andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Actor Shia LaBeouf had his license suspended on Saturday due to his refusal to take a Breathalyzer test when he was busted on suspicion of driving under the influence after a July car crash, a DMV official said to E! News.

“It was suspended for refusing a chemical test,” said the official, who explained to E! News that although LaBeouf was cleared of DUI charges after investigators determined the accident was caused by the other driver, the suspension was “automatic.”

The young actor has required two surgeries due to a crushed hand after his rollover crash on July 27. The accident was caused after a driver ran a red light, crashing into LaBeouf’s car.

According to California law, drivers who refuse to take a breath, blood or urine test for a suspected DUI can have their license suspended for up to one year.

Chi Cheng, bassist for the rock band ”Deftones,” is still in a coma, but responds to reflex tests.

Cheng suffered serious injuries from a car accident that happened in Santa Ana, California, last week. Doctors treating the bassist say they are hopeful the musician will make a full recovery.

A recent post from Deftone’s studio blog reads, “This Sunday saw the first signs of your prayers in action. Chi was able to hear and respond to his father’s request to move his lower lip. His father also administered a tendon reflex test, of which both legs responded with movement. Doctors continue to remain optimistic, and the energy at the hospital remains very positive.”

Cheng, 38, remains in serious condition in a Northern California Hospital. However, doctors have suggested the condition is stable.

Drummer Abe Cunningham wrote in a separate post, “The neurosurgeon treating Chi says the first 72 hours are critical, and as of now, he is fighting the good fight and the doctors remain optimistic. We are seeing your prayers in action. The family asks that all the prayer warriors out there continue to pray for Chi, and keep sending out your positive energy.”

Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM (Adam Michael Goldstein) were aboard a Learjet that crashed upon takeoff Friday night, reports E! News.

There were 6 passengers on the flight and while Barker and Goldstein survived, the other four passengers were killed.

A friend of Goldstein’s says that the DJ is “really, really badly burned” and confirms that “his face is very burned.” The sources adds, “More than 50 per cent of his body is burned and the worst is on his face.”

Barker is said to be burned “mostly from the waist down.” Both Barker and Goldstein are in critical but stable condition at the Joseph Still Burn Center in August, Ga.

One of the four passengers who died was Barker’s friend and business partner “Lil Chris” Baker. “He was the sweetest, nicest guy. He was like Travis’ right-hand man,” said the source.

Veteran actor Dennis Hopper is jumping aboard “Crash,” the new TV series based on the 2004 Oscar-winning movie.

Hopper, best known for roles in the films “Easy Rider” and “Apocalypse Now,” will play a maverick music producer going for one last big score, according to co-producer Starz Entertainment.

The 13-episode series has already started shooting in Albuquerque, N.M., with more filming scheduled for the Los Angeles area.

It is set to premiere on U.S. cable channel Starz in October.

Like the movie, which won Best Picture at the 2005 Academy Awards, the drama is set in Los Angeles and explores the intricacies of social tolerance in modern-day America through an ensemble cast of characters.

Other actors who have signed on to the series include Clare Carey (”Jericho”), Luis Chavez (”Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”), Ross McCall (”Band of Brothers”), Jocko Sims (”CSI”), Brian Tee (”Zoey 101″) and Arlene Tur (”Grey’s Anatomy”).

Drawing comparisons to artists such as Coldplay, The Fray, David Gray and Counting Crows, Crash Parallel’s debut album is a combination of strong melodies and intimate lyrics. The Toronto-based quartet was formed three years ago by singer/ songwriter Tim Edwards and songwriter/guitarist Dan Saitua, later joined by Gary Rugala (bass) and John Vitellaro (drums).

To date the band has taken an organic, grassroots approach to their career while working on their debut album, World We Know, which was released last week.

The band spoke with andPOP while in Toronto.

A producer of the 2005 Oscar-winning film “Crash” has seen his lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science thrown out, cbc.ca reports.

The decision came in an appeals court, which held up the lower court’s ruling that producer Bob Yari was not a victim of the Academy Awards, because private organizations are allowed to create their own rules.

Yari complained that he was not given an Oscar for the film because the Academy only allows two producers to be named on a film. Crash had six. His suit was filed a year before the film won the Oscar, but it was also the year the rule came into effect.

Yari said the decision was “disappointing.”

He was also suing the Producers’ Guild of America.

Paul Haggis struck Oscar gold with his 2004 film “Crash,” and now the Canadian writer-director is hoping to translate that success to the small-screen.

The U.S.-based Starz cable network has ordered 13 episodes of the series which, like the movie, will be about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles.

Key members of the movie’s creative team are back for the TV series, including Haggis. He will executive-produce the show along with Don Cheadle, who starred in the film version.

The TV show will follow the same characters and story lines from the movie, though casting decisions have yet to be made.

However, Starz programming executive Stephan Shelanski told Reuters there is a “strong possibility” that Cheadle will reprise his role as a police detective.

The network is also hoping to attract the rest of the original movie cast, which includes Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and Terrence Howard, for the series.

“We’re talking to everybody,” said Shelanski. “We would love to have as many of the cast members from this film as possible reprise their roles.”

Shooting will begin this spring, and the show could premiere on Starz as early as August 2008.