Celebrity info

Report Confirms Owen Wilson Attempted Suicide


A "call to service" report from the Santa Monica Police Department, obtained by the television show "EXTRA," shows that the 911 call from Owen Wilson's home was made because the actor tried to commit suicide.

The call was received shortly after noon on Sunday and was "cleared" some five hours later. "EXTRA" is reporting that it was Owen's brother Luke who found him. Owen was rushed to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica and later moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Owen Wilson released this brief statement to TMZ through his rep: "I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time."

'High School Musical'

Anyone who considers mid-August a dead time for anything original on television definitely doesn't have an elementary-school-aged girl at home.

This week's Disney Channel premiere of "High School Musical 2" is a Friday-night date for millions of youngsters, and the latest example of how cable has stolen the buzz from its broadcast big brothers this summer.

The original "High School Musical" premiered to 7.8 million viewers in January 2006. August felt right for the sequel because it is set in the summertime, said Scott Garner, Disney Channel's senior vice president for programming. By the 17th, summer camp is generally over and school hasn't started yet.

The new movie features the original cast working and having fun at a country club, with the relationships of its main characters sorely tested. Plenty of new songs are lined up for the youthful audience to sing along to.

"If I was a betting man, I would say it would probably be a (ratings) milestone in cable television this year," Garner said.

Cable networks see an opportunity to snap up bored viewers while ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox essentially shift to autopilot in the summer. This year the trend has gone into overdrive, and it's having an impact. Through midsummer, young viewership was down 14 percent from last year on broadcast schedules clogged with repeats, talent and reality programs. Cable was up slightly, Nielsen Media Research said.

The assumption that so many TV sets are turned off during the summer is becoming obsolete, said Jack Wakshlag, chief researcher at Turner Networks. In 1975, with fewer networks to choose from and fewer homes with air conditioners, summer viewership was 15 percent lower than the rest of the year, he said.

In 2005, that difference was only 3 percent -- and it's moving toward a day when there will be just as much TV-watching in July as January, he said.

Another factor in the summertime bounty of choice is the recognition by cable networks that their success increasingly depends upon having signature series that viewers will seek out. That's why AMC, normally a movie channel, developed "Mad Men."

The competition is keen. In 2000, the average home in the United States had access to 61 channels, Nielsen said. By last year, the typical home got 104 channels.

Until the "who shot J.R.?" phenomenon 27 years ago, broadcast networks more often than not drew little attention to the end of the season in May. Brooks said the strategy of seeking a ratings boost through season-ending special events and series cliffhangers may be counterproductive.

"It may bring you back in the fall to see what happens but it also tells you very explicitly that there's nothing going to happen until the fall," he said. "Viewers are taking that as a signal to go elsewhere."

Broadcasters are hardly blind to what's going on.

They pay so much for scripted programming that economic reality locks them in to repeating episodes to get extra ad revenue. Ratings that may make a series a profitable hit on cable represent failure on the bigger stage of a broadcast network. Unless someone figures out something different, networks are locked in to concentrating on cheap reality programming in the summer, hoping to catch lightning with an unexpected hit.

"We all tried a little bit," said Alan Wurtzel, NBC's chief researcher. "But there is no way you can have a full-fledged, 52-week season, both financially and creatively."

The result is ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox sitting back for another few months as the cable competitors continue to chip away at what has always made them special. That's another few months of viewers not checking those networks first when they settle into their couches.

Eric Deggans, television critic for the St. Petersburg Times, watched pilots for each of the new broadcast series starting this fall. He didn't like any of them. Not one.

"When we get to September and October and all the new shows are tried and people are saying, `I'd still rather watch `Dexter" (on Showtime) than this other stuff, then network TV could have some problems," he said.

The broadcast networks suffered through an unexpectedly slow spring. Can they afford this bummer of a summer?

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Timberlake, Beyonce top MTV VMA noms



Justin Timberlake and Beyonce lead the pop parade of nominees for the MTV Video Music Awards with seven nods apiece, it was announced Tuesday.

Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" was nominated for video of the year, as was Timberlake's ambitiously cinematic "What Goes Around ... Comes Around," which co-starred Scarlett Johansson. Also competing in the category are Amy Winehouse's "Rehab," Kanye West's "Stronger," Rihanna's "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z) and Justice's "D.A.N.C.E."

Timberlake was also nominated for male artist of the year and "most earth shattering collaboration" for pairing with Timbaland for "Sexy Back." Beyonce was nominated for female artist of the year and for her collaboration with Shakira on "Beautiful Liar."

West landed five nominations, including male artist of the year. He has often appeared prickly about losing awards, and on Tuesday he was still sore over being snubbed last year for his Evel Knievel spoof video "Touch the Sky." (In 2005, he did win best male video for "Jesus Walks.")

"I come to win. I don't come to lose," West told MTV Tuesday on "TRL," where the awards were announced. "I think there's some really strong competition this year."

Rihanna also received five nominations, propelled by her hit single, "Umbrella," which is up for "monster single of the year."

Also nominated for male artist of the year was Akon, T.I. and Robin Thicke. Rounding out the nominees for female artist of the year were Fergie and Nelly Furtado.

Amy Winehouse, whose album "Back to Black" was her second disc but her first released in the U.S., was nominated for best new artist. She received three nods, including female artist of the year. In the best new artist category, Winehouse will compete with her compatriot Lily Allen, as well as Carrie Underwood, Gym Class Heroes and Peter Bjorn & John.

Up for best group are Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and the White Stripes.

The 24th annual VMAs will be handed out during a live two-hour show on Sept. 9 in Las Vegas at the Palms Hotel and Casino. Only eight categories will be awarded on the broadcast. Performers will include Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Amy Winehouse, Chris Brown, the Foo Fighters and Rihanna.

Timbaland will be the "maestro" of the award show, serving essentially as the evening's DJ. Last year, the Raconteurs played a similar role.

"By me being maestro," said Timbaland, "I am the show."

SUNDANCE, Utah (August 5, 2007) -- Lindsay Lohan has checked into the Cirque Lodge drug and alcohol treatment center in Sundance, Utah, according to a CBS News radio report.

This would be Lindsay's third stint in rehab, following her previous stays at Wonderland and Promises in the Los Angeles area.

Cirque Lodge was recently named by Town and Country magazine as one of the top substance abuse treatment facilities consistently providing outstanding levels of care.

Cirque Lodge provides alcohol rehab and drug rehab treatment services at two main facilities: the Lodge and the Studio. The Lodge is described as "a private substance abuse mountain retreat with stunning views of both the Sundance Ski Resort and the cirque on beautiful 12,000 foot Mount Timpanogos." The drug treatment center at the Studio is located near the base of Mount Timpanogos and the mouth of Provo Canyon, a world-renowned fly-fishing and ice climbing area.


Admission guidelines state that a thorough history and physical examination will be completed upon arrival by the center's medical staff, and it is also stressed that new participants keep an open mind:

"We believe that recovery involves spiritual healing and ask that all individuals seeking addiction treatment at Cirque Lodge be open to exploring this aspect of their lives," say the guidelines.

The rooms are certainly built for comfort, with private and shared rooms featuring down duvets and pillows, reading and relaxation areas, fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, and large bathrooms with slate tile and jetted tubs.

Earlier today, the NY Post's Page Six reported that Lindsay had gone to her mother's home on Long Island on Friday. The exact day of Lindsay's reported check-in to The Cirque Lodge is not yet known.

Lindsay is due in court in Santa Monica on August 24, where she will face charges from her Los Angeles arrest on July 24 for suspicion of DUI and driving on a suspended license, as well as previous DUI-related charges.

Spears accused of threatening paparazzi



Britney Spears threw a baby bottle and threatened two photographers after they took pictures of her leaving a Las Vegas spa, the photographers said in a statement Tuesday.

Spears yelled "I am going to kill you!" and cursed at Andrew Deetz, a photographer who says he was beaten by Spears' bodyguard on Thursday, according to a statement released by Deetz's lawyers.

Deetz, 24, is preparing to sue, his lawyers said. The other photographer involved was Kyle Henderson, 23. They both work for a celebrity photography company called Flynet Pictures, which sells to such publications as People and US Weekly, according to Daniel Kogan, a spokesman for Deetz's lawyers.

The men were taking pictures of Spears, 25, as she and her children — 22-month-old Sean Preston Federline and 10-month-old Jayden James Federline — left the spa at the Wynn Las Vegas casino-hotel around 11:30 a.m., accompanied by two bodyguards.

One bodyguard, Cesar Julio Camera, 37, pushed Henderson against the wall until Wynn security intervened and asked Henderson to leave, the statement said.

As they were about 30 paces away and walking in the opposite direction, Camera attacked Deetz from behind, threw him on the ground and punched and kicked him until security pulled him off, it said.

Afterward, Spears ran toward Henderson but was stopped by security, and then threw a baby bottle at him, it said.

Then, in front of several other hotel guests and bystanders, Spears threatened to kill Deetz and said he should get a restraining order against her because she was going to kill him or hire someone that would, it said.

Camera also told Deetz on July 23 outside the Lisa Kline boutique in Beverly Hills, "I have unfinished business with you," the statement alleged.

Spears' lawyer Gary Stiffelman declined to comment.

Wynn Las Vegas released a statement confirming that Spears stayed at the hotel and left on Thursday, but also declined to discuss the confrontation.

"We respect the privacy and do our utmost to maintain the anonymity of our guests," it said.

Las Vegas police issued a summons for a charge of battery to Camera, the only person cited. He could face up to six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Stiffelman's office would not relay messages to Camera seeking comment, and The Associated Press was unable to find a phone number for him.