Down and Out

Robert Downey Jr. was arrested over the weekend while vacationing at a Palm Springs hotel. Tipped off by an anonymous 911 call placed last Saturday evening, police entered Downey's $500 a night suite at Merv Griffin's Resort Hotel & Givenchy Spa, where they found the 35 year old actor alone with cocaine and methamphetamines. Charged with drug possession and committing a felony while out on bail, Downey spent the night at the Palm Springs City Jail, then posted $15,000 bail on Sunday morning. If convicted, it's likely that Downey, who's scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 27, will be sent back to prison.

No stranger to jails, Downey was sentenced to three years in Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., on drug and probation violation charges in August 1999. But Downey's luck changed when a judge freed him just three months ago on $5,000 bail. Once out, he kicked off his Hollywood comeback by signing on for a 10 episode stint on Fox's ''Ally McBeal'' (the fourth show airs Monday at 9 p.m.), as lawyer Larry Paul, Ally's (Calista Flockhart) new love interest. It's not clear whether Downey will return to the ''Ally'' set. On the big screen, Downey, a former Oscar nominee, is currently in Paramount's rerelease of the Curtis Hanson drama ''Wonder Boys,'' for which he is considered a contender for this year's Best Supporting Actor award.

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