By all reports Morgan Freeman is doing significantly better than hoped after his serious car accident late Sunday evening. The final assessment of his injuries is that he has a broken elbow, broken arm, and some sort of “shoulder damage,” according to his rep. Considering he was in a rollover accident, it sounds like he got pretty lucky.

Morgan Freeman is on the mend after a Sunday night car crash that resulted in his being airlifted to a hospital in Memphis.

“Morgan is doing well after his surgery last night to reconnect nerves and repair damage in his left arm and hand,” his spokesperson, Donna Lee, said in a statement Tuesday.

“The surgery last night lasted four and a half hours. He’s visiting with family this morning. As of this morning he’s up and walking around and looking forward to his release in a few days.”

Freeman, 71, was driving in Mississippi’s Tallahatchie County when the accident occurred. Extracted from the wreck by emergency crews using the jaws of life, the Dark Knight actor was said to be “in good spirits” Monday after he reached the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, where his surgery took place.

[From People]

Despite initial reports that Freeman might have fallen asleep at the wheel, it’s now being speculated that heavy rain caused the accident. According to someone who lives near the accident scene, the car skidded on the slick road and flipped multiple times, before landing upright in a ditch that had at least eight inches of water.

There were also gardening tools, recipes, herbs, and spices scattered around the accident scene. The neighbor also said that Freeman was initially unconscious but came to very quickly and was talking to emergency personnel. It sounds like he should be okay and out of the hospital relatively quickly.

Here’s Morgan Freeman with Jack Nicholson at the premiere of “The Bucket List” in Paris on July 17th. Images thanks to Fame.

Morgan Freeman was in a very serious car accident last night. According to several media outlets, the 71 year-old Dark Knight actor crashed his 1997 Nissan Maxima on Highway 32 in Mississippi. TMZ and the Memphis CBS affiliate station both are reporting that Freeman may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Though he was conscious and able to talk to state troopers after the accident, Freeman had to be airlifted to a hospital one hundred miles away and is said to be in serious condition.

Morgan Freeman just had the darkest night of his life. The Oscar-winning Batman sidekick is listed in serious condition in a Memphis hospital following a Sunday night car accident, says hospital spokeswoman Kathy Stringer.

Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Ben Williams told Memphis’ NBC affiliate that Freeman and an unidentified female passenger were heading east on Mississippi Highway 32 when his vehicle went off the road. Freeman then overcorrected the vehicle, causing his 1997 Nissan Maxima to flip several times before coming to a rest.

Mediatakeout.com was first to report the smashup, which occurred around 11:30 p.m. just outside the town of Ruleville, Miss. Freeman was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, but apparently was coherent enough to talk to state troopers at the scene.

There was no immediate comment from the actor’s representatives, though CBS’ Memphis affiliate, WREG, reported that Freeman may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Emergency crews responding to the scene reportedly used the jaws of life to free both Freeman and his female passenger from the vehicle. Both were airlifted to the hospital, nicknamed The Med, though there’s no word on the condition of the female passenger.

[From E! News]

A few reports have noted that Freeman’s passenger was a female, and then mention that he’s married, which sounds to me like they’re trying to imply something ridiculous and tacky. It doesn’t seem that the passenger was Freeman’s wife, or that would have been reported by now.

A spokesperson at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis said Freeman is in serious condition. TMZ is also reporting that he broke several ribs and injured his knee – but that his passenger is generally okay, aside from having to be cut out of the vehicle with the jaws of life. They’re both in our thoughts.

Update by Celebitchy: According to a friend of Freeman’s quoted in The Guardian, Freeman was sitting up and talking in the hospital. He was also conscious and talking to rescuers at the crash scene. Drugs and/or alcohol are not thought to have been a factor in the crash:

Williams said the car Freeman had been driving belonged to Demaris Meyer, of Memphis. The car left a rural highway and overturned several times. “There’s no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved,” Williams said.

There was still no information on Ms Meyer’s condition, he added.

Bill Luckett, a friend of the actor and co-owner of Freeman’s restaurant, Madidi, said he was sitting up and talking at the hospital.

[From Guardian.co.uk]

Update 2: Freeman’s rep says he’s in “good spirits” in the hospital and that he will have surgery for a broken arm, elbow and “shoulder damage.” He is expected to make a full recovery:

“He has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage but he is in good spirits,” said Donna Lee. “He is going to have surgery this afternoon or tomorrow to correct the damage. He says he’ll be okay and is looking forward to a full recovery.”

[From People]

Here are file photos of Morgan Freeman. Credit: WENN

The National Enquirer reports that in 1975 Lynne Spears ran over a 12-year-old boy and killed him. Lynne, then 20, was rushing to the hospital with her brother, who had some kind of unspecified injury. According to the Enquirer, the guilt still haunts Lynne and she generally refuses to talk about it.

The ENQUIRER exclusively reveals Britney Spears’ mom Lynne is hiding a shocking secret tragedy. The mother of the pop star ran over a bike-riding young boy with her car and killed him! The accident occurred in 1975, and Lynne Spears is still haunted by the death of the 12-year-old boy.

“To this day, Lynne hasn’t gotten over what she did. She gets that terrified look in her eye when she is thinking about it,” said a source close to the Spears family.

“She has told only a few people about the accident and always says, ‘Please don’t think I’m a bad person.’” Lynne was 20 when the tragedy occurred in her hometown of Kentwood, La., during the same year she married Jamie Spears. When the accident happened, Britney’s mom was driving her brother to the hospital after he’d suffered an injury.

“It bothers Lynne still to this day,” said a representative for Lynne Spears. “She really doesn’t like to talk about it. She just wanted to forget that it ever happened - but she can’t.”

[From the National Enquirer]

What an incredibly sad story, and how incredibly tragic for the boy’s family. When I was five my best friend’s dad accidentally ran him over when he was playing in the driveway. He managed to live but was in a full body cast for over a year. Even as a little kid, I remember being overwhelmed by how obviously grief-stricken and inconsolable his father was. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to know you caused the death of a child.

Unfortunately Lynn Spears has a good deal of company when it comes to famous people involved in severe car crashes. Actress Rebecca Gayheart (wife of Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. McSteamy, Eric Dane) killed nine-year-old Jorge Cruz Jr. in 2001 when she was driving. Wikipedia notes that, “several cars stopped to let him go, [but] Gayheart swerved around them and into a two-way left-turn lane, striking the boy.” Apparently Gayheart was busy talking on her cell phone and couldn’t wait.

In 2000 Halle Berry was involved in a hit-and-run which resulted in back injuries to her victim. She was sued and performed community service. Singer/actress Brandy caused a major pileup on an L.A. freeway in December of 2006 which killed a woman – charges were never filed.

Prison Break actor Lane Garrison got into a drunken car crash in 2007 that resulted in the death of one of his 17-year-old passengers. He was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving and sentenced to 40 months in prison. And Matthew Broderick got into a car accident in 1987 while in Ireland with then-girlfriend Jennifer Grey, which resulted in the death of two women. He wasn’t charged with a crime but did have to pay the victims’ families $175.

Conservative political journalist Robert Novak was involved in a hit and run in Washington D.C. today. Novak has worked most frequently with CNN but has also appears on other networks and writes the longest running syndicated political column in the US. He was driving his black Corvette (you read that right) to work this morning when he ran into a man who was crossing the street. Novak kept driving right along, claiming that he didn’t feel, hear, or notice a thing. Pedestrians and bicyclists chased his car and caught up to him at the next intersection.

Journalist Robert Novak hit a pedestrian with his car in the nation’s capital Wednesday morning, Washington police Lt. Michael Lockerman said. Novak continued driving, unaware he had hit the man, he told told reporters for WJLA-TV and the Web site Politico as he got out of a police car.

“I didn’t know I hit anybody,” he said near the scene of the incident at 17th and K streets in northwest Washington. “A bicycle rider stopped me and said I had hit someone.” Novak said he was cited for failure to yield right of way.

[From CNN]

Novak is known as the “Prince of Darkness” – not just because that’s the title of his memoirs, but also because he has a very angry way about him. Something about the eyebrows. Oh, and the way he yells and carries on. And his countenance. So pretty much his whole personality.

You’ll remember that Novak was the jerk who outed Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in his column back in 2003. He’s also said he “relished” attending a cockfight in Puerto Rico and that America has “too damn many” anti-cruelty statutes protecting animals.

TMZ has a much better write-up than CNN (not a sentence I ever thought I’d say), including an interview with Novak.

Novak tells us he was listening to NPR in his Corvette when suddenly, “Some guy came up and hit my car with his fist. I figured I had done something that had created road rage, but I didn’t know what it was. Then a bicyclist blocked the road in front of me. I asked what the problem was. He said, ‘You can’t just hit people and run away!’”

Novak says the cops came, put him “briefly” in the back of the police car and asked about what he heard at the time of impact. Novak told them and us that he didn’t hear or feel anything. They asked if he had been drinking or on a cellphone. He answered “no” to both.

Novak, who was citied for failing to yield, says he won’t fight the ticket, adding, “I assume witnesses are telling the truth.” And we asked him about his comments back in 2001 — that he hates jaywalkers and thought about running them over. He responded, “I’ve said a lot of things I shouldn’t have said.”

[From TMZ]

True that, Bob. What I find second most confusing about this whole thing is the idea that one of the most conservative talking heads in the nation was listening to NPR. Which makes me wonder what else he’s lying about.

A stunt driver delivering a rare Aston Marton to the set of the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, is in good condition after the $240,000 car slipped off the bend of a steep road. The driver was treated at the hospital and released with a heavily bruised ego and minor superficial bruises. Fireman came to his aid after the car slipped and plunged 55m to the bottom of Garda in Italy. The car was the only one of its kind available for the film, and it’s unknown how producers will replace it.

The last James Bond film was plagued by stories questioning the new blond Bond Daniel Craig’s fitness for the part. He had two of his teeth knocked out while filming his first fight scene for Casino Royale, he suffered prickly heat on set, he said he hated speedboats and guns, and he was so clueless at playing cards that he couldn’t even fake his way through the poker scenes at first. (A rumor that he couldn’t even drive stick shift turned out to be false.) Craig proved no matter how much people might make fun of him he was more than capable of turning in a solid, kick ass performance. The same could not be said for his first Bond girl, Eva Green, who I found annoying and unable to act. At least her character won’t exist for the next installment.

Quantum of Solace is due out later this year. Olga Kurylenko plays Bond girl Camille, a Russian-Bolivian agent, and Gemma Arterton stars as MI6 Agent Fields.

Here are stills from the film, thanks to AllMoviePhoto. Craig and his co-stars Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterto are also shown at a press conference.

[Crash details from Telegraph.co.uk and News.com.au]

First things first: I never support Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay Lohan could somehow turn into the Virgin Mary, and I’d still have a really big problem with her. I think I might be going to a special level of Hell just for saying that. But if someone should be such a giant prick as to make me support Lindsay Lohan, I’m pretty sure that person is destined for a special level of Hell too. Probably one where “Herbie Fully Loaded” plays on a loop.

Lohan’s car hit busboy Raymundo Ortega’s van on October 4, 2005. Lohan had just finishing having lunch at the Ivy. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s ruled the incident to be Ortega’s fault for making an illegal U-turn directly in front of Lohan. They also ruled that alcohol was not a factor in the crash. It seems pretty clear that Ortega say dollar signs on impact. But he didn’t do anything for two years, until Lohan went to rehab for the second time. Then he filed a negligence suit on June 14, 2007 against both her and the Ivy (who he believes served her alcohol even though she was underage) for $200,000. His argument seems to be that because Lohan has alcohol problems now, she must have had them then. While that could very well be true, I can’t imagine how someone could prove that. More specifically, I can’t imagine how he could prove that Lohan was drunk at that moment two years ago, especially when the sheriff’s deputies said she wasn’t. It seems like he’s trying to take advantage of the situation.

Lindsay finally countersued the guy, since she paid for all the repairs to her car herself – which she didn’t have to do, since the crash was ruled Ortega’s fault. [I just want to note that I’m seething right now because I’m actually feeling something close to empathy for Lindsay Lohan, and that makes me HATE Raymundo Ortega with the fire of a thousand suns]. Anyway, Ortega has been dragging Lohan in and out of court almost weekly, promising that he has some evidence that will prove she was drunk that day. But he’s failed to produce it or comply with any of the judge’s orders to turn over paperwork pertaining to his evidence.

According to court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Lohan’s camp is requesting that a judge order the Los Angeles-based busboy to provide proof that Lohan, contrary to the CHP’s report, had been drinking on Oct. 4, 2005, before she smacked into Ortega’s van with her Mercedes.

The 21-year-old starlet’s lawyers also request in their latest filing that the judge conclude that Ortega’s allegations are false because the plaintiff has ignored their repeated requests to turn over the documents he claims to have that prove his assertions. Ortega’s lawyer has said that they have witnesses who will support their side of the story.

[From E! News]

I’m not inclined to believe Lindsay Lohan is innocent of anything. The sky could suddenly turn green and rain hedgehogs, and I’d be certain her drinking was somehow involved. But something tells me Ortega’s “witnesses” are a load of crap. This whole thing sounds like it’s filled with opportunists. And they need to be stopped, not to make Lindsay’s life better, but so that no one feels inclined to cut her a break out of sympathy.

The judge also ruled against Lindsay’s request not to have her deposition taped. Her lawyer argued that the press would try to get a hold of the tape, which would go for tens of thousands of dollars. But that’s more than most of Lohan’s movies rake in anymore. Really, it can only help.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Lindsey Lohan leaving Byron salon on November 28th. She then went to the Staples Center for a Lakers game. Images thanks to Splash Photos.

It’s starting to look like R&B singer Brandy won’t get charged in the deadly car crash she caused last December. Brandy was driving along 405 (a few initial reports mentioned that she was possibly talking on her cell phone, though I can’t find any recent articles that mention it) at 65 miles an hour, when she failed to notice that traffic in front of her had slowed down. She slammed into 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj’s car, which then flew across the lane and was struck by another car. Aboudihaj died from massive internal bleeding. The one year anniversary of the crash is coming up on December 30th, and the L.A. City Attorney’s office has yet to press any charges against Brandy.

Sources tell TMZ that the City Attorney’s Office plans to make a decision at the very last moment. If charges aren’t filed, chances are the public wouldn’t notice over the holidays — and the case would quietly go away. TMZ spoke exclusively with Bill Sayed, lawyer for the victim’s husband, Marouane Hdidou. Sayed questioned the delay, saying, “There is a death and obviously reckless driving involved, which is enough evidence for an involuntary manslaughter charge. As to why the City Attorney has taken this long? I think we would all like to know.”

Over the past year, Brandy has pursued her usual activities; shopping, partying and living a normal life. Sayed says, “Brandy continues to live life with really no negative results … doing what Brandy is doing … as if though nothing has occurred here.” He also describes how life has become a roller coaster for his client. “Thanksgiving just passed and he was all alone — he has no family here.”

[From TMZ]

The lawyer does have a point – Brandy should have some kind of consequence. Though it obviously doesn’t appear that she intentionally caused the crash or was doing anything grossly negligent, she failed to slow/stop her car, which was going very fast. There’s no word on just how slow the traffic in front of her was – if it was nearly stopped, or just slowing down. Either way, the victim obviously died a horrible death, and it seems kind of unnecessary for Brandy to be out partying and living it up. She’s been photographed out a lot more in the last year. You’d think she’d want to keep a low profile. Her negligence caused a four-car crash, and she has been sued by the other three drivers. It’s unlikely she’ll do any jail time, but I’m guessing she stands to lose a ton of money. Especially since she reportedly admitted that the crash was her fault.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Brandy at Fashion Week in L.A. on October 16th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Never let it be said that smarties can’t do dumb things too. Brooke Shields, generally considered one of the smarter, more level-headed actresses in Hollywood, managed to crash into her own house. Apparently wearing sex kitten shoes can be bad for your safety when they get wedged under your pedal while driving. That makes me feel better, the worst thing I’ve ever run over a tricycle. No children were harmed… maybe emotionally. But physically they were all fine.

Brooke Shields says she accidentally remodeled her house – by crashing into it.

“I really did drive into my house. I was wearing these fabulous sort of kick-ass platform patent leather [heels],” Shields said of her incident. “I was meeting the team at [her upcoming, midseason TV show] Lipstick Jungle [and] I was all sexed out.”

Letting out a laugh, she added, “I slowed down to what I thought was a proper speed. … I went to go put my foot on the brake, and I couldn’t get my foot off the gas because the wedge was completely wedged under.”

Then came the tricky moment: “I slammed on what I thought was the brake, and it actually was the gas!” A pillar ended up damaged. “I was fine,” says Shields. “The pillar, of course, was removed – at which point I was like, we didn’t really need that, that’s just in the way.”

[From People]

I am completely opposed to high heels for about 10 reasons. The first one being that I can’t walk in them, thus no one should. But I think running into houses is a really good second reason. Wearing heels can kill. Plus they’re bad for your spine. So I think it’s safe to surmise that high heels are deadly.

In other Brooke Shields news, it was announced today that she will continue to be the spokeswoman for Tupperware’s “Chain of Confidence” campaign. It focuses on honoring women around the world, and bringing attention to the positive affect they can have on each other. Sounds awesome, and totally vague. I’m also not sure what Tupperware has to do with it all, except some good publicity.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Brooke at the VIVA LA CURE, Benefit on October 17th. Image thanks to PR Photos.

Praise Jeebus, one of the many lawsuits against Lindsay Lohan is going forward! This one is over the October 2005 crash in which Lohan hit a van that was making an illegal u-turn. Lohan was looking behind and over her shoulder at the time, but it was still ruled to be the van driver’s fault, since he was making an illegal turn. He’s sued Lohan for upwards of $200,000, and his lawyer has alleged that Lohan was drunk at the time of the crash. The lawyer’s logic is essentially that Lohan is drunk a lot, so she was likely drunk then. I’m not oversimplifying too much, that’s pretty much what the guy is saying, just in legalese. It didn’t seem like there was a good chance that the lawsuit would proceed to trial, given that it’s hard to prove Lohan was drunk at that specific time. Yeah we all know the burden of proof is much lower in a civil trial, but there’s still no evidence that Lohan had been drinking. She had just left the Ivy, and there are no witnesses that she drank during lunch there, and the California Highway Patrol said alcohol was not a factor in the crash. Still, Lindsay is a reckless person in general, both with her own body and with others. It seems likely that her own negligence had something to do with the crash – yeah the guy shouldn’t have been making an illegal u-turn, but Lohan shouldn’t have been driving forwards while looking backwards.

A lot of “accidents” have happened to Lindsay in the last couple years. Enough that it starts to look suspicious even before the DUIs and rehab and all that. Here’s a little timeline I put together of Lindsay’s last three years from Wikipedia, Hollywood.com, People, and Yahoo. Let’s recap, shall we?

2004
Car Crash – August 3. Studio City, CA. Lohan later sued.

Hospitalization – October 25th. “High fever” in Los Angeles, CA.

2005
Hospitalization – February. “Chest pains.”

Hospitalization – March 17th. Sprained ankle.

Car Crash - May 31. Fender bender.

Car Crash – June 1. “Innocent victim.” Led to a California law meant to control crazed paparazzi - holding them liable for triple damages whenever they cause a crash.

Car Crash – October 5. “Innocent victim.” Leaves the Ivy, slams into a truck that’s making an illegal u-turn. Lohan admitted she was looking behind her shoulder at the time. Lohan later sued.

2006
Hospitalization - January. Slipped on a staircase, broke a teacup and cut her leg in London.

Hospitalization - January. Asthma attack in Miami. 4 days in the hospital.

Hospitalization – July 25. Overheating and dehydration on the set of “Georgia Rule.”

Hospitalization – September. Broken wrist in New York City.

Car Crash – November 7. “Bumped” a paparazzo with her car in Los Angeles at 2am after leaving Hyde.

Car Crash – November 17 (approx). Vehicle rams into a police car in London with then-boyfriend Calum Best.

2007
Hospitalization - January 4. World’s briefest appendectomy. Seen partying until morning the day after alleged surgery.

Rehab - January 18. Checks into Wonderland Center.

Car Crash – March. Strikes a photographer with her BMW in Los Angeles.

Car Crash – March 13. Strikes a photographer in New York.

Car Crash - May 26. Loses control of her Mercedes and strikes a curb.

Hospitalization – May 26. Minor injuries related to car crash.

Arrest – DUI – alcohol. “Usable” amount of cocaine found in vehicle.

Rehab – May 28. Checks into Promises.

Car Chase - July 24. Commandeers white GMC and chases former assistant’s mother through Santa Monica. Fails field sobriety tests. Blood alcohol level tested at between 0.12 and 0.13 percent. Small amount of cocaine found in pocket of pants.

Arrest – July 24th. Arrested on felony charges of possession of cocaine, transportation of a narcotic, and misdemeanor DUI and driving with a suspended license.

Rehab – August. Checks into Cirque Lodge.

So that’s nine car crashes in three years. Three trips to rehab in less than one year. Nine trips to the hospital, all under rather dubious circumstances. At some point you realize she’s either the unluckiest girl in the world, or she has a lot to do with all these things that “happen” to her. It’s more that she’s happening to them. She’s not just some girl who accidentally has 9 trips to the hospital. Unless she has a serious and chronic disease we don’t know about, nine trips in three years is not normal. I’m guessing Lohan has probably been drunk since about 1995 onwards, and all the falling down the stairs, heat exhaustion, and broken teacups attacking her are the logical result of all the drunkenness.

On the upside, it appears that Lohan’s community service for said drunk driving, cocaine, and chasing people will include a few little activities we didn’t know about. According to MSNBC, Lohan “must complete a three-day county coroner program in which she’ll visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.” I doubt the victims of drunken drivers will impact Lohan in the least, because that’s about other people. But maybe the morgue will give her a better idea of what’ll happen to her if she doesn’t shape up, and let’s face it, it’s all about Lindsay.