Lohan faces new criminal charges

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Lindsay Lohan faces new criminal charges in California, filed just hours after the actress was arrested in New York in connection with an alleged early morning fight at a nightclub.

Lohan's latest legal troubles could send her back to jail because she is on probation for a necklace theft conviction.

Lohan's convoluted path through the criminal courts system and her struggle with drugs and alcohol has taken her to court 19 times and to five rehab facilities for a total of 250 days since January 2007.

Lohan, 26, was arrested at a Manhattan nightclub after an alleged fight about 4 a.m. Thursday, the New York Police Department said.

Lohan may have hit another woman at the Avenue Lounge, police said. Authorities declined to say whether she faced charges.

"Once again, Lindsay Lohan is a victim of someone trying to capture their 15 minutes of fame," Lohan's New York lawyer, Mark Heller, told CNN. "From my initial investigation, I am completely confident that this case will be concluded favorably and that Lindsay will be totally exonerated."

'Liz & Dick' producer talks the risky business of hiring Lindsay Lohan

Across the country in Santa Monica, California, the city attorney filed four charges against Lohan Thursday morning in connection with a car crash last summer.

She is accused of giving false information to a police officer, obstructing or resisting a police officer in performance of his duty and reckless driving, according to the city attorney's office.

While these charges are all misdemeanors and would not alone normally result in jail time, the Los Angeles city attorney, who successfully prosecuted the actress for stealing a necklace in 2011, could ask a judge to revoke her probation.

A decision by the Los Angeles city attorney could come as soon as Friday, spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

While it would likely be several days before the prosecutor gets confirmation of Lohan's New York arrest, the Santa Monica charges filed Thursday should reach the Los Angeles city attorney's office sooner.

The timing of a decision on seeking a revocation of Lohan's probation for the shoplifting conviction depends on the workload in the prosecutor's office, Mateljan said.

The Santa Monica charges stem from a car crash last June while Lohan was on her way to the set for the filming of "Liz & Dick," the Lifetime movie that aired this week.

She is accused of telling police her assistant was driving the Porsche, while witnesses told investigators they saw Lohan behind the wheel.

"During the subsequent investigation, information was developed that Lohan was the driver of the Porsche when the accident occurred," the Santa Monica prosecutor said in a statement to CNN.

Via: Lohan faces new criminal charges

'Lost' baddie turns good guy

(CNN) -- For five years, Michael Emerson was the villain who stole just about every scene on "Lost." (And he has the Emmy to prove it.)

He was such an important part of that landmark series that it only seemed to make sense that he ended up on the side of good, keeping watch on the island when it was all over.

Now Emerson is on the island of Manhattan, filming "Person of Interest," one of the top dramas on television.

On the CBS sci-fi procedural, Emerson plays Finch, a mysterious genius whose creation, the Machine, can predict crimes before they happen. This time, his character's motives are more pure.

Emerson spoke to CNN about settling into this new role, an accidental visit to the set of "Gossip Girl" and his old friend from "Lost," Terry O'Quinn.

CNN: Now that you have a year under your belt, is Finch still a mystery to you?

Emerson: He's still a bit mysterious to me. I play it every day and I hope I play it well. I don't have a very elaborate mental biography for him, I must say. I think he must evidently be a lot like me, because whatever my instincts are about the scenes tend to be the things that get used.

CNN: Would you describe him as a good guy at this point?

Emerson: I don't think his altruism is in doubt. If anything he has misgivings about the purity of his suicide mission for justice.

CNN: With so many productions going on in New York, I heard you had a run in with one of them.

Emerson: One day we were shooting downtown in the financial district. We just finished a scene and the company was breaking up to go to lunch. I don't know if I stood and gabbed with somebody on the curb. Next thing, I looked up and couldn't find anybody from our company, and I guess I zoned out when they drove me there in the van because I couldn't remember which direction I came from. I started walking and I got to another camp and it looked like ours. But it was another show. [Laughs] I'm sure they would have fed me. I think it was ["Gossip Girl"].

What if it were more surreal or absurd, where characters from "Person of Interest" walked into "Big Bang Theory" or something like that? That's a fun idea that has been completely unexplored.

CNN: Do you run into your old friend from "Lost," Terry O'Quinn, who is shooting (the now-canceled-but-still-in-production) "666 Park Avenue?"

Emerson: It's fun to have an old pal from the other island here on this island. He lives less than 20 blocks away from me. We get together every week or 10 days.

It is a bit [like old times]. It's just the setting is more urban and we're much better dressed. We both have really nice clothes in the shows we're doing now.

CNN: What did you two have in common on "Lost?"

Emerson: To start with, we had age. We were both the oldest guys on that show. We had many more things in common: small town Midwestern backgrounds, and we both moved to big cities to pursue the unlikely dream of being an actor. We both ended up accidentally on a big series. We had some of the same work habits. We had so many things in common. We had a bunch of the best scenes on the series. It was good, intense, dark work and yet we had good laughs doing it.

CNN: So you were a villain and now you're a hero.

Emerson: I'll stick with that. Villains generally are more fun, but they're hard to maintain. I guess anything is hard to maintain in TV land. I'm happy that my character on "Person of Interest" has enough ambiguity that it's still compelling in that villain way, except he's not. He does operate on the wrong side of the law so at least we have that.

CNN: Do you ever talk about projects you can do with your wife, Carrie Preston ("True Blood")?

Emerson: We sometimes talk about plays we'd like to do together. That shows how our minds work.

I shot a few scenes with her on "Person of Interest," which was a great pleasure. We'd never done TV work together.

CNN: What about a guest spot on "True Blood"?

Emerson: I'd be happy to do it, but I don't think it's ever going to happen. I can't go on there and play anything sinister because I've kind of done that. I guess I could play an innocent. I've said I'd be happy to play a humble human who gets torn apart by supernatural beings.

The characters I like on that show are the most ancient ones. I like Godric. I like thinking about how he looks like he's 19 but he's 2000 years old.

CNN: And what was it like voicing the Joker in the "Dark Knight Returns" DVD movie?

Emerson: If I knew how significant it was to play that role in that franchise, I think I would have been terrified when I took it. I must have been busy or distracted, because I went in there carefree. I had not seen these recent big screen "Batmans." That's probably a blessing. Later when I saw Heath Ledger, I thought "Oh, God. If I'd have seen this, I might not have done it." As it was, my only role model was Cesar Romero, and I thought, surely I can do as well as Cesar Romero.

CNN: Did you get to laugh?

Emerson: I did. It was a chance not to be repressed or contained. All the shows I do, it's all about keeping a lid on it or staying small. When you play the Joker, the sky's the limit. You can turn that thing up to 11.

Via: 'Lost' baddie turns good guy

'Two and a Half Men' star apologizes

(CNN) -- A day after a video posted online showed him describing "Two and a Half Men" as "filth" and advising viewers to stop watching the sitcom, actor Angus T. Jones apologized to the show's cast and crew Tuesday.

"I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed," Jones said in a statement released by his publicist. "I never intended that."

The 19-year-old actor -- who plays Jake Harper, the CBS sitcom's "Half" man -- didn't detail what motivated him to make comments.

"I have been the subject of much discussion, speculation and commentary over the past 24 hours. While I cannot address everything that has been said or right every misstatement or misunderstanding, there is one thing I want to make clear," he wrote.

"Without qualification, I am grateful to and have the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on Two and Half Men with whom I have worked and over the past ten years who have become an extension of my family."

It's unclear how Jones' comments could affect the show in the long run, but sources close to production told CNN that Jones will not appear in either of the two remaining episodes that the CBS sitcom will shoot before going on holiday break. The sources said both of the episodes were written well in advance of Jones' video confession, which whipped around the Web on Monday.

In the video, the actor, who's been on the show since 2003, repeatedly asks viewers not to watch the sitcom.

'Two and a Half Men' actor's criticism of show shines light on Seventh-day Adventists

"I'm on 'Two and a Half Men,' and I don't want to be on it," Jones said. "You cannot be a true God-fearing person and be on a television show like that. I know I can't. I'm not OK with what I'm learning, what the Bible says, and being on that television show. You go all or nothing."

According to a statement from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jones joined a church in the San Fernando Valley area in June, making him one of the 1.1 million North American members of the Protestant organization.

However, the church said it's not affiliated with the video clip that's gone viral online and says the online show's host is not a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Church spokesman George Johnson said the church did not have additional information about Johnson's comments but said the church was happy Jones has "found a place in which he feels comfortable to worship and grow his faith."

Jones' comments come nearly two years after Charlie Sheen was fired from the hit sitcom after a two-week public meltdown that included attacks on the show's producer.

On Tuesday, Sheen described Jones' comments as a meltdown.

"It is radically clear to me that the show (2 1/2 Men) is cursed," Sheen said in a statement released by his publicist.

Via: 'Two and a Half Men' star apologizes

A look at Sundance 2013

(EW.com) -- Daniel Radcliffe in a murder story involving the icons of the Beat Generation. Keri Russell in comedy about a woman obsessed with Jane Austen. Kristen Bell as a lifeguard in a dangerous relationship. And the return of the filmmaker behind the sci-fi indie classic Primer.

These are among the films making their debut in the competition category at the Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 17-27 in Park City, Utah.

Other announcements such as those for the Midnight Movie and Premiere sections will come in the days ahead, but first the festival likes to highlight those films that will be competing for the jury prizes this year.

As for trends, this year ... ?

Sundance 2012: Get the latest news, photos, and more

Sundance Festival director John Cooper and Trevor Groth, the chief programer, share a look before venturing forward with slight smiles.

"We did see a trend in the way sexual relationships are handled, across all the programs," Cooper says. "Meaning, the head-on approach the filmmakers are taking to explore sexual relationships in our modern society. Also, I think, it's interesting to show sex both as power and sex as a human need and desire. And we see the perspective of both men and women. It permeates the whole program bold and clear and authentic."

"Historically, we've always had a film or two that really delved into this," adds Groth. "Even last year with The Sessions, it was like that. But this year it came in a wave that we really felt. I find that interesting, to analyze: What was out there in the filmmaking community, and the world, that triggered this exploration of where we're at with sexual relationships?"

Among the competition films that fit that group are Afternoon Delight, with Kathryn Hahn (TV's Parks and Recreation) as a housewife who hires a stripper (The Dark Knight Rises' Juno Temple) as her nanny; Kristen Bell in The Lifeguard, as a woman sleeping with a high-school kid, and Concussion, with Robin Weigert (TV's Sons of Anarchy) as a woman who wakes up from an accident determined to shake off her old life. It also comes into play with Touchy Feely, the latest from Humpday and Your Sister's Sister filmmaker Lynn Shelton, with Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston and Josh Pais in the story of a massage therapist who develops an aversion to human contact.

Harry Potter star Radcliffe continues to move away from The Boy Who Lived by taking on the role of Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings, which co-stars Dexter's Michael C. Hall and Boardwalk Empire's Jack Huston (this time without the half-mask) in the story of a murder involving the founding writers of the Beat Generation.

And Russell, who had the indie hit Waitress at the festival in 2007, returns as a lovesick woman looking for love in 19th century places in Austenland, from director Jerusha Hess, the co-writer of Napoleon Dynamite.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's Rooney Mara co-stars with Casey Affleck in the lyrical Ain't Them Bodies Saints, about a pair of escaped prisoners fleeing the law in the hills of Texas, while Octavia Spencer, the best supporting actress Oscar-winner from The Help, turns up opposite Chronicle's Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale, based on the true story of a young man's final day before being cut down by police.

Among the straight-up comedies, Groth said, include Smashed director James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now, starring Miles Teller (Project X) as a high school kid trying to rescue a shy girl, played by Shailene Woodley (The Descendants); and Toy's House, about three runaway boys, co-starring Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and Alison Brie among several others that walk the line between darkness and humor. "There were some years when I'd say we didn't have a single comedy in our competition," Groth adds with a shrug.

"I know ..." Cooper groans. "How did we make it through?"

Fans of Sundance past will be eager to see Upstream Color, the first feature from writer-director Shane Carruth since his low-fi but deeply beloved time-travel story Primer. It's hard to tell what it's actually about, based on the vague description in the programming announcement, but it sounds like another variation on a sci-fi theme, about a man and woman "entangled in the life-cycle of an ageless organism."

Descriptions of the U.S. Dramatic Competition, pulled straight from the Sundance program announcement:

Afternoon Delight

In this sexy, dark comedy, a lost L.A. housewife puts her idyllic hipster life in jeopardy when she tries to rescue a stripper by taking her in as a live-in nanny. (Director and screenwriter: Jill Soloway) Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, Keith Carradine.

Austenland

Thirtysomething, single Jane is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. On a trip to an English resort, her fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman become more real than she ever imagined. (Director: Jerusha Hess, Screenwriters: Jerusha Hess, Shannon Hale) Cast: Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Bret McKenzie, Jennifer Coolidge, Georgia King, James Callis.

C.O.G.

In the first ever film adaptation of David Sedaris' work, a cocky young man travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path. (Director and screenwriter: Kyle Patrick Alvarez) Cast: Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, Troian Bellisario.

Concussion

After a blow to the head, Abby decides she can't do it anymore. Her life just can't be only about the house, the kids and the wife. She needs more: she needs to be Eleanor. (Director and screenwriter: Stacie Passon) Cast: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins.

Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes

Emanuel, a troubled girl, becomes preoccupied with her mysterious, new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to her dead mother. In offering to babysit her newborn, Emanuel unwittingly enters a fragile, fictional world, of which she becomes the gatekeeper. (Director and screenwriter: Francesca Gregorini) Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Jessica Biel, Alfred Molina, Frances O'Connor, Jimmi Simpson, Aneurin Barnard.

Fruitvale

The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. (Director and screenwriter: Ryan Coogler) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O'Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray.

In a World...

An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voiceover star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation. (Director and screenwriter: Lake Bell) Cast: Lake Bell, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Fred Melamed.

Kill Your Darlings

An untold story of murder that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that led to the birth of an entire generation -- their Beat revolution. (Director: John Krokidas, Screenwriters: Austin Bunn, John Krokidas) Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHann, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, Elizabeth Olsen.

The Lifeguard

A former valedictorian quits her reporter job in New York and returns to the place she last felt happy: her childhood home in Connecticut. She gets work as a lifeguard and starts a dangerous relationship with a troubled teenager. (Director and screenwriter: Liz W. Garcia) Cast: Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Alex Shaffer, Amy Madigan, David Lambert.

May in the Summer

A bride-to-be is forced to reevaluate her life when she reunites with her family in Jordan and finds herself confronted with the aftermath of her parents' divorce. (Director and screenwriter: Cherien Dabis) Cast: Cherien Dabis, Hiam Abbass, Bill Pullman, Alia Shawkat, Nadine Malouf, Alexander Siddig.

Mother of George

A story about a woman willing to do anything and risk everything for her marriage. (Director: Andrew Dosunmu, Screenwriter: Darci Picoult) Cast: Isaach De Bankol, Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa, Yaya Alafia, Bukky Ajayi.

The Spectacular Now

Sutter is a high school senior who lives for the moment; Aimee is the introvert he attempts to "save." As their relationship deepens, the lines between right and wrong, friendship and love, and "saving" and corrupting become inextricably blurred. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriters: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber) Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler.

Touchy Feely

A massage therapist is unable to do her job when stricken with a mysterious and sudden aversion to bodily contact. Meanwhile, her uptight brother's foundering dental practice receives new life when clients seek out his "healing touch." (Director and screenwriter: Lynn Shelton) Cast: Rosemarie DeWitt, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, Scoot McNairy, Ellen Page, Josh Pais.

Toy's House

Three unhappy teenage boys flee to the wilderness where they build a makeshift house and live off the land as masters of their own destiny. Or at least that's the plan. (Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Screenwriter: Chris Galletta)Cast: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie.

Upstream Color

A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives. Director and screenwriter: Shane Carruth) Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins.

NEXT Category

"For me, there's a stand-out section that I think will generate a lot of conversation at the festival and that's the Next category," says Groth. "The last few years we've had it, there have been a few films that popped out of there, and this year, we're 10 deep. We expanded from eight to 10 based on the passionate response to these films by our programer. The section was conceived as a way to find a place in the festival for lower budget films, but as it evolved we got away from even thinking about budget of a film. It's more about the attitude of the film. These are very singular visions. When you watch the films, you know there was something dying to get out, and that's what's on screen."

For a look at those films, including Blue Caprice, starring Isaiah Washington in a drama inspired by the 2002 Beltway sniper shootings, and Computer Chess, filmmaker Andrew Bujalski's comedy about geniuses battling a computerized chess opponent, go to the official Sundance page.

You can also go there to find the festival's U.S. Documentary competition, and World Cinema dramatic and documentary fields.

Via: A look at Sundance 2013