Lindsay Lohan is scheduled to be released from a rehab center today into another year of uncertainty.
For months, the actress has been haunted by her inability, or unwillingness, to shake a 3 1/2 year old drunken driving case that resulted in two rehab stints and two trips to jail in 2010 alone.
A self-acknowledged addict, Lohan remains under investigation for an alleged attack on a rehab worker at the Betty Ford Center and she could land back in jail for six months if charged with misdemeanor battery or another probation violation.
If Lohan remains out of trouble, a judge could relax the terms of her sentence in late February, ending a cycle of court hearings and jail threats that have loomed consistently since May.
After spending three months in treatment programs at Betty Ford, experts say Lohan has a good shot at recovery. Provided, of course, that she wants it, changes her party girl lifestyle and remains in continued therapy.
If a New Year’s Day message posted on her Twitter account is any indication, the “Mean Girls” star seems ready to do that. “Today is the first day of the rest of my life,” it said. ‘”The future depends on what we do in the present.’ –Mahatma Gandhi… One step at a time…”
It won’t be easy, but she has “a fighting chance,” says Jeffrey C. Friedman, a substance abuse counselor at Cottonwood Tucson and a recovering heroin addict who has been sober for 24 years. “It would just be a question, is she going to be willing to continue to make the sacrifices she needs to? For all of us, it’s a lifelong process.”
Actress Valerie Bertinelli has tied the knot in Malibu.
The 50-year-old “Hot in Cleveland” star married financial planner Tom Vitale Saturday.
The ceremony took place in front of about 100 people at her home, according to People magazine.
Guests included Bertinelli’s ex-husband — rocker Eddie Van Halen — and their son Wolfgang. Bertinelli and Van Halen split in 2000 and were officially divorced in 2007.
Bertinelli stars in the TV Land sitcom “Hot in Cleveland” and serves as a TV spokeswoman for the Jenny Craig weight loss system. She first found fame as star of the 1980s sitcom “One Day at a Time.” She and the 49-year-old Vitale had been dating for seven years and were engaged during an Italian vacation in March.
Since announcing his split from supermodel Elaine Irwin after nearly 20 years of marriage, John Mellencamp spent a quiet New Year’s weekend at his Daufuskie Island, S.C., home.
“John has been at his house over New Year’s running along the street for exercise and sitting out by his pool,” a resident on the island said. “But he was all alone.”
Located between Savannah, Ga., and Hilton Head, S.C., Daufuskie Island has become a favorite vacation spot for the singer and his wife Elaine, who own other property in the area as well. The beautiful white, gated home has a grand backyard and infinity pool. The front of the home looks like a church with a minimalist, modern decor.
“John and Elaine spent a great deal of time in the house over the summer and they looked to be very happy,” the resident told People. “They both love the area, especially Savannah. We were surprised to hear of the split as Elaine has taken good care of John since he had his heart attack (in 1994).”
While Mellencamp, 59, has been touring with a new album, Elaine has devoted quite a bit of time to local charity work in Bloomington, Ind., near their main home on Lake Monroe. In addition to work with Indiana’s historic society, she is also involved with a school for dyslexic kids in Bloomington.
Top Gun’s Val Kilmer, 51, owes nearly $500,000 in federal taxes. A lien has also been placed on the Iceman’s property including a New Mexico ranch he’s trying to sell.
The Internal Revenue Service filed the lien in Santa Fe for an assessment balance of $498,165 for 2008 income taxes.
Kilmer, who has lived in New Mexico for two decades, put his 5,300-acre ranch up for sale for $33 million in 2009. He then reduced it to $23 million in October 2010 before
— The Associated Press also contributed to this report
lsmithi@denverpost.com
