Morning Briefing:
No jail for Mel: In an announcement from the Malibu courthouse Thursday, Mel Gibson's lawyer revealed a plea deal for his client that will keep him from serving time for that pesky DUI. In exchange for pleading no contest, Gibson will instead get six months' probation and enforced A.A. meetings (for the first four and a half months of the sentence, he'll be enjoying the free coffee five times a week) and must cough up a $100,000 restitution fee. Gibson has also offered to enter rehab immediately (although his publicist said he went into rehab three days after his arrest) and to make a public service announcement about driving under the influence. No mention of what obscure, dead language the announcement will be filmed in. (TMZ)
I see drunk people: So maybe moonfaced Haley Joel Osment isn't such a bland, seemingly well-adjusted child actor after all: It turns out that when he crashed his Saturn into a mailbox a few weeks ago and broke a rib, he was driving with a blood-alcohol level of .16, twice the legal limit in California. (Mel Gibson was reportedly tested with a mere .12.) On Thursday, Osment was charged with a DUI as well as possession of marijuana, both misdemeanor counts that mean he could face up to six months in jail. (Associated Press)
Slow-news week for gossip hounds? Even with all the Kate Hudson/Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston/Vince Vaughn madness of the past week, the last few days have been pretty quiet on the celebrity news front, or at least that's how it seems reading Friday's Gatecrasher column in the New York Daily News. The lead item about Lindsay Lohan changing her ways -- a friend insists the public criticism of her in recent weeks has sunk in and she's "cleaning up her act" and "going home early every night" -- is followed by a similarly subdued item about Paris Hilton's CD launch party in New York: "Dad Rick Hilton celebrated his birthday with wife Kathy and a slice of chocolate cake, and stayed on at the club later than their daughter." (Gatecrasher)
Also:
Getting teary at her own birthday party in London on Wednesday, Madonna, now 48, offered a rare public tribute to her husband, Guy Ritchie, possibly aimed at cutting off talk about their marriage failing: "I care for Guy deeply and he is the love of my life. He has changed my life for the better since I met him. I can only thank him for all his support." (3 a.m. Girls) ... Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock were married again in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday (their third wedding in a row) -- they say there are plans for at least one more ceremony. (E! Online) ... A new study says the amount spent on product placement in movies, TV series and reality shows is likely to triple in the next four years -- according to PQ Media Research, advertisers spent $2.21 billion on product placement last year and predict spending $7.6 billion in 2010. (BBC News) ... Pete Doherty is facing actual drug charges again: After being stopped by police last week in London on suspicion of possession, he'll appear in court on Friday for seven counts of possessing cocaine and diamorphine (a prescription version of heroin available in the U.K.). (Associated Press) ... Starting with Katie Couric's debut on Sept. 5, the "CBS Evening News" will be the first evening newscast to be simultaneously shown live online, albeit with different ads than the TV broadcast. (Hollywood Reporter)
Money Quote:
Justin Timberlake on why he likes it silent in the bedroom: "I have trouble having sex to music because I'll start picking out the chords." (Contactmusic)
-- Scott Lamb
Turn On:
Friday, veteran model Frederique van der Wal gives regular women a chance to feel like runway models on new show "Cover Shot" (TLC, 10 p.m. EDT), and WE salutes Vietnam War nurses in the special "Vietnam Nurses With Dana Delany" (10 p.m. EDT). Saturday, Lifetime premieres "The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale" (9 p.m. EDT), starring the "American Idol" winner as herself, and Jim Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers" (11:30 a.m. EDT) comes to Cinemax. Sunday, K-Fed performs his new single, "Lose Control," on Fox's "Teen Choice 2006" (8 p.m. EDT).
On the Talk Shows:
Larry King (CNN, 9 p.m. EDT): Animal expert Jack Hanna
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Edward Norton, Greg Fitzsimmons
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Wanda Sykes, Kevin Connolly, the Fray (repeat)
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Gisele Bundchen, Bill Bellamy, Belle and Sebastian (repeat)
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Andie MacDowell, Cirque du Soleil's KA, Boyd Matson (repeat)
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): Samuel L. Jackson, Elisha Cuthbert, Cobra Starship
-- Lamar Clarkson
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