Lindsay and Mel: More Hollywood Drama

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Somebody once said that the rich are different from you and me.  They just have more money.  Same goes for celebrities in the second decade of the 21st century.  Except that when we hear about their misdeeds, it usually comes through YouTube and the tabloid media.  The rich (with the notable exception of Paris Hilton) do a better job of not airing their dirty laundry in public, unless the Feds come calling.  There's no TMZ for those people.

Take the cases of Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson, two celebrities who can't seem to stay out of trouble.

Lohan, the noted actress and reputed party girl, was arrested twice in 2007 for cocaine possession and for driving under the influence.  Now she's been sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating her probation because she failed to attend alcohol education classes.

Lohan was sentenced in '07 to 24 hours in jail.  She served about an hour or two.  This time, she'll spend a little more time in the clink.  According to reports, Lohan should be out by the first week of August.  Just in time to film her next movie.

Then there's Gibson, the actor and film director who's been known to say nasty things about gays and Jewish people.  According to the website Radaronline, he was caught on tape allegedly making profane and threatening comments in a phone call to Oksana Grigorieva, his former partner and the mother of his child.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff is currently investigating whether or not to place charges of domestic violence on Gibson.

You will recall that Gibson was picked up in 2006 on charges of driving under the influence, then making some anti-Semitic comments toward his arresting officer, who happened to be Jewish.  Gibson was sentenced to three years probation and has apologized for the incident.

If this were you or I being charged with DUI or domestic violence, we wouldn't be spending an hour or two in jail and issuing apologies.  Instead, there'd be fines and serious prison time.  The rich and famous have access to the best attorneys they can get.  The rest of us only have access to whatever legal representation we can afford.  And if you're a person of color, do I have to tell you the rest?

So whenever you hear about some Hollywood star who gets in trouble with the law, remember, it could be worse.  It could be you.