I just can’t decide if Amy Winehouse’s life is getting much better, much worse, or staying about the same. And I feel that it’s really important for me to come to some sort of conclusion, so Amy can stop calling me every five minutes, anxiously awaiting my opinions about her life. The girl lives and dies by my thoughts, I swear. It’s a lot of responsibility to have on my shoulders, but I deal. I deal. Amy was seen out and about on the town last night with a very handsome, clean-cut, normal seeming young man, singer Tyler James. Who I first misread as my all time musical hero James Taylor, but luckily that’s not who she’s hanging out with.

Amy Winehouse stepped out with a clean-cut young man in London last night, raising hopes that she might yet dump her ‘Blake incarcerated’ and in turn increase the chances of kicking her drug habit. Amy was seen leaving her Camden home last night with clean-cut singer Tyler James to meet up with her celebrity pals at St Martin’s Lane hotel nightclub Bungalow 8. However, despite his presence the singer appears to be making a return to the increasingly chaotic lifestyle she led before checking into rehab for just two weeks.

It adds worrying credence to reports that she has lapsed back into her previous drug-fuelled lifestyle. After leaving the club, Amy and her pals drove back to her north London home and stopped off at the newsagents at after 4am for her usual supply of sweets and munchies.

[From the Daily Mail]

The Mail goes on to make my decision for me, letting us know that Amy has pretty much fallen off the wagon, and will likely be ordered back into rehab by her record company. Which is probably a pretty good plan, since this time didn’t seem to take. I realize she’s got to want to do it, but I really don’t see that happening. I think the best anyone can hope for is minimizing the amount of drugs she’s on at any given moment. The Mail also cites a doctor who says Amy’s much talked about skin lesion/weird thing doesn’t look like impetigo as her agent claims, but appears to be a bruise. The doctor points out that could be an intentional or accidental injury, and that it’s certainly possible Amy fell in some sort of drug-induced… dizziness. Yesterday the internet was flying with the rumor that Amy had actually put a cigarette out on her cheek, which resulted in the bruise. Everything is just speculation, yet very little seems out of the realm of possibility. Still, if absolutely nothing else, the more time Amy spends with men that are not her husband, the better. That can only be a step up. Well, with the exception of Pete Doherty.

Here’s Amy Winehouse out with Tyler James… and making the most frightening face I’ve seen since Britney Spears. Images thanks to Splash.

‘Jackass’ star Steve O, who is best known for stapling his own scrotum to his leg, has been busted for drugs again. The idiot star of Jackass, who is often seen at events smoking pot out of a homemade tin can bong on the red carpet, was picked up this morning after complaints that he was vandalizing his own apartment. When police investigated the complaint– presto! Steve O was found to have drugs on his person. Quelle surprise!

Steve-O is cooling his heels in jail.

The Jackass actor was arrested on drug charges, an LAPD spokesperson confirms to Usmagazine.com.

Officers were first called the scene at 5 a.m. this morning after hearing Steve-O was vandalizing the walls of his apartment.

“It appears there were holes in the common wall adjacent to a neighbor,” the spokesperson tells Us.

Drugs were found on the MTV star after police arrived at the scene.

TMZ.com, which first reported the arrest, says Steve-O was held in a citizen’s arrest. The LAPD spokesperson can’t confirm.

The LAPD spokesperson says Steve-O (real name: Stephen Glover) is still at LAPD’s Hollywood station and that bail has not yet been set.

In May 2003, the daredevil actor was jailed for five days in Sweden after joking about smuggling drugs in the country. Two months later, Steve-O was charged with disorderly conduct at a Lollapalooza concert in Pennsylvania.

[From Us Weekly]

This guy is a total loser and I hope they throw the book at him. He’s 34 years old and acts like he’s 16 and mentally handicapped, and somehow continues to get away with it. In addition to the drug arrests, he’s also been arrested in the past for his frequent love of urinating in public. He’s absolutely disgusting and I can’t think of a better place for him to be than in a jail cell.

Note by Celebitchy: I saw this guy’s apartment on Cribs and it sounds like he hasn’t moved since then. I was kind of amazed that he was still living like a college student in a generic-looking apartment because I thought he was making bank on Jackass. It must be so annoying must to have to live next to him.

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.

Life seemed to be looking up for Amy Winehouse for a while, but now it’s a bit hard to tell. The singer has managed to get her Norwegian drug hearing delayed. Norwegian law requires that all parties in the crime show up, and as Amy’s husband Blake Fielder-Civil is currently incarcerated in the U.K., he cannot get himself to Norway. The couple are trying to reverse their guilty plea on pot possessions charges, claiming that they didn’t know that paying the fine was an admission of guilt. To be fair, the way it’s phrased in the press makes it sound like they thought the fee was bail money, not a fine for a crime.

Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were held overnight in Bergen, Norway on charges of possessing about a quarter-ounce of marijuana. They were released the following morning after each paying fines of $715.

Winehouse later appealed the fine, claiming she was unaware that handing over the cash was tantamount to pleading guilty to the pot charge and alleging that Norwegian police mishandled the case by failing to provide an English translator.

A drug charge on her record could create problems for the singer when it comes to obtaining the proper visas to perform in the United States and other parts of the world.

However, Bergen Police Attorney Rudolf Christoffersen maintained at the time that the singer was only questioned by an English-speaking officer who explained in detail the charges and consequences of paying the fine.

[From E! News]

I’m surprised that not much has been made of Amy’s drug using in the U.K. You’d think that would be her bigger problem, versus some pot. But any type of drug conviction is a problem for Winehouse, Visa-wise. And the U.K. hasn’t given her much of a problem over her rampant (and videotaped) drug use there. While Amy did check into rehab shortly after the aforementioned tape was leaked, she got out pretty quickly. Since then, she’s unfortunately been seen holding a bottle of beer, and appears to be back to engaging in self-harm, showing many fresh cuts on her arm last week.

The Norwegian hearing, which had been scheduled for Friday, has been postponed. But classy Blake will still be showing up in court that day anyway – in Snaresbrook Crown Court in London. There he will have to officially enter his plea on a witness tampering charge in his assault trial. This pair just get classier and classier. Obviously Amy still has a lot of issues to deal with – but if she’s trying to clear up her drug charge, that likely means that she wants to be able to get a visa so she can tour. Hopefully she continues looking to the future and cleans up her act.

Here’s Amy leaving her Camden home in London on Monday. Images thanks to Splash.

I must preface this article by assuring you that the only reason I know the name Aaron Carter is because I have a teenaged daughter. Back in the late ’90s-early 2000’s, Aaron was a fresh-faced, gender-neutral looking preteen who pretended to rap and made elementary girls squeal with such profound hits as “Aaron’s Party.” Yeah, this kid was so original, he had his own name in his songs. You may know him now as the pizza-faced kid brother to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter. The brothers, along with their sister and mom, had a horrible reality show for about five minutes on the E! channel that made them look even more dysfunctional than the Osbournes. Anyway, Aaron was pulled over for speeding in Texas and the cops found a little more than they bargained for during this routine traffic stop.

Nick Carter’s baby bro, Aaron, was busted earlier today in Kimble County, Texas with at least two ounces of marijuana!

TMZ has confirmed Aaron was pulled over on I-10 earlier today for speeding — and when authorities decided to search his vehicle, they found his fat stash inside!

Aaron, 20, is currently in jail until tomorrow, when a judge will be present for his arraignment.

[From TMZ]

Is that a lot of marijuana? I have no idea about these things. No word on whether or not Aaron was under the influence while driving. There’s a lesson here, kids: Leave your stash at home!

Note by Celebitchy: You have a right to refuse police searches of your vehicle. You can say “I don’t consent to any searches, officer.” Cops will often say things offhand like “We’re just going to look in your car now, ok?” and it’s up to you to tell them that you don’t consent. Refusal to search doesn’t give an officer any right to detain or search your car. Here is a video on how to refuse a car search in the US. Here’s a website with information on how you can legally avoid searches by police officers in different situations.

We are not advocating drug use, just informing you of your rights. That said, 2 ounces sounds like a lot of pot. According to the Urban Dictionary, it has a street value of around $600.

Aaron Carter is shown at his birthday party on 12/15/06, thanks to PRPhotos.

Blake and Amy in August of last year
That master of junkie manipulation, Blake Fielder-Civil, is at it again. Seems like every time his wife, Amy Winehouse, starts to get her life together again, he pulls a stunt from his cell in Pentonville prison in London– most likely, to get Amy to come running. If you recall, so far Blake has attempted suicide, sent his own mother running to the tabloids to spread rumors about Amy, wrote her a two-page love letter begging her not to leave him, and now there are new reports that Civil overdosed on heroin in his cell over the weekend.

Blake Fielder-Civil was rushed to the jail’s hospital block when he collapsed in agony after taking what he thought was heroin.

Guards found the 35-year-old writhing in pain and vomiting violently in a cell.

They instantly set off alarms and activated emergency procedures to save his life.

A probe was launched and prison officers found he had taken a drug believed to be heroin, mixed with a toxic substance.

A jail source said: “This was a close call, but he might not be so lucky next time.

[From The Daily News]

This is the third time that Civil has been found with drugs in his cell since being incarcerated. At first, it was rumored that Amy herself was slipping him drugs, but since the singer is searched each time she visits, that theory was dismissed. This time around, officials say that Civil got the heroin from another inmate. Obviously, getting sober is not part of his agenda.

It seems like Civil has really stepped up his manipulation game since Amy went to rehab, and is now spending time with another man named Blake, rumored to be her new sober companion. Too bad for Civil that since he’s incarcerated, his options for acting out to get her attention are limited to overdoses and suicide attempts. Hopefully Amy will tire of his antics sooner rather than later, and keep on track with her sobriety.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Blake Fielder Civil is shown below pre-prison on 11/7/07. He is shown out with Amy in August in the header image. Thanks to WENN.

Lindsay Lohan talked about Heath Ledger in the New Yorker magazine interview that accompanies her topless tribute to Marilyn Monroe. We covered this story earlier today, but here’s a recap: Lohan called Marilyn’s suicide tragic and then said “You know, it’s also tragic what just recently happened to someone else.” When the journalist said Heath’s name she shook her head yes and “hey are both prime examples of what this industry can do to someone… But I sure as hell wouldn’t let it happen to me.”

Despite the fact that Lohan annoys the hell out of me, I hope she moves to somewhere far away without paparazzi or tanning spray facilities and stops spending money so she can live adequitely (spelling deliberate) outside of the spotlight. I certainly wouldn’t want her to meet a tragic end unless it involves personal bankruptcy and not death. Her father says that the latter is a possibility, considering that she is now, or has at some time, taken many of the same prescription drugs as Heath Ledger was went he died. It sounds like their whole family has the same inflated sense of self importance as their orange daughter:

When Heath died, he was taking some of the same medications that Lindsay Lohan has been prescribed, says her dad, Michael Lohan. “Even before Heath’s death, I told Lindsay that I’m very concerned about the pills she’s taking. Doctors had Lindsay on Oxycontin when she broke her wrist. They also had her on Adderall for ADD, Xanax for depression and anxiety and Ambien for insomnia. Although Lindsay, 21, has told Michael, “Don’t worry, Dad, I’m okay,” he believes that doctors are overmedicating young stars. “I’m not only fearful for Lindsay, but for all the other kids out there… Most of these young people shouldn’t be on some of these medications - instead, they should get spiritual guidance, counseling and exercise. These new drugs get into their bones and bloodstreams and they have to detox to get off them or they can have seizures or possibly die.”

[From In Touch, print edition, February 25, 2008]

Leave it to Michael Lohan to make Heath Ledger’s death about his daughter. At least he has some experience in the field, now that he’s working at a faith-based rehab. He also kept the proselytizing to a minimum, you have to give him credit for just saying “spiritual guidance” instead of name-dropping God and/or His Only Son.

I was confused about the “drugs get into their bones” comment, and asked my husband about it. He’s a scientist and works in the pharmaceutical industry and he told me that drugs can conceivably get into the bones because there are blood vessels there. It terms of detox you would be more worried about drugs getting trapped in fatty tissue, though, not in your bones, even with someone as skinny as Lohan.

Michael Lohan is shown with Lindsay in Cirque Lodge rehab last year.

Singer Natalie Cole has felt it necessary to tell People magazine that Amy Winehouse didn’t deserve any of her five Grammy awards. Cole says that because Amy is battling a drug addiction, her awards send a bad message. She even said Amy was “having her cake and eating it too,” which I found an odd choice of words, as it implies that Amy’s getting everything she wants: drugs and Grammys. I doubt that Amy logically wants drugs or to be a drug addict as much as she wants to be a successful, award winning singer. She’s an addict, and drugs have a hold on her. That’s different. The comments are especially ironic considering that Natalie Cole has admitted to having some pretty serious drug problems herself, and used LSD, heroin, and cocaine. She went into rehab in the eighties and straightened herself out.

“I don’t think she should have won. I think it sends a bad message to our young people who are trying to get into this business, the ones who are trying to do it right and really trying to keep themselves together,” said Cole, 58. “We have to stop rewarding bad behavior.”

Of Winehouse, 24, who is currently in rehab in England, Cole says: “I’m sorry. I think the girl is talented, gifted, but it’s not right for her to be able to have her cake and eat it too. She needs to get herself together.”

On the seriousness of Winehouse’s troubles, Cole – who over the years has battled her own substance-abuse problems, successfully – observes, “I mean, she could die. This isn’t something that’s cute and fun just to throw around in the press. The girl really has a problem, and I think for those of us who have been in the business long enough, we know the sacrifice it takes. This is about discipline and hard work, and you don’t get to just do your drugs and go onstage and get rewarded.”

[From People]

We don’t yet know how Amy’s story will end up, but we do know that she’s been in rehab and seems to be making improvements in her life. Cole’s comments might make a little more sense if Amy weren’t in rehab and were still parading around the streets of London high as a kite. But to say she doesn’t deserve her success just because she has a problem seems pretty hypocritical, or like Natalie Cole is assuming Amy won’t be able to beat her addiction. The whole “she needs to get herself together” comment really rubs me the wrong way, because that is exactly what Amy Winehouse is trying to do. It’s not an overnight process, and as Natale Cole should know, getting your life back together takes time, and battling an addiction is a lifelong struggle.

Cole also noted, “Her performance was fine… I don’t take anything away from her talent, but I just feel like she’s stepping into a place that she hasn’t earned yet.” Amy didn’t “step into a place she hasn’t earned yet.” She was nominated for awards and she won them, because other people felt she had talent. It’s not like she’s out there telling everyone that she’s the best and the greatest – people are saying that about her. Not to get too nit picky, but the Grammys are awards for singing. Obviously there’s politics behind them and someone living a certain way could taint their image and not be rewarded for their talent. But technically the award is just for a song or a record, not for a lifestyle. People thought Amy had the best song, so she won. I think it’s only fair to wish her the best and hope she gets her life together, and not to say she doesn’t deserve good things just because she’s still in the middle of that process.

Here’s Natalie Cole with Seal at the Grammys. Images thanks to PR Photos.

January really was a tragic month. Both Heath Ledger and Brad Renfro passed away - and yesterday Renfro’s cause of death was finally released. The coroner has ruled his death the result of an accidental heroin/morphine overdose. The coroner noted that the drugs had been injected. This ends much of the speculation that Renfro had committed suicide. A few days before his death, he got a large tattoo across his back that said “F*ck y’all.”

Actor Brad Renfro’s death has been attributed to “acute heroin/morphine intoxication,” according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.

“The final manner of death has been ruled an accident,” the coroner’s office said, adding that the drugs were injected.

The 25-year-old actor, who starred in 1994’s The Client and, later, Apt Pupil, had recently completed a movie with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton. Renfro was found dead in a Los Angeles apartment on Jan. 15.

[From People]

Like Heath Ledger, Brad Renfro also left behind a young child, a four-year-old son identified as Yamato, who lives with his mother in Japan. It’s a sad comparison to note that any drugs can be dangerous. Obviously when one injects heroin or morphine, there’s a chance of overdose. We forget that it’s possible to overdose from pills our doctors give us too.

Brad made his last movie, “The Informers” this last year. The plot outline on the Internet Movie Database calls it “A drama based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel set in 1983 Los Angeles, where movie executives, rock stars, a vampire, and other morally challenged character mix and commingle.” Brad starred alongside a high profile cast, including Winona Ryder, Billy Bob Thornton, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, and Brandon Routh. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 30th.

While Amy Winehouse’s rehab has reportedly been going well in terms of her commitment to the program, she is said to be suffering through a terrible detox. According to both the Daily Mail and The Sun, Amy had to be transported to the hospital and put on an IV drip because she was so dehydrated from throwing up.

Amy Winehouse is on a hospital drip after becoming dangerously dehydrated as she went “cold turkey” from drugs. The singer… was smuggled into a Harley Street clinic on Wednesday for treatment. A source close to the London Clinic, which is near the Capio Nightingale Hospital in Marylebone, where Winehouse is undergoing rehab, told The Sun: “Amy was looking very pale and thin.

“She looked ropey and exhausted. Let’s hope she hasn’t taken a turn for the worse.” Her father, Mitch, 57, has said she is suffering “horrific” withdrawal symptoms. He said yesterday that she was “making progress” but that it would take a “long time”.

[From the Daily Mail]

Mitch Winehouse says that Amy originally went into rehab with the hopes of performing at the Grammys, but doesn’t think it will end up happening. He said, “I’m not sure the Grammys are going to happen. I don’t want her to go, it might be a bit too soon for her. She’s not well - that’s why she’s in rehab.” Hopefully Amy will focus on her recovery more than anything else. If the Grammys are the carrot on the stick she needs to get her going, that’s great, but rehab should be the first priority.

Picture Note by JayBird: Images are of Amy Winehouse over the last month. She has since gone back to her trademark dark beehive.