If I had ever done a drug stronger than Aleve, I’d want to move to the UK. Because it turns out that in Brittan, apparently you can do most hard drugs in a pretty obvious manner and not get in trouble for it. You can have a video released, be caught by the police, arrested, questioned, etc – and still walk out of the jail within a day with no further repercussions. And you can do it many, many times. The best example of this (in terms of frequency) is Pete Doherty. But Amy Winehouse is doing her best to compete with him, in what appears to be a good-natured, drug addict rivalry.

Amy was videotaped smoking crack after popping six Valium. Did anything happen to her? Nope.

British police will take no legal action against Grammy-award-winning singer Amy Winehouse, who was arrested last week for drug offenses, her spokeswoman said Thursday. Amy Winehouse has a history of run-ins with police.

“They have now concluded their enquiries and no charges will be brought,” according to a statement from her publicist, Tracey Miller.

She was questioned by police last Wednesday, arrested for alleged possession of a controlled drug, and released on unconditional bail a day later.

[From CNN International]

Amy’s spokesman (apparently she needs both a spokesman and a publicist) also goes on to say how excited she is for her planned summer concerts.

Chris Goodman said police had finished their investigation and confirmed no charges would be brought against the 24-year-old singer.

“Amy is pleased to be able to move on and concentrate on music and particularly looks forward to seeing her fans again at eagerly awaited festival performances this summer,” he said in a statement.

[From the Huffington Post]

It’s not like I want to see a person go to jail for a crime that only hurts themselves. But every time Amy is shown that the rules don’t apply to her, there is even less incentive for her to clean up her life. The whole, “What if I get caught?” thing clearly doesn’t even enter her mind.

During Amy’s last round of concerts she developed the reputation of canceling at a prolific rate. I swear at one point it was nearly four out of five concerts. Considering she can’t even get work done in the studio anymore, it seems like her concert promoter is really overestimating her. As out of it as she was last time around, Amy’s sunk a lot further now. If people go to her shows, something tells me it’s just to watch a train wreck, not because anyone expects a good performance.

Here’s Amy spotted with a mystery man visiting a clinic near her home in North London yesterday. I’m guessing she’s eating an Otter Pop… but it might be drug in a tube or something. Images thanks to WENN.

DMX’s life is really going down the crapper. On Tuesday he was arrested in Arizona for speeding over 100 MPH and driving with a suspended license. In January, a judge ordered him to pay $1.5 million in a defamation suit brought against him by the mother of one of his children. DMX had said in an interview that he didn’t cheat on his wife, because the woman had raped him. He also said he didn’t remember sleeping with the woman, and he’d remember, because she was ugly. So she must have raped him. And last summer, sheriffs took away twelve of the rapper’s pit bulls due to neglect and abuse. So the easy way to sum up DMX’s life right now is that he is physically incapable of doing even one thing right.

But apparently that wasn’t enough for the guy. On Friday, police went to DMX’s home to finally arrest him on animal abuse charges. Did the guy surrender like a normal person? No, he holed up in his room, refusing to come out, and forcing the police to call in the SWAT team.

…the actor-rapper was arrested early Friday at his Phoenix-area home on suspicion of animal abuse and felony drug possession following a search of the house and, before that, a brief standoff with police when he attempted to shut himself up in his bedroom. According to the Maricopa County sheriff’s office, a SWAT team executed a search warrant on DMX’s Cave Creek, Ariz., residence at about 3 a.m. in connection with a seven-month-old investigation into reports that the Cradle 2 the Grave star had a number of malnourished pit bulls on his property.

“A guy like this DMX character with all his money and fame has no excuse for not providing proper care for his animals,” said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. “He has a long criminal history and obviously has no respect for the law.”

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, tried holing up in his room when the fuzz first arrived, but officers quickly talked him into cooperating, after which they discovered weapons, drugs and five pit bull puppies, which were taken to a nearby prison where female inmates will look after them (the pups, not the guns and drugs).

[From E! News]

DMX is due in court on the charges next week. He was also booked on four counts of drug possession. His lawyer gave some poorly worded speech about how the sheriff just had it in for DMX, because he was videotaped speeding and arrested. And apparently the lawyer thinks the sheriff somehow took that as a personal insult. Um… I’m guessing it definitely served to remind the guy to follow up on some legal issues with DMX, but I don’t think it’s exactly a personal affront.

“I think [that] Earl, when he was caught on video just this week speeding at 114 miles per hour, just rubbed it in [the sheriff’s] face, so the sheriff felt he had to do something. From what I hear, I would’ve been glad to bring Earl in if they ever requested it. I called the sheriff on numerous occasions and never, ever received a phone call.”

[From E! News]

All right then. Next time, it might be a better idea to advise your client not to keep breaking laws, instead of complaining when he gets arrested on new and old charges. Maybe feed your dogs, take care of them, treat them with dignity… and drive less than 114 mph. All those things are likely to keep a sheriff – even one with a personal vendetta – off your back.

I’m guessing most drivers can be accused of a bit of road rage now and then. Before I moved to New York, I found screaming really, really helped. And when it would bother my passengers, I’d explain that it was really the most polite thing I could do, because the alternative was to chase the *$%#@* down and assault him. So really I was showing the utmost restraint and decorum.

And while a lot of people have their own little coping mechanisms for the frustrations of the road, very few of us get out of our cars and wander about the highway during an infuriatingly long traffic jam. But I’m also guessing that very few of us are hopped up on a myriad of illicit substances: and those are two things that set us apart from Amy Winehouse.

When Amy Winehouse gets stuck in a traffic jam, she gets out of her car and saunters about in exasperation, displaying all sorts of bizarre behaviors for the paparazzi to eagerly snap.

Where Amy Winehouse goes, chaos follows. The troubled star caused something of a spectacle on the M40 today after she found herself stuck in a traffic jam.

Not content to sit patiently in her car, the Rehab singer roamed the motorway, giving drivers more than they bargained for as she went from car to car in an effort to scrounge a lighter for her cigarette to pass the time.

At one point she pulled up her purple vest to bare her midriff as she did a spot of sun baking while leaning on the bonnet of a car.

In a troubling sign, the 24-year-old’s arms were covered in fresh scratches and cigarette burns, thought to be the result of self-harming.

[From the Daily Mail]

That’s nice of the Daily Mail to insinuate that Amy was just trying to get a bit of healthy color on her deathly white stomach, but that doesn’t appear to be what she’s doing. From the expressions on her face, I’m pretty sure she’s hallucinating, and likely trying to ward off some demon spirit she thinks she sees by blinding them with the brightest of white lights.

Here’s Amy wandering the M40 in a quest for a lighter today in Oxfordshire. She really is one of the people. Images thanks to WENN.

Poor Lindsay Lohan. It must really suck to have karma bite you on the ass. La Lohan has been acting like a drunken spoiled brat for the last several years, and it’s finally getting the best of her. She hasn’t had a successful decent movie since Mean Girls, and hasn’t gotten any press for doing anything good since about that time. You never hear anyone say, “Lindsay Lohan did such a nice _______.” You do hear them say, “Lindsay Lohan ran over a guy’s foot,” and “Lindsay Lohan stole a random girl’s $11,000 fur coat.” I’m pretty sure next week you’ll hear, “Lindsay Lohan went to Disneyland and kicked Donald Duck in the crotch, just to see him cry.”

Lohan’s reputation as a poor actress with an even poorer work ethic has finally caught up with her. She’s been un-attached from the Charles Manson film she was scheduled to shoot – all because no one wanted to work with her – even no-name celebs.

Lohan has been un-attached from the independent feature The Manson Girls, written and to be directed by Matthew Bright, and produced by Elie Samaha, Donald Kushner, and Brad Wyman through Junction Films. Production was slated to commence in early July for five weeks in Los Angeles, and everybody was pleased that Lohan was attached back in March. (Some may, or may not, view this true life crime film for her as hitting bottom. Lindsay was to play the part of Nancy Pitman, a pampered surfer girl who became enthralled with Charlie Manson.)

But people associated with the movie told agents that Lohan quickly became more of a deficit than an asset when they discovered that they couldn’t find any name actresses who wanted to co-star with her. (And even some name actors…) So now Lindsay is off the pic — but not for the excuses being circulated. Let this be a lesson… Behaving badly may get you on the covers of celebrity-obsessed mags and tabloids. But Hollywood won’t tolerate your shit and shouldn’t.

[From Deadline Hollywood Daily]

Rush & Molloy also mentioned that after she was dropped from the film, Lohan was spotted downing tequila shots with Lauren Conrad. Getting publicly plastered with a “reality” T.V. star? I’m not sure who should be more embarrassed to be seen with who here. You’d think reality TV actresses would be the lowest on the Hollywood food chain… but I’m pretty sure that Lohan is forevermore at the bottom of any list anyone could make.

Here’s Lohan leaving a meeting with the producers of a new film ‘Labor Pains’ in Los Angeles yesterday. Wonder how long before they “un-attach” her from their film. Images thanks to WENN.

I used to optimistically hypothesize that Amy Winehouse’s life was getting better, if for no other reason than the fact that she had stopped roaming the streets of London at three in the morning in bloody ballet slippers. Well if possible her life is in even bigger shambles now than it was last summer.

Amy’s had multiple arrests in just a few short weeks, and seems to have given up even trying. You could easily ask yourself, “Wait, she was trying before?” Well, I mean trying for Amy Winehouse. I mean the woman actually spent a day sans beehive. That’s got to be indicative of some type of deep identity crisis or a form of psychosis for her.

After being formally arrested in London yesterday for her legendary performance on her crack video, Amy proceeded to wander around London at four in the morning. She took a jaunt over to a gas station to load up on some healthy snacks, chatted with photographers, and queried them as to what her next tattoo should be. You know, just like all normal celebrities.

If Amy Winehouse was at all concerned about her second arrest in as many weeks, it certainly didn’t show as she roamed the streets 4am this morning.

The troubled singer left her Camden home in the early hours to dash to a petrol station where she collected supplies including magazines and drinks, chatting happily to photographers during her outing.

With her trademark beehive wrapped up in a red bandanna with her husband’s name emblazoned on it, the ever-erratic singer asked the paparazzi for suggestions for a new tattoo.

It was just hours after she visited a London police station by appointment yesterday afternoon before being arrested for possession of Class A drugs and later released on bail.

[From the Daily Mail]

I really hate to say it, but it seems like Amy is on the absolute brink. To say she’s spiraled out of control is such a massive understatement. And while you never ever want to acknowledge that someone could do some serious harm to themselves, it seems like Amy is just a step or two away from total destruction.

Though she’s certainly gone through hard times before, you would hear a lot about her family – especially her father – at least trying to help her, however unsuccessfully. It showed that she had some form of emotional support. Now you hardly hear a word about them, which makes you wonder who Amy’s got left to rely on. Someone needs to look out for her – clearly she can’t do it for herself.

Here’s Amy just a week ago. Look at the dramatic change in her appearance during just seven days time. Images thanks to Splash.

Amy Winehouse is getting to be like Pete Doherty. It’s really difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with what she’s accused of and what she’s being arrested for. I saw the latest story that she’s been arrested, and thought that it must be mistaken, because wasn’t she just arrested like last week? It was a week and a half ago, I see, and she was arrested (or went in voluntarily, depending on who you believe) for an incident in which witnesses claim she hauled off and headbutted a guy outside a bar. She was also said to have smoked drugs on the sidewalk and to have deliberately knocked over tables and drinks in the pub. Police let her off with a caution for assault, which means it goes on her record or something but is not an official charge.

Now she’s finally been arrested for the video of her smoking crack that was published on The Sun’s website back on January 22. The next day reports came out that the video was turned over to police, so why did it take them over three months to finally call her in?

Just like the last time she was arrested, her rep is trying to spin it like it was “voluntary”:

“Amy Winehouse voluntarily attended a London police station today by appointment,” her rep said in a statement. “She was arrested in order to be interviewed and is co-operating fully with inquiries. The interview relates to a video handed to police earlier this year.”

[From US Weekly]

It’s doubtful that the police will do much to Amy for the drug-taking video as it’s hard to prove what exactly she was smoking. Amy’s music career is already in jeopardy, with her producer Mark Ronson saying “I’m not sure Amy is ready to work on music yet” and admitting that they weren’t able to finish the lead track for the new James Bond film. What will it take to get her to clean up?

She has a lot of demons to distract her. The Sun reported this weekend that her jailed husband, Blake, was plotting with his new girlfriend to try and extort money from Amy. He is said to be demanding a $6 million divorce settlement.

Thanks to Splash for these photos of Amy supposedly waiting for a pizza outside a recording studio yesterday. She’s an exhibitionist, or maybe her skin was so itchy she wanted to strip down for better scratching access. Why is she holding a jar of mayonnaise up to her face?

Amy Winehouse’s life has spun so completely out of control that she’s no longer able to work on her music anymore. At least if you ask her longtime producer and friend Mark Ronson. He worked on her Grammy-winning album “Back to Black,” and the pair had been in the studio off and on for the last month or so, trying to record the theme to the upcoming James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. However Mark had to scrap the plans, saying that Amy isn’t able to record music anymore.

Mark, 32, said: “We did work on it but we never finished it. I don’t think it will happen unless by some miracle it gets recorded and someone sings on it. I’m not sure Amy is ready to work on music yet.” The pair began collaborating on the track at Mark’s studio in Henley, Oxfordshire, last month but their sessions soon deteriorated.

Amy is upset that Mark, a key figure in her career who masterminded her second album Back To Black, has spoken publicly about their problems. And pals fear the rift will have long-term consequences for the troubled 24-year-old. One said: “Mark has always had a really good influence on Amy. He brought out the best in her and cared for her on a personal level.

“On a professional level he seems to be the only person who can get her into the studio. Without him encouraging her we’re worried.”

Amy’s spokesman said: “Mark presented a track to Amy, but she had other ideas about the direction it should take. We’re sure they will continue to make great music together.”

[From the Sun]

Everything else in Amy’s life has fallen apart. Until this most recent development, the only thing you could say Amy had going for herself was that at least she still had her music. Now that that’s no longer true… how much further does she have to fall before she officially reaches “rock bottom?” I’m not sure what’s left to get her to that point, except for more of the same.

When you list the things that normally bring a person to some sort of realization that things need to change, you normally think of things like overdoses, hospitalizations, fights, arrests, losing connections with family – all things Amy has gone through multiple times. Aside from the very worst, what else is left to happen here?

Here’s Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse performing at the Brit Awards on February 20th in London. Images thanks to WENN.

A tape taken of Angelina Jolie openly doing drugs sometime in the 1990s was viewed by a source quoted in the National Enquirer. It reportedly shows the then 20-something goth Angelina snorting coke and smoking heroin and saying “Wow, this is really good smack.” The owner of the tape is supposedly trying to sell it for $70k:

The Enquirer’s source claims the tape’s owner is seeking $70,000 for its sale - telling the tabloid, “It appears to be from the 1990s, right before Angelina - then in her 20s - was breaking out in films like Gia and Girl, Interrupted, which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

“The key part of the tape is Angelina doing heroin. She says, ‘Wow, this is really good smack - not that cheap crap that’s been stepped on.’ Angelina is seen sniffing white lines from a plate, and then as the drug cooks on tinfoil, she deeply sucks in its smoke through a tube.”

[From Starpulse]

Angelina has been open about her past drug use, and is quoted as saying “I’ve done coke, heroin, ecstasy, LSD everything. I hate heroin because I’ve been fascinated with it. I’m not immune, but I won’t do it now, at all.”

We know she’s done it, but having a tape of it is another thing entirely and if it does come out it will be interesting to see the fallout. A lot of people like to vilify her for her past, but she’s certainly come clean about it and it doesn’t seem like she has much to hide given all her statements.

Angelina, Brad and their four children are currently staying on the French Riviera in an estate owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, as we reported yesterday. Angelina has two films opening at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from the 14 to the 25 of May, Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood, and the animated film Kung Fu Panda, with Jack Black.

Angelina is currently pregnant and is thought to be due sometime next month. She is rumored to be having twins.

Mug shot via TMZ
CSI star Gary Dourdan pulled a George Michael and was found by police passed out in his car at 5:21 this morning in Palm Springs, California. Cops must have searched his vehicle because TMZ reports that he was arrested on suspicion of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs. He is now out of jail after posting bail of $5,000.

——–possible CSI Spoiler below——–

This week’s National Enquirer reports that Dourdan was canned from CSI for his drug and alcohol problem, but that he’s telling people he was fired:

“CSI” star Gary Dourdan claims he quit the show - but he was fired due to drug and alcohol abuse, say sources!

Gary - who plays criminalist Warrick Brown - is telling pals that he decided to walk away from the hit CBS drama, but show insiders insist that studio brass gave him the boot after weeks of tension on the set.

The 43-year-old actor has confessed in interviews to “reckless periods” when he abused drugs and alcohol, but claims he quit cold turkey in his 20s. Despite that, insiders say the show’s producers got fed with Gary’s drugging and boozing - and pulled the plug on his TV crime-fighting career.

When contacted by The Enquirer, CBS wouldn’t comment on the reasons for Gary’s departure.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 5, 2008]

The Enquirer reminds us that Dourdan pled no contest to misdemeanor battery in 2005 after it was alleged that he beat and raped a former girlfriend. And remember that video that TMZ posted last summer of Dourdan chasing and taunting a paparazzo instead of the other way around? Dourdan is said to have beat up the guy and smashed his head on the pavement, but it’s hard to tell from the videos they have up, which are pretty shaky because the victim is carrying the camera. There’s a lot of running and swearing going on, and whatever happened it’s clear that Dourdan is taunting the poor guy.

In response to Dourdan’s photographer beat down in mid July, 2007, CBS issued a statement that he had not been dropped from the show. It looks like he’s out of there at this point and that it’s not like getting busted for drug possession is going to affect his already-tanked career. Gary Dourdan’s bio is still up on the CSI website, but look for a statement from CBS about his employment status in light of his recent drug bust.

Life is really working out well for Blake Fielder-Civil, Amy Winehouse’s estranged, jailbird husband. By being married to Winehouse for just 11 months, Blake is expecting quite the payout at the end of their marriage – which everyone knows is coming in short order. Though he’s said to be on suicide watch at Pentonville Prison - where he’s also relapsed on drugs since finding out that Amy’s been cheating on him – Blake is clearly only sorta-distraught. He’s demanding $500,000 for each month they’ve been married – including the time he’s spent in jail.

Singer Amy Winehouse’s jailbird husband is demanding a £3million divorce payout as he rages over being dumped. Junkie Blake Fielder-Civil, 25, has told his lawyers he wants £250,000 for every month of their year’s marriage, despite being behind bars for part of it. And he fumed to pals after being ditched by the 24-year-old Back to Black singer: “She wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for me.”

A friend said: “At first Blake refused to believe Amy had dumped him, but his initial devastation has been replaced by rage. He said Amy owes everything to him — he inspired her music and says he saved her life. As a result of Amy his life will never be the same and he wants to make her compensate him. He has demanded £3million at the very least from her £10million fortune.”

[From the Sun]

So clearly Blake’s not all that distraught. I’m guessing the suicide watch is just a caution that the jail keepers probably institute in any case like this. Better safe than sorry and all that. Blake is back to his usual drug using. What a winner.

Sources at Pentonville Prison said Fielder-Civil had gone back to his old druggie ways after The Sun revealed Amy had bedded her manager’s assistant Alex Haynes, 22. He begged for heroin from another lag and inhaled it after getting his first clean drugs report in three months.

[From the Sun]

Blake going back to drugs doesn’t make me think he’s all that upset about Amy – from everything that’s been written, he seems the sort who’d take any excuse to use again. It would make a lot of people very happy to see Amy and Blake divorce –not the least of which is both of their families. And most of her friends. The notion that Blake in some way saved Amy is utterly ridiculous. He’s been nothing but bad for her – she had her act comparatively together until she met him. Who knows if she’ll get her life in order again, but Blake being out of it can only do her good.

Here’s Amy Winehouse entertaining friends at her home last night. Images thanks to WENN.