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updated 25 Aug 2012, 21:07
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Thu, Feb 17, 2011
Reuters
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Lindsay Lohan's dad behind Letterman "mistake"
by Jill Serjeant

Lindsay Lohan's father on Wednesday claimed he was the mystery "friend" behind a bogus announcement of plans by his troubled daughter to appear on David Letterman's late-night television show.

CBS had said a day earlier that Lohan, 24, was booked to appear by satellite on Thursday for the show's nightly "Top 10" comedy bit, a segment that recently has poked fun at her wave of personal problems.

But producers of the "Late Show with David Letterman" said on Wednesday that Lohan would not be appearing, because a mistake had been made. Initially, it seemed the talk show had been hoaxed by a prankster. But the actress' father, Michael Lohan, later claimed responsibility for trying to book his daughter on the program.

Letterman apologized for the mix-up in a taping of his show on Wednesday, saying he was the person who took the call.

"It turns out we were duped, and I have no one to blame but myself, and boy is my face red," Letterman said.

It would have been the first TV appearance by the "Mean Girls" actress since she was charged last week with stealing a US$2,500 (S$3,201) gold necklace, days after leaving her fifth stint in rehab in three years.

By midday on Wednesday, Michael Lohan had told celebrity website TMZ.com that he made the Letterman booking after getting the green light from his daughter.

Michael Lohan, who recently repaired a strained relationship with his daughter, told TMZ that Lindsay "knew full well" about the booking. He said everything was going well until representatives for the actress got wind of the appearance and shut it down.

Tom Keaney, a spokesman for Letterman's production company, said "clearly" the person who contacted the show was "not authorized to make commitments on (Lohan's) behalf."

Lohan said in a Twitter message late on Tuesday that she was not doing the show and apologized for the confusion, adding "I'm not sure how this happened."

Lohan, once one of Hollywood's most promising young stars, is facing a possible three-year sentence if convicted of walking out of a Los Angeles jewelry store in January without paying for the necklace.

Letterman seemed to sarcastically allude to Lohan's recent troubles when he spoke to his audience on Wednesday.

"And by the way, now I need to apologize to the Lindsay Lohan family. I hope I didn't embarrass you, Lindsay, and your family," the comedian said, as the audience laughed.

She has pleaded not guilty to grand theft -- the most serious charge against her in three years of failed drug tests, missed court appearances and brief spells in jail stemming from a 2007 drunken-driving and cocaine-possession offense.

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