Can Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton Get on Track?
Lindsay Lohan may wind up back behind bars this week, while Paris Hilton could make a plea deal this morning. But how will these two Hollywood celebrities deal with their legal dramas?
CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reported Hilton was scheduled to appear in a Las Vegas courtroom this morning, stemming from her arrest last month on a charge of felony drug possession. And a judge in Los Angeles may send Lohan back to jail, after she tested positive for drug use.
Whitaker pointed out Lohan was all smiles as she arrived for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting Saturday, even as she faces serious legal consequences. The actress has reportedly attended back-to-back meetings since failing a court-ordered drug test, but that may not be enough to keep her out of jail.
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Lohan confirmed the failed drug test on Twitter Friday, saying "Substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn't go away overnight..." adding..."I am taking responsibility for my actions and I'm prepared to face the consequences."
Lohan had been warned in court that a single slip-up could put her back behind bars for 30 days.
Sentenced in July to three months in jail and three months in rehab, she served just two weeks in jail and 23 days in rehab. Her doctors told the judge she was not an addict. Lohan's latest set-back could bring a much stiffer penalty.
Meanwhile, it looks like Paris Hilton will not be serving time for her arrest on drug charges in Las Vegas. She was booked August 27, after nearly a gram of cocaine fell out of her purse in front of police.
Paris and the Police
Paris Hilton
Jim Moret, of "Inside Edition," told CBS News, "This is not the kind of offense that they want to put you in jail for… She wasn't a threat to others, and she didn't appear to be under the influence."
The plea deal requires Hilton to complete a drug abuse program, pay a fine and spend a year on probation.
On "The Early Show" Michael Lewittes, editor and co-founder of GossipCop.com said Lohan and Hilton are both dealing with attention outside their celebrity.
Lohan, Lewittes said, looks like she's finally going to stop lying to the public and herself.
"She really does have a problem and needs to deal with it," he said.
"Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez added, "She called it as much. She said substance disease is, unfortunately, not something that happens overnight. That's a big turnaround for her. She never admitted it before."
Lewittes responded, "If you look at the verbiage, she starts saying things, 'I'm going to take full responsibility,' 'time for me to be prepared and handle the consequences of this' and also said she was 'a work in progress,' terms she never used before. She would always say, 'I don't have a problem. What's everyone's else's problem?'"
But is it real - or just lip service for a judge?
Lewittes says he thinks it's real.
"I think this is the first time ever -- you know, she went to rehab for 23 days, she was supposed to be there for 90 days and supposed to be in jail 90 days and was only there 13 days, so she got off easy. She now realizes, 'I have a problem. I need to deal with this now,' otherwise will be sent away for a long period of time."
As for those lighter sentences, Lewittes said it probably contributed to Lohan's downfall.
"It probably did contribute to the downfall because there were really no consequences at all to what she did," he said. "Now she realizes there are tremendous consequences. She's supposed to start a movie in November, and if she's behind bars, that's not going to happen."
But will Lohan's career survive another setback?
Lewittes said Hollywood is very forgiving.
He added, "Exactly and she has tremendous talent. If she didn't, she would be another actress with a problem and no one would care. But everyone realizes she's very talented. Let her fix her life, let her clean herself up and give her a second chance."
As for Hilton, Lewittes said Paris will plead guilty today to two misdemeanors, one for drug possession the other obstructing an officer.
"She was looking at a felony possession, which would have been a minimum of a year in prison to a maximum of four," he said. "She did the right thing, she fessed up to it, a year of probation, 200 hours of community service, she'll pay a nominal fine and will have to go through a drug abuse program."
Rodriguez remarked, "We'll see if that's enough for her."