Celebrity Court

Aaron Carter, brother to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, and former boytoy of both Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan was arrested for possession of marijuana.

It is funny to remember when Hilary and Lindsay were fighting over Aaron.  Granted they were just young teens, but it is still amusing.  What did he really have to offer?  Blond hair and a smile?  Sort of like the popular boy in high school.  Quite a jump from him to Joel Madden for Hillary and from him to a whole slew of guys for Lindsay.

I guess the most surprising thing about this story is not that he got arrested but that it was only for pot.  Given what other young “celebrities” are into, marijuana doesn’t really seem too bad.

What is sad is that in all the stories that I read about him, he has been described as I described him above: by his relation to someone else (brother, ex-boyfriend).  He hasn’t even really done anything to make a name for himself and it is unclear what it is that he does with his time.

A quick glance at a press photo website shows that he has had recent appearances at a wrestling match, parties, fashion week, and the Kids Choice Awards.  I guess if you have one time fame you can milk that for as long as people can remember you?  Maybe young Aaron should stop going to so many parties and get a real job.  Although I suppose it is easier to be famous for being famous than be famous for being talented.  Just ask Paris Hilton.

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Wesley Snipes had a split verdict in his tax case in Florida. While he was acquitted of the higher charge of tax fraud, he was found guilty of failing to file a tax return for three years. Those convictions are just misdemeanors, which means that they are punishable by up to a year in jail. My guess? He will get probation.

He still has to pay the back taxes that he owes and he plans to do so. His attorney Robert Bernhoft said, “Mr. Snipes has always been committed to doing the right thing, and after this trial is over he’ll make whatever amends are required. This is a man of integrity.”

Snipes said he was feeling “great” after the verdict –”a little confused, but great.” Perhaps he is confused about how much back tax he actually owes on $58 million in income? I wonder if any of that money was from his deal to peddle exercise equipment. It is weird to be watching an infomercial and see him peddling products. Maybe the commercial deal was a peremptory attempt to raise enough money to pay his tax debt?

Now that I think about it, how is it that people think that they can’t pay taxes? I mean everyone has to pay taxes. What makes him so special? Did he think that he could show his acting resume and he would get away with it. He could say, “Hey, but I was in Major League, remember? I stole all those bases? That was some funny shit.” His bad luck is that Uncle Sam is not a fan of formulaic baseball comedies. Or may Uncle Sam was mad that Snipes thought that he was too good for the sequel.

Wesley Snipes, tax fraud, tax evasion

Jamie Spears, father to Britney Spears, has been name her temporary conservator by a Los Angeles Court.  This means that daddy will have control over Britney’s hospitalization, her finances, and who can visit her.

That last item has already apparently had an effect on “manager” and “friend” Sam Lufti, who many had speculated was bad news for Brit Brit.  The court granted a restraining order which means that Sam will no longer be able to sponge off Britney and use her for his financial gain and/or fame pursuits.

Britney remains at this hour in a hospital under psychiatric watch.  Although many had speculated that she had a drug or alcohol problem, it appears all along it was a mental health problem.  Rumors have ranged from bipolar to multiple personality disorder to postpartum psychosis.  Whatever the diagnosis, I think keep the leeches away from her is an excellent idea.  I am just not sure that Jamie Spears is not one of them.

Daddy Spears has had his own problems in the past and I just hope that he is stepping up to the plate because he cares for his daughter and her health and not for any ulterior motives.  I am curious, also, why he was given control and not Britney’s mom (they are divorced).  Did they decide between them who would get the gig?  Did the judge decide? Did the fact that Mama Spears tried to capitalize off of her daughter in the past play a role? These are all things that will be revealed in time, I would imagine.

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Britney Spears, Sam Lufti, Jamie Spears, Lynne Spears

An unexpected tragedy has befallen young Hollywood. Oscar nominated actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment in New York City. His body was found at approximately 3:30 p.m. eastern time.

Like with many breaking stories, there are many varying reports about what happened. The police have stated that there was no foul play and that they suspect that the death was accidental. That sounds to me like a drug overdose, although some media outlets are suspecting a suicide.

I do not recall ever hearing of Ledger dealing with a substance abuse problem or depression, although now that I think about it, I don’t recall hearing too much about his personal life at all. He has a daughter with ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams. They met on the set of Brokeback Mountain and lived in Brooklyn before splitting up last fall. He is from Australia. That is about all I know.

I am sure that in the coming hours and days it will be revealed just what happened to him and more of his past will become public knowledge as a result. No matter the result of the police investigation or the coroner’s report, however, it is clear that the acting community has lost a truly wonderful actor. He was willing to take risks and do things that other actors would not, which is a mark of someone in it for the craft, rather than the money or fame.

My thoughts are with Michelle and their daughter, because it must be a truly tragic day for the both of them. I truly hope that they were told privately about his death before it was plastered all over the internet.

As part as her community service sentence, Lindsay Lohan will be spending some time at the morgue. The idea being that if you see a dead body you will be less likely to engage in conduct that will cause you to end up there, like driving drunk or under the influence of other substances likely to cause you to drive in a less than stellar manner.

I suppose that spending a few days looking at dead bodies will go farther in convincing someone who has been convicted of driving under the influence about the consequences of their behavior than say, picking up garbage on the side of the road.

I don’t know what her tasks will be at the morgue, but I can’t imagine any job there would be pleasant. Interesting, sure, but unpleasant. There is some evidence that when people are faced with their own mortality or someone shown the consequences of their actions, it triggers something in their mind. Sort of the “ghosts of Christmas past” or “You were never born, George Bailey,” kind of thing.

I am hesitant to believe that Lindsay may have turned the corner on this addiction thing. Although she did have an alcohol slip-up recently, it appears that she is really working hard to change her lifestyle to one less centered on alcohol and partying and more centered on, you know, living.

What do you think? Is she on the right path for good or is it just a “wait and see” before she gets back into trouble?  I guess only time will tell.

While in New Hampshire last week for the Presidential primary, a senior advisor to candidate Hillary Clinton was arrested for drunk driving; one day before the primary was to take place.

Sidney Blumenthal was pulled over by police the night before the Clinton victory for speeding, allegedly going 70 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone. When police suspected that that her was drunk due to an odor of alcohol, they administered a field sobriety test, which he failed.

He was charged with aggravated DUI due to the excessive speed with which he was driving. No word on if he took a Breathalyzer test or had blood taken to determine his blood alcohol content (BAC). There are times when people fail a field sobriety test, but are not legally intoxicated in terms of the BAC. Given his hard work on the campaign, he may have been simply exhausted and unable to perform the routine maneuvers in the field sobriety test.

If he had a few drinks that night, it may have been to make himself feel better, because according to polls at the point, Clinton was about to lose her second contest. Of course the polls were wrong and she went on to a victory over Barack Obama.  Maybe this will be a lessen to others not to hit the booze in despair until you determine if you really have something to be in despair about.

Blumenthal is expected to be arraigned later this month. No word on whether he will continue with the Clinton campaign or will be replaced by another, less arrest-prone advisor.

Source and Photo Source: TMZ

Despite the fact that Michelle Rodriguez was ordered to serve 180 days in jail for violated her DUI probation, she is already out of jail after only 18 days.  The Sheriff reportedly stated that due to prison overcrowding, it is normal procedure to let a female inmate out after they have served 10% of their time.  This despite the judge’s insistence that she serve the whole 180 days.  How very Paris Hilton esque the whole thing sounds.

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While most of the country was sleeping, or paying attention to more important news like the results of the Iowa Caucus, Britney Spears was busy getting herself into a whole heap of more trouble.

According to reports, Spears was supposed to hand over her two sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline’s bodyguards, per their custody arrangement. She refused and police were called.

What happened when the police arrived is still a bit foggy. We know that Federline’s lawyer showed up, presumably with a copy of the court order and the police determined that it was indeed Federline’s time to have the kids. Following this, the police called an ambulance and Britney was sent to the hospital for an evaluation. She was behaving oddly, likely due to being under the influence of drugs, and she will have to have a psychiatric evaluation.

Even less clear is why, reportedly, one of the kids, Jayden James, went to the hospital in a second ambulance. Was he injured? Sick? Kevin Federline and the other child were also seen at the hospital.

Britney likely had a stressful day, after being deposed for all of fourteen minutes by Federline’s lawyer. This is the deposition that she has already missed twice. When she showed up late, they only had 14 minutes to question her.

No word on how long Britney will be at the hospital.  If they determine that she is a danger to herself or others, she might be staying awhile. This whole situation has really gone beyond mere amusement or train wreck watching and has collapsed into what reminds me of an episode of Intervention. Sad really doesn’t even begin to describe the whole situation.  It seems pointless to even hope for a good resolution for this whole thing, where it is clear that it has already damaged so many.

Sources: People magazine, Perez Hilton

Photo Source: TMZ

Britney Spears, Jayden James Federline, Kevin Federline

 

Mischa Barton: arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and suspected possession of marijuana.  She was pulled over after the police witnessed her straddling two lanes of traffic and failed to use an indicator.  What is she even doing with herself these days?  Seems like she pretty much disappeared from the face of the earth after leaving The OC to do other projects.  Maybe her other project was partying?  Also gives me another opportunity to remind you: if you drunk or in possession of drugs, please do your very best to obey the traffic rules.

Danielle Fishel (best known as Topanga on Boy Meets World): arrested on a drunk driving warrant.  Although she had disappeared for awhile after the show ended, she had recently gotten work on the Tyra Banks Show, as well as with Nutrisystem.  Doesn’t she know all the calories that are in alcohol?

Rebecca De Mornay: two misdemeanor counts of DUI stemming from an October arrest. What has she done lately?  Maybe this is a trend: former actresses who are no longer getting work, hit the bottle to feel better, get arrested for drunk driving and then producers say, “Oh, I forgot about her!  I shall hire her!”  Hmm.  Maybe.  Or it could just be that celebs are like regular people in that they drink too much and think that they are okay to drive. 

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The long awaited list of major league players suspected of using human growth hormone, steroids, and other illegal substances was finally released today.

The Mitchell report is a culmination of a lengthy investigation to determine what players were using banned substances. Many of the names were gathered from Kirk Rondonski who worked as a clubhouse attendant for the New York Mets and sold illegal substances to many players. The list of players implicated, which includes both current and former players includes:

Roger Clemens
Miguel Tejada
Andy Pettitte
Barry Bonds
Mike Stanton
Chuck Knoblauch
Jason Grimsley
Brian Roberts
David Justice
Mo Vaughn
Paul Lo Duca
Eric Gagne
Glenallen Hill
Gregg Zaun
Rondell White
Hal Morris
Todd Hundley
Larry Bigbie
Lenny Dykstra
David Segui
Matt Herges
Kevin Brown
Mike Lansing
Denny Neagle
FP Santangelo
Ron Villone
Kent Mercker

In his presentation of the report, George Mitchell recommended that baseball look forward and not punish players for past conduct. He said that ongoing, lengthy disciplinary proceedings will draw out the matter and will prevent everyone from moving forward. He stressed, however, that testing going forward is the key to righting baseball and assuring that players will be clean. Richard McLaren added that the current testing is imperfect, as it does not catch everything and players have learned how to circumvent it.

Mitchell pointed out that the report is in no way comprehensive and does not implicate all of the players who have in the past, or are currently using performance enhancing drugs. He stated that his source revealed that he talked with many players who told him that they had other sources for getting the drugs and did not need his services.

Certainly there are many other players who never had contact with Rondonski, so this list could just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of violations.

Given that so many of the players named in the report are now retired, I am not sure what will happen to those listed. The current players will likely be under more scrutiny and if they continue to play, I am sure that they will hear it from the fans at opposing stadiums, much like Barry Bonds did this last season.

Should championships or post-season awards be taken away? Should these players be kept from the Hall of Fame? These are questions I don’t know the answer to. All I know is that many of the successes by players during the time of rampant steroid use will always be questioned and have an asterisk, if only in our minds.

The full report is here. (pdf)

Mitchell Report, Major League Baseball, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada, Andy Pettitte

Although I cannot say that I am surprised, Britney Spears failed to appear for a deposition in her child custody case. Expected to take place yesterday, Britney did not show up because of “high level of anxiety.”

First of all, everyone is nervous when they have to give a deposition or testimony in a court case. I am sure that everyone who has to testify about something personal, private, and probably embarrassing gets very anxious about their testimony. By why on the earth would she think that she could skip it? It is just a case of her being used to always getting her way and not having to follow “regular people” rules.

Have you watched paparazzi video of her lately? The paparazzi open doors for her, pump her gas, give her directions, all pretending to help her in exchange for video and photographs of her. When you have those kinds of people around you, not to mention all the enablers in her personal life, it is no wonder she thinks that she can skip a deposition because of anxiety. This is, of course, the same woman who skipped court previously because she overslept.

I am sure that most people would love to skip work or jury duty or something else in their life because they feel anxious about it.  Most people, however, suck it up and get it done.  Now if she is in fact suffering from a medical condition, I am sure that it is not being aided by her drinking, drug use, and late night activities.  You can’t cause yourself trouble and then use it as an excuse to not show up and do what you are supposed to do.

Of course she will be given another chance and the deposition will be rescheduled.  Although there are reports that she will be cited for contempt of court if she fails to show up again, I doubt that would happen.  She has a way of manipulating everyone it seems.

Britney Spears, Kevin Federline

Apparently the reality show marriage curse has continued, as Linda Bollea, wife of Hulk Hogan, has filed for a divorce from the famous former pro wrestler. The couple, along with their children Nick and Brooke, starred in a reality show for VH-1 called Hogan Knows Best.

It has been a rough few months for the family, as son Nick was involved in a serious car crash this past summer which left his good friend in a coma. It is unclear if that tragedy played any role in the divorce, but certainly that had to put a strain on all of them. Nick was recently arrested in connection with the event and charged with reckless driving. Nick was reportedly excessively speeding at the time of the crash.

What is so strange about this story is that apparently, according to People magazine, the Hulk did not even know about the filing of divorce papers until a reporter for The St. Petersburg Times broke the news to him. Unless he was just acting surprised, it is odd that a man would not know that his wife was going to put the wheels in motion to divorce him. I remember reading that they were moving from the house featured in the reality show, so maybe that move was related to their separation?

The reality television marriage curse is well-documented, as many former couples who put their marriage on television ended up divorced. Some examples include Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra, and The Barkers (although they may have reconciled). Does the stress of having a camera document your life cause your marriage to breakdown or is just that, like marriages not on television, the reality show marriages have their problems and end for reasons unrelated to television and celebrity?

Hulk Hogan, Brooke Hogan, Nick Hogan, Nick Bollea, Linda Bollea, Hogan Knows Best, divorce

Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, known for his roles in films like Bend in Like Beckham and for his work on the Showtime series The Tudors was arrested in a Dublin airport yesterday afternoon. He was charged with public drunkenness and breach of the peace.

The police were called after he was reportedly disruptive at the British Airways ticket counter and at an airport gate. He was told several times to calm down, but when he did not, he was arrested. He was released from jail on bail and will head to court on December 5th to face charges.

I cannot really speculate on what the Irish courts will do for a charge like this, but in the United States it would most likely get dropped or he could get time served. It really is not that big of a deal, but they may treat it more harshly because it was in an airport, where there are security concerns, rather than in a pub.

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In what came as no real surprise, Barry Bonds was indicted yesterday on federal charges stemming from lying to a grand jury about not knowingly taking steroids. What is interesting about the whole thing is that although the investigation has been going on for a long time, the Feds could not get their act together and indict Bonds before he stole Hank Aaron’s record as the home run champion. They had their chance with a grand jury previously, but ran out of time before reaching an indictment.

While Bonds faces up to 30 years in prison, it is unlikely he would serve that amount, even if he is convicted on all counts. What is even more unlikely is that Bonds would plead guilty. A guilty plea is a legal admission of guilt, like a judicial confession, and there is no way Bonds is going to admit he did anything wrong. The only shred of hope that he has to cling to that will keep his legacy from being completed marred is his pathetic claim that he did not know that he was taking steroids. Personally if I was taking a nice legal over-the-counter supplement and I started beefing up like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I might think something was up. I guess Bonds just thought the legal stuff was potent. Right. Then why wasn’t everyone using it?

The biggest lesson that this case can teach young people, aside from the obvious about not cheating to succeed professionally, is that you never, ever like to a federal grand jury. Often what you are accused of doing pales in comparison with lying about not doing it. Martha Stewart is a perfect example. Using a insider trader tip and dumping stock is wrong. Lying about it to a grand jury and obstructing justice is horrendously wrong. That is why she went to prison and that is why Bonds will likely be headed there too. Although he probably deserves to go for just being a colossal jerk and attempting to single-handedly ruin the best sport in America.

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Barry Bonds, Bonds indicted, obstruction of justice, lying to grand jury, steroids, baseball, Hank Aaron, Martha Stewart

After what seemed like the longest preliminary hearing in a case like this that I have ever seen, O.J. Simpson was ordered to stand trial on charges of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, kidnapping and burglary. This, of course, stems from his arrest after entering a hotel room, allegedly armed, to get sports memorabilia he believed belonged to him.

It is not really a surprise that it was ordered for trial. All of the co-defendants flipped on him. What is a surprise is why the hearing took so long. In “regular people” cases, the hearing would last a few hours and they would go to trial. I guess the prosecutors want to prove that they are not just targeting him for who he is?

My favorite part of the hearing is the facial expressions that O.J. made during the testimony. I guess that he thought that his looks of “he is so lying” and “I can’t believe what he just said about me” worked so well in his murder trial that he would keep up with them. Personally, if I was a juror at his trial, I would rather he be expressionless, but maybe jurors really believe that kind of facial manipulation.

I am sure that the trial will be a circus and will last way longer than any normal armed robbery case would ever last; just like his murder trial lasted way longer than any normal murder trial would ever last. I am guessing a month for this latest one. One of my client’s trials on similar charges would be over in about three days, but this is celebrity court we are talking about and “normal” doesn’t apply.

OJ Simpson, armed robbery