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2. Paula Abdul
Paula heard too many questions
She’s had some wacky moments on American Idol, but nothing could top Paula Abdul’s bizarre behavior during a day of TV interviews in January. Squirming in her seat, winking at anchors and talking nonsensically, the 44-year-old seemed out of sorts. But Paula blamed her disoriented state on a technical glitch. “There were 30 cities talking into my ear,� she says. “Alabama was in my ear and so was Seattle at the same time, so I was answering questions to the wrong answers of the cities.� Denying she was drinking or on drugs, Paula found a bright side: “I answered the right questions at one of the cities!�
3. Russell Crowe
Russell couldn’t call home
It was 4 a.m. on June 6, 2005, and Russell Crowe was desperately trying to reach his wife, Danielle Spencer. But when the 43-year-old, who was staying at the Mercer hotel in New York City, tried calling her in Sydney, Australia, he couldn’t get through. The frustrated actor then unplugged the phone, walked to the lobby and threw it at concierge Nestor Estrada. But Russell claims he aimed for the wall and hit the man by accident. “He regrets losing his temper, but at no time did he touch a hotel employee,� said his rep. Russell later pleaded guilty to all charges of assault and was fined $160. He reportedly paid Nestor $10.8 million in damages. “It was possibly the most shameful situation that I’ve ever gotten myself into in my life,� he says.
4. Britney Spears
Britney just needed some shut-eye
What a way to start 2007! Britney Spears made it to midnight while hosting the New Year’s Eve countdown at Pure nightclub in Las Vegas, but an hour later, the 25-year-old reportedly collapsed and had to be helped back to her hotel room by bodyguards. “She had a little too much to drink,� claims a club insider. But the singer’s camp insists she was snoozing, not boozing. “She had just been traveling all day,� claims Britney’s former manager Larry Rudolph. “She got real tired. It was a late night for her.�
5. Nicole Richie
Nicole said she took painkillers for period pain
When Nicole Richie was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol on December 11, for driving the wrong way on a freeway, she didn’t deny that she had taken Vicodin and smoked marijuana earlier that day. But the 25-year-old reportedly popped the painkiller because of bad menstrual cramps! Nicole was put through a series of field sobriety tests, which she failed, and pleaded not guilty to DUI in February. Says her attorney: “She is prepared to accept any responsibility that is appropriate.�
6. Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee blamed everyone but herself
It was the hoedown seen around the world. On October 24, 2004, Ashlee Simpson did a quick jig on Saturday Night Live before running off the stage when the backing track for her song “Pieces of Me� blared from the speakers, proving her performance was anything but live. Ashlee, 22, first blamed her band, telling the audience they’d cued the wrong song. Next, her record company said the mishap was due to a computer glitch. Finally, she claimed: “I had severe acid reflux. I didn’t want to lip-synch, but my dad was like, ‘You have to.’�
7. Winona Ryder
Winona says she stole for a role
When Winona Ryder was arrested in December 2001 for trying to steal more than 20 items worth about $5,500 from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, she claimed she was researching a role as a shoplifter for the movie Shopgirl, according to testimony at her trial. But apparently, no such role existed, and she soon changed her story, saying she was preparing for a part in the crime drama White Jazz. It was all to no avail: She was convicted of theft and vandalism and sentenced to 480 hours of community service and three years probation.
8. Jessica Simpson
Jessica’s wardrobe malfunction
Jessica Simpson was in the middle of singing “9 to 5� to Dolly Parton during the Kennedy Center Honors in December when she fled the stage in tears. “Dolly, you make me so nervous, I can’t even sing the words right,� said Jessica. Her father, Joe Simpson, claims the 26-year-old was distracted by trying to prevent a wardrobe malfunction in her strapless gown. But the star’s reps quickly changed their tune: “She wanted the song to be perfect and was upset with herself when it wasn’t.�
9. Whitney Houston
Whitney denied taking drugs
Whitney Houston’s skeletal appearance at a Michael Jackson concert in September 2001 sparked rumors of an eating disorder and drug abuse. When the singer sat down with Diane Sawyer in December 2002 to tell her side of the story, Whitney denounced the drug addiction. “Let’s get one thing straight,� the 43-year-old said. “Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Crack is whack.� But by 2004, Whitney was singing a different tune when she checked into rehab. She sought treatment again in 2005 and 2006.
10. Mariah Carey
Mariah claims that she was just tired
Mariah Carey hit a rough patch in 2001 after filming her movie Glitter. Appearing on MTV’s TRL, she stripped down to an oversize T-shirt and giddily passed out popsicles to a confused audience. Then, on July 25, the singer was hospitalized amid rumors she’d tried to kill herself. But Mariah, 37, denies she had a breakdown. “All I needed was, like, five hours of sleep,� she says. “‘Physically exhausted’ means I was physically depleted to the point of collapsing!�
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