Earlier: Oprah's Favorite Things 2007: The Audience Freaks Out!

This morning on The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck was all bent out of shape about Phelps' bong hit, giving the tired spiel about how he's a role model and he's setting a bad example, blah blah blah. She went on to claim that since he's willing to use illegal drugs to have a good time, maybe he's open to using illegal drugs to advance his career, as though weed is a gateway drug to steroids or something. Whoopi shot her down pretty quickly, and admitted to enjoying pot.

Elisabeth's argument hinged on the fact that Phelps accepts money to endorse products. One of those is Rosetta Stone, the language-learning software, which is just about one of the most sedentary activities a stoner could enjoy, aside from watching The Wizard of Oz on mute while playing The Dark Side of the Moon. (I should know, since I've been using the program to learn Spanish.) His other sponsors, like Omega and Speedo, totally don't give a shit.

And they shouldn't, because it's silly — in my opinion, anyway — to pass judgment on those who take part in something as innocuous as pot smoking, which many believe is lot less harmful for one's body than alcohol. Besides, despite the fact that it's technically illegal, so many people smoke weed recreationally that it's not all that taboo. Here's a list of celebrities who have either been caught smoking marijuana, or admit willingly to doing so.

Woody Harrelson



Woody is an activist for the legalization of marijuana and hemp.

Willie Nelson



So is Willie Nelson.

Frances McDormand



Frances McDormand was on the cover of High Times in May 2003, in which she said, "I'm a recreational pot-smoker. There has never been enough of a distinction between marijuana and other drugs. It's a human rights issue, a censorship issue, and a choice issue."

Seth Rogen & James Franco



The pair stared in Pineapple Express together, and shared this maybe real/maybe fake joint on stage while presenting an award during the MTV Movie Awards last summer.

Cameron Diaz & Drew Barrymore



Also friends who share.

Justin Timberlake



Timberlake, who used to date Diaz, has been very open about how he smokes weed, sometimes even with is mother. He also admitted that he was stoned out of his mind when he was Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher.

Kimora Lee Simmons



Kimora Lee Simmons took one of the stoniest mugshots after she was arrested in 2004 for possession.

Nicole Richie



Nicole admitted to having smoked pot, as well as taking a Vicodin, when she was arrested for a DUI charge in 2007.

Paris Hilton



Nicole's buddy Paris' reefer madness has been well documented.

Michelle Phillips



Former singer from The Mamas & The Papas said as recently as 2001 that, "Marijuana should definitely be legalized. I think we should let everyone smoke it without fear of being thrown in jail. It's the greatest drug in the world!"

Snoop Dogg



Duh.

Redman



We'll be here all day if we start listing rappers.

Lil Wayne



But we'll mention Wayne for good measure.

Mariah Carey



Mariah is such a goody-two-shoes that she'd never publicly admit to marijuana use, but on her most recent album, she made plenty of weed references.

Charlize Theron



Academy Award winners like their weed, too.

AARP



In the summer of 2005, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) hosted a smoke-in to promote the legalization of marijuana. Celebrities that participated: Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson (obvs), Bette Midler, Santana, Chicago, David Crosby and Graham Nash, Rod Stewart, The New Jefferson Starship, Tony Orlando, Ringo Starr, Tommy Chong, Snoop Dogg, and Robert Downey Jr.

Matthew McConaughey



When McConaughey gets loose, he does so with bongos.

Dionne Warwick



Her work with Burt Bacharach was way too mellow to not be under the influence.

Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown



They've got "Something in Common."

Sarah Silverman



Sarah speaks favorably about weed in her act, and smoked with Doug Benson in his movie Super High Me.

Doug Benson



Comedian Doug Benson has centered much of his career around pot.

Oliver Stone



He has the perfect name for someone who's been busted for pot on numerous occasions.

Dawn Wells



Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island was arrested last year for possession.

Dave Chappelle

The Pointer Sisters



Oliver Hudson tells a story about his first concert-going experience, during which the Pointer Sisters were getting blazed.

Paul Dinello



It's hard to watch this Strangers With Candy clip about smoking pot without thinking that writer/actor Paul Dinello believes what he is saying.

Barbra Streisand



In a 1972 Rolling Stone interview, Babs said, "I'd take out a joint and light it. First, just faking it. Then I started lighting live joints, passing them around to the band, you know. I was great, it relieved all my tensions. And I ended up with the greatest supply of grass ever. Other acts up and down the Strip heard about what I was doing - Little Anthony and the Imperials, people like that - and started sending me the best dope in the world. I never ran out."

Phelps Backed by Sponsors After Marijuana Photo [TCPalm]
Elisabeth Hasselbeck disses Michael Phelps; Whoopi Goldberg: 'I have smoked weed' [EW]

Our vantage point in the clip defies easy interpretation like that provided by the Early Show anchors here; we actually sense a more fraught conversation upon the president's approach:

Bush: "Ms. Streisand."
Streisand: "Mr. President."
Bush: "It's like, I'm supposed do this thing, like, where—"
Streisand: "I know, I know. Just... whatever. Quickly."
Bush:"I bet that's not the first time you told a guy that."
Streisand: *scowls*
Bush: *kiss*
Streisand: "That's enough."
Bush: "Come on, at least—"
Streisand: *touches Bush's shoulder* "That's enough."
Bush: "Cool, sorry. Hey, tell Joshie I'm pulling for him. Oscars and everything."
Streisand: "OK."
Bush: "Except—"
Streisand: *smiles, clears throat*

At which point Bush shuffled to the next honoree, George Jones, though the video ends just before the point when we imagine the country legend offered his profuse gratitude and leaned in to inquire how hot Sarah Palin really is in person. Congrats to all the winners.

• Streisand and Bush Awkward Kiss [YouTube]

If Brolin comes off as a good ol’ boy, he’s actually a Hollywood scion, the vigorous sprout of a six-foot-four tree named James Brolin. “My dad is probably one of the handsomest guys ever,” says Brolin. “I was making a joke and I said, ‘If I was a chick, I’d f—- you.’ He was like, ‘You can’t say that! Shut your mouth!’”

While we admire the younger Brolin's candor, we hope he left his paternal fixation at the palatial Streisand residence instead of bringing it onto the set of W. The audience appetite for two more hours of George W. Bush may be further diluted by a scene in which W., high on peyote and aroused by a marathon session of brush-clearing at his Crawford ranch, places a late-night, naughty call to his father, whispering, "How'd you like to make a preemptive strike against my Fruit of the Looms, Poppy?"

[Photo Credit: AP]

• Josh Brolin [W]

Obama will start the evening with a 5 p.m. dinner event for about 250 people at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, the historic estate once owned by the legendary Doheny family. Tickets for the event are $28,500.

Later, he will attend a reception at the Beverly Wilshire, followed by Streisand's special performance. Tickets for the event are $2,500 per person.

Co-hosts for event include the DreamWorks team of Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, as well as political consultant Andy Spahn. It's also being organized with Obama's Southern California finance team.

Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen, too? Why don't they just wheel out a coffin that says "OBAMA 08" and drive a symbolic last nail into it with one of Sarah Palin's spare seal clubs? And speaking of the VP candidate, Streisand has weighed in on her website with an essay on the Brooke Hogan-radar-evader, entitled, "McCain Doesn't Get It: Women are not that stupid." It's a lot more enjoyable a read if you set it to the tune of "The Way We Were."

Maybe
He was sick of the lack of media attention
Maybe he had enough of the late night talk show hosts
Poking fun at his age

That one goes out to you, mom.

• Streisand to Sing for Obama [Variety]
• McCain Doesn't Get It: Women are not that stupid. [barbrastreisand.com]

I made myself a promise that I would not begin this book with the first-person singular pronoun I... and I've already broken that promise four times—five if you count the pronoun myself, which the Oxford American Dictionary defines as "corresponding to I and me." An unpromising sign.

April may be the cruelest month to Eliot, but to me it's the kindest, with the portents of spring, which is crammed with beginnings. Of holidays, I enjoy Memorial Day because it officially begins the pleasant summer season, and dislike Labor Day because it ends it. Thanksgiving is welcome because it begins the Christmas season, of which I confess to being inordinately fond and I'm resistant to the compulsory joy of New Year's Eve, because it ends it.

This affection for beginnings has had a predictable effect on my preferences. Though I should know better than to invite comparison with my betters as I begin my own literary effort, I confess to unbridled admiration for the blunt simplicity of "Call me Ishmael"; the instant dramatic engagement of "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"; the authorial certainty of "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way": the ringing challenge of Donne's "Go and catch a falling star/Get with child a mandrake root": the quiet fury of Yeats's "Turning and turning in the widening gyre/The falcon can not hear the falconer;/Things fall apart; the center cannot hold": the stately opening chords of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, which greet us not with the C-major tonic but with a submediant A minor chord, as if the boat had left the dock without us, and we had no choice but to jump in and swim after it....

In today's episode: Barbra Streisand; Owen Wilson; Jake Gyllenhaal; Patrick Dempsey and David Faustino; Ryan Reynolds; JJ Abrams; Kirstie Alley; Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Christina Aguilera, Fabrizio Moretti, Samantha Ronson, Robbie Williams, Nikka Costa, and Alex Greenwald; T.R. Knight; Jeffrey Katzenberg and Scary Spice; Bruce Jenner and Nigel Barker; Robbie Williams and Lauren Sanchez

· This afternoon (Oct 2) at about 3:30p, Barbara Streisand was rolling through a four way stop in Beverly Hills by the Post Office on Maple. She sped through the intersection in her black Cayenne Turbo almost clipping a pedestrian. Nice!

· 10/4 @ Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills. Owen Wilson. He was wearing a grey suit and looked GREAT (very attractive in person). The Darjeeling Limited premiere was like a block away so I'm guessing he was waiting for all the cameras to leave before he met up with his crew. He was solo, and must have been sitting at a nearby booth when we walked in. We noticed him as he passed by our table on his way out. He seemed to be in good spirits and nobody made a fuss about him.

· Today (Oct 2) I was at Ivy eating lunch. To my surprise, I saw Jake Gyllenhaal eating lunch with a VERY attractive young man in his early twenties. The two were laughing seemed to be having a great time. Jake was wearing black sunglasses, destroyed blue jeans, and a grey cashmere like sweater. As they were leaving Jake said to him," I will be by tonight to pick that stuff up" and the guy just smiled and said," Ok, I will be there" They seemed VERY cozy together and it was obvious there is something between them

· Weds October 3rd, a 2fer...First, get off the 405 on my way to work to gas up, next to me in a black porsche with bright orange wheels...pumping his own gas is Mc Dreamy himself Patrick Dempsey. He looked sexy in a tweed cap and brown leather jacket. Around 1pm on my lunch break in the Val I was driving on Moorpark near Laurel and saw all these hipsters exiting a church and I thought to myself "AA meeting just got out!" waiting to cross the street was Bud from "Married with Children" David Faustino.

· So, it's like this....Thursday night...

I was skipping out of Home Depot on Sunset Blvd. with Poppies and Pansies in my hot little hands. I spy parked at the front aisle of the parking lot was a handsome blonde man sitting on his big ol motor bike...one of those fabu Euro ones with the handle bars way down low and close together (so you have to bend way over to drive the bloody thing) Oh! I digress!!! Anyway, I was kinda checking out the bike when I hear his voice (he was on his phone) "Like, I knew I was going to be late"....Nothing really, but what really got me was the Lilt that was coming out of that mouth!!! I thought.. OH MY! what is that "girl" doing on a bike like that?! I quickly zeroed in on his face and am 99% sure it was Ryan Reynolds!!! I had no idea how to handle that...So I clutched the Pearls and ran to my car. On the way out I decided to give him a good look over to see what he would do...He noticed I was looking and then did that weird ...Yes, I am famous look and did a twist and turn pretzel bend cell phone cover up! Anyway, that made my boring life a little bit more exciting for 5 minutes.

· Wednesday, 10/3

Pretty sure that JJ Abrams was in the car next to me during rush hour on Melrose, between 6:15 and 6:30. He was in a black Prius and talking on his phone the entire time. I just stared at him, willing him to get off the phone so I could yell through my window about how much I love Alias and Lost. The man begat LOST! Or helped to begat it. Whatever. Anyway, he had the same type of glasses on that JJ always wears, except they were sunglasses (or those ones that darken in sunlight). It's quite possible that out of all of the celebrities I've seen in LA, this was the most exciting, because I am a dork.

· Saw Kirstie Alley at Mayfair Market (Bronson/Franklin) on Saturday in her classic housedress ensemble. Couldn't tell if she was buying Jenny Craig, but girlfriend is tall.

· schmorgasborg of celebs tonight (Oct. 4) at the el rey for mark ronson. robbie williams was a guest star along with nikka costa and singer of phantom planet (Alex Greenwald) and some other people i didn't know. christina aguilera and her hubby were up in the balcony along with carmen electra, fabrizio moretti from the strokes, celeb-by-association samantha ronson, nicole richie and joel madden. other people i recognized too but don't know their names. it was kind of a crazy night. the paparazzi almost made nicole fall as she was walking to her car at the end of the night.

· Sunday 9/30 Everyone's favorite 'f-word' T.R. Knight and a passel of hipster types sat at the end of the bar inside at the Cat & Fiddle. He was pretty dorky looking in a blue polo with particularly poofy hair. It didn't seem like he was 'with' any of the 6 or so guys that surrounded him (though some were clearly 'with' each other). He seemed kind of bored with them, like I didn't notice him smile once during the hour or so that our stays overlapped. And I would have noticed because I was staring...he's so generic looking, I had to be sure it was him!

· I had dinner at Madeo's last night (Oct. 4) and ran into Katzenberg (Sr.) and Scary Spice—not together.

· 9-26-07: While waiting for our flight to NYC I spotted the parental unit that gave us Brody Jenner, Bruce Jenner. He was using all his Olympic skills to make his plane on time. On our return flight back to LAX ( 10-3-07) we had none other the ( insert Tyra voice here) 'noted fashion photographer, Nigel Barker' the good looking judge from America's Next Top Model.. Let me just tell you, that man is beautiful in person. After a 6 hour flight his skin was down right dewy. He looked refreshed and relaxed while the rest of us look like crumpled messes. And boy is that man TALL!! Very Tall!!

· 10/2—My friend and I were making our way down the fire road in Runyon Canyon and spotted Robbie Williams with a posse. Some of them were wearing what looked to be matching tracksuits, including Robbie. Saw him again as we were going back up. We asked each other, "Why does he have an entourage at Runyon?" Seriously, he's not that famous here. My one European friend is in love with him, but to most people, he seems to be, "Oh, It's That Guy." Eh well. He's taller than expected and looks pretty solid—not a skinny, metro boy, but decidedly manly. Kinda makes him hotter, to be honest.

· Saw Lauren Sanchez in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. She was wearing a very beautiful purple dress (which is why I noticed — it was the cutest dress) with her very apparent baby bump. While I think she looks strange on TV, she is quite beautiful in person but part midget. She is so tiny I honestly couldn't believe it was really her.

Rejected Streisand porn titles: Anal Yentl, The Way We Whore, A Star is Porn, The Vibrator Has Two Settings, Sluts, Cock-Swallowing Anal Teens 25 Featuring Barbra Streisand.

• "Barbra Streisand" Porn Film on eBay [Fleshbot]
• "Barbra Streisand" NUDE & Risque' in 60's 8MM film [eBay]

Apparently at the Meet the Fockers premiere Barbra Streisand had to walk backwards because the good lighting was only from one side on the red carpet. That's what the word is in the LA gay bars and you know they wouldn't bash Babs.

Streisand better do some damage control. If she loses the gays, she'll be forced to spend the rest of her semi-retirement touring the early-bird specials in Florida to support her lifestyle. She's not that spring chicken with crossover appeal from The Mirror Has Two Faces anymore.

[Photo: Getty Images]

• Barbra to Dustin: You're Such a Focker [Defamer]