So Bill Murray’s been kind of quiet lately. That’s not really news in and of itself, supposedly he’s a recluse and not exactly on the list of hot young celebrities. But he’s really smart and talented and once in a while puts out a really great movie, so he certainly deserves to get a mention when he joins the hot young destructive celebrity set, and gets his very own DUI. Yes, at the age of 57, Bill Murray finally has what it takes to be young and powerful in Hollywood these days. If only he’d have a pantyless crotch shot, he’d be made.

Murray was taking part in the Scandinavian Masters golf tournament in Stockholm this weekend. He had a bit to drink. Not so much that he was slurring or tipsy or falling over or anything. But enough that driving a golf cart through the streets of Stockholm seemed like a good idea. Driving a golf cart on the streets isn’t illegal in and of itself, but driving much of anything after imbibing any drink more potent than a dose of Nyquil is quite illegal. Europeans are famously more tolerant towards alcohol, but much less tolerant towards DUI/DWIs. Which is how it should be. A first infraction can often mean significant jail time and a loss of a person’s drivers license for the rest of their life. Apparently that won’t be the case for Mr. Murray, as he wasn’t ridiculously drunk and likely returned to the States.

“Bill Murray could face a drunken driving charge after cruising through downtown Stockholm in a golf cart and refusing to take a breath test, citing U.S. law. Police officers spotted the “Caddyshack” star early Monday in the slow-moving vehicle and noticed he smelled of alcohol when they pulled him over, said Detective-Inspector Christer Holmlund of the Stockholm police.

“‘He refused to blow in the (breath test) instrument, citing American legislation,’ Holmlund told The Associated Press on Wednesday. ‘So we applied the old method — a blood test. It will take 14 days before the results are in.’ Murray, who had been at a golf tournament in Sweden, signed a document admitting that he was driving under the influence, and agreed to let a police officer plead guilty for him if the case goes to court, Holmlund said.

“‘Then he was let go. My guess is he went back to America,’ Holmlund said. He said the 56-year-old actor-comedian would only be charged if tests show his blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, which is quite low in Sweden. A very high alcohol level could lead to a prison sentence, but Holmlund said fines were more likely.

“‘There were no obvious signs, like when someone is really tipsy,’ he said.”

[From Yahoo News]

The things unknown untalented actresses will do to get attention these days. Oops, I mean Bill Murray. Apparently the golf cart had been outside of the hotel Murray was staying in, on display for the past week. I guess temptation became a bit too much to take, and Murray absconded with it, driving the cart to the Cafe Opera nightclub. The nightclub was less than a mile away, but I’m guessing that was one long, slow mile. I wonder what role that crazy Caddyshack gopher played in this whole debacle, and if he was cited too?

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Bill at the The Lost City Los Angeles Premiere in April 2006. Image thanks to PR Photos.

TMZ is on top of the Nicole Richie DUI trial. There were plenty of reporters and paparazzi outside the hearing, but in the videos of her entering the courthouse they seem to leave her relatively alone. She strolled into the courtroom arm in arm with her boyfriend, Joel Madden, and was wearing a loose black sleeveless dress and big ‘ol sunglasses. At first TMZ says she doesn’t look pregnant, but it’s hard to tell from the camera angles and pictures available. In their next article TMZ is calling her pregnant, and says she received five days in jail and will serve four days as she received credit for six hours served, in exchange for a guilty plea in her DUI case.

She received a $2,048 fine and will get three years probation. She was also ordered to take a 21 day alcohol education course. Richie was said to be calm and non-emotional during the sentencing.

Richie made a wise decision in light of the media circus and harsh sentence that were likely to result from a full blown trial. Given the latest details in the Lohan incident, driving the wrong way on the freeway while under the influence of Vicodin and pot seems minor when compared to stealing a car, kidnapping three people, chasing multiple other people, and refusing to pull over despite passengers’ pleas for their life. Richie’s transgression has been overshadowed by the severity and deliberate nature of Lohan’s DUI, and she’s likely to be grateful for that.

Richie has to report for jail by September 28. Her baby is thought to be due in January.

Thanks to Splash News for these photos and TMZ for the story.

“What, so early?” you ask. (At least that’s what to sprung to mind when I read the headline.)

It turns out Nicole is going to cop a plea in her DUI case from December when she was found driving the wrong way on the freeway. She has an earlier DUI conviction from 2002, and under California law she faces a mandatory 5 days in jail. On Friday she will appear in court, and the judge will sentence her on the spot.

On June 20, Nicole was ordered to stand trial for her DUI on July 11, or within 10 days of that date. Friday will be past the ten day deadline, and I wonder how she worked that out.

I bet Nicole wants to avoid a media circus trial and is scared she’ll be made an example of given the recent high-profile arrest of Lindsay following Paris’ stint in prison. She’s undoubtedly pregnant at this point, and has been lying low amid rumors that she’s having trouble with her probable baby-daddy, Joel Madden. She has been touring with him, and has popped up in the upstate NY city of Rochester and in other out of the way locations while he makes promotional appearances for his band, Good Charlotte. The two were seen fighting in public recently, but it may have just been a minor incident over what size bra Nicole wears. (Follow the link, I’m not making this up.)

Nicole will break her silence with ABC’s Diane Sawyer in an interview to air next week. It will be shown on Good Morning America on August 2 and 3, and on 20/20 on August 3. I wonder if she’ll already be in jail at that point.

How crazy is it that Nicole, Paris and/or Lindsay might end up doing jail time this year? Add Britney Spears to the mix and I’ll be in gossip heaven.

The images here are older ones. The header is from late May and the one below is from mid June. Also, I have not gloated for this yet, but I believe we were the first to call Richie pregnant.