J.D.'s Dirt- 8/17

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

• MICHAEL DOUGLAS HAS THROAT CANCER. Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with throat cancer. According to People.com, the 65-year-old will undergo eight weeks of chemotherapy and radiation to treat it. His doctors predict that he will make a full recovery and Douglas released a statement saying he is “very optimistic.”
• LOHAN OUT THIS WEEK?! Sources close to Lindsay Lohan are saying that the starlet may be released from rehab as early as this week. TMZ reports that doctors at the UCLA hospital where Lindsay is feel that neither her psychiatric problems nor her drug dependency are as severe as they were first thought to be. However, before Lohan can be released early from her 90-day stay, the judge in the case must approve it.
• GIBSON BABYSITTER DIES. The babysitter who came forward as an eyewitness in the Mel Gibson-Oksana Grigorieva case has died of cancer. The unnamed woman claimed that she saw Mel go on a rampage and lose control of his temper while she was watching Oksana and Mel’s child, Lucia. It’s not known how old the babysitter was, but Radar Online reports she’d been battling stage four cancer for a long time.
• MEL GIBSON CAR CRASH! Sunday night, Mel Gibson crashed his car into a rocky hillside in California. According to TMZ, no other cars were involved in the accident and it is unclear why Gibson’s Maserati collided with the hill bordering the roadway. TMZ reports Mel repeatedly told police officers that he didn’t know how his car left the roadway and denied being on a cell phone. Gibson was not hurt and DUI is not suspected in the accident. No charges or citations were filed surrounding the incident.
• FLIGHT ATTENDANT GETS REALITY SHOW! Former JetBlue flight attendantSteven Slater has been offered his own reality show. Slater, who infamously quit his job last week by grabbing a beer and jumping down an emergency exit slide, may be hosting a show where he helps other people quit their jobs.Stone Entertainment wants Slater to front a show where disgruntled employees get to leave their jobs in extravagant ways. Hit up TMZ for more.

• JERSEY SHORE’S RONNIE ARRESTED! Jersey Shore cast member Ronnie was arrested on Sunday for having too many unpaid parking tickets. Ronnie was picked up on outstanding warrants due to the unpaid fines, but he has since paid his debt and was released the same day. Hit up People.com.
  • TUNE-IN: Check out MTV this Thursday at 10 PM Eastern to see a new episode of Jersey Shore.
  • EXTRA NEWS! Snooki may have a new man in her life. This weekend, the Jersey Shore “guidette” was seen kissing Jeff Miranda in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Jeff posted on his Facebook page that he’s having a great time with Snooki and that she is an “amazing girl.” PerezHilton.com has more.

• CLOONEY’S GIRLFRIEND WEARS NAPKIN! False alarm people, George Clooney is not engaged. Rumors were flying Monday that George Clooney had proposed to his girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis, after pictures surfaced showing her wearing a large ring on the right finger. It turns out what Canalis was wearing was a ring made out of a napkin, and the pair are not yet set to tie the knot. Check out UsMagazine.com for more.
• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO! Rooney Mara, who appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street, has snagged the coveted role in the upcoming film,The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. She’ll join Daniel Craig in the three-movie franchise, with Columbia Pictures set to adapt all of Steig Larsson’s novels: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. Check out BusinessOfCinema.com for more.
  • TIDBIT: You can check out Rooney in the upcoming movie The Social Network which opens on October 1^st.
  • Rooney Mara is the great granddaughter of Pittsburgh Steelers founderArt Rooney Senior and her other great grandfather was the founder of the New York Giants.

• MELISSA & JOEY! Melissa Joan Hart stars alongside Joey Lawrence in the newABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey. Joey plays a bankrupt banker who ends up helping “Melissa” raise her teenage niece and nephew. “Joey” takes on the role of a male nanny on the show. Check out Melissa & Joey on ABC Familytonight at 8 PM Eastern.
• HAPPY BIRTHDAY De NIRO AND PENN! Today, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro celebrate their birthdays! Penn, who has won an Academy Award for his roles in Mystic River and Milk, turns 50. De Niro, who is also a two-timeAcademy Award winner for The Godfather, Part II and Raging Bull, turns 67. The birthday boys have starred in two movies together, first in 1989 in We’re No Angels and again in 2008 in What Just Happened