As Kaiser covered earlier, today was the day Lindsay Lohan was supposed to check into rehab. Kaiser pre-wrote some of this before I watched the hearing and jacked this story from her, so I’m just going to use her introduction and put it in quotes: “Not just any rehab: the prosecutor and judge signed off on the rehab in the Hamptons, but Lindsay refused to go because they would let her smoke cigarettes (not to mention crack). So now Lindsay is weeping and she’s hysterical and her dad won’t stop giving interviews and OH BY THE WAY she’s already in violation of her plea deal. Because of course. The California justice system is going to sentence her to TWO gentle pats on the firecrotch for this!”

Again, Kaiser pre-wrote that paragraph above before the hearing, and of course she was right. Of course nothing happened to The Teflon Cracken, and of course she got away with switching rehabs at the last minute. In today’s hearing, the prosecutor Terry White expressed his frustration at the last minute change in rehabs. He said that he had been given a list of six rehabs some time ago, that he researched them all, spoke to rehab directors, and picked the one he considered acceptable. Instead, he was told about five minutes before today’s hearing that a different rehab was chosen, and was given a letter claiming that the rehab was acceptable, instead of being allowed to do his own research.

White said that he had quickly looked into Lindsay’s chosen rehab, Morningside in Newport Beach, CA where she allegedly is now, and had found three articles from the past year condemning it. Score for Lindsay! The whole hearing was a score for Lindsay, because the judge didn’t seem to be swayed by the prosecution and said she could stay in that rehab, unless prosecutors objected. The prosecution has until May 10th to evaluate the place. It almost doesn’t matter if prosecutors object to that particular rehab, because they still have to prove that the rehab doesn’t “fall within the parameters of the plea agreement.” The judge kept emphasizing that point, so I bet that objection never happens. TMZ did some research and found that Morningside had its license revoked just last year for “being careless with prescription drugs.” Again, score for Lindsay! She’ll be able to get all the Adderall and Vicodin she needs to get through the day.

I just wanted to share the most ridiculous line from today’s hearing. Lindsay’s My Cousin Vinny lawyer, Mark Heller, insisted that “My client is ensconced in the bosom of that facility right now.” Sucking at the teat of denial, addiction and entitlement.

If the prosecution doesn’t object, Lindsay will stay at Morningside rehab until July 31st. If she’s in compliance and finishes treatment, she doesn’t have to go back to court at that time and her lawyer can appear for her.

Update: Radar is reporting that Lindsay walked right in and right out of rehab and quotes a source who says “She told people there that she didn’t need rehab. And then she left. Everyone was stunned.” Meanwhile TMZ has a photo of Lindsay shopping in electronic store Fry’s at 9am Pacific time, when her lawyer assured the judge she was already “ensconced in the bosom of that facility.” She wasn’t in rehab a couple of hours later either, and – get this – the rehab lost its license for good last year, and is only a “sober living facility,” one that Lohan refuses to even stick with for a day. It’s about to get interesting.

Photo credit: WENN and PCNPhotos

As I said two years ago, I wasn’t really paying attention to the drama of the Amanda Knox case as it happened. In 2007, Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were accused of killing Knox’s British roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy. In the original trial, both Knox and Sollecito were found guilty, correct? And then in 2011, the conviction was overturned on appeal when the prosecution’s case seemed to fall apart when they found that the scientific evidence just wasn’t there, plus the Italian police seemed to focus on Knox early in the investigation simply because they thought she was kind of trampy (Dateline did a thing about the “slut-shaming” of the Italian courts and it was fascinating). Anyway, Knox’s conviction was overturned and she went home to Seattle, where she has stayed since 2011. She’s back in college and I think she’s working on a memoir. And now an Italian court has just overturned Knox’s acquittal!

As she continues to proclaim her innocence, Amanda Knox will be retried for the 2007 stabbing murder of Meredith Kercher, an Italian court ruled on Tuesday.

Knox, an American, and her Italian then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were initially found guilty of killing Knox’s 21-year-old British roommate and spent four years in prison – but that verdict was thrown out on appeal of the scientific evidence in 2011. Italy’s Court of Cassation has now thrown out the acquittal and ordered a retrial to be held in Florence, Reuters reports.

Knox, now 25, slammed the decision. “It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution’s theory of my involvement in Meredith’s murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair,” she said in a statement.

“I believe that any questions as to my innocence must be examined by an objective investigation and a capable prosecution,” she said. “The prosecution responsible for the many discrepancies in their work must be made to answer for them, for Raffaele’s sake, my sake, and most especially for the sake of Meredith’s family. Our hearts go out to them.”

Knox said she and her family would “face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity.”

Prosecutors claim Kercher was killed during a drug-fueled sexual assault. She was found with more than 40 wounds and a deep gash in the throat in the Perugia apartment she shared with Knox.

Knox and Sollecito admitted to smoking marijuana on the night Kercher died but said they played no role in her stabbing.

A third person, Rudy Guede of the Ivory Coast, is serving 16 years after being found guilty in a separate trial. Prosecutors believe he could not have killed Kercher by himself.

[From People]

I guess the Italian legal system doesn’t believe in “double jeopardy”? In America, once a person has been acquitted, they cannot be recharged with the same crime. So will Knox have to go back to Italy for a retrial or will she just stay in Seattle and if the Italians try to extradite her, America will be like “Eh, no thanks”?

The NY Times says the retrial will likely begin later this year of in early 2014. Knox’s lawyer told the NYT that Knox would probably not go return to Italy for the retrial. Oh, and here’s an interesting detail that I didn’t know: Kercher’s family pursued this retrial. They were the ones pushing the Italian courts to get justice for Meredith. So… the Kercher family still believes Knox had something to do with Meredith’s murder?

Photos courtesy of WENN and Layne Freedle/WENN.com.

Yesterday, we discussed the alternate-legal-universe strategy being employed by Team Cracken’s crack legal team, which is basically to deny, lie, obfuscate, blame the black guy and then lie some more, then do some more drugs, then chug some vodka, than blame another black guy. Believe it or not, if you’re a young, white crackhead with big boobs, this legal strategy actually works. A few months ago, prosecutors were in talks with Lindsay Lohan’s then-lawyer Shawn Holley on a plea deal that would have included mandatory jail time and at least six months of rehab. But by hiring a new (sketchy) lawyer and simply waiting out the prosecution, the plea deal being offered is now ridiculously generous – no jail, two months of rehab, and a gentle slap on the firecrotch. You’d think that LL would jump at the chance, right? Not so much. Because she’s so LINNOCENT.

Lindsay Lohan did NOT cut a plea bargain Wednesday with prosecutors in her lying-to-cops case …TMZ has learned … and right now it looks like she’s headed for trial.

We broke the story … Santa Monica and L.A. City prosecutors had a noon meeting via telephone with Lindsay’s lawyer, Mark Heller.

Sources connected with Lindsay tell TMZ … prosecutors insisted Lindsay accept a significant amount of time in a residential rehab facility, but Heller wasn’t having it. We’re told prosecutors bent a little and offered somewhere around 30 days rather than the 60 they initially wanted — still Heller didn’t accept.

We’re told Heller and prosecutors have not given up, and one source connected with the talks tells TMZ, “Negotiations are ongoing.”

BUT … sources say Heller and Lindsay are not in lockstep — he’s willing to accept a plea that involves counseling and possibly some sort of rehab, but Lindsay says she’s not accepting any of it because to her it sounds like “punishment for something I didn’t do.”

Bottom line … prosecutors aren’t worried if they can’t strike a deal — we’re told they’re more than willing to go to trial March 18.

[From TMZ]

“Punishment for something I didn’t do”…? WTF? We can argue about whether or not she was drunk-driving (I think chances are pretty good that she was), but the prosecution has a pretty good case for Lindsay lying to the police by telling them that she was not the driver during her PCH crash. She WAS driving. Multiple eyewitnesses say so. Her assistant says so. Enough. And that one charge is enough to revoke her probation on the cracked-out jewelry heist case. Meaning… jail time, if the prosecution has any balls. So what is Mark Heller doing? Why is he letting Lindsay’s crack delusions spin so out of control?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Do you remember back in June 2012 when Lindsay Lohan crashed her Porsche on the Pacific Coast Highway and a million cracked-out stories filtered through the tabloid media? I remember specifically a story about Lindsay getting out of her totaled Porsche (getting out of the driver’s side) and taking a moment to throw away all of the containers of alcohol in the car. True, that story was largely unverified (I believe only one witness said it happened), but doesn’t it FEEL right? Doesn’t it feel like Lindsay is constantly behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and drugs? So… I don’t really get why this TMZ story is all breathless with the breaking news that Lindsay reeked of alcohol after the crash. But there are some interesting details about a plea bargain:

Lindsay Lohan may have been drinking just before she crashed her Porsche last June on Pacific Coast Highway … TMZ has learned. Nevertheless, prosecutors are offering her a brand new plea deal that does NOT involve jail.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … a bottle of alcohol was found next to Lindsay’s Porsche, and we’re told her breath smelled of alcohol. For some reason, cops did not perform a field sobriety test at the scene of the crash.

Sources tell us … the Santa Monica City Attorney is prepared to offer Lindsay 60 days in a residential rehab facility in her lying-to-cops case — where she said she wasn’t driving the Porsche. That’s 4 months less than the original offer.

In addition, we’re told the City Attorney wants Lindsay to attend another set of AA meetings. And he wants her to do community service. We’re told the prosecutor will let her do the community service in New York City, but — unlike Chris Brown — it must be closely monitored.

The wild card is that the L.A. City Attorney is also involved in the case because they’re handling the jewelry heist case where Lindsay is still on probation. Up to now, we’re told the L.A. City Attorney wanted jail time for the probation violation, but the prosecutor may back off that position.

The plea bargain meeting between prosecutors and Lindsay’s lawyer, Mark Heller is today … so stay tuned.

[From TMZ]

For the love of God. Why does the California legal system bend over backwards (or just bend over) for the Cracken? Why has Lindsay’s legal strategy – of firing a quality attorney, and rejecting reasonable plea deals – paid off? Why is she being rewarded for being a cracked-out drunk driver, a crack thief, a dumbass who endangers innocent lives EVERY SINGLE DAY?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

I didn’t do the follow-up on the Frank Ocean-Chris Brown fight because I didn’t really know where to begin, and because I was kind of disappointed with the outcome. Frank Ocean has decided not to press charges against Chris, even though most sources claim that Chris came after Frank and that Chris was the first one to throw a punch (how shocking). Frank has told TMZ (and other outlets) that the altercation began when Chris tried to shake Frank’s hand and Frank refused, telling Chris that he was in his parking space. Chris then punched Frank in the face, and Chris’s entourage jumped in, also attacking Frank. Someone yelled “f—got” and at some point Chris threatened to shoot Frank. Because of course. But Frank has declined to press changes, so does it even matter? According to TMZ, it might. They have a lengthy story about how Chris didn’t really do all of his community service hours and he’s likely violated his parole since his sentencing (for attacking Rihanna), so he might go to jail…? This is really detailed, so I’m just including the whole thing:

The L.A. County District Attorney has filed legal documents claiming Chris Brown has violated his probation by submitting bogus community service records … claiming in one case he swore he was picking up trash in Virginia when he was actually on a PRIVATE JET TO CANCUN …TMZ has learned.

We’ve learned the D.A. is alleging in legal docs Chris Brown may have LIED when he claimed he had performed all of his community service in connection with the Rihanna beating case.

Bryan T. Norwood, the Chief of Police in Richmond, VA., wrote a letter to the judge on September 14, claiming Brown successfully completed 202 days of community service — he was only required to perform 180. Norwood attached documents showing that Brown frequently worked at Tappahannock Children’s Center — a place where Brown’s mom was once a director — and did odd jobs such as painting, washing windows, waxing floors, cutting grass and picking up trash.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ … the Richmond P.D. admits they only supervised Brown on 9 or 10 occasions and on all other dates he was not supervised by anyone. And get this … the detective who had been assigned to oversee Brown’s community service was told she did not have to continue monitoring at the Children’s Center. The times, location and types of duty were provided by Chris Brown’s mother.

The D.A. claims Chris and the Chief of Police had a prior relationship. And there’s more. According to the docs, Chris’ lawyer, Mark Geragos, “instructed” the lawyer for the Richmond P.D. on how to “handle” D.A. investigators’ questions about Chris’ community service. And Geragos told the probation officer there was a court order that Chris’ community service be removed from the probation department and given to the police chief. Fact is … there was no such court order.

Pretty ironic — during a progress hearing back in November, Geragos brazenly said the prosecutor had a “doubting attitude” for questioning a probation report which said Brown had met all his terms and conditions. And there’s more … the Administrator of the Children’s Center allegedly tried coaching the floor waxing guy on what to say to D.A. investigators, but he refused to lie and in fact had already told investigators he was the only one who waxed the floors for the past 3 years. Chris claimed in docs he waxed the floors on some occasions.

The judge was suspicious when the community service documents were filed, and sources tell us the D.A. began investigating and found no “credible, competent or verifiable evidence” that Brown did the 180 days community service. Sources tell TMZ … there’s no way Chris could have performed community service on some of the days, because he was out of the country doing concerts.

The D.A. calls Chris’ documentation “at best sloppy … and at worst fraudulent reporting.” The D.A. is asking the judge to reject Chris’ alleged Virginia community service hours and make him fulfill his obligation in L.A. County. By the way, the D.A. claims Chris’ mom was responsible for orchestrating work at the Children’s Center outside of normal operating hours and a key administrator told the D.A. she NEVER saw Chris perform any work at the center.

And the D.A. is also saying there are other possible probation violations, including:

– The Frank Ocean fight at the recording studio
– Brown testing positive for pot
– Failing to obtain a travel permit
– Allegedly grabbing and throwing a fan’s phone in Miami
– Throwing a chair through a window at “Good Morning America”

[From TMZ]

I live in Virginia and I was personally offended that Chris got to serve his community service in my state instead of in LA. I never understood that at all, because it seemed like a blatant attempt to confuse and obfuscate the situation regarding Chris’s actual community service – which was ordered by an LA court, correct? This is why the California Justice System’s motto is #YOLO. Because they can’t even keep track of the BS community service sentences they give out to young men who try to kill their girlfriends.

As for the possibility that Chris will actually be “punished” for these lies or whatever… doubtful. But sure, let’s hope for something.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

There are so many smaller, awful stories about Lindsay Lohan today. I guess I could parcel them out like crack gumdrops, but let’s all get through this together. First of all, as many of you fact-checked me earlier in the week, Max George totally denied that he’s dating Lindsay Lohan, regardless of her recent Instagram photo of the two of them. Max got on his Twitter and responded to his fans questions, tweeting “Nooooooo” and “I’m not” when asked.

Second story – you know how Lindsay’s micro-budget movie The Canyons looks like an awful disaster? Well, the film was rejected from the Sundance Film Festival months ago, and now it will probably be rejected from the South by Southwest Festival too! A festival insider told THR that the film suffers from major “quality issues” and “It’s got an ugliness and a deadness to it.” Shocking.

Next – there’s a ton of legal drama and behind-the-scenes drama with Lindsay’s lawyers. Lindsay’s new lawyer, Mark Heller, can’t practice law in California, so he has to have a “sponsor” and it got complicated so now two California lawyers – Lindsay Berger Sacks and Peter Toumbekis – will also be appearing with Lohan next week. As for the chance that the Cracken will ever, ever take a plea… not so much:

In what appears to be an all-or-nothing maneuver, Lindsay Lohan is rejecting a plea bargain that would put her in rehab but keep her out of jail and will go to trial, sources close to the situation tell RadarOnline.com exclusively.

In her seemingly never-ending litany of legal issues, Lindsay is facing criminal charges stemming from a car accident in Santa Monica, Calif. last summer. Lohan is accused of lying to police when she told them she was not driving at the time of the crash. The troubled actress is rejecting a deal that would put her in rehab for nine months and taking her chances in court.

Lindsay fired powerhouse attorney Shawn Holley and is now represented by Mark Heller, who once had his law license suspended for five years.

“Mark believes he can get Lindsay acquitted of all criminal charges stemming from her car accident in Santa Monica last summer,” a source told Radar. “Lindsay has convinced Mark that she never lied to cops when they asked her if she was driving the car that day.

“There was a plea bargain offer on the table for Lindsay to go to rehab for nine months, but she absolutely refused that. Mark won’t sign off on a deal that sends Lindsay to rehab for more than 60 days.”

And in a move that would certainly be dramatic – and possibly disastrous – Lindsay may testify in her own defense!

“There is talk of Lindsay taking the stand because she feels that once a jury hears her side of events she will be acquitted,” a source told RadarOnline.com exclusively.

Lilo owes former attorney, Holley more than $300,000 in legal fees, as Radar reported exclusively.

“Lindsay owes Shawn over $300,000 in legal fees and she hasn’t made any payments to her in over six months,” an insider previously told us. “Lindsay hadn’t paid anything for any of the work Shawn has done on her three new criminal charges of lying to cops in connection with her car accident in Santa Monica last summer. Shawn has kept Lindsay out of extended jail stays for over five years now “

Heller is based in New York City, and has obtained the necessary license to practice in California.

“Mark will be with Lindsay in court on January 30 at which point a date will be set for the trial,” a source said. “Lindsay’s probation violation hearing would be held at the conclusion of the criminal trial. “

Commissioner Jane Godfrey already has revoked her probation. Added the source: “Even if Lindsay is acquitted on the criminal charges, she can still be found in violation of the terms of her probation stemming from her necklace theft case.

“Lindsay has made it clear to Mark that she won’t be going back to jail, or to rehab under terms that she doesn’t agree to but it doesn’t appear that Lindsay comprehends the huge legal gamble she is taking by going to trial.”

[From Radar]

I seem to remember there was some speculation that Lindsay would testify in her own defense when she was on trial for the jewelry-heisting case, right? But she ended up not doing that, and I can’t see ANY lawyer thinking that it would be a good idea to let this cracktastrophe testify in open court. Even the biggest shyster in the world would be like, “Yeah… no habla.”

Photos courtesy of PCN, WENN.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have the return of LINNOCENT! I kind of missed “Linnocent”. “Linnocent” was the version of Lindsay Lohan when all she did in the face of overwhelming evidence of her wrong-doings was to simply deny, deny, deny. She always proclaimed her own innocence, even when there was flat-out video evidence to the contrary. Even when there was a police record, even when there was an audio recording. LINNOCENT LIVES! So, as you can guess, Lindsay Lohan will not be taking a plea deal in her LA case – because she’s super-innocent.

Lindsay Lohan doesn’t care that the prosecutor in her car crash case is willing to let her skate without spending a day in jail … because she won’t plea bargain a case in which she says she’s innocent.

TMZ broke the story … attorney Shawn Holley was on her way to court Monday to negotiate a deal in Lindsay’s lying-to-cops car crash case when she got her walking papers. Law enforcement sources tell us … the prosecutor was willing to let Lindsay plead no contest and agree to six months of lockdown rehab — NO JAIL.

Presumably, the offer is still on the table but we’re told Lindsay could not be less interested. She doesn’t think she did anything wrong and will not plead to a crime she says she didn’t commit.

FYI — our law enforcement sources tell us … prosecutors have her dead to rights, because she told cops she was a passenger in the Porsche when there’s overwhelming evidence she was the driver.

So get this … if the case goes to trial and Lindsay is found guilty, she faces 19 months in jail. On top of that, the lying-to-cops case has triggered a probation violation in her jewelry heist case and she could get ANOTHER 245 days for that.

It’s hard to keep track.

[From TMZ]

It is confusing, so let me see if I can get this straight – Lindsay’s next court date is the 30th, right? And that court date is for her probation violation – we haven’t even gotten to the court dates for the actual charge of lying to the police about being the driver during her car accident on the PCH last summer. So, Shawn Holley was trying to work out a plea deal for both of those criminal incidents – the lying to the police AND the probation violation? And under the deal Shawn was working on, Lindsay would have been on crack-lockdown at a hardcore rehab facility for six months. But Lindsay won’t take the deal because she’s super-innocent. Totally.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Lindsay Lohan tried to fire her long-time lawyer Shawn Holley yesterday. It was complicated – you can read my recap here. Basically, Lindsay owes Shawn more than $300,000, so of course LL thought this would be the perfect time to get a new lawyer, because she heard it through the crackvine that lawyers don’t care about being paid if they get fired by their clients. After TMZ was all “LL is so dumb for firing Shawn and hiring this other NY dude,” Lindsay was all “OMG, I didn’t mean to fire Shawn!” And then there was another interesting wrinkle – Shawn had been working with prosecutors on a plea deal that would have involved no jail time and six months of crack-lockdown rehab. I personally think that deal probably had more to do with Shawn’s dismissal, don’t you?

Anyway, all of this came just hours before Lindsay was due to make a plea at her hearing today. Lindsay wasn’t actually going to make the appearance in person, but Shawn was supposed to come to court and offer the plea on her behalf, only you know, Shawn got fired. But Shawn’s a pro so she showed up anyway:

Shawn Holley pulled off another miracle — pleading “not guilty” on Lindsay Lohan’s behalf today in court … despite Lindsay firing her yesterday.

When the judge asked if she was still representing Lindsay — Shawn replied, “At this point, yes” … but it’s unclear what that means since she got a letter saying she was fired yesterday. Lindsay has since hired another lawyer in New York, Mark Heller.

The judge was understandably confused — and Shawn said, “The representation issue will be nailed down.”

Consider it another bullet dodged by Lindsay — it was likely a bench warrant would have been issued for her arrest had Shawn not stepped in to help her.

A pretrial date has been scheduled for January 30th. Lindsay has been ordered to appear.

[From TMZ]

Ah, I miss the days when judges would actually order a bench warrant for Lindsay’s ass. Remember that? When was that? Like, 2010? Lindsay was partying at the Cannes Film Festival and she “lost” her passport so she couldn’t make it home in time for a court date and the judge was all “Bench warrant for the crackie!” Memories.

Anyway, it doesn’t sound like Shawn is too jazzed about this situation. Poor Shawn. Do you think she realized that she’s never going to see that $300,000?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Over the summer, I got drawn into a particularly good Independent Lens program called “Being Elmo”. It was a documentary about Kevin Clash, the man who voices/puppeteers Elmo, and how Clash grew up in poverty but how he knew – from a very young age – that he always wanted to work with puppets and specifically wanted to work on Sesame Street. It was a profoundly moving and amazing documentary and I fell in love with Clash’s heart. So I was profoundly disturbed to read this news on TMZ this morning – Clash has been accused of having a seven year “inappropriate relationship” with a 23-year-old dude. Meaning that it began when the dude was a 16-year-old boy. Oh, God.

Kevin Clash — the man known as the voice of Elmo — has taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street in the wake of allegations he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy, TMZ has learned … allegations Clash adamantly denies.

We’ve learned … Sesame Workshop lawyers recently met with a 23-year-old man who claims he and Clash began a sexual relationship 7 years ago … when he was 16 and Clash was 45. Clash has acknowledged to TMZ he had a relationship with the young man — but insists it only took place AFTER the accuser was an adult.

Sesame Workshop honchos tell TMZ … “In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a young man who alleged that he had a relationship with Kevin Clash beginning when he was 16-years-old. This was a personal relationship, unrelated to the workplace. We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action.”

Sesame Workshop officials acknowledge to TMZ they met with the accuser twice and had a number of other communications with him.

Sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ … after the accuser’s initial meeting with Sesame Street, the accuser felt Sesame Workshop’s lawyers were trying to muzzle him … so he lawyered up with Andreozzi and Associates — the firm that represented one of the victims in the Jerry Sandusky child rape case.

On August 15, 2012 … Andreozzi fired off a letter to Sesame, accusing the company of trying to “discredit the victim in order to protect its employee and the image of one of its most valuable characters,” adding, “This approach places a greater value on a puppet than the well being of a young man.”

Sesame Workshop officials tell TMZ … they conducted a thorough investigation and determined the allegation of underage sex was unsubstantiated. They say they never tried to silence the accuser — rather they asked for evidence supporting his claim, but he never produced it.

Officials also tell us they’re suspicious because the accuser has an email which TMZ obtained — purportedly sent to him by Clash, acknowledging they had the affair when he was 16. The officials say the accuser never mentioned such an email existed and they believe it’s fraudulent.

But there were other emails between Clash and the accuser, and although they don’t suggest there was underage sex, officials tell us they disciplined him for inappropriate use of company email.

Sesame Workshop honchos tell TMZ … “Kevin insists that these allegations are false and defamatory and he has taken actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so.”

It is unclear why Clash wanted a leave of absence, since he denies the allegations of underage sex.

As for Clash, the voice actor tells TMZ, “I had a relationship with [the accuser]. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.” Clash calls the accusations false and defamatory.

Finally Sesame Workshop officials tell TMZ the puppet is alive and well: “Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street to engage, educate and inspire children around the world.”

[From TMZ]

Oh NOooo. This is going to be a mess. After watching Being Elmo, I really thought I understood Clash, and this is just so, so disappointing. Not that this makes anything better, but it doesn’t sound like a Jerry Sandusky situation (Sandusky raped children… I’m just saying, there’s a legal distinction), although lord knows what revelations are going to come out in the next few weeks/months. This sounds like statutory rape and truly an “inappropriate relationship”. If Clash did begin this relationship with the guy when he was 16 years old, it’s still going to be a big criminal and legal matter that could conceivably destroy the goodwill of Sesame Street and of Elmo in particular. Elmo is the most lucrative part of the Sesame Street brand – and from that quote given to TMZ, it sounds like Sesame Street is already taking action to protect the Elmo brand and separate it from Kevin Clash. Ugh, this is just so sad and awful.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Amanda Bynes in 2009

First I should mention that Dina Lohan did an interview with Entertainment Tonight as part of damage control for her drunken disastrous Dr. Phil appearance. There are so many gems in there, and Kaiser will be covering it separately as a full story. We’re just going to focus on what Dina Lohan said when asked about what kind of advice she would give to Amanda Bynes’ parents. She said that they should just “be around,” basically, since that worked so well at keeping Lindsay out of trouble. Then she added that “she’ll be ok.” Just like Lindsay, right? She’s fine! Here’s what Dina said:

On if she’s upset that Amanda hasn’t had any consequences yet
“You know, I’m a mother, and I feel that that’s for her mother to speak about, and not me, because people have spoken for my child and myself, so I really feel that’s for her parents to discuss and Amanda herself.”

Dina’s advice to Amanda’s parents
“Just be around. … It’s hard when your daughter’s not, you know, over 18, and you want to let them go … and they want to, you know, feel like they’re in control of themselves. So it’s a very strategic place for a parent to be, but she’ll be ok.”

[From ETOnline]

Dina’s “strategic place” to “be around” with Lindsay was out at the clubs, at the dermatologists getting their botox and fillers, and probably in some dingy bathrooms doing lines. I don’t want to speculate beyond that, although other things come to mind.

Getting back to Amanda Bynes, whose parents may have moved to California to keep an eye on her (reports vary as to whether they did it for her sake), she’s plead not guilty to the two counts of hit and run she was charged with. Also, we’ve heard that Amanda is now in New York, she moved there to start some kind of “fashion career,” so it’s not like her family can be around her there unless they fly out. Amanda’s lawyers entered this plea on her behalf since she’s on the east coast now. Amanda still has to face charges for DUI and two counts of driving on a suspended license. TMZ reports that she could get a year in jail on each count, although you know that’s not going to happen. This all sounds a hell of lot like Lindsay, except Amanda has gone silent and is trying to avoid the paparazzi. Plus we haven’t heard directly from any of Amanda’s family, except for a concerned uncle who spoke to Celebuzz. In that respect I think Amanda is ahead of Lindsay. I’m thinking Dina “being around” messed up Lindsay more than if she would have kept her distance.

Header image is from April, 2004 credit: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos. Other photos are from earlier this month. credit: David Tonnessen, PacificCoastNews.com