The film “Let’s Go to Prison” lasts 84 minutes, and ironically, that’s the precise amount of time Lindsay Lohan spent in the Lynwood jail — the same facility that had the pleasure of hosting Nicole Richie for 82 minutes, and Paris Hilton for 23 days.
According to the LA County Sheriff's Web site, Lohan checked in at 10:30 a.m. and checked out at 11:54 a.m. Lohan’s Lynwood flyby was related to her DUI arrest in July, where she jumped into a car (which wasn’t hers) with three men (not close friends of hers) and allegedly sped after her former assistant.
Lohan’s rep, despite my best efforts, has remained mum on what the experience was like for the beleaguered star. I’m taking this as a good sign. Why? Because even as friends of Lohan’s claim “She’s really trying to change,” I wasn’t buying it. Until now. She’s keeping her head down, doing what she needs to do, all with little fanfare.
And let’s be honest. There’s a bright side to serving so little time. No Larry King interviews to suffer through, only to learn ... um ... nothing. No empty promises of women’s halfway houses and trips to Rwanda. Lohan is quietly doing her community service and managed a jail term — however brief — without the paparazzi catching on. I’d say she’s on the right track.
Box-office predictions
At the risk of sounding like I’m schilling for “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,” I’m declaring the fantastical flick the likely box-office winner this weekend. I sat down with Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman and Dustin Hoffman, and if I wasn’t sold on the film already, their honesty — however bizarre — sold me on it. Check out the video of the interview to see what I’m talking about.
Also opening is “Beowulf,” starring Angelina Jolie. As Jolie has been increasingly more open about her private life, her professional draw seems to be waning. Her last film, “A Mighty Heart” grossed only a little more than $9 million domestically, and “Beowulf” doesn’t have a wide appeal. The dark-horse candidate, however, is “Love in the Time of Cholera.” The book that inspired the film was a recent Oprah book club selection. If the power of Oprah extends to the silver screen, you can’t rule this film out, either.