Lindsay Lohan returns to rehab

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan has returned to rehab after a weekend drunken-driving arrest, her publicist said on Tuesday, raising questions about whether she can start shooting her latest film as planned.

Official word that Lohan was back in treatment came hours after entertainment trade paper Daily Variety said she had just joined the cast of "Poor Things," a comedy starring Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine and set to begin filming this week in Los Angeles.

"Lindsay admitted herself to an intensive medical rehabilitation facility on Memorial Day. Because this is a medical matter, it is our hope that the press will appreciate the seriousness of the situation," the publicist's statement said. No further details were given.

But several celebrity news outlets, including TMZ.com and Us Weekly magazine online, said Lohan checked in on Monday to the Promises treatment center in Malibu, the luxury facility where pop star Britney Spears was recently a patient.

Lohan, 20, underwent a stint in rehab earlier this year after spending months as an underage regular on the Hollywood party and nightclub circuit with the likes of Spears and Paris Hilton.

The actress, who shot to fame in Disney films such as "The Parent Trap" and "Freaky Friday," also said in December she had been attending Alcoholics Anonymous for about a year.

But her Beverly Hills arrest on Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence, and police reports that a substance believed to be cocaine was found in the car, triggered a wave of headlines trumpeting Hollywood's latest celebrity relapse.

Several tabloids ran front-page pictures on Tuesday showing Lohan slack-jawed, eyes closed in the passenger seat of a car. The New York Post reported she ended up passed out after a nightclub binge that lasted until 4 a.m. on Monday, two days after her arrest.

According to TMZ's report, Lohan was admitted to Promises for in-patient treatment, possibly for 30 days, sparking questions about a potential conflict with her new film.

Representatives for the film's production company, Still Rolling Prods., and MacLaine, who also is co-producing the film, were not immediately available for comment.

But it would not be the first time that Lohan's personal life has put her at odds with demands of her career.

Last July, the producer of "Georgia Rule" took the unusual step of going public with a letter to Lohan scolding her for repeatedly showing up late on the set.

In his unusual reprimand, the Morgan Creek Prods. executive James Robinson called her behavior "discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional" and cited her "ongoing all-night heavy partying" as the reason for her tardiness.

Lohan returned to work the next day, and "Georgia Rule," which paired her with film legend Jane Fonda, was released earlier this month.

Last year, Lohan co-starred with another Oscar-winning veteran actress, Meryl Streep, in "A Prairie Home Companion."

Reuters/Nielsen