BLOND JUSTICE STRIKES AGAIN? RICHIE, LOHAN GET BRIEF GUEST SHOTS IN JAIL.Byline: TONY CASTRO Staff Writer Controversy swirled again Thursday over special treatment of celebrities after Hollywood bad girl Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan (born July 2 1986) is an American actress and pop music singer. Lohan started in show business as a child fashion model for magazine advertisement and television commercials. got off with a one-day jail sentence jail sentence jail n → peine f de prison and Nicole Richie Nicole Camille Richie (born September 21, 1981) is an American socialite, actress, television personality, author, entrepreneur, style icon, model, and singer. The adopted daughter of Lionel Richie, she is known for her role in the reality show The Simple Life served just 82 minutes behind bars. Under a plea agreement, Lohan avoided felony charges -- including cocaine possession -- that might have led to a tougher sentence. Richie had received a four-day sentence for driving under the influence, but wound up serving just 1.4 percent of that time. "Hollywood couldn't have scripted it any more absurd or ridiculous," screenwriter Teo Davis said of Lohan's one-day plea bargain plea bargain n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the and Richie's 82-minute jail stay, both on Thursday. "It obviously pays to be the bold and the beautiful." Tabloid media outlets were quick to hype the latest news on the celebrities' alcohol- and drug-fueled offenses. "Lindsay could theoretically walk into jail at 11:30 one night and leave first thing in the morning," the celebrity Web site TMZ.com reported, calling her deal "one of the biggest legal feats in recent memory. Mega-lawyer Blair Berk was able to negotiate with the D.A., and literally turn Lindsay's jail sentence into a revolving door." Richie, 25, beat even that. The daughter of Grammy-winning recording artist Lionel Richie and the co-star co·star also co-star n. A starring actor or actress given equal status with another or others in a play or film. tr. & intr.v. co·starred, co·star·ring, co·stars To act or present as a costar. of "The Simple Life" reality TV show turned herself in for what was supposed to have been a four-day sentence in county jail on drunk-driving charges. She served a total of 82 minutes -- spending just 35 minutes of that actually in a cell. Richie, who is four months pregnant, was processed and released according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. normal operating rules, authorities said. Lohan, the 21-year-old star of "The Parent Trap" and "Mean Girls," is in rehab at the Cirque Lodge program in Utah and did not appear in court. "It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," she said in a statement. "Recently, I relapsed and did things for which I am ashamed. I broke the law, and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case. No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself. I thank God I did not injure To interfere with the legally protected interest of another or to inflict harm on someone, for which an action may be brought. To damage or impair. The term injure is comprehensive and can apply to an injury to a person or property. Cross-references Tort Law. others. I easily could have." The latest Lohan-Richie news hit the tabloid frenzy on the heels of Paris Hilton's in-again, out-again jail melodrama melodrama [Gr.,=song-drama], originally a spoken text with musical background, as in Greek drama. The form was popular in the 18th cent., when its composers included Georg Benda, J. J. Rousseau, and W. A. Mozart, among others. that played out earlier this summer. Richie's reality show co-star, the hotel heiress heiress n. feminine heir, often used to denote a woman who has received a large amount upon the death of a rich relative, as in the "department store heiress." HEIRESS. A female heir to a person having an estate of inheritance. was released from jail early, which drew the wrath of the public, the city attorney and a judge, who sent her back to jail for 23 days on alcohol-related reckless-driving charges. That same kind of outrage surfaced anew after news broke of Lohan's light sentence -- which also includes 10 days of community services and 36 months' probation. The deal was worked out in the chambers of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court Judge H. Chester Horn Jr. "I think the sentence is outrageous because just from the habitual behavior pattern of Miss Lohan, she needs to have the same kind of jail time anybody else gets, if not more," said comedian and social commentator Jerome Cleary. "No one else that age and on those charges could have gotten that deal." But Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers defended the plea deal. "She's getting what everyone else would get," Meyers said. Lohan was arrested May 26 on drunk-driving charges in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. and July 24 in Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , only days after being released from a substance-abuse treatment facility. In both instances, the amount of cocaine she possessed tested less than the .05 of a gram required for felony charges, according to the District Attorney's Office. Los Angeles criminal-defense attorney Dana Cole said it appeared that prosecutors had gone soft on Lohan because, unlike Hilton, her sentence did not come after breaking probation. "I think she's been hit pretty hard -- her public image has been hit pretty hard by these arrests and her stints in rehab," said Cole. "There's no question she's suffered. If there was not enough evidence to hit her with a felony, then they've done the right thing. "But if she does (what Hilton did) and break probation, she'll do substantial time." Prosecutors said if Lohan is convicted of another drunk-driving charge, she will receive a mandatory 120-day jail sentence. "Clearly, celebrity justice can still be bought," said Hollywood club promoter Brian Quintana. "It again shows that it's who you know and that if you hire the right lawyer, you can get off. "But unlike Paris, Lindsay has been very contrite con·trite adj. 1. Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent. 2. Arising from or expressing contrition: contrite words. and clearly that went a long way." tony.castro(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3761 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Lindsay Lohan skirted felony drug and drunk-driving charges Thursday, being sentenced to only one day in jail, while Nicole Richie, far left, spent just 82 minutes behind bars. Marsaili McGrath/Getty Images |
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