Watching “Sixteen Candles” and “Weird Science,” it’s hard to imagine Anthony Michael Hall as anything but a sweet, docile, adorable little dude. But according to the New York Post that is so not the case. Allegedly, he stalked and assaulted Diana Falzone, his ex-girlfriend, a TV and radio host. According to court docs they dug up, Hall arrived at Falzone’s apartment last Tuesday morning, beating on her door and threatening to kick it in. She finally let him in, and he allegedly assaulted her, hitting her head against a wall. Falzone got a temporary restraining order against Hall and the hearing over the incident will begin next week.

Finding new, exciting, and creative ways to tell men that they shouldn’t hit women is tough, ain’t it? Which is probably why a Danish anti-domestic violence group came up with this ill-advised “Hit The Bitch” web campaign, in which users are encouraged to repeatedly punch a woman’s face until, eventually, they’re admonished for being “100% Idiot.” Really? “Idiot” is the best anti-domestic violence finger-wagging insult they could come up with? And really, what’s the point? To make the user feel guilty for punching this innocent woman’s face, just to see what would happen? I didn’t go to Advertising Douchebag University, but something tells me that the first thing you learn there is that if an ad campaign is at all confusing, you have totally effing failed. [Ad Week]

The first part of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Rihanna aired on “Good Morning America” today and her admissions about the abuse she suffered at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown were far beyond what she acknowledged in her interview with this month’s Glamour. Tearing up at one point, Rihanna explained to Sawyer that after the abuse—one out of “eight or nine” separate times he hit her—became public knowledge she felt ashamed that everyone now knew the “type of person” she was in love with. “I stayed. I even went back after he beat me, which was wrong,” she said. “But again ... I’m a human being and people put me on a very unrealistic pedestal. And all these expectations, I’m not perfect.” Still, it was those expectations that eventually motivated her to leave.

Rihanna is finally opening up about the physical abuse she suffered by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in an interview with Glamour magazine. They interviewed Rihanna for their annual Women Of The Year issue, ostensibly to speak up for domestic violence survivors, which is a brave move for her to make. But honestly? Rihanna’s statement is of the “no, duh” variety and sounds like it was written/watered down by PR folks and lawyers.

The New York Post is reporting Paris Hilton and her boyfriend, Doug Reinhardt, had a “boozy grapple” after a Halloween party on Friday night that led to what I would call domestic violence. Hilton and her boyfriend attended Heidi Klum and Seal’s Halloween party and then hit up another bash at L.A.‘s Roosevelt hotel. When the couple got into their limo at 3:30 a.m., the publicity-hungry twosome were apparently three sheets to the wind. At some point during the drive home, witnesses, including paparazzi, allegedly saw a cell phone chucked from the limo’s window and then the vehicle abruptly stopped. Allegedly, Hilton got out of the limo, searched the ground for it (it was later located and given back to her by a paparazzo), and in front of a bunch of witnesses, scolded Reinhardt for throwing it out the window. When she got back in the car, Hilton allegedly slapped and kicked Reinhardt and he then used his left hand to choke and restrain her. “[Doug] was holding her around the neck saying, ‘Relax, relax,’” a photog told the Post.

Remember when celebrity chef Todd English left his fiancée, Erica Wang, standing at the altar last week, earning him the title of Worst Fiancé Ever? Well, Todd is finally defending his actions. He claims there was a very good reason that he called the wedding off … Erica hit him. In a tearful interview with People, Todd called his relationship with Erica “volatile and vicious,” and full of “physical and verbal abuse.” He says it reached rock bottom when she reportedly punched him in the eye last month. As much as I hate to doubt anyone who claims they’ve been a victim of domestic abuse, I just don’t know if I’m buying this. I mean, have you seen pics of Erica Wang? She’s hardly physically intimidating. Also, a source close to Todd suggests a more compelling reason for the breakup: “He had other girlfriends.” But Todd is prepared to put his money where his mouth is—he has filed assault charges with the NYPD over the incident. Wang responded by marching down to see the po-po in person, however her attorney said in a statement, “My client will continue to cooperate, has done nothing wrong and welcomes the opportunity for the District Attorney to reach that conclusion and clear her name.” So what do you think—real or just trying to save his reputation? [People]

There are dealbreakers and then there are dealbreakers—and a past history of domestic violence is a dealbreaker on a lot of people’s list. Salon.com’s advice columnist, Cary Tennis, fielded a question from a former abuser who’s nervous about telling his new girlfriend he physically abused his ex-wife half a dozen times during their marriage.

After divorcing, “Ex-Abuser,” as he signed his letter, entered therapy and said it helped him “understand my reasons for the abuse, and the effect it had on both my wife and our relationship.” Also after the divorce, he and his ex-wife went to therapy together and “the abuse was addressed and some amount of nascent healing took place.”

Now Ex-Abuser is in a new relationship with a woman he seems to want to spend his life with. Trouble is, he hasn’t told her about his past. Not only is he afraid his new girlfriend will ditch him if she knows, but his ex-wife is threatening to spill the beans herself. And that, obviously, would be bad.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To celebrate, former baseball player Marcus Giles beat up his wife, while a year ago, his brother Brian was arrested for long-term abuse of his wife. The sports blog Deadspin apparently thinks this is the right time to make a funny, writing in a post titled, “Alleged Domestic Violence Runs In The Family,” that Marcus’s abuse of his wife is “apparently an isolated incident, but Brian was always the better hitter.” Hardy. Har. Har. [Deadspin]

On Friday night I was on my way back to my apartment, late at night, with a couple of friends in tow. I live in a really hoppin’ area so there were tons of people on the streets. Suddenly, I overheard a guy screaming at a woman, who was wedged into a corner near a building. I was a few sheets to the wind myself, so I can’t remember exactly what he was saying to her, but I immediately noticed her cowering, a look of fear on her face. I stopped and watched for a moment. My friends were encouraging me to catch up and not worry about what was, in their eyes, a lovers’ quarrel. I didn’t move. The man continued to scream at the woman and then started to walk off, while she stood, unable to move. I need to do something, I thought to myself. This doesn’t seem right.

I’ve had a lapse in judgment or two which have led to embarrassing acts of desperation in front of a man. But nothing I’ve done has even been quite so desperate (or completely nutburgers) as what Helen Sun did to her man: The 38-year-old woman allegedly slipped a Mickey in her husband’s Gatorade and then handcuffed herself to him!

• A Shot At Love‘s Tila Tequila says Shawne Merriman, linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, allegedly choked and restrained her while she tried to leave his house. After Tequila called 911, Merriman went to jail while she went to the hospital. Merriman’s rep told TMZ Ms. Tequila allegedly drank a few too many and he was trying to keep her from driving; she Tweeted that she’s allergic to alcohol so that’s b.s. [Dlisted, RadarOnline]—Celeb domestic violence: not hot.
• Lubna Al-Hussein, the Sudanese journalist who worked for the United Nations and faced 40 lashes for wearing pants in public, has been spared the whipping and received a fine of $209 instead. Her lawyer said she will continue to challenge Sudan’s “decency law” and not pay the fine. [CNN]
• Last week, the FDA approved a second morning-after pill called Next Choice for over-the-counter use. Like Plan B, the existing emergency contraception on the market, Next Choice can prevent pregnancy if taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. [AP, Examiner.com]
• Do you think this ad for the TV show “Nip/Tuck” sexualizes sweatshops? One blog objects to the way rows of sexily dressed Asian women are shown sewing up a woman’s body (the show is about plastic surgeons). [Angry Asian Man via Feministing]
• Patricia Mauceri, an actress on “One Life To Live,” says she was fired from the soap opera after she objected to a gay-friendly storyline. Mauceri’s character, Carlotta Vega, was supposed to confront homosexuality somehow in an upcoming plot. Mauceri alleges that as a devout Christian, she objected to the plotline. Allegedly, “One Life To Live” wasn’t having any of that, so Mauceri was fired and quickly replaced. [Fox News]—Please, no one introduce her to Carrie Prejean.

Not that he’s doing anything right, but a few hours after Chris Brown was sentenced for assaulting Rihanna, he celebrated by heading to a Los Angeles club where he jumped up on a booth and did an impromptu performance of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana.” One club goer said, “He not only sang, but danced his ass off. He didn’t seem to care at all that everyone was watching him. He was in a totally good mood, just hanging out with his buddies.” [Contact Music]

Well, of course he was in a good mood—he got out of this mess with no jail time, just 1,400 hours of community service and domestic violence classes. We think it was kinda tacky to make a scene after getting off easy for committing a heinous crime, but plenty of stars have found other ways to act inappropriately after escaping the clutches of the law.

Sigh. The Feb. 8th incident when Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna was not the first violent argument between the couple. Before his sentencing yesterday, Brown’s probation officer filed a report revealing the couple was involved in two other incidents “related to domestic violence”—and come to find out, Rihanna has slapped Brown in the past. Obviously that does not make the intensity of his brutal Feb. 8 assault excusable, but it sheds light on how they had a more violent relationship than we previously thought.

The graph, released by UNICEF and based on data collected between 2001 and 2007, displays the percentages of women, by country, who believe it is OK for their husbands to hit them. The numbers are all horrifying, ranging from 6.9 percent in Serbia to a heartbreaking 90 percent in Jordan. More info here. [via Feministing]

“Why does she stay?” is the question most often asked when we hear about someone involved in an abusive relationship. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the least helpful things you can say to a woman caught up in this cycle. So what can we do to help when we suspect a friend is being battered?

Several years ago, project manager Jenny found herself in that position when she noticed a new friend was covered in bruises. “I told her flat-out that I had seen the bruises and that I was concerned,” Jenny says via email. “I told her that I didn’t know if she needed help or someone to talk to, but that she could call me any time, day or night.”

In London’s West End, a 30-year-old man threw his girlfriend through the window of a Banana Republic store. Instead of killing her, a shard of glass snapped out and stabbed him, killing him. His girlfriend sustained cuts and is expected to make a full recovery. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it? [Daily Mail]

During grad school, I worked part-time in a gift shop for extra money. I’ll never forget the day glamorous, model-esque bookkeeper Lucy came into work wearing dark Chanel sunglasses. I could tell something wasn’t right. “What’s going on?” I asked. Lucy lifted her sunglasses to reveal two black eyes. Thus began my crusade to help Lucy get out of her abusive relationship, which resulted in me picking up her and her suitcases on a dark corner at night, her boyfriend threatening to “beat the crap” out of me, and Lucy heading straight back to him eventually. This was my first but sadly not my last time seeing the destructive domestic violence cycle. It left me feeling angry and helpless, wishing there was something more I could do.

Boyfriend of the Year Chris Brown is getting his slap on the wrist in a L.A. courtroom today and then appearing on “Larry King Live” (reportedly after Oprah’s camp said “No way, Jose” to his sorry ass). Brown’s schedule is so free, you see, because he isn’t doing any jail time for beating the crap out of his girlfriend.

Last week our own Judy McGuire shared her story of being in an abusive relationship. This week, she emailed me to let me know that Safe Horizons, a NYC-based domestic violence program, is currently in competition for a $100,000 grant. She and I would like to encourage you to vote for them by heading to ClickToEmpower.com and clicking on “Safe Horizons.” There are other wonderful organizations competing against them, so vote for whoever you’d like, but Safe Horizons is our favorite.

In other domestic violence advocacy news, that couple whose wedding procession video became hot s**t on YouTube last week are now using their global fame to raise money to combat domestic violence, in part because the music playing in the video is by Chris Brown, who beat up his girlfriend Rihanna earlier this year. Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz explain on their new website that they want to direct all the viral attention towards a worthy cause. “Due to the circumstances surrounding the song in our wedding video we have chosen the Sheila Wellstone Institute. Sheila Wellstone was an advocate, organizer, and national champion in the effort to end domestic violence in our communities.” It’s awesome to see two people using their sudden fame for good, isn’t it? [Star Tribune]