The Lohans

Dina Lohan drove totally wasted and it's all because the paparazzi drove her to the bottle and then the steering wheel ... this according to her bizarre lawyer.

Dina and her lawyer, Mark Heller, appeared for a routine hearing in her drunk driving case, and then Heller offered up the indefensible defense.

Here's the argument ... Dina's lifestyle presents lots of challenges and stress, brought on by the barrage of photogs that follow her. Those stresses caused Dina to down enough alcohol to register a .20 blood alcohol level as she tooled down the road. Short story -- it's our fault, not hers.

You may remember Heller. He was literally run out of L.A. after getting fired in the Lindsay Lohan shoplifting case.

Heller hopes that the judge will take his argument under consideration in Dina's DWI case.

Lindsay Lohan may have been reaching in the wrong direction last night because it looks like her hand was going straight for a wine bottle.

The pic was taken at a Hollywood Hills home where Lindsay was hanging out before attempting to catch a red eye back to NY. Lindsay got to the airport too late and missed her flight.

There are no photos of Lindsay actually clutching the bottle or drinking but the evidence is ominous.

Lindsay Lohan appears to have made-up with an old friend ... only problem, it's another crony with whom she has a history of getting into trouble.

LiLo was spotted leaving Lure restaurant in NYC last night with Gavin Doyle -- the same guy who ratted her out to cops last year ... when he told them Lohan was the driver in their crash on PCH -- a fact Lindsay tried to conceal.

Lindsay also famously booted Gavin from her car last year ... after leaving an NYC jail for allegedly punching a "gypsy." He was also her employee during most of Lohan's darkest drug fueled days.

It's unclear when the two made up -- but we thought for sure he would have been one of the 80 "toxic friends" LiLo cut from her life after rehab.

Lindsay Lohan and her mom Dina grabbed their running shoes ... their track suits ... and a couple of bottles of Coca-cola as they hit the streets of New York today.

Yeah, Coke isn't the drink of choice when you're working out, but it beats vodka.

Lilo and DiLo rented bikes and cruised the West Side Highway in NYC ... then ditched the bikes and worked up a sweat during a quick run -- sodas in hand -- before hopping into a waiting SUV.

Feel the burn.

Lindsay Lohan was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong dude last night in NYC -- at least based on her history with her hotel owner pal.

In a photo that spells nothing but trouble for Lindsay ... she was snapped outside The Dream Hotel at 1 AM with Vikram Chatwal ... who owns the hotel, but more importantly has an even darker past with drugs than Lindsay.

As TMZ reported, Linds thinks she and Chatwal -- himself a rehab grad -- can help each other stay clean … which is kinda like a diabetic having Paula Deen for a best friend.

Not to mention ... LiLo was arrested last year at The Dream for a hit and run, after grazing a pedestrian outside the hotel, and then fleeing the scene.

So, let's review -- out late night, hanging with a recovering addict, at a spot where she's already been arrested once.

It's not like Oprah Winfrey to screw up when it comes to TV programming, but she just made a huge mistake by cutting Lindsay Lohan's mom and dad from her reality show.

C'mon O ... everyone knows crazy equals ratings in the reality game.

Lindsay Lohan's OWN reality show producers want nothing to do with her parents, and TMZ has learned ... an executive decision was made to ban them from the show.

Michael and Dina Lohan will NOT film a single scene for the upcoming series. No one will even refer to DiLo's DWI arrest earlier this month -- according to production sources.

We're told producers were struggling a few weeks back with the show's direction ... and after intense debate decided to not include the "Lohan family circus."

We're told cameras did capture Michael and Lindsay together on 3 days -- but it's unclear whether that footage will make the final cut ... and there won't be any further shooting with daddy dearest.

Our sources say the show will stick to its original focus -- Lindsay's "comeback and recovery" ... which is what she agreed to from the get go.

Lindsay Lohan will get to keep her huge paycheck from Oprah Winfrey ... but only after an intense showdown between O and LiLo ... TMZ has learned.

We've confirmed ... Lindsay was a disaster at the beginning of the project -- at times just being a no-show -- which doesn't work in Oprah's world. We're told Oprah went to Dina's house on Long Island for a showdown with Lindsay. She told Lindsay either clean up her act or the project is over and Lindsay would not get her $2 million paycheck.

Our sources say Lindsay had a bunch of excuses ... she was spending time trying to find an apartment in NYC, she had other projects she was trying to finish, there were "miscommunications" between her people and the folks at OWN, yada yada.

Oprah made the ultimatum clear and Lindsay got the message.

We're told Lindsay is now cooperating and things have been running okay for nearly a month, but Oprah is still watching Lindsay like a hawk.

Lindsay Lohan has every right to blame her addiction issues on her mother AND her father -- so says Michael Lohan who's now fully admitting their nasty breakup put Lindsay on a path to failure.

We spoke to Michael just hours after Dina Lohan pled not guilty to DWI -- telling us, "I think because of [my and Dina's] divorce and what happened, Lindsay was put in a horrible position."

Dina Lohan just showed up in court in New York a few minutes ago and pleaded not guilty to drunk driving charges ... but she wasn't just allowed to go ... because the judge suspended her license.

Dina showed up with her attorney, Mark Heller -- the same guy Lindsay used -- who argued that Dina didn't have a criminal record ... and the judge released her without bail. Then they faced reporters outside the courthouse.

As we reported ... Dina was stopped for speeding on a Long Island highway earlier this month and cops say she blew a .20 on a breathalyzer. She was ticketed for DWI and speeding.

No license? No problem. Dina was driven away ... in a silver Rolls-Royce.

Dina Lohan should think about putting a lawyer on retainer, because she has a new legal problem -- a bank has filed a lawsuit to foreclose on her Long Island house.

Dina has had problems falling behind on her mortgage payments for years now, but apparently it has reached critical mass.

JP Morgan Chase Bank filed the foreclosure action, according to the Long Island Press. The process is complicated. Dina can pull this one out of the fire by settling with the bank.

Dina has salvaged her home in the past. TMZ broke the story ... Lindsay bailed her out last year by fronting her mom 40k for the crib.

And this is interesting ... Dina was served with foreclosure docs 2 weeks before she was popped for DUI.

Dina Lohan temporarily learned her lesson after getting busted for DUI last week -- She celebrated her 51st birthday Sunday night with her kids ... without guzzling a single drop of booze.

Dina, Lindsay, Cody, Ali (who's Vogue-ing out) and Michael Jr. went to ABC Kitchen in NYC, and we're told they ordered Diet Cokes, waters, Shirley Temples, and cherry sodas all night. (Dina ordered the DC.)

We're told the entire Lohan clan was in great spirits -- something they're familiar with -- and no one uttered a peep about the arrest.

As we reported, Dina was popped on Long Island Thursday after allegedly driving with a blood alcohol level of .20 (more than twice the legal limit). Happy Birthday!

Lots going on this week. George Zimmerman is a menace to his community -- so says the police chief. Dina Lohan ended up in the drunk tank. Selma Blair is out for blood after getting sacked from "Anger Management." So we gotta ask ...

Lindsay Lohan just arrived at her mom's house on Long Island -- this after Dina Lohan's arrest for an off-the-charts DWI -- and she was definitely lacking in the support department.

Lindsay showed up in a black Porsche with her sister, Ali and an unidentified guy -- flashing a ton of side-boob as she walked into the house.

Shortly after Linds showed up ... her old attorney Mark Heller walked out of Dina's pad, and announced he's representing her in the DWI.

Heller pointed out Dina is a first time DWI offender with no prior record (criminally, anyway) -- and as a result he felt she would be treated with "fairness." Translation: he's hoping for no jail time.

As we previously reported ... Dina was arrested Thursday night ... and cops say she had a BAC of 0.2 -- nearly 3 times the legal limit.

Dina's still laying low -- the only sign of her all day was in the doorway as she let a friend out. She looked ... hazy.

9:20 AM PT -- Our Lohan sources tell us, Lindsay was NOT the person who picked Dina up from the station -- in fact, we're told Lindsay didn't find out about the arrest until the story broke this morning.

Dina Lohan was arrested for drunk driving in Long Island, NY last night ... and cops say her blood alcohol level was more than TWICE the legal limit.

Lindsay Lohan's 50-year-old mother was pulled over on the Northern State Parkway by New York State Police around 11 pm Thursday night ... after she was allegedly going 77mph in a 55 in her white BMW.

During the stop, cops say she appeared intoxicated -- and tested her blood alcohol level, which registered at .20 -- more than twice the legal limit of .08.

According to officials, "Lohan made an allegation that she was injured during the course of the arrest" ... but when medical personnel responded to the scene and determined she was fine, Dina "recanted her claim."

Lohan was hauled to a nearby station where she was booked on two counts of driving while intoxicated and one count of speeding.

After posing for a squinty-eyed mug shot, Lohan was released to a sober 3rd party. So far, no word on WHO picked up Lohan from the station.

Lohan is due back in court later this month.

Dina's been on a party tear this month -- TMZ obtained a photo of Lohan partying like a drunken sailor at a giant party over Labor Day weekend.

People at the party tell us she was a mess that night -- slurring her speech and zoning out.

Lindsay Lohan is a big supporter of her lil' sis Ali's new modeling career ... but it was Lindsay -- and her boobs -- who stole the show yesterday at Ali's fashion show in NY.

19-year-old Ali was one of the featured runway models at the Wendy Nichol fall fashion show in SoHo ... a show that seemed to combine Lord of the Rings chic with a goth funeral.

Lindsay wasn't involved in the show -- but dressed the part anyway, sporting a low cut number that highlighted her Baggins (LOTR joke!).