For the better part of the year, Mischa Barton elected to stay away from LA, spending time in London, in New York, shooting in Regina, Canada… anywhere but the rotting cesspool of sh*t known as Hollywood where bare coochies for the paps are abundant and cocaine blows as freely as cigarette smoke and fellatio.

You’ll recall, the last time Mischa decided to spend time in LA back in May, she collapsed from what was called an “adverse reaction to medication”. Translation: mixing vodka with prescription drugs.

This time she decided to mix vodka with the steering wheel of her car – joining the club of young twats (and Kiefer Sutherland too) attempting to murder innocent people on the road after boozing. Apparently the Los Angeles police force has some kind of sixth sense whenever celebrities decide to endanger the innocent while driving drunk… as you know, Mischa was arrested. Marijuana and other drugs were found and she’s had to drop out of New Year’s Eve hosting duties in Vegas and lay low while her PR team focuses on exploiting this golden opportunity.

But of course it’s a golden opportunity. Why would you even think that a DUI would be anything but a golden opportunity in Hollywood?

I’m told Mischa’s people are trying to negotiate a “soft” television apology/explanation in the new year – you remember how Larry King let Paris Hilton off the hook without pushing when she told him she never used drugs? That kind of soft. Not Larry King himself but that kind of soft.

As for rehab… word is there will be no rehab. Because like the others, “she doesn’t have a problem”.