Bits & Pieces

Ty Pennington says “oops” about drunk driving chargeLOS ANGELES – Ty Pennington, host of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, apologized to his fans and co-workers Monday after he was arrested for investigation of drunken driving.

“I made an error in judgment,” Pennington said in a statement released through his publicist, Stan Rosenfield.

“We all make mistakes, however this is about accountability. Under no circumstances should anyone consume alcohol while driving. I could have jeopardized the lives of others and I am grateful there was no accident or harm done to anyone,” the reality TV host said.

Pennington was arrested on a misdemeanor charge shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday by the police department’s West Traffic Division, according to inmate information posted on the county Sheriff’s Department website.

Pennington was released two hours later after posting $5,000 bail and was due back in court June 4, according to the website.

“This was my wake-up call,” Pennington said. “I also want to apologize to my fans, ABC Television and my design team for my lapse in judgment and the embarrassment I have caused.”

Police officials said Monday they had no further information.

No more cocaine, ever

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – An energy drink called Cocaine has been pulled from stores nationwide amid concerns about its name, the company that produces it said Monday.

Clegg Ivey, a partner in Redux Beverages LLC of Las Vegas, said the company plans to sell the drink under a new name for now.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter last month that said Redux was illegally marketing the drink as a street drug alternative and a dietary supplement. May 4 was the deadline for the company to respond.

The FDA cited as evidence the drink’s labeling and website, which included the statements: “Speed in a Can,” “Liquid Cocaine” and “Cocaine–Instant Rush.” The company says Cocaine contains no drugs and is marketed as an energy drink. It has been sold since last August in at least a dozen states.

“Of course, we intended for Cocaine energy drink to be a legal alternative the same way that celibacy is an alternative to premarital sex,” Ivey said. “It’s not the same thing and no one thinks it is. Our product doesn’t have any cocaine in it. No one thinks that it does. We think it is most likely legal in the United States to ship our product.”

It’s a really slow news day

LONDON – The queen won’t be meeting The Queen just yet.

Helen Mirren, who won an Academy Award earlier this year for playing Queen Elizabeth II, has turned down an invitation to dinner at Buckingham Palace, a British newspaper reported.

The Mail on Sunday said Mirren had been invited to dine with the queen last week, but sent her regrets because she is filming National Treasure: Book of Secrets in the United States.

“The palace very kindly extended an invitation to dinner last Tuesday, May 1,” Mirren said in a statement quoted by the newspaper. “But, unfortunately, I was filming in South Dakota and unable to change my schedule. I am very sad not to have been able to attend.”

Representatives of Mirren and the queen could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Mirren won the best actress prize at February’s Oscars for her performance in The Queen, set in the aftermath of the 1997 death of Princess Diana.

The 61-year-old actress saluted the queen in her acceptance speech for maintaining “her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle” for more than 50 years.

“She’s had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she’s weathered many, many storms…If it wasn’t for her, I most certainly wouldn’t be here. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the queen,” Mirren said, holding her Oscar aloft.

Buckingham Palace said after the awards that it was “looking at a number of options” for a visit by Mirren, director Stephen Frears and writer Peter Morgan.