I wish we had an “ironic” tag, because that is exactly what this story should be filed under. While a lot of prison inmates spend their time lifting weights, bulking up, or working in the prison’s pottery studio, vehicular manslaughterer and former “Prison Break” star Lane Garrison spends his time in the slammer watching… “Prison Break.” You see the gentle irony. He also pens letters to “Access Hollywood” – though to be fair, most of us update Pat O’Brien on our comings and goings at least once a week. Here’s a little excerpt.

“Greetings and Happy New Year to you and everyone at Access Hollywood from Donovan State Prison [in California]. Never did I think I would be saying the words ‘happy & prison’ in the same sentence and not be on a set. It’s pure irony coming from the show and now living the real deal. It’s surreal and mind-blowing to say the least.

“Just this past Monday they let a group of inmates watch the season premiere of Prison Break. It felt like an out of body experience as I stood around a crowd of tattooed felons watching Michael Scofield [Wentworth Miller’s character on Prison Break] try to escape … all of us longing to be free as well!

“This has been the hardest year of my life. I hope people, young and old, are learning from my mistakes and what can happen when you drink and drive. I have much to say about the pain I’ve felt and seen inside of prison. It has been eye-opening and a harrowing experience.”

[From Us Weekly]

You know who else it’s been a hard year for Lane? The family of the 17-year-old boy you killed when you drank too much and crashed your car. I’m guessing what they’ve gone through is a hell of a lot worse than prison. Plus they have to deal with it for the rest of their lives, whereas you just have a measly 40 month sentence. I know you said something about learning from his mistake, but make some little mention of the boy you killed, or at least his family. I realize we’re supposed to either feel badly for him or at least think he’s learned something, but I’m just not buying it. But I do enjoy the irony, and hope Lane gets to partake in a few of those other stereotypical prison activities.