The Remote Island : Mackenzie Phillips

MacKenzie Phillips Forgot To Take It One Day At A Time, Will Do So In Rehab

Jake Kalish — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:39:00 GMT

MacKenzie Phillips of One Day At A Time pleaded guilty to heroin and coke possession Friday, after being busted in LA Airport August 27th carrying cocaine, heroin, and drug paraphrenalia. Well, there's your answer to that "Whatever happened to..." question. To be fair, speedballs are a quicker weight-loss alternative to Valerie Bertinelli's Jenny Craig program.

As part of her plea deal, prosecutors dropped heroin and syringe possession charges, but Phillips has to complete an 18-month stint in rehab -- her tenth time in a drug rehabilitation facility. And none of those were Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. Let's all hope this one takes, for her health and well-being, and also because you can only make One Day At A Time jokes so many times.

-- Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights

The Weekly Rewind: Summer's End

Ben Kallen — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:35:00 GMT

Man, what an action-packed few days! We had the Olympics finale, a political convention, the start of a big holiday weekend, and -- most important of all -- the buildup to the new fall TV season. So how 'bout we look back on it all with the highlights of the week:

We counted down the top 10 new shows and the top 10 returning shows for the upcoming season. That's, yes, 20 shows worth watching. We know that some critics are worried about the overall quality of the fall schedule... but, really, if 20 isn't enough for them, they should maybe start thinking about reading more books.

We found 18 "memorable TV moments" that the Emmy people left off their list. And yet they still won't let us present the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy!

We met the new American Idol judge, and she's attractive, articulate and successful. Let's hope she keeps her Coke cup away from Paula.

We watched some hilariously terrible music videos featuring TV stars. If you've ever wondered what the Internet was made for, this is it.

We thought we'd lost Denise Richards, and then we maybe got her back, but then we weren't sure we really wanted her after all. Just like Charlie in that one episode of Two and a Half Men!

We learned that even after all this time, we're still amused by the phrase "Stifler's mom."

We saw Mackenzie Phillips get in trouble with drugs, and David Duchovny get in trouble with sex. Where the hell is Dr. Drew when you need him?

Helloooo, Mr. Phelps! Goodbyyyye, Mr. Bush!

We got ready to spend the waning days of summer with a nice long weekend of TV. Hey, it's our job -- what's your excuse?

Photo: AP

Previously:
The Weekly Rewind: We Want Our Fun TV

Bad News: Mackenzie Phillips in Drug Bust

Ben Kallen — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:20:00 GMT

Sad! TV actress Mackenzie Phillips has been arrested by federal security agents at the L.A. airport on suspicion of possessing small amounts of cocaine and heroin.

Phillips has long been open about her struggles to recover from drug addiction, and even played a drug counselor on the original Beverly Hills, 90210.

Phillips, of course, is most famous for playing one of two teenage daughters in the '70s-to-'80s single-mom sitcom One Day at a Time. (Her sister was played by Valerie Bertinelli, best known lately for her Jenny Craig commercials.) In real life, she's the daughter of John Phillips, of the '60s rock group The Mamas & the Papas, and she toured with the group for several years in place of her stepmother, Michelle Phillips. She's also the half-sister of singer Chynna Phillips (of the '90s pop group Wilson Phillips) and model-actress Bijou Phillips.

A few years ago she played a rock-star mom on the Disney Channel kids' mystery show So Weird, and most recently she guest-starred on an episode of Cold Case.

2003 photo of former One Day at a Time stars Valerie Bertinelli, Bonnie Franklin and Mackenzie Phillips: AP

Previously:

Sigh... Andy Dick Is in Trouble Again