DUI

TMZ reported last Friday that Richie was charged with driving under the influence of "alchohol and drugs." We screwed up. It should have read "alcohol or drugs." In fact, there was no evidence of alcohol when Richie was arrested. She allegedly confessed to cops she had taken Vicodin and smoked pot.

Nicole Richie has been charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence. The DA says Richie is charged with being under the influence of "an alcoholic beverage or drugs." Richie was arrested on December 11 on suspicion of driving under the influence, when she was stopped for going the wrong way on the 134 Freeway in Burbank. At the time of her arrest, Richie admitted she had taken Vicodin and smoked pot, but never mentioned consuming any alcohol.

TMZ has learned that "30 Rock" star Tracy Morgan has pleaded guilty this morning to misdemeanor DUI charges, stemming from an early morning bust in New York late last year.

Morgan was popped in Manhattan at 4:30 AM on November 28 on suspicion of drunk driving, after cops noticed his erratic driving.

According to the police report, Morgan "was unable to maintain a position in a lane of traffic." This was Morgan's second drunk driving arrest.

The days of Hollywood celebrities being busted for DUI may be numbered. Japanese car maker Toyota is developing a fail-safe system that will detect if the driver is too drunk to cruise The Strip.

Utilizing a myriad of detection systems, from sweat sensors on the steering wheel to detect the amount of alcohol in the blood, to sensors that detect abnormal steering, to a special camera that tells if the driver's pupils are not focusing--Toyota might be just what the celebrity public relations rep ordered.

Of course, getting Tinseltown's party girls (and guys) to give up their swanky European cars for a Breathalyzer Toyota might be as tough for them as figuring out the proper entrance ramp for the Glendale Freeway.

Miss Hilton's latest vice was discovered in the trunk of her SUV on Tuesday, when the hair-conscious heiress stopped to get her weave busted out with some new extensions. You'd need a shot of Tennessee whiskey too if your hair regimen took ten hours!

Luckily, Paris was smart enough not to indulge in any cocktails while on her latest romp through Beverly Hills. DUIs are so last year.

After a few days of only being seen skulking in and out of houses and parties, Nicole was spotted driving through L.A., resuming her shopathons at Fred Segal on Melrose. She was later joined at the swanky hang for a lunch with rumored boyfriend Joel Madden. The two chowed down on the down low before leaving ... in separate cars. Can ya blame him?

With a spring in her step, Nicole left a valet team after attending a holiday party at Gunnar Peterson's (yes, that Gunnar Peterson) ... and had to deal with the peering paparazzi. Mercifully, she rode in her new prime location -- the passenger seat.

The tiny celebutante, currently in hot water after her arrest, was apparently so cold she wore a blanket to lunch. Richie tried to make it impossible to take her photo yesterday as she left a sushi bar in Los Angeles.

Nicole Richie could be adding stripes to her wardrobe in the very near future.

TMZ has found court documents which reveal that Richie pled no contest four years ago to driving under the influence. Under California law, if Richie is convicted of DUI as a result of Monday's arrest, the judge must impose a jail sentence.

The law requires a mandatory sentence of five consecutive days in county jail as well as a one year license suspension for anyone twice-convicted of DUI. In addition, Richie would be ordered to attend an alcohol education program for a year-and-a-half, even if the second conviction is not alcohol-related.

As TMZ first reported, Richie admitted to CHP officers that she had taken Vicodin and smoked pot before driving the wrong way on a Burbank freeway. A field sobriety test revealed she was not under the influence of alcohol.

Cop: "What have you eaten today?"
Nicole: "French Fries"

TMZ has obtained the police documents in the 2002 case. In the arrest report it reveals that Richie told cops all she had eaten that day were french fries. As for what she drank that day -- "1 shot vodka."

She blew a .12. and a .13 in two separate tests. In California, .08 is considered legally intoxicated. Richie was stopped in her Toyota Corolla after a UCLA police officer observed her blowing a red light and driving over a speed bump at more than 50 miles an hour in an area with a 15 mph speed limit. Richie flunked the field sobriety test -- her eyes were watery and bloodshot, and she could not keep her balance.

Richie was given three years probation for her 2002 DUI conviction and had her license suspended for one year. Six months later, Richie was arrested for possession of heroin and for driving with a suspended license.

A 17-year-old boy has already died in an SUV driven by a celebrity. Someone else is going to die, and it will happen sooner rather than later.

Nicole Richie's loved ones could easily have been planning her funeral today -- likewise the loved ones of the people driving the right way on the 134 Freeway early Monday morning.

Lane Garrison must be scratching his head today. Why, he must be asking, did he have such bad luck? The fact is, the differentiating factor that makes Garrison a killer and Richie a DUI'er is luck. That's it.

I'm not trying to preach, and I will readily admit that TMZ has prospered off the antics of a group of young celebrities. When Brandon Davis went on his "firecrotch" rant against Lindsay, it was endlessly entertaining. When Paris got in fender-benders, it was so TMZ. And when Britney spread her legs for all the world to see, well it was Internet gold.

But the line has been crossed. The dark side of Hollywood has been revealed in the last month. And really, it's no surprise. There are a lot of young celebs who got really rich and very famous way too soon. The people who surround them are not used to saying "no." These celebs have gotten away with a lot -- mostly small stuff -- for a long time. And each time you get away with something you shouldn't, you get bolder the next time.

These celebs, for the most part, have no compass to guide them. Look at Lindsay Lohan. Her dad used the revolving door at his local jail while her mom was at war with him when she wasn't out partying. Lohan really didn't stand a chance, and it's sad.

While Britney Spears may be partying and undressing like Paris Hilton, the question is: Will she be following in her alcohol-soaked, law-breaking footsteps?

On the heels of DUIs by Hilton and Nicole Richie, wagerweb.com has released their picks for which member of the A-list party crowd is most likely to wind up busted behind the wheel. These stars can run but they can not Hyde.

Not surprisingly, Britney tops the list with a 1 to 2 chance that she'll be arrested and charged with a DUI. Paris, who was busted early this year, could be a repeat offender and so she lands the #2 spot. Good-time train wreck Tara Reid may be trying to clean up her image, but it's not enough to keep her from sloshing into the #3 spot on the list. Keeping her out of clubs might keep her out of jail.

Despite her wreck-a-week driving skills and AA membership, Lindsay Lohan hiccups into #4. Wait until she's of age! Rounding out the top 5: Limoncello aficionado, Danny DeVito.

Rosie said that the pin-thin Richie was about the same size as her 9-year-old, and Barbara lamented that Nicole felt compelled to downsize herself from the miniscule 100 pounds listed on her driver's license, to the skeletal 85 pounds that authorites listed as her weight on arrest.

ABC Television has offices near the exit ramp which Richie used to enter the freeway going the wrong way. ABC security guards noticed the commotion on their monitors and trained their security camera in that direction.

The pictures show Richie talking to CHP officers. We're told she admitted that she had taken Vicodin and smoked pot.

Richie was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Monday morning after admitting to CHP deputies that she had taken Vicodin and smoked marijuana.

TMZ has learned that Nicole Richie was arrested for DUI early Monday morning. She was booked at 4:50 AM today and was released around 7:15 this morning. The booking sheet reveals Richie is 5'1" and 85 lbs.

We're told two motorists spotted her SUV going the wrong way on the 134 Freeway in Burbank. The drivers called 911.

When the CHP responded, Richie was stopped in the carpool lane and was alone in the vehicle. When cops approached the vehicle, Richie was on her cellphone.

Law enforcement officers tell TMZ Nicole Richie admitted she had taken Vicodin and smoked pot.

A preliminary alcohol screening device revealed that Nicole was not under the influence of alcohol.

One law enforcement source tell TMZ that while Richie was at the jail she was "very cooperative and very humble."

This is not the first brush Richie has had with substance abuse. In 2003, she pled guilty to heroin possession. The charges were dismissed after she completed the terms of her probation.

A rep for Richie had no comment.