Something’s in the air this past week. Not one but at least five celebrities – including several actresses – have been hospitalized, put in/ entered rehab, or a psych ward.

• Eva Mendes entered rehab in Utah.
• Sean Young entered rehab after heckling Julian Schabel during the SAG Awards, after she was over-served alcohol.
• Britney Spears the UCLA psych ward, went ballistic and was declared “GD” (Gravely Disabled).
• Amy Winehouse was hospitalized and put on a drip, possibly as an aid to getting off her crack addiction. (Winehouse’s husband, who is in jail, recently said that he gave her three months to live if she didn’t wise up. And her mother said that Amy could be dead within the year.) Hopefully she’ll be well for the Grammy Awards (Feb 10).
• Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Chambers was also at UCLA psych ward, was treated and checked out. (His rep claims exhaustion and a sleeping disorder, but I think he saw how much money his Grey’s Anatomy co-star Katherine Heigl gets for her crappy movies and lost it.)

Add to all this the rumors that Kirsten Dunst might be on the verge of a breakdown. Though it might have to do with her ex Jake Gyllenhaal reportedly ready to propose to Reese Witherspoon.

Don’t know if this is it, but January does tend to contribute to depression. But poking fun or not, I hope they all get well.

I’ve been wondering if there was any female celebrity that wasn’t pregnant in the past year or two. Well, one more just joined the mommy-to-be ranks: actress Minnie Driver. Except she isn’t saying who the father is. Minnie also turned 38 yesterday. She has no movie projects at present, but was in Take and Ripple Effect (which she also produced) in 2007.

Rocker/actress Gwen Stefani, also 38 (wow!), is pregnant with her second child by rocker Gavin Rossdale (Bush/ Bush-X). Mary Lynn Rajskub (36), one of the stars of the TV show 24, is pregnant by live-in boyfriend Matthew Rolph. Singer Lily Allen, who just miscarried (probably due to her unwillingness to quit smoking while pregnant), plans to try again with Chemical Brother boyfriend Ed Simons.

Hopefully none of these ladies is as much of a diva as J.Lo, who plans on having all her hospital gowns be couture. J.Lo and husband Mark Anthony revealed the names for their babies to be: Max and Emme.

Despite the retailer Woolworth’s (UK) decision to stop carrying HD-DVD discs and players, as reported earlier, the group that promotes HD-DVD says it’s too early to decide a winner the high-def video format wars. They’re touting the fact that HD-DVD players cost about half that of Sony Blu-ray players.

HD-DVD will be taking out a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl this Sunday, at the cost of US$2.7M. But Wired magazine thinks differently, and that the blow handed to them by Woolworth’s, Warner Bros. and other retailers and movie studios recently is more than a flesh wound, and that the TV ad is a waste of effort.

Well, not quite a “Deathmatch”, but Lindsay Lohan and Keira Knightley are both trying out for the role of heroine Catherine Earnshaw in a new version of Wuthering Heights. The movie is of course based on Emily Bronte’s mid-19th century novel of the same name.

Director John Maybury says he “wouldn’t count Keira out” but said the same about Lohan. Yeah, right. If you were to see a Victorian period movie, which actress do you think would be more effective, especially in terms of speech? Knightley, who has a real British accent, or Lohan? An actress who has an Oscar nomination (Knightley) or one who doesn’t, in a serious film?
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

Wesley Snipes was found guilty of three misdemeanors for not filing tax returns for three years. He was cleared on the more serious charges including conspiracy to defraud, but could still spend up to three years in prison. Originally, he had a potential sentence of sixteen years if he’d been convicted of all charges. While the U.S. Attorney had thought there was evidence for conviction on all charges, the jury felt differently.

While you might not hear about them, there are a LOT more filmmakers in the United States alone than you might realize. Something I read the other day said “150,000″, but I’m not even sure that that was a complete count. And then there are all the filmmakers in other countries.
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

Former E.R. star Julianna Margulies just gave birth to a boy, Kieran Lindsay Lieberthal, with her husband Keith Lieberthal. [People]

Christina Applegate, star of the new TV show (Samantha Who?) that received a SAG Award nomination is dating Zachary Levy, star of the show (Chuck) that should have received a nomination.

Nicole Richie continues to impress me. She just had a baby and now, through her charity with boyfriend/ fiancee Joel Madden, they’re giving gifts to other women in labor at L.A. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Brava, Nicole. [Cele|bitchy]

Nicolas Cage, an excellent actor and also nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola, says he’s tired of being in blockbuster movies.

One of my frustrations is I have no control. I haven’t worked in a while, and it will be eight months before I start my next picture… I wonder if I am still interesting to watch.

I think you are, Nic, and it’s your versatility to be in different kinds of movies that I enjoy. I mean, it works for Will Smith, so why not you? (But Kathleen Turner doesn’t like you much.)
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!

If you didn’t already know, action star Wesley Snipes (Blade, Blade II, Blade: Trinity, Passenger 57, Murder at 1600) is in a whole lotta trouble for not paying income taxes on about US$58M, spanning several years. His lawyers are saying that he should simply have to pay up what he owes instead of having a trial since, that he was poorly advised by his co-defendants, and that he had no intention of defrauding.

Snipes’ case is apparently one of the biggest in US tax history and if he does go to trial, he could go away for quite some time. That means, no more Blade sequels, no more movies for years. Well I loved Blade and hope he pays his dues and avoids jail time. (Since Blade: Trinity, the man has been doing a lot of straight-to-video work, but he’ll appear in in the zombie flick Gallowwalker in 2009, which has already completed production.)

MeeVee has an interesting breakdown of some of the celebrities that are endorsing various U.S. presidential candidates in both parties. Hulk Hogan is endorsing Barack Obama, but Nature Boy Rick Flair is endorsing Mike Huckabee.

According to the breakdown, it seems that Obama has the vast majority of celebrity endorsements, mostly from actors/ actresses and a few others in the entertainment business. Someone commented to me last week that Hollywood really wants a Democrat back in power, though he didn’t say why he thought that. That their endorsements lie with Obama rather than, say, Hillary Clinton, says loads. She does, however, have the backing of a few celebrities – mostly non-actors – including Barbra Streisand, Martha Stewart and Magic Johnson.
…on the edge of your seat? Keep reading!