As heralded just a little while ago in an internal e-mail circulating through the company that sounded suspiciously like a press release, HBO CEO Chris Albrecht is taking the time-honored route of following up an embarrassing personal incident with a quick trip to rehab (it's worked so well for Mel, Britney, and Lindsay lately), where he'll battle the alcohol-fueled demons that resurfaced in the MGM Grand's valet lot this weekend. There's no timetable given as yet for Albrecht's return from the leave of absence, but one hopes that the usual 28 days will be long enough for the public's memory of that unflattering mugshot, and for his own pain over the emotionally devastating end of The Sopranos, to fade.

• HBO puts Albrecht on leave [Variety]
• HBO's Albrecht on leave, enters AA [THR]

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