FLAG FUSS

Ai caramba! Miley Cyrus could go to jail or receive a hefty fine for getting risqué with the Mexican flag.

As reported in lurid detail by TMZ, the former Hannah Montana star was performing at a concert in Monterrey, Mexico, the capital city of the northern state of Nuevo Leon, on Tuesday, which also happened to be Mexican Independence Day.

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But as Cyrus has shown us with her mad twerking skills at last year's MTV Video Music Awards and on other occasions, she lives to push the edge of the musical envelope.

As evidenced in the TMZ video, on this particular occasion Cyrus was wearing a large foam-rubber prosthetic posterior, which she shakes with abandon on stage. Unfortunately the false caboose was slapped repeatedly by one of her backup dancers with a Mexican flag.

And while it's unlikely there was much forethought going into the performance, the alleged desecration of the flag could cost Cyrus dearly.

As it turns out, the Mexican government is very touchy about national symbols.

NBC News reports that the Nuevo Leon state legislature has already approved a warrant for the Interior Ministry to prosecute Cyrus for the egregious act.

Apparently the crime of desecration comes with a $1,200 (U.S.) fine and a 36-hour jail sentence.

Just in case you think the Mexican government can't possibly be serious about following through on their punitive action, keep in mind that Mexican singer Paulina Rubio was fined an estimated $5,000 (U.S.) in 2008 for appearing naked in a magazine draped only in the Mexican flag.

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And take note that Rubio was born and raised in Mexico City. Cyrus hails from Nashville.

Por favor, no mas, Miley. No mas.

FAN SUPPORT

Melissa Rivers has opened up for the first time since her mother's funeral. On Wednesday, the only daughter of Joan Rivers went onto her WhoSay account to talk about the support she's received from people since the death of the comedy legend on Sept. 4. "My mother would have overwhelmed by the scope and depth of the love that people have expressed for her," wrote Rivers. "It is certainly helping to lift our spirits during this time." Added Rivers: "We are forever grateful for your kindness and support in continuing to honour my mother's legacy, and for remembering the joy and laughter that she brought to so many."

Source: ABC News

THE BIG WIN

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A mathematics teacher from Maryland has become the third person in Wheel of Fortune history to collect the show's $1-million (U.S.) grand prize. Sarah Manchester, who lives and works in Silver Spring, Md., earned the payday by solving the puzzle "loud laughter" on Wednesday night. Manchester appeared on Wheel of Fortune as part of the show's annual Teacher's Week competition.

Source: People

TORRID TIPPLER

Mon dieu: French actor Gerard Depardieu says he's been known to knock back up to 14 bottles of wine – in a single day! "I can't drink like a normal person," said the 65-year-old Depardieu in a recent interview with So Film magazine. "I can absorb 12, 13, 14 bottles … per day. But I'm never totally drunk, just a little pissed. All you need is a 10-minute nap and voila, a slurp of rosé wine and I feel as fresh as a daisy." In the same interview, Depardieu allowed that he lays off the wine during "occasional compulsory bouts of abstinence."

Source: Us Weekly

BAD MEMORIES

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Meredith Vieira has shared details of her own history with domestic violence. On Wednesday's episode of the recently launched Meredith Vieira Show, the 60-year-old TV veteran confessed that she was in an abusive relationship "many, many years ago" with a former boyfriend. "It started out that we would have a fight and he would grab my arm," Vieira told viewers. "Then it turned into pushing me against the wall. Then it went beyond that to actually taking his hand and grabbing my face and saying, 'I could ruin your career if I wanted to and no one would want you.' " Vieira said she escaped the relationship when she took a job in another state.

Source: Salon

GIRL POWER

Gloria Steinem will make a cameo appearance in an upcoming episode of The Good Wife. CBS announced this week that the 80-year-old feminist icon will play herself in a scene opposite Julianna Margulies in the third episode of the series slated to air on Oct. 5. On Wednesday's outing of Live! With Kelly and Michael, Margulies admitted that she was gobsmacked when Steinem filmed her guest spot. "I made a fool of myself and then had to e-mail her and apologize," said Margulies.

Source: Hollywood Reporter