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British actor and comedian Russell Brand arrives for the European premiere of the film Rock of Ages at Leicester Square in central London June 10, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT HEADSHOT)TOBY MELVILLE/Reuters

CHANGING THE RULES

Comic actor and former heroin addict Russell Brand says the recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman makes the case that drug laws need to be changed. Writing for the British newspaper The Guardian, Brand argues that drug addiction is a "mental illness" and should therefore be treated as a medical condition in hopes of preventing tragedies such as Hoffman, who was found dead in his apartment this past weekend from a suspected heroin overdose. Asks Brand: "Would Hoffman have died if this disease were not so enmeshed in stigma? If we weren't invited to believe that people who suffer from addiction deserve to suffer? Would he have OD'd if drugs were regulated, controlled and professionally administered?"

Source: The Guardian

SMALL TARGET

The online troll culture goes horribly wrong: Los Angeles police are investigating a series of death threats allegedly made against Disney Star Mia Talerico – who is five years old. Best known for her role on the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie (she's Charlie), the young actress reportedly began receiving threatening messages on her Instagram page in January. LAPD investigators did not reveal specific details of the threats. "Our threat analysis unit always keeps our threat investigations findings and recommendations confidential because often the people who make threats read the media coverage they receive," said LAPD commander Andrew Smith. Good Luck Charlie stirred up a minor controversy mid-January by introducing a lesbian couple – the first same-sex couple to appear on the Disney Channel.

Source: People

NEW KIDS

All five members of Canadian comedy quintet The Kids in the Hall will reunite in Toronto in March for a table reading of their movie Brain Candy. Cast originals Bruce McCulloch, Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson will take part in the reunion that will take place March 11 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre as part of this year's edition of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. The Kids in the Hall TV series aired on CBC from 1988 to 1994. Released in 1996, Brain Candy was a theatrical feature in which all the Kids principals played several characters.

Source: Toronto Life

AMAZING GRACE

His villainous character Venom may have been thumped by Spider-Man, but Topher Grace is alive and well and launching his own website. The former That '70s Show star has created his own website called Cerealprize.com, which features pop-culture oddities, video clips, re-edited movie trailers and bizarre sketches. "I'm that dude who always wants to share stuff with people – check out this book, or you gotta check out this weird Internet video or here's this script that never got made," said Grace.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

SEEING RED

The Sochi Winter Games have barely begun and already American viewers are asking: What's the deal with Bob Costas's eye? The veteran sports anchor kicked off NBC's coverage on Thursday night and addressed the unavoidable fact that his left eye was swollen moments into the broadcast. Said Costas: "Bear with me a moment as I spare my friends in the press office countless inquiries. I woke up this morning with my left eye swollen shut and just about as red as the old Soviet flag. According to the NBC doctors here, it's some kind of minor infection, which should resolve itself by the weekend."

Source: Zap2it

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