In the news
By TIMES WIRES
Published August 10, 2006
Robin Williams in rehab
Robin Williams is seeking treatment for alcoholism, publicist Mara Buxbaum said Wednesday.
Williams, 55, had been sober for 20 years, she said. He "found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family," she said in a statement. "He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases."
Buxbaum declined to elaborate.
Williams stars in Man of the Year, due in October, and voices an animated penguin in Happy Feet, slated for release in November. His film The Night Listener is now in theaters.
Gibson tapes remain sealed
Audio and videotapes of Mel Gibson's drunken-driving arrest are exempt from the California Public Records Act and won't be released, authorities said.
The celebrity news Web site TMZ had asked Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca for tapes of the arrest, during which Gibson uttered obscenities and anti-Semitic comments. TMZ argued that the public should see and hear them to assess whether Gibson received preferential treatment from the Sheriff's Department.
Questions have been raised about a Sheriff's Department spokesman initially saying that Gibson had been arrested "without incident."
The tapes must remain sealed because they are "part of the investigatory file in this matter," said Gary P. Gross, principal deputy for the county counsel's office.
Gibson was arrested early July 28 after he was stopped for driving 87 mph in a 45 mph zone. He was charged with misdemeanor drunken driving and having an open container of alcohol in his car, and is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 28.
Meanwhile ...: California's Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Tom McClintock, said he will no longer use a fundraising letter Gibson sent on his behalf.
"Tom saw the news and the situation as it was unfolding with Mel Gibson and made a conscious decision to direct people not to use the letter any further," McClintock campaign spokesman Stan Devereaux said Tuesday.
Jannus concert rescheduled
The Ray Scott concert scheduled for Saturday at the Tamiami Bar at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg has been postponed until November. A date will be announced later. Call (727) 896-2276 for information.
Spielberg foundation donates $1-million to Israeli relief
A foundation created by filmmaker Steven Spielberg will donate $1-million to relief efforts in Israel as it battles with Hezbollah.
The Righteous Persons Foundation will make an initial contribution of $250,000 to the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Israel Crisis Fund. The foundation, spokesman Marvin Levy said Tuesday, will then follow up with gifts to the New Israel Fund and other organizations that are providing relief to those evacuated from northern Israel.