisted she is suffering from the bacterial skin infection impetigo - which is highly contagious and can develop by repetitive scratching of a sore. He said the 24-year-old has been put on a course of antibiotics to clear it up. But friends fear the scabs on her face are a sign that her drinking and drug taking is once again spiralling out of control. Her love of junk food has also not helped the condition of her skin. She was pictured emerging from a fast-food outlet with fish and chips and a bottle of Lucozade. A source said: “Her friends are worried these sores have been caused by an excessive use of crack cocaine, which can cause these kind of blemishes.” Pete Doherty used to have similar sores under his nose.

[From the Daily Mail]

When I was in London for six weeks, I found it nearly impossible to get a hold of any fruits or vegetables in restaurants. With the exception of ridiculous amounts of baked potatoes of course. But Amy Winehouse not eating a lot of fresh food doesn’t really come as a major surprise to me. The Daily Mail goes on to talk to a dermatologist who points out that whatever is going on inside the body shows on the skin. Any kind of imbalance – and certainly drug use – could show up there. It’s hard not to wonder how Amy can look in the mirror every morning and think her life is going well. She looks like she’s falling apart, and any health she gained during her brief trip to rehab seems to have left her a long time ago.

Here’s Amy stopping at a kebab shop after visiting her husband Blake in prison. Images thanks to WENN.

When Keith Richards gives you life advice, you listen. Why? Because he’s freaking Keith Richards. Stories about him are legendary. There is no way to ascertain the difference between truth and legend with this man – but I would wager 98% of what you hear about him is the truth. This was the man who was knocked unconscious – resulting in a pretty serious head injury – falling out of a coconut tree. And this was fairly recent, not during the Rolling Stone’s crazy glory days. Keith and Stones’ singer Mick Jagger were interviewed by the Mail, and Keith told them Amy Winehouse was the only singer he finds worth mentioning - but that she’ll be dead soon if she doesn’t change her ways.

Rolling Stone Keith Richards has revealed the only modern pop star he rates is troubled Amy Winehouse. But the guitarist - famous for his huge consumption of illegal drugs - warned that Amy, who was pictured recently smoking crack, “wouldn’t be around for long” unless she cleaned up her act. The Stones’ lead singer Mick Jagger also said Winehouse’s music would suffer because of the time she spent dealing with the authorities over drugs.

Asked which modern artists he rated, he said: “There’s only one person. That girl Amy [Winehouse]. Mind you, that girl isn’t going to be around long unless she sorts herself out pretty quick. Amy’s got to get smart.” Richards, 64, said he did not expect her to listen. He said: “I’m not a preacher. But I’ve been there and you have to pass it on.”

Jagger, also 64, spoke of the band’s trouble with the police over drugs in the Seventies. He said: “It completely took over our lives creatively and we couldn’t do this and couldn’t do that. You had to spend all your time trying to deal with the police. The same thing has happened to Amy Winehouse.”

[From The Daily Mail]

Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black, or is it more like, “Hey, when even Keith Richards is telling you to lay off, it’s probably something you should consider?” Probably a little of each. If nothing else, Keith is a great cautionary tale. Look at that man’s face. Tell me he doesn’t look 92, and I’ll tell you that you’re a damn liar. The man battled a coconut for God’s sakes. I realized I already mentioned that, but I’m a little hung up on it. It’s not your average occurrence. If nothing else, I’d guess that Keith Richards and Mick Jagger are probably musicians Amy respects. Maybe their advice will merit a bit of consideration for that reason.

I think we can officially give up the “Amy Winehouse may still be working on getting better” angle. The girl has definitely fallen off the wagon – though it’s not possible to know if she was ever really on it. Though she’s spent a good deal of time with her “sober companion” Blake Wood (or Good Blake as he’s known) clearly Blake’s influence hasn’t rubbed off on Amy – or perhaps she’s knock him off the wagon, who knows. Amy went out with a group of friends including Tyler James, Kelly Osbourne, Mark Ronson and Kimberly Stewart on Wednesday. When they got to Bungalow 8, someone sent the group 20 shots (thanks, whoever you are, for being part of the downfall). Amy then proceeded to light her shot on fire and snort it.

Amy Winehouse’s latest party trick is snorting vodka. The troubled singer - who checked out of a London rehab clinic last month - shocked onlookers when she nasally inhaled the potent spirit through a straw

A source said: “Somebody had brought over 20 shots to Amy’s table and she decided to show off her new party trick. “She necked the top of the shot and lit the rest with a lighter. Then she grabbed a straw and sucked what was left up her nose. Amy threw back her head and reeled in shock and everyone around her looked stunned.”

[From Music News]

Amy’s little trick is a version of what’s called a Gas Chamber. According to my extensive internet research, it involves one part vodka and one part Black Sambuca, each poured into a separate glass. You light the vodka with a match and put the other glass on top of it to create a “chamber,” making sure not to extinguish the flame. After a bit of the alcohol has burned off, a straw is placed between the glasses and you drink, continuing to suck the “gas” out of the “chamber” once the liquid is gone. It’s considered a pretty extreme way to take a shot, and that’s assuming a person is getting it through their mouth, not their nose like Amy did. It can easily be absorbed directly into the bloodstream. I’m thinking that between the impetigo/cigarette burn/Staph Aureus (who the hell really knows what it is at this point), the multiple severe addictions, the overdoses, and the husband in jail, the last thing Amy Winehouse needs is more alcohol chilling in her bloodstream. Considering the craziness of her lifestyle, you really can’t help but wonder how much longer she can go on like this.

Here’s Amy with Tyler James on Wednesday night. Images thanks to Splash .

Thank goodness Scientology is around to cure all of society’s ills. Who needs a professional psychologist or addiction medicine expert to help you battle your increasingly debilitating drug addictions when Xenu can jiggle your brain juices around and spruce you right up? Jeff Conaway, star of such hits as “Grease,” “Taxi,” and more recently “Celebrity Rehab” has had quite the challenge sobering up on the reality show. In fact it’s been downright painful to watch him, and has served as a pretty brutal reminder why it’s a good idea to avoid drugs all together. Jeff was wheelchair-bound for much of the show, and suffered horrible convulsions. Most of his speech had to be subtitled for viewers, and it was nearly incomprehensible. He had to be admitted to the hospital for detox almost immediately. Unfortunately Jeff didn’t complete the program, and left after the seventh episode. Over the years he’s been a frequent patient of Dr. Drew Pinsky’s, the host of “Celebrity Rehab.” But apparently all Jeff really needed was a little help from Xenu’s brain-reading machines, because he claims Scientology has finally cured him.

Inside Edition sat down for an exclusive interview with former Taxi star Jeff Conaway, who says he has finally kicked his drug habit by practicing Scientology. According to Conaway, “I’ve been doing Scientology…my doctor was like, Holy cow, he says whatever you’ve been doing keep doing it because it’s really working.”

Conaway says his former Grease co-star John Travolta introduced him to the controversial religion. “John and I stayed friends but he couldn’t watch me going down the tubes…he gave me a whole library of Scientology books and he’s given me an auditor who comes almost every day.”

Conaway, who lost over 40 pounds while participating in VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, tells Inside Edition he can’t wait to get back in front of the camera. “I’m going to be strong and healthy and totally together. I’ve got to get ready for my Academy Award.”

[From Inside Edition]

Something tells me the doctor Conaway is referencing is not the good Dr. Drew – who I will admit I have a daddy-issue-based crush on, but I’m sure would spit in the face of Scientology regardless. It’s great that Conaway’s talking positively and expecting big things of himself, a la Academy Awards. But I seriously doubt something as illegitimate as Narconon (Scientology’s anti-drug program, which is named to make it sound legitimate – note that it’s “onon” not “anon” as in all the Alcoholics Anonymous-based programs) magically cured all of Conaway’s many complex addictions. The man was like a walking anti drug ad. Mostly because he literally couldn’t even walk. They should show clips of him to kids in the DARE program. As much as I’d champion anything that helps someone battle such life-destroying demons, let’s not be fooled into thinking drinking some barely water and popping some vitamins has cured the poor guy. Clearly he’s desperate for some kind of change, and that’s great. But it means it’s time to call up a good rehab facility, not John Travolta and Kirstie Alley.

Here is Jeff Conaway and his girlfriend Vikki Lizzi at the 18th Annual Night of 100 Stars Gala Viewing Party at the Beverly Hills Hotel on February 24th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Kate Moss is losing her battle against the cigarette. According to the Daily Mail, the formerly waif-thin model is battling her nicotine addiction, and without much success. She’s supposedly trying to quit for the health of her young daughter, Lila Grace – and for the sake of her skin. According to the Mail, Kate knows she doesn’t have much longer to be a model at the top of her game, and she knows she’s making it harder on herself with the damaging effects of nicotine.

“She is trying desperately to ditch the fags as they are not good for her daughter Lila Grace, and they are not doing her skin any favours either.

“At 34, Kate knows she doesn’t have long at the top left, so has to try and look after herself better. She has been smoking like a chimney for years, and is finding it extremely difficult. She’s still on 30 a day, and can easily go through 40 if she has a night out.”

Kate’s battle against the ciggies comes amid reports she has also embarked on a healthy eating regime. Insiders say she is taking her diet and health more seriously, taking extra iron supplements and stocking up on spinach and greens. Optimistic insiders claim Kate, who had daughter Lila Grace by former squeeze Jefferson Hack, is ready to give up alcohol and coffee.

[From the Daily Mail]

Kate might want to just focus on one addiction at a time. Going after too many at once would be incredibly overwhelming, especially from the horror stories you hear about people trying to quit cigarettes. At 30, she’s certainly not one of those two-packs-a-day people you hear about, but that sure is a lot. Kat is also said to be addicted to nicotine patches, and has to frantically adjust them before photo shoots, depending on what she is wearing. But the worst part is that if ever someone asks her for a patch, the wealthy model charges people - $3 for one!

Despite buying bumper 60 packs of the patches, the supermodel is still struggling and smoking 30 cigarettes a day. One would have thought the outlay for patches wouldn’t be a worry for moneybags Kate — but she won’t part with a spare patch for less than £1.50.

A source said: “At photoshoots, Kate is always getting the nicotine patches out as she usually has to rearrange them depending on what she’s wearing for the shots. But if anyone else asks for one, she sells them for £1.50. People are very surprised when she tries to charge them for one as it’s the last thing you’d expect from a megabucks model. But she laughs with it and says it’s her little business on the side. The look on people’s faces when she says she has to make some spare cash somehow is hilarious!

[From the Daily Mail]

Yes, being stingy sure is hilarious! I think it’d be funny if Kate were joking about charging people, but from the context of the article she is very much serious about it. Maybe she recognizes that the smoking isn’t doing her face any favors, and the money is going to dry up pretty soon.

Kate Moss is shown with Kelly Osbourne at the Chanel After Party in Honor of Karl Largerfeld in London on December 5. Images thanks to PR Photos.

It seems that Kirsten Dunst has been having substance abuse problems as she has checked into the same rehab where Eva Mendes is staying:

Spider-Man’s Mary Jane made the decision to follow in the footsteps of Cirque patients such as Lindsay Lohan and Richie Sambora — after a week of wild parties at last month’s Sundance Film Festival. Fellow actress Eva Mendes is also in the mountaintop facility right now. Mary-Kate Olsen was treated at Cirque for food issues.

“She desperately needed help,” a source in Utah tells Star. “She seemed to be intoxicated when she checked in because she was acting really erratic. She was extremely emotional, constantly breaking down in tears.

“She not in a good place right now, but thankfully, she’s getting the help she needs.”

Star Magazine

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about Kirsten’s drunkenness, she gave this revealing interview in 2005.

The stunning actress is alleged to have arrived on the red-carpet of the New York premiere looking “dishevelled” before drinking herself into an aggressive stupour at the exclusive post screening bash. According to one fellow reveller, who was quoted by America’s New York Post newspaper, Dunst was “drinking a lot and got very loud and obnoxious. She was very pushy.”

She told American talk show host Jay Leno: “I stock up on Veuve Cliquot champagne. I buy it from Costco - cheap there I have lots of alcohol and no food in my fridge”. When asked by Leno whether she was worried about her drinking habits, the screen beauty added: “Well, maybe in a few months you will see me in a rehab clinic.”

IDLYITW

I’m pretty sure her ‘maybe in a few months you will see me in a rehab clinic’ comment was meant to be a joke, but maybe she sort of knew she was falling off the wagon. Then again, isn’t drinking something everyone does in their late teens and early twenties? The legal drinking age in America is 21, but in other countries it is 18. Maybe this is why is has take her so long to admit she might have a problem, because everyone else is drinking to excess at parties. Which I think your liver and brain can cope with for a short period of time, although it always seems to feel very badly the next morning.

The again, the report is a Star Magazine exclusive, and they’ve been known to be wrong a few times. 25 year-old Kirsten only has one movie coming out this year, How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, and another coming out in early 2009.

Note by Celebitchy: There were rumors that Kirsten was “in a bad place” at Sundance, but her rep denied that there was anything wrong. She was also seen publicly making out with Josh Hartnett there.

Kirsten Dunst is seen out at lunch with a friend on 1/17/08, thanks to Splash News.

Lindsay Lohan is spilling her guts to UK Glamour magazine, probably because she doesn’t have a career to promote anymore

On avoiding the temptations of Hollywood:
“I don’t think it’s just young Hollywood - it’s the process of growing up. I’ve learned the hard way but, all in all, you learn and you grow and you become a stronger person”

On meeting three different men in Capri:
“If I’d been with every man I’ve been linked with I’d probably be dead by now! Generally speaking, my friends are much worse - I’m the goody-goody one by comparison. I’ve had to grow up fast. I’ve had a lot of responsibility from a young age.”

On Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse:
“I think lots of people go through dark times, but it’s even harder with everyone watching. It’s a lot of pressure and I really feel for them, but I can’t compare myself to them. Everyone is their own person and they will overcome it in their own ways.”

On misconceptions about her:
“The biggest misconception is probably that I don’t have my head in the right place. That, and probably that I’m not a good person. That makes me sad, because actually I am.”

On what or who she is allergic to aside from dogs:
“Liars and mean people. I’m a Cancerian so I’m sensitive and emotional, but very honest - so I don’t like liars. Also I don’t understand people who are mean for no reason.”

Glamour magazine vis Perez Hilton

Lilo, if you are the most grown up and conservative of all your friends, it’s probably time to get some new friends that aren’t sluts. Actually, after being in rehab, I think you are encouraged to find friends that are on the wagon with you, and associate with those who share the same goal. Not hanging out in clubs with people indulging in cocaine and vodka.

Lilo has two projects coming up, one where she plays a woman who kills homeless men to claim their life insurance, and another where she plays a prostitute. These both sound better than her turn as a stripper in I Know Who Killed Me, but none seems like comeback material. Good news for Lindsay, MTV Australia is in a bidding war with MTV Russia to get her to appear at the April awards ceremony. You’ve gotta get that paycheck from somewhere.