Busted
Joyce Dewitt busted for DUI
“Three’s Company” actress Joyce Dewitt will have new company – in jail. The actress was busted for driving under the influence in California on Independence Day.
Dewitt, 60, was pulled over by cops in El Segundo on Saturday afternoon after driving past a traffic barricade.
DeWitt smelled of alcohol and failed field sobriety tests, according to TMZ.com, prompting police to take her into custody.
She was released hours later after posting $5,000 bail.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers arrested
To be this annoying, you must be much more talented. “Tudors” actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, drunk, was detained for several hours after allegedly punching a waiter at a Paris airport, Agence France Presse reports.
The actor was placed in custody on Saturday at the Le Quotidien bar in terminal 2F at Charles de Gaulle airport. A server refused to serve Rhys Meyers because he appeared drunk. A shouting match ensued with the bar’s manager and another employee tried to separate the pair. Rhys Meyers then allegedly punched the employee.
The actor has a court date in a Paris suburb in September on charges of “willful violence, outrage, hitting and threatening death,” a source told the news service.
Sigh. He was previously arrested and charged with being drunk and disorderly at Dublin airport in 2007.
Daryl Hannah arrested in West Va.
Actress Daryl Hannah has been arrested in West Virginia for stopping traffic. Not because of her beauty, but because of her political beliefs.
The actress was among activists protesting mountain mining and refused to move when police arrived at a coal processing plant in Raleigh County to disperse the crowd.
Hannah was booked on misdemeanor charges of obstruction and impeding traffic.
Climate control expert and NASA scientist James Hansen was also among the 32 people arrested on Tuesday.
According to a news release from the protesters, the group admitted to crossing onto the property of Massey Energy and also admitted to “purposely trespassing to protest the destruction of mountains immediately above the Coal River Valley community.”
Chris Brown cops a felony plea
In what was probably a very wise legal decision, Chris Brown has pleaded guilty to felony assault in exchange for probation, thus keeping the rapper from a lengthy trial and the American public from juicy details about what happened between him and Rihanna that fateful Grammy eve.
Brown’s lawyer Mark Geragos announced that a deal had been struck just minutes before a preliminary hearing was set to start in a Los Angeles courtroom today. Brown could have faced up to four years in prison for felony charges of assault and making criminal threats, but as part of the deal will not serve any jail time.
Instead, he was sentenced to five years probation and 180 hours of community service, which he may be allowed to serve in his home state of Virginia.
If Brown violates his probation, he’ll have to serve the maximum four years. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg also issued a protective stay-away order, preventing Brown from coming within 50 yards of his ex unless they are required to be at the same event, in which he case, he cannot come within 10 yards of her. He’s also banned from having any phone or e-mail contact with her.
And so ends the last five months of go-to gossip. Until Brown gets another girlfriend.
David Archuleta’s father pleads no contest in hooker case
Sometime fame can be a bitch. Because for “American Idol” runner-up David Archuleta, that means the whole world gets to find out when his father is busted for hiring a hooker. J
Jeff Archuleta has pleaded no contest and paid a $582 fine for charges of soliciting a massage parlor prostitute, stemming from a raid in January. The bust took please at the Queens of Reiki on Jan. 14 in Midvale, Utah (come on, man, going for prostitutes in Utah? Mormons don’t go for that).
During the raid, Midvale officers found one client receiving services, according to news reports.
“Two of our detectives went back to that room to stop the activity,” Midvale Police Sgt. John Salazar told news outlets. “Inside they found a female masseuse and male client. At that time an interview ensued and the male client admitted to receiving sexual gratification from the masseuse.”
Jeff Archuleta, 41, was that male client, according to court documents. His lawyer Eric Bauer, however, told NBC4 in Midvale that he was there getting legitimate massage therapy for his back.
David Archuleta lost to David Cook in the seventh season of Idol. He released his first album in late 2008.
Cops suspected of breaking into home of Sarah Jessica Parker’s surrogate
The going rate of tabloid gossip must be good (we pay in Sixlets and sugar if anyone is looking to spill), because two police officers may have just lost their livelihoods for the sake of dirt.
Two police chiefs are under investigation for breaking into the Ohio home of Sarah Jessica Parker’s surrogate mother to sell to a tabloid.
Harrison County prosecutor Shawn Hervey told Us Weekly: “The case revolves around a break in in Martins Ferry [County]. The matter is currently under investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification.”
Hervey is awaiting a report from the head of investigation before “deciding if charges are appropriate,” he says. He expects to receive it within three weeks.
Supposedly the two, identified as Chief Barry Carpenter of Martins Ferry and Bridgeport Chief Chad DoJack by local WTRF news, broke into the woman’s house in May looking for information. When the tabloid found out how the material was obtained, they turned the crooked cops in.
Carpenter told local WTOV station: “I’m 100 percent innocent in this and my department is as well.”
Meanwhile, the surrogate mother of Parker and Matthew Broderick’s unborn twin girls has run for the hills.
Broderick’s publicist, Simon Hall, said in a statement: “Matthew and Sarah Jessica have complete faith in the legal system. But because it’s a criminal investigation, we will not be making any more comment. What I can say is the entire family looks forward to the healthy delivery of their daughters later on this summer.”
The Todd needs a lawyer
Oh, no, Todd! Robert Maschio, who played The Todd on “Scrubs” allegedly got drunk and tried to choke a man at a Make-a-Wish event last year.
According to a lawsuit filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Tom Binder claims Maschio got smashed while tending bar at a Make-A-Wish event in Santa Monica last year.
The court documents claim he got so crazy drunk when bidding on celebrity items finished that he screamed, “You don’t know who I am! I just raised $8,000 for this organization, you little piece of shit!”
Next, he grabbed the complainant “by his necktie and began choking him, lifting Plaintiff partly off the ground and yelling even louder: ‘Let’s take this outside,’” according to the lawsuit.
Binder is suiing for assault and battery and seeking unspecified damages. ABC is also named as a defendant, because the suit claims Tom was a “celebrity representative” of “Scrubs.”
Phil Spector gets 19 years in jail
After two trials and more than six years, music exec Phil Spector was sentenced Friday to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot through the mouth in Spector’s home.
Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler ordered a term of 15 years to life for second-degree murder plus four years for personal use of a gun.
Clarkson’s mother, Donna, said before the sentencing, “I’m very proud of Lana, proud to be her mother… No one should suffer the loss of a child.”
The judge also ordered Spector to pay $16,811 in funeral expenses, $9,740 to a state victims’ restitution fund and other fees.
Spector wore his customary dark pinstripe suit with a red silk tie, was led away immediately. His attorney asked that he be transferred immediately from county jail to a state prison.
Clarkson was most famous as the star of producer Roger Corman’s 1985 cult film classic “Barbarian Queen” and its sequel. She was 40 when she died.
Spector’s young wife, who is in her late 20s, attended the sentencing.
“This is a sad day for everybody involved,” Rachelle Spector said. “The Clarkson family has lost a daughter and a sister. I’ve lost my husband, my best friend. I feel that a grave injustice has been done and from this day forward I’m going to dedicate myself to proving my husband’s innocence.”
Gosselins under investigation
At least someone is worried about the well being of the Gosselin kids. Pennsylvania’s Labor Department has opened an investigation into whether the hit show “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ is complying with state child labor laws.
The immensely popular TLC series has cameras in the faces of Cara and Mady, 8-year-old twins, and the 5-year-old sextuplets day in and day out. “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ tapes off and on throughout the year, averaging two to three hours a day, two to three days a week,according to TLC.
The Labor Department received a complaint against the show and is “gathering information” from its representatives, department spokesman Justin Fleming told The Associated Press. Fleming would not say when the complaint was filed or who filed it.
The fact a complaint is being investigated doesn’t necessarily mean the department believes the show did anything wrong.
“Any complaint we get, we investigate,” Fleming said. Child actors and other young performers are protected by Pennsylvania labor law, but it’s not clear whether the law applies to reality TV.
The question is whether the family’s house is basically a TV set where producers call the shots.
TLC said Friday it “fully complies” with state laws and regulations and contend that the kids aren’t really working but simply living their lives in front of the cameras. You know, the kind of life where trips and birthday parties and experiences are all orchestrated by producers and film companies.
Jon Cryer’s ex arrested for child neglect
Actor Jon Cryer’s ex-wife has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of child neglect.
TMZ reports that Thursday afternoon, police officers visited the home of Sarah Trigger at her home in Hermosa Beach, Calif. An unidentified child at the scene had marks on the neck and Trigger was arrested.
She was booked on felony child neglect and later released on $100,000 bail.
Cryer and Trigger wed in 1999 and divorced in 2004. They have an eight-year-old son, Charlie Austin, but police would not comment on whether the child was involved in the allegations that led to Trigger’s arrest.
Courtney Love’s crazy credit crisis
Even celebrities aren’t immune to the credit crunch. At least Courtney Love isn’t. American Express is suing the singer for more than $350,000 in unpaid credit card charges.
The firm filed suit against Love in the U.S. District Court on Wednesday. The former Hole lead singer had her charge privileges suspended after she “failed and refused” to clear the balance, according to the lawsuit.
This isn’t the first financial trouble she’s been in. In April, it was revealed that she had hired a team of private investigators to reclaim millions of dollars she alleged were stolen from her late husband Kurt Cobain’s estate.
In 2008, Love was sued for $1 million by London & Co., an accounting firm which charged the star had failed to pay them profits from the sale of Cobain’s share of the Nirvana publishing catalog.
Tom Sizemore arrested again
Actor Tom Sizemore is headed to jail. Again. He was arrested in Los Angeles a little after midnight Thursday morning on an outstanding warrant for drug charges.
Police were called to investigate a report of domestic violence in Hollywood and when they arrived on the scene, Sizemore was found there with a friend. The police discovered a $25,000 warrant for Sizemore’s arrest.
Even worse, according to TMZ.com, a police search found Sizemore and his friend in possession of narcotics. They were arrested and booked for the crime that night.
This is the latest of Sizemore’s run-ins with the law. Back in 2003, he was convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. In 2005, he was jailed for failing drug tests while on probation, then in May 2007 he was arrested for possession of drugs at a California hotel.
More recently, he was caught up in a police probe amid bizarre allegations he stole pens and cellphones from an L.A. store in March.
Rihanna to appear at Chris Brown’s hearing
Rihanna will be with Christ Brown. In the court room. Her attorney, Donald Etra, said his client will receive a subpoena to testify during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles June 22 in the assault case against her ex.
“The DA told me Rihanna will be subpoenaed. I will accept on her behalf,” Etra said. “She will appear in court, and if asked to testify, she will do so.”
Asked how Rihanna is, Etra said, “She is doing fine. She is continuing with her career and moving on with her life and doing great.”
On Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg denied a motion by Brown’s attorneys to receive confidential police and investigative records regarding who leaked a photograph of a battered Rihanna to the media.
However, Schnegg said the motion was premature and it could be filed again after the preliminary hearing, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to continue a case against Brown.
Brown faces assault and criminal threats charges for the alleged February attack on Rihanna. He has pleaded not guilty.
Michael Lohan gets charged, Linday Lohan gets snubbed
Not a good week for the Lohan family. Lindsay Lohan’s father, Michael Lohan, is headed back to jail. He was arrested last month for allegedly threatening to kill his fiancee and himself when she tried to break up with him.
Cops took him to jail April 6 for a phone threat authorities claim he made to Erin Muller, 34, on March 18, a little more than a month after his parole ended for other charges. He could spend up to a year behind bar for the charges.
Lohan faced the charged at Central Islip court and spotted NY Post reporter Kieran Crowley and photographer Dennis Clark, subsequently flipping out.
“Michael! Plan two!” shouted Lohan’s lawyer, Anthony Grandinette, as his client fled. Lohan and Muller then hid in her car while Grandinette appeared on his behalf.
Lohan’s dad had yet another date in court in Westbury Wednesday to explain why he’s $12,000 behind in child support, according to Page Six.
His daughter isn’t doing much better. The actress and sometime singer wanted to hop on stage with Asher Roth at a Los Angeles concert, but the rapper would have none of it.
Roth had a gig at the University of California’s Santa Barbara campus and planned to perform his hit “She Dont’ Want a Man” and Lindsay asked to hop on stage with him. She got so annoying, he ignored her altogether, according to the New York Daily News.
A source said, “Lindsay was bugging both Asher and his management team to get onstage during She Don’t Want a Man, but Asher was so annoyed by her requests that he actually skipped performing the single.”
Lohan took to her Twitter.com blog to vent her anger, sniping at Roth for failing to show her and her pals the love.
She wrote, “Wow. Asher was cocky to all my friends and not that nice.”
I’m remembering all over again why I hated Lindsay Lohan. Honey, you’re a marginally talented white girl, not a rapper. Please don’t bug the people with real talent, okay?
T.I. hosts farewell concert
T.I. is saying farewell to his freedom with a packed concert in Atlanta’s Philips Arena. The rapper is set to begin serving a sentence of a year and a day on federal weapons charges.
The Grammy winner told the 16,000 fans he would stay optimistic when he heads to prison in two days.
“I’m going to stand up tall, head up high,” he said. “Thank you for all of your support.”
T.I. must report by noon Tuesday to the Federal Correction Institution at Forrest City, Ark. He was arrested after prosecutors said he tried to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents in 2007.
During the concert, T.I. said he hoped that everyone learned from his mistakes. He brought his five children on stage, often holding one of them while he performed.
“What I need y’all to do is pray for me while I’m gone,” he said. “I’ll see y’all in 366 days.”
Kiefer Sutherland makes a deal with alleged assault victim
Kiefer Sutherland has settled with Jack McCollough, the designer he’s accused of head-butting during a Met Gala May 5.
The settlement means that Sutherland will probably not face misdemeanor assault charges because, according to TMZ.com, McCollough will no longer serve as a “complaining witness” and make the prosecutors’ case insubstantial.
According to reports, he bashed McCollough in the head, breaking his nose and hospitalizing the designer, after he allegedly bumped into Brooke Shields (who denies McCollough did anything wrong).
Thanks to the deal, Sutherland’s probation for a 2007 DUI is also no longer in jeopardy.
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s Late Night Thursday, Sutherland said he “really regretted” the head-butting incident.
Sutherland is still due in court on June 22.
Simon Cowell discusses ex’s attack
Simon Cowell went to his frenemy Ryan Seacrest’s radio show today to talk about his ex’s attack after the “American Idol” finale Tuesday night. Idol fan Janice Thibodeaux approached Seymour and allegedly tried to choke her.
Cowell said his initial reaction was that it must be a joke.
“She called me and, yeah, she was attacked outside,” he said of Seymour. “Literally, a frenzied attack. Nearly strangled.”
Thibodeaux, 33, was charged with misdemeanor counts of battery and assault Thursday. She’s being held on $52,703 bail and claims she attacked Seymour because of Cowell’s behavior toward Paula Abdul, making this the second crazy person to cause harm to themselves or others.
Cowell doesn’t think Paula is the reason, however.
“Naturally I assumed it was somebody who was jealous,” he said. Cowell said he had never met Thibodeaux.
“I don’t know, it was just some crazy girl. She’s locked up.”
As for Seymour, Cowell said, “It was bad. I really, really felt sorry for her.
“You know what? I was there for her, Ryan. That’s the important thing.”
Thibodeaux is facing a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail and $12,000 in fines if convicted on both charges.
Simon Cowell’s ex attacked
Kris Allen vs. Adam Lambert may have been the fight of the night on “American Idol,” but after the taping of the show on Tuesday, Simon Cowell’s ex-girlfriend was attacked.
TMZ reports that Terri Seymour was confronted at the Nokia Theatre complex by crazy lady Janice Thibodeaux, who reportedly attempted to choke her after asking if she and Cowell were a couple.
Seymour refused treatment and was escorted out by three police officers. Thibodeaux got her own police escort, too – to county lock-up. The woman was arrested on felony battery charges and is being held on $52,700 bail.
Cowell and Seymour broke up in October after seven years together, but are still friends.
Gerard Butler charged with battery
Gerard Butler is facing battery charges after a fight with a paparazzo.
The Los Angeles City Attorney filed misdemeanor battery charges against the actor Wednesday. He faces up to six months in jail if convicted.
The “300″ actor had a run-in with a photographer early on Oct. 7 in Hollywood after leaving the “RocknRolla” premiere party.
According to his manager, Alan Siegel, Butler was forced to have his driver stop the car after a photog repeatedly sped through red lights and almost hit two pedestrians.
The actor’s attorney, Blair Berk, said Butler is not required to – and won’t – appear in court on the charge.
Actually, they did try to burgle Lindsay Lohan
They didn’t ransack it, but it turns out Lindsay Lohan’s place did get broken into.
Security video shows two unidentified men, one wearing a baseball cap and a bandana over his face, tried to break into her Los Angeles home Tuesday. They pulled up in a four-door gray station wagon, parking in front just before 3 p.m.
“While the driver stayed inside, the passenger suspect stepped out of the vehicle, walked through a gate and entered the backyard of the residence,” said police, who looking for anyone who can help identify the suspects. “Investigators believed that the suspect tried to gain entry by using an unknown type tool to pry open a back window and door. After the unsuccessful attempt, the suspects drove off.”
