Fallen star Mackenzie Phillips was released from police custody this past Thursday after her arrest for drug possession at LAX Airport earlier in the week. Mac had to be bailed out by her little sister Bijou Phillips (who, apparently, tried to bail out her older sister on Wednesday but Mac refused to let her, preferring to stay in jail). Here are pics of Mackenzie hiding her head in shame as she left police custody and a few of the really sad deets of her arrest:

TMZ has obtained a copy of the police report written after Mackenzie Phillips’ arrest. The sad headline … when Phillips was strip-searched, an officer noticed track marks on both her arms and asked if she was a diabetic. According to the report, Phillips responded, “No, I am healthy except for my drug problem.” The doc details what TMZ reported earlier today. When Phillips was stopped at the screening station at LAX, she “was continually moving” as TSA employees searched around her pelvic area. Phillips then sat down as the search continued, and, according to the report, “a plastic bag containing an [unknown] white substance later identified and tested…positive for cocaine fell down her right pant leg.” Cops then found heroin and other paraphernalia, when “Phillips then spontaneously said “I’m holding” — slang for saying she has drugs.

This is so incredibly sad … but deffo goes to show that messing around with drugs isn’t cool, nor is it any sort of laughing matter. Just say no, y’all. It’s really disheartening to know that a human being can live in this way. Once you succumb to the temptations and iron grip of drug addiction you basically lose your life, your soul. If anything, mebbe we can learn from mistakes like this … I know that I would never want to live my life like this. Here’s hoping Mackenzie Phillips will be able to get the help she desperately needs. Addicts are never cured but hopefully she’ll be able to better handle her demons, whether she is eventually incarcerated or not. So sad.

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]

14-time Olympic Gold Medalist, US swimmer Michael Phelps, was treated to a hero’s welcome at the Magic Kingdom at the Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL during a parade thrown in his honor yesterday afternoon. Here are a few pics of Phelpsie and the 2 most famous mice in the world at yesterday’s event:

Direct from the Beijing Games where he won a record eight Gold Medals, world champion swimmer Michael Phelps celebrated his unprecedented achievement with an all-American homecoming parade in his honor at Walt Disney World Resort. In a star-spangled salute amidst confetti and thousands of flag-waving fans in the Magic Kingdom, Phelps was honored for his record-setting wins and for the spirit in which he captivated the world in his quest for Gold. The 23-year-old from Baltimore beamed as he rode through the park alongside Mickey Mouse, waving to fans who chanted his name. Magic Kingdom guests joined in “America’s Homecoming Parade” for the swimmer who broke records in each event he entered in Beijing. For Phelps, who also was honored in Disney parades at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Park in California following the 2004 Summer Games, it was a sweet homecoming to the United States and to see fans who supported him in his quest for Gold in Beijing. “I am so happy to celebrate here and see some of the fans who supported me,” said Phelps. “It’s great to feel so much excitement around the sport of swimming in the U.S. and around the world. To top it all off with a parade at Disney World is just incredible.” During his celebration in the Magic Kingdom, Phelps also took time to meet a group of local swimmers from the central Florida area. The aspiring young swimmers had the chance to talk with Phelps, ask about his record-breaking experiences and see the Gold Medals he won in Beijing. Phelps’ celebration at Walt Disney World is planned to be the next feature on his wildly popular Facebook.com page. Phelps, one of the most popular public figures on the social networking site, has nearly 1.5 million Facebook “fans” who have subscribed to receive his latest news and updates. Phelps said he plans to offer photographs and video of his Walt Disney World visit on his Facebook.com site. Phelps, who has announced he will train for the 2012 Games, now owns the record for most Gold Medals in a single event (8) and for a career (14).

Aww, this is so cute! It’s great to see an athlete of his caliber work so hard for so long and then be able to enjoy the spoils of victory afterward. He really has become a hero to so many folks, both young and old, here in the US and being honored by Disney in this way is truly a unique feat. Congrats! After the jump, check out a short video released by Disney from Phelps’s Disney Parade yesterday …

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At last, it would seem that folks here in the US have gotten their priorities straight for once. The New York Times is reporting that at least 40 million folks here in the US tuned in to watch Senator Barack Obama give his nomination acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver, CO (which was packed with 80,000 people) on Thursday night to close out the 4-day Democratic National Convention (which means a total 40,800,000 people watched Barack Obama’s speech in person or on TV alone). In a time where frivolities like American Idol and The Hills seems to rule supreme, more Americans tuned in to watch Obama’s convention speech than did to even watch the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics:

At least 40 million Americans watched Senator Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night, a record for convention viewership that exceeded even the expectations of his aides. The historic speech by the first African-American presidential nominee of a major political party reached 38.4 million viewers on 10 broadcast and cable networks, Nielsen Media Research said Friday. PBS estimated that an additional 3.5 million had watched its prime-time coverage. The ratings dwarfed the audience for the Summer Olympics and the season finale of “American Idol” in May, and added to what was already a sense of buoyancy within the Obama campaign that the night had gone better than planned. Despite Republicans’ advance ridicule of the enormous venue, Invesco Field, and the set, an elaborate, columned backdrop, Democrats went to bed having heard terrific reviews of the final night of their convention. Indeed, the backdrop, initially derided as resembling a Greek temple — playing into the Republican line of attack that Mr. Obama’s supporters had deified him — turned out to be something of a hit; television reviewers and commentators praised the overall staging. “The stagecraft was so phenomenal,” Andrea Mitchell said on MSNBC, adding, “I don’t know how they could have done it any better.” The four-night convention was the most-watched since 1960, when Nielsen began measuring the events. The 10 p.m. hour, Eastern time, from Monday to Thursday was viewed by an average of 22.4 million households, Nielsen said, surpassing by half a million the Republican convention of 1976, previously top-rated. The comparisons with prior conventions come with a number of caveats: convention coverage is shown on more channels now, and the coverage is shorter, at least on the broadcast networks. Regardless, Thursday night’s record was surely impressive. The television audience for Mr. Obama’s speech was half again as large as the viewership for the acceptance speeches by President Bush and Senator John Kerry in 2004. “Obama had an opportunity to get his message across to a record-breaking crowd of millions of American voters, and he used it effectively,” said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the campaign. Demonstrating the gradual shift in the political news audience from broadcast to cable, CNN attracted more viewers than any of the broadcast networks during the 10 p.m. hour on Wednesday and Thursday. (Fox News Channel defeated the broadcasters during the Republican convention in 2004.) Mr. Obama’s speech, which he gave in that hour, reached 8.1 million viewers on CNN, 6.6 million on ABC, 6.1 million on NBC, 4.7 million on CBS, 4.2 million on Fox News, and 4.1 million on MSNBC. Other viewers watched on additional channels … online the speech had been viewed more than 300,000 times on YouTube by Friday evening.

I cannot tell you how encouraged by this news I am. I am really comforted by the fact that so many folks here in the US are actually paying attention to this presidential election. I spent the lion’s share of yesterday evening watching various news programs about Obama’s convention speech and McCain’s VP selection and even Obama’s detractors had to concede that he gave an amazingly stirring speech. I must add, tho, that in all the coverage I watched about the new Republican nominee for Vice President, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, I was very alarmed to learn that prior to McCain picking Palin to be his #2 he had only MET HER IN PERSON ONCE … and that was just earlier THIS YEAR! Oh yes, I learned a lot about the new Republican VP nominee which only solidified my support for my candidate. In any event, again, I’m very encouraged that folks are paying attention to this election and it is my sincere hope that people will continue to educate themselves on the candidates who are campaigning to lead this country.

Click HERE to read the full transcript of Barack Obama’s DNC nomination acceptance speech. After the jump, watch the You Tube video of his speech in full …

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