Super-swimmer Michael Phelps returned to big-time advertising Sunday with a TV spot for Subway titled "Be Yourself." Oh, the irony. Surely Phelps -- 14-time Olympic gold medalist and endorsement juggernaut -- was being only himself, only human, when he was photographed in November hitting a bong at a party at the University of South Carolina. That photograph, first published by the British tabloid News of the World in January, resulted in a three-month competition ban and cost Phelps a reported $500,000 deal with Kellogg. The swimmer promptly issued a sniveling apology, copping to "regrettable," "inappropriate" and "youthful" behavior (doesn't the latter want to excuse the former?). Phelps, 24, has more or less cheerfully dined on PR ashes ever since, in interviews with Matt Lauer, among others. [continues 729 words]
A couple of months ago I was at a Hollywood party -- except it was in Silver Lake -- when two attractive, daughter-aged women came in with a large trash bag, which turned out to contain about three pounds of extremely exotic, highly fissile marijuana. They dumped the bag out on a coffee table right in front of me. The party, a rather listless affair until then, perked right up. I will spare you my college days' dope-alogue. Suffice to say this wasn't the most ganja I'd ever seen in one place, by about 1,000 pounds. But it had been two decades since I seriously contemplated a table full of brain salad, and I was impressed. And surprised. People still get high? [continues 741 words]
