Singer Bobby Brown looks on in a DeKalb County courtroom in Decatur, Ga., in this Nov. 8, 2002, file photo
It's not so much his prerogative as a direct court order.
Bobby Brown was released from a Georgia jail Monday, only to be told he must appear at an emergency family court hearing in Virginia on Wednesday.
The R&B singer was jailed February 27 after he violated his probation on a drunk driving charge by allegedly slapping wife Whitney Houston, as well as refusing to take drug tests, pay probation fees and provide proof that he completed counseling and his period of house arrest.
A Georgia judge sentenced him to 60 days in the slammer.
Brown had been scheduled to remain behind bars through Thursday, but Dekalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown said he received an order requiring the singer to attend his court appearance.
After discussing the matter with Judge Wayne Purdom, the sheriff agreed to spring Brown early.
No further details on why Brown was summoned into family court were made available. However, since Houston departed for rehab last week, it's possible the hearing concerns the care of the couple's 11-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.
Exactly why the diva has retreated to rehab is unclear, though she has admitted to dabbling in alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and pills in the past.
After Brown allegedly hit her in December, leaving her with a cut lip and bruised cheek, Houston told authorities that she wanted to handle the matter privately.
His wife's pleas for amnesty notwithstanding, Brown was charged with battery and a preliminary hearing on the matter has been scheduled for May 5.
The outcome of the hearing will likely result in more time in the big house for Brown--at least by now, it's familiar territory.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 23, 2004, 9:29 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
The new Urinal by Bathroom Mania, as seen at the JFK Virgin Lounge -- File photo shows Virgin chief Richard Branson
Virgin Atlantic Airways yesterday flushed plans to install a urinal shaped like a woman's mouth at its new executive clubhouse at Kennedy Airport.
On the day a press conference was called by the National Organization of Women to denounce the urinals, Virgin Customer Service VP John Riordan announced the British airline was canning its plans.
Riordan, who said earlier this week he expected the response to be "very positive" after the design was unveiled, issued an apology.
"Everyone at Virgin Atlantic was very sorry to hear of people's concerns about the design of the 'Kisses' urinals to be fitted into our clubhouse at JFK Airport," Riordan said in a statement.
"We can assure everyone who complained to us that no offense was ever intended. The urinals themselves were the idea of a female designer and we were therefore surprised by the reaction."
Riordan said the company intended the urinals - which appeared as red lips shaped like a puckered-up mouth - to be "fun and quirky."
But women's rights groups and several politicians weren't laughing.
"It is a symbolic act of degrading and humiliating women," Rita Haley, president of NOW's city chapter, said at a City Hall press conference yesterday.
Councilman Phil Reed (D-Manhattan), who learned of the about-face during the press conference, said he was glad Virgin changed its mind.
But he questioned why the decision was ever made in the first place.
"There was a mentality that said that was acceptable," Reed said. "What were they thinking? That's really the question that you have to ask. Or was it a publicity stunt just to get their name out there?"
Reed said he wants an apology from Virgin owner and self-made billionaire Richard Branson.
"I'd like to hear that from the man who flies around telling us that he's so wonderful and so brilliant," Reed said. "If he's hired somebody that stupid, maybe he should fire all of them."
Councilman John Liu (D-Queens) said the company has a responsibility to set a standard.
"This kind of action taken by a major company does lead to more misogyny in our society, it leads to potential violence against women and that's why this is so harmful," Liu said.
"It's all meant in good fun, so they should not have any problems with their own face being on these urinals. I think that's what they should do," he said.
The urinals were supposed to be installed in the men's room at the airline's new clubhouse - an upscale, 7,000-square-foot lounge that has a waterfall with a reflecting pool, a bar with a 42-inch plasma screen, a dining area and a bar equipped with four Sony PlayStations. It is open only to passengers on Virgin's new Upper Class suite service.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 23, 2004, 9:27 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
LONDON (Reuters) - A distraught Pete Townshend is shown being quizzed by police after his arrest on child pornography charges last year in a BBC documentary to be broadcast on Tuesday.
The BBC said the program shows the British rock legend being quizzed at a southwest London police station where he was taken after his arrest in January 2003 during a high-profile investigation into Internet child pornography.
The 58-year-old Townshend, who said he was abused as a child, admitted to viewing a child pornography Web site but said it was purely for research purposes.
After a four-month investigation, police issued him with a caution and put his name on the national Sex Offenders Register for five years. A BBC spokeswoman said on Monday that Townshend is featured in half of the 90-minute documentary "Police Protecting Children," the first in a three-part series.
"In a way I wish we hadn't filmed Townshend because he takes away from the real pornographers," producer Bob Long told the Independent newspaper.
"His lawyers would have given anything for the documentary not to happen. They didn't want it to happen. But they took no legal action, I think because they would have lost," he said.
The BBC spokeswoman denied reports that Townshend's lawyers had tried to bar the program from being broadcast.
A call to Townshend's representatives was not returned.
The film crew, which followed Scotland Yard's Child Protection Team for 18 months, was on hand when Townshend was arrested as part of the investigation which resulted in more than 1,000 arrests in Britain.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 22, 2004, 11:29 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
British rock legend David Bowie performs during his concert in Hong Kong March 15, 2004
NEW YORK - The bonds backed by publishing and recording rights on singer David Bowie's back catalogue have been hit by a ratings downgrade from Moody's Investors Service.
The issuer of the bonds, Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Company LLC, was downgraded to Baa3 just one notch above junk from A3 by Moody's on Friday, after a lengthy review process.
The credit rating agency cited the weaker sales of recorded music and a downgrade to an unnamed company that guarantees the issue.
A specialist in intellectual property securitizations, who asked not to be named, said that the guarantee came from British music company EMI Group PLC. He said that in March 2003, EMI's long-term credit rating was lowered by Moody's.
The $55 million, 10-year Bowie Bonds issue is backed by the rights on 287 songs.
The bonds were touted as the forerunner of a new class of intellectual property securitizations when they were sold in 1997. However, there have been few similar deals.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 22, 2004, 11:28 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
PARIS - All publicity is good publicity, or so the maxim goes but Playboy, venerable pioneer of the mass-market nude centerfold, begs to differ.
Playboy Enterprises Inc. is due in court Tuesday to press criminal charges against the owner of Voici, a French women's weekly that printed miniatures of Playboy pages featuring the actresses Daryl Hannah and Shannen Doherty.
Voici publisher Prisma Presse and its chief executive, Axel Ganz, have been summoned to the preliminary hearing to face accusations of "counterfeiting by publication or reproduction," a court official said.
Prisma's legal director, Martine Berard Mirepoix, said Playboy had also filed for 400,000 ($490,000) in damages after Voici used the images in its press review.
In its Oct. 6 issue, Voici ran page reproductions measuring three-by-two inches from a Playboy photo shoot with Hannah, 43, whose film credits range from 1980s sci-fi classic "Blade Runner" to "Kill Bill," the latest blood-drenched film from Quentin Tarantino.
Entitled "Hannah from Heaven," the Playboy series shows the smiling actress in a variety of poses, sporting a pair of pink roller boots and very little else.
The following month, when Playboy's American edition published photos of Shannen Doherty best known for U.S. TV roles in "Charmed" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" Voici once again carried scaled-down highlights.
Anna Cashman, in-house lawyer for Chicago-based Playboy Enterprises Inc., said the company had nothing to say publicly about its legal action.
Agents for Hannah and Doherty did not return calls.
But staff at German-owned Prisma whose 19 titles include the French edition of National Geographic said they were baffled by Playboy's reaction to what they see as free publicity for the half century-old adult magazine.
"They felt we'd damaged their business and that because we'd shown their photos, people wouldn't buy their magazine afterward," Voici editor Hedi Dahmani told The Associated Press by telephone.
"But if I were a young man and I noticed in the press review that Daryl Hannah was appearing naked in Playboy this month, I'd want to go buy it."
Hannah's and Doherty's photo shoots featured in Voici before they had appeared in Playboy's French magazine, which often publishes pictures weeks after the U.S. edition.
French law takes a tough stance on intellectual property, and breaking copyright can be a criminal offense, allowing rights holders to choose between the civil and penal system to seek redress.
Besides potentially hefty damages for Prisma, CEO Ganz risks a criminal record if convicted on the charges brought by Playboy, and even up to two years behind bars although lawyers say prison sentences are extremely rare in this kind of case.
Prisma argues that using images from other publications in press reviews is common practice among newspapers and magazines including Playboy and points out that 70 percent of Voici's 3.9 million readers are women.
"It's hardly as if we have the same audience," Dahmani said.
As for the other 30 percent, the Voici editor insists his small Playboy vignettes are no substitute for the real thing.
"You really have to look closely to see anything at all," he explained.
..................................................................................................................................................................
They might win their case, but it's hypocritical. I mean, Playboy launched their magazine with no original pictures, they were all taken from other sources...like calendars. Even the Marilyn Monroe picture they had on their first cover and the pics of her within, which they use at any given opportunity in their anniversary editions, were not taken by them at all. Those pictures were previously printed elsewhere.
I guess they just need some publicity because their subcriptions are at an all time low.
Posted on Mar 22, 2004, 11:24 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Radio personality Howard Stern is shown at Madison Square Garden in New York, in this Dec. 8, 2001, file photo -- Rock singer Bono is shown in Washington, in this Dec. 3, 2003, file photo
WASHINGTON - Federal regulators opened a new front in their crackdown on offensive broadcasts Thursday, saying that almost any use of the F-word on over-the-air radio and television would be considered indecent.
The Federal Communications Commission overruled its staff and said an expletive uttered by rock singer Bono on NBC was both indecent and profane. It marked the first time that the FCC cited a four-letter word as profane; the commission previously equated profanity with language challenging God's divinity.
The FCC on Thursday also proposed maximum fines for the broadcast of the Howard Stern radio show and for a program on two Florida radio stations owned by a Clear Channel Communications subsidiary.
Commissioners said they did not propose a fine for Bono's expletive during the 2003 Golden Globe Awards because they had never before said that virtually any use of the F-word violated its rules. The FCC specifically rejected earlier findings that occasional use of the F-word was acceptable.
"Given that today's decision clearly departs from past precedent in important ways, I could not support a fine retroactively against the parties," said FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who had asked his fellow commissioners to overturn the agency's enforcement bureau's finding.
"Prospectively, parties are on notice that they could now face significant penalties for similar violations," Powell said.
NBC issued a statement that said: "We believe the commission made the right decision in not fining us over the regrettable Bono incident. As we've previously said, Bono's utterance was unacceptable and we regret it happened."
A publicist for U2 said Bono was in the studio in Ireland and was not immediately available for comment.
But the decision was criticized by the Parents Television Council, a conservative advocacy group whose complaints led to the FCC's review.
"Bono may have used the F-word as an adjective, but today's FCC ruling turned it into a verb directed at American families," council president L. Brent Bozell III said. He said the decision "does nothing to hold NBC accountable for this obvious breach of commonsense decency standards."
The FCC received hundreds of complaints about the Golden Globes broadcast after Bono, the lead singer of the Irish rock group U2, said, "This is really, really, f------ brilliant." The enforcement bureau said last October that Bono's comment was not indecent or obscene because he did not use the word to describe a sexual act.
To avoid a repeat incident, NBC aired this year's Golden Globes broadcast on a 10-second delay. ABC did the same with its telecast of the Academy Awards show.
In another decision Thursday, the FCC proposed fining Infinity Broadcasting the maximum $27,500 for a Stern show broadcast July 26, 2001, on WKRK-FM in Detroit.
The FCC received a complaint from a Detroit listener about a show that featured discussions about sexual practices and techniques.
Infinity Broadcasting failed to immediately return a call seeking comment. The Center for Public Integrity, a watchdog group, said fines against Stern accounted for almost half of the $4 million in penalties proposed by the FCC since 1990.
The commission also affirmed a $7,000 fine for indecency first leveled in 2000 against Infinity station WLLD in Holmes Beach, Fla., for a live hip-hop concert featuring references to oral sex.
The FCC also proposed fining a subsidiary of Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio station chain, the maximum $55,000 for a broadcast on two Florida radio stations, WAVW in Stuart and WCZR in Vero Beach, where the host conducted an interview with a couple allegedly having sex.
Commissioners noted that they acted against Clear Channel on the complaint of a listener who did not have a transcript or tape, a departure from past practice. "Complaints should no longer be denied because of a lack of tape, transcript or significant excerpt," Commissioner Kevin Martin said.
Commissioner Michael Copps dissented from the decision, saying the commission should have moved to revoke the stations' licenses. "The time has come for the commission to send a strong message that it is serious about enforcing the indecency laws of our country," he said.
Clear Channel executive vice president Andrew Levin said, "We're as determined as ever to make sure that we don't have any violations in the future."
Federal law bars radio stations and over-the-air television channels from airing references to sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children may be tuning in. The rules do not apply to cable and satellite channels or satellite radio.
The House earlier this month voted to increase the maximum fine for indecency to $500,000. Similar legislation is pending in the Senate.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 19, 2004, 9:02 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
ARLINGTON, Va. - USA Today said Friday that an examination of the work of journalist Jack Kelley found strong evidence that the newspaper's former star foreign correspondent had fabricated substantial portions of at least eight major stories.
"As an institution, we failed our readers by not recognizing Jack Kelley's problems. For that I apologize," publisher Craig Moon said.
After spending seven weeks closely examining Kelley's work, a team of journalists also found that Kelley had lifted quotes or other material from competing publications, lied in speeches he delivered for USA Today and conspired to mislead the investigation into his work.
An examination of his computer unearthed scripts Kelley had written to help at least three people mislead reporters attempting to verify his work, the newspaper said.
For one of his stories in 2000, the newspaper said, Kelley used a snapshot he took of a Cuban hotel worker to authenticate a tale he made up about a woman who died fleeing Cuba by boat. The woman in the photo never fled by boat, and a USA Today reporter located her alive this month, the newspaper said.
Kelley, 43, quit the newspaper in January after admitting he conspired with a translator to mislead editors looking into the veracity of his reporting.
Kelly said he'd never fabricated or plagiarized.
"I feel like I'm being set up," he told editors at the newspaper on Thursday.
Kelley spent his entire 21-year career at USA Today and was five times nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious award in journalism.
For one of the stories that helped make him a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2001, Kelley wrote that he was an eyewitness to a suicide bombing. But the investigation showed that the man Kelley described could not have been the bomber, USA Today said.
The newspaper also said "the evidence strongly contradicted" other published accounts by Kelley: that he spent the night with Egyptian terrorists in 1997; met a vigilante Jewish settler named Avi Shapiro in 2001; watched a Pakistani student unfold a picture of the Sears Tower and say, "This one is mine," in 2001; interviewed the daughter of an Iraqi general in 2003; or went on a high-speed hunt for Osama bin Laden in 2003.
Hotel, phone or other records contradicted Kelley's explanations of how he reported stories from Egypt, Russia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Yugoslavia, Cuba and Pakistan, the newspaper said.
The three former newspaper editors brought in to conduct the investigation Bill Hilliard, Bill Kovach and John Seigenthaler called Kelley's conduct "a sad and shameful betrayal of public trust."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 19, 2004, 9:00 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hollywood's actors have overwhelmingly approved a one-year extension of their current industry contract, validating a strategy of seeking some gains now and even more later when negotiations on a new pact resume in the fall, guild leaders said Thursday.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists voted 87.4% in favor of extending SAG's current TV/theatrical agreement and AFTRA's Exhibit A agreements.
The wide margin of support was seen in branches across the United States, including Hollywood, where some members had campaigned against the extension.
"By opting for an extension over a new three-year contract, the unions will wield this new power almost immediately when we enter into new negotiations with the producers this fall," said Bob Pisano, SAG's national executive director and lead negotiator.
Added AFTRA president John Connolly, "By thinking creatively and strategically, our negotiating committee and staff delivered a solid set of gains for working actors and positioned the unions to effectively build upon those gains in the next round of talks."
Ballots were returned by 31% of the 122,000 members who received ballots, a rate consistent with past contract referendums.
With the contract set to expire June 30, the guilds and Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which represents the studios, began negotiations last month only to emerge days later with a proposed extension. AMPTP suggested the extension to avoid production disruptions.
SAG-AFTRA accepted the offer in exchange for gains including a 2.5% increase in minimum salary rates, a 0.5% gain in pension and health fund contributions and terms that give freelance actors and stunt coordinators on WB Network and UPN productions the same upfront minimum wages paid on the other four networks.
Most notably, SAG-AFTRA secured the right to begin jointly negotiating all terms of primetime scripted television, largely addressing discrepancies in rates that allowed some producers to play the guilds off one another.
"In an era of technological change and media consolidation, this vote is a powerful statement that working actors are united as never before," SAG president Melissa Gilbert said. "SAG actors will earn more than $1 billion in earnings through this contract next year. I look forward to vigorous negotiations with producers this fall, when we will fight for a greater share of residual revenue, increased support for our pension and health plans and better terms for our background actors."
The SAG-AFTRA joint national board approved the deal Feb. 20, additionally allowing opponents on SAG's Hollywood board to include their dissenting opinion or "minority report" on the ballot. They believed the deal terms were weak because they did not get at least a 3% raise in minimum salary or any gains in residuals.
It was the third time Hollywood's actors have approved an extension. One was pursued in 1947 to heighten bargaining clout during the advent of television. The 1967 extension enabled TV and motion picture contracts to terminate at the same time so that TV and film actors could jointly negotiate their interests.
The guilds now plan to launch a publicity campaign to educate members and the public about their priorities in the upcoming negotiations.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 19, 2004, 8:51 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Entertainer Courtney Love flashes her breasts at David Letterman during taping of 'Late Show with David Letterman' in New York, March 17, 2004
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer-actress Courtney Love was arrested in New York early on Thursday after throwing a microphone stand into a nightclub audience and hitting a man on the head, police said.
Hours before her arrest, Love, 39, known for her sensational, disruptive behavior, bared her breasts on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman." Love jumped on the desk used by Letterman for the late-night talk show and pulled up her shirt. She was not wearing a bra.
A police spokesman said Love was charged with assault and reckless endangerment after the 2:30 a.m. incident at an East Village nightclub. A court date for Love was not immediately set.
She threw a microphone stand into the audience and a 24-year-old man was injured in the head, police said. The name of the man was not released.
Love, frontwoman for the defunct rock band Hole, appeared in court in Beverly Hills, California, on Tuesday for a hearing to determine if she will be tried on drug charges. The hearing was postponed but not before she had disrupted proceedings and was admonished by the judge to keep quiet.
It was the fourth time a Beverly Hills judge has put off hearing the felony case stemming from Love's Oct. 2 trip to a local hospital for what police called "a medical emergency."
Love has pleaded not guilty to illegal possession of prescription painkillers.
She faces two charges in a separate case stemming from her pre-dawn arrest the same day outside a boyfriend's home, where police said she was breaking windows.
Love was set to play another Manhattan concert on Thursday to promote her solo album "America's Sweetheart."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 18, 2004, 11:04 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Martha Stewart enters Manhattan federal court, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004, in New York. Sewart has asked people to write about her character, work ethic and integrity in letters to U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum
NEW YORK - Martha Stewart reportedly asked supporters to write letters to the federal judge who will sentence her for allegedly lying about a stock sale.
In a letter posted on the gossip Web site http://www.Gawker.com and reported in New York newspapers on Thursday, Stewart wrote that her lawyers advised her that it would be appropriate for friends to write to Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum.
"If you would be so kind to write such a letter, please include your opinion of my character, my work ethic, my integrity and my probity," Stewart wrote.
She added that writers could include "any memorable experiences you have had with me" to explain the basis of their opinions.
"I deeply appreciate all of your good wishes and support," she wrote in the letter, which was dated March 12. "Of course, your support means a great deal to me and my family."
Stewart reportedly sent the letter to about 100 of her friends and acquaintances.
"It is standard practice ... to explain to people who've expressed interest in writing letters of support how to go about doing it," George Sard, a spokesman for Stewart, told the New York Post, Daily News and Newsday.
Stewart, who resigned from the board of Martha Stewart Media and stepped down as the company's chief creative officer on Monday, is set to be sentenced June 17.
Most legal experts expect her to receive a sentence of 10 to 16 months in prison, although a judge could allow her to spend some of that time at a halfway house or in home confinement.
Stewart and her stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, were convicted of lying to investigators, obstructing justice and other charges related to Stewart's sale of ImClone Systems stock on Dec. 27, 2001.
The government claimed Stewart and Bacanovic lied when they said they had a pre-set deal to sell the stock when it fell to $60.
Stewart's lawyer conceded she sold because she was tipped that ImClone CEO Sam Waksal was unloading his shares although he insisted Stewart was accurate when she said in 2002 she did not recall the tip.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 18, 2004, 11:03 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Federal investigators have searched the house of a former Fox employee as part of an investigation into a film piracy ring.
According to a court affidavit, Secret Service agents last month raided the Los Angeles home of 45-year-old Lisa Yamamoto after investigators suspected she was participating in the creation of a pirated film cache on an in-house Fox server, which could then be accessed by other members of the piracy ring. On Wednesday, Fox confirmed that Yamamoto had been fired along with at least one other employee tied to the activity.
"The Fox Entertainment Group has zero tolerance for piracy, and we are outraged that individuals within our own company not only engaged in this behavior but also used our technology to do so," Fox said in a statement. "We turned the matter over to federal authorities immediately and continue to actively support their efforts to bring all those involved to justice. We have already terminated employees involved and intend to see that anyone implicated in this matter is prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law."
Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed that no charges had been filed but that the investigation is ongoing.
According to the affidavit, Yamamoto appears to be a member of an underground Internet society known as the Warez community, which was "responsible for the operation and maintenance of a computer server containing illegally reproduced copyrighted computer software and movies, some of which were not yet released in theaters at the time they were available for download."
The pirated films in question include Sony's "Daddy Day Care," Fox's "Daredevil" and "X2: X-Men United," DreamWorks' "Old School," and Warner Bros.' "The Matrix Reloaded." The affidavit was first posted Wednesday on the http://www.SmokingGun.com Web site. Yamamoto could not be reached for comment.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 18, 2004, 10:38 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Actress/musician Courtney Love arrives at Beverly Hills Muncipal Court in Beverly Hills, California
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Rock star Courtney Love showed up two hours late Tuesday for a hearing on drug charges and was scolded by the judge after talking out of turn in court.
Love's attorney Michael Rosenstein won a delay of the preliminary hearing after arguing that witnesses needed to be brought in from out of state and that he had not received drug samples for testing.
But the brief proceeding was marked by interjections from Love, who claimed to have prescriptions for the drugs and at another point seemed to fire and immediately rehire her lawyer.
"I have the pill bottles on me," she blurted.
At another point she said to her attorney, "You're fired."
"Miss Love, you're not doing yourself any favors," Superior Court Judge Elden Fox said.
"Rehired," Love said.
Love, former lead singer of the group Hole, is charged with illegal possession of the painkillers hydrocodone and oxycodone.
She was arrested in October after allegedly trying to break into the Los Angeles home of a former boyfriend. Police found the drugs later when paramedics were called to her house after Love suffered a drug overdose.
The judge rescheduled the preliminary hearing for April 15.
Prosecutor Jeff Stodel argued against a delay, saying, "We're ready to go."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 17, 2004, 9:02 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
An undated photo of Australian actress Peta Wilson
NEW YORK - The slow pace of the Adelphia fraud trial got a boost as prosecutors introduced the jury over two days to a TV and movie actress, a golf pro and the man in charge of the company's fleet of jets.
The witnesses were meant to support the government's contention that Adelphia founder John Rigas and two of his sons turned the company into their private piggy bank and its three jets into their family taxi service.
They also brought some spice to a trial that had gotten bogged down in the analysis of financial documents and the testimony of a single witness for six days.
For the second day in a row Tuesday, prosecutors elicited testimony about Christmas trees flown by corporate jet to New York City for John Rigas' daughter and golf course outings that seemed to have little to do with the business.
Defense lawyers through cross examination tried to show that the use of the jets and the golf outings often had a business purpose and were nothing out of the ordinary in corporate America.
Former Adelphia chairman John Rigas, two of his sons, and former Adelphia executive Michael Mulcahey are on trial in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on charges of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly looting the company of millions of dollars. All have pleaded innocent.
Prosecutors say they misled creditors, investors and the public as they plunged the nation's fifth-largest cable company into bankruptcy reorganization and made it a part of corporate scandals that led to calls for reform at businesses nationwide.
The parade of witnesses began Monday when actress Peta Wilson testified that she flew on Adelphia's corporate jet, often for personal purposes, at least eight times at the invitation of Timothy Rigas. Wilson starred on the cable television series "La Femme Nikita" and in the recent movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."
On Tuesday, testimony continued from George Cretekos, who operated a car and truck repair shop in Wellsville, N.Y., before he convinced his childhood friend, Timothy Rigas, to let him manage Adelphia's fleet of corporate jets in December 1998.
Cretekos said the company's three jets made about 1,000 trips a year, including the delivery of a Pennsylvania Christmas tree to John Rigas' daughter, who lived in Manhattan. At other times, he said, a jet delivered eggs, paper towels and toilet paper to the daughter.
He said the daughter's husband thought the tree was too short so a second tree was flown to New York to replace it.
Cretekos said it was "quite awkward" getting the tree onto the plane, which carried a single passenger, Tim Rigas.
"Did Tim Rigas say whether he was going to New York for a business meeting or a Christmas party?" asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Clark.
"He didn't say," Cretekos answered.
Cretekos had testified that other family excursions included a $100,000 trip to Greece and a safari in Africa by John Rigas and a travel agent and trips by John Rigas' wife to furniture shows in North Carolina.
Golf professional Lisa Scully said Adelphia hired her to help clients on a company golf outing.
She said the company later flew her at no cost to Hilton Head, S.C., and Monterey, Calif., where she, her brother and Tim Rigas enjoyed golf at Pebble Beach, "one of the most extaordinary golf courses in America."
She described Tim Rigas as "very gracious" to not charge her for the trips.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 17, 2004, 9:01 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
LOS ANGELES - A native of Romania who claims to have written the source code to the popular file-sharing software Kazaa is suing the program's distributor over the rights to the software and seeking $25 million in compensation.
Kazaa Media Desktop, which enables users to connect online over a so-called peer-to-peer network, is used by millions to swap music, movies, software and other files. The practice has drawn the ire of Hollywood film studios, recording companies and other copyright holders.
In the federal lawsuit, Fabian Toader, who now lives in Redmond, Wash., claims he wrote the computer code for the Kazaa program in 2000 while working in Romania on a freelance basis for Kazaa B.V., which sold the rights to the software in 2002 to Sharman Networks Ltd.
Toader claims he never signed a contract with Kazaa B.V. and asserts that, under copyright laws in the United States and Romania, he is the copyright owner of the program, and not Sharman Networks.
Toader, now a programmer for Microsoft, seeks a judgment confirming his rights to the program and $25 million in damages.
"Sharman has made millions using my software," Toader said in a statement Tuesday. "I just want to be fairly compensated for my contribution."
The latest version of Kazaa has been downloaded more than 335 million times from Download.com since it was uploaded to the site on Nov. 19.
A spokesman for Sydney, Australia-based Sharman disputed Toader's assertion that he owns the rights to the program.
"The work done by Fabian Toader on early versions of the Kazaa Media Desktop software was done under a work for hire agreement that expressly states that Kazaa B.V. owned all rights to any work related to the development of the software," said Rich Chernela, a Sharman spokesman.
The lawsuit, which was filed March 4 in Los Angeles, is only the latest volley of litigation between Toader and Sharman.
In August, Sharman sued Toader in Washington State Superior Court, alleging he tried to blackmail the company. The court granted Sharman an injunction against him, Chernela said.
"Sharman regards this recently filed Los Angeles law suit as nothing more than Mr. Toader's most recent shakedown effort," Chernela said.
Toader countersued later that month in federal court in Seattle, then opted to dismiss the case without prejudice in February and refiled it in Los Angeles, said attorney Marc Fenster.
Sharman has been the target of lawsuits and from entertainment companies bent on shutting down its operation, and file-sharing in general, which they say has resulted in millions in lost sales.
A federal case brought by the entertainment firms against Sharman in Los Angeles is pending the outcome of a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) on a ruling that cleared two other companies of liability for the unauthorized sharing of files by users of their software.
In February, investigators with the Australian recording industry raided the company's offices in Sydney and two executives' homes hunting evidence to support a copyright infringement case.
In December, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that Kazaa's Netherlands division cannot be held liable for copyright infringement of music or movies swapped using its free software.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 17, 2004, 8:56 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
US singer Whitney Houston greeting the crowds after a performance
LOS ANGELES - Grammy-winning pop singer Whitney Houston has entered a drug rehabilitation facility, her publicist said.
Houston "thanks everyone for their support and prayers," publicist Nancy Seltzer said in a statement Monday. She declined to offer any further details.
Houston, 40, admitted in a December 2002 television that she had abused drugs in the past, but told interviewer Diane Sawyer on ABC's "Primetime" that she had gotten beyond that time through prayer.
Houston's husband, R&B singer Bobby Brown, was sentenced to 60 days in jail in late February for violating probation. One of the violations included a December misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly striking Houston, leaving her with a bruised cheek and a cut inside her lip.
In January 2000, Houston left behind a bag at Keahole Kona International Airport in Hawaii that allegedly held less than half an ounce of marijuana and three partially smoked marijuana cigarettes.
In 2001, a petty misdemeanor drug charge relating to the incident was dismissed against Houston after a drug counselor filed an assessment with prosecutors stating that Houston did not require treatment for substance abuse.
Brown and Houston have been married since 1992 and have a 10-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 16, 2004, 9:57 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Caterer Rhona Silver holds up a one million dollar check made out to her mentor Martha Stewart at a news conference in New York, Thursday, March 11, 2004. Silver offered the money to assist in Martha's legal bills in exchange for the opportunity to run her empire for a salary of one dollar per year
NEW YORK (AFP) - A "heartsick" Martha Stewart resigned as a director and "chief creative officer" of the company she founded in the wake of her conviction on charges of thwarting a probe into a suspicious stock sale.
The board of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia said in a statement that the domesticity diva had resigned effective immediately but will occupy a new position of "founding editorial director."
In her new role, the company said Stewart would "provide creative inspiration" for new products, write two pending books and provide additional input on the company's brands and on strategic issues.
She will report to the company's chief executive, Sharon Patrick.
Stewart stepped down as head of the company last year, but the board said the latest move was in the interests of shareholders, and Stewart agreed.
"I am taking this action today because it is in the best interests of MSO and because I think it's the right thing to do," Stewart said in the company statement.
"I am heartsick about my personal legal situation -- and deeply sorry for the pain and difficulties it has caused our employees."
"The MSO Board respects Martha's decision to resign her officer and director positions," said chairman Jeffrey Ubben. In accepting her resignation, we have decided to create a new, continuing role as Founding Editorial Director -- a role that reflects our desire for Martha to continue to make an important contribution to our business."
Patrick, the MSO chief executive, added, "Everyone at MSO recognizes the seriousness of Martha's situation and is deeply saddened. However, all of us also believe that the company and our constituencies benefit most if we are able to continue to take advantage of Martha's creative inspiration and capitalize on her prodigious skills and experience in the domestic arts -- from cooking, to gardening, to crafts, to homekeeping."
MSO shares, which have been clobbered since the conviction, slipped another 36 cents to 9.97 Monday.
Stewart, 62, was convicted this month on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
She has said she plans to appeal.
The charges against Stewart stemmed from the trade she made a day before ImClone, a biotechnology company then run by her friend Samuel Waksal, announced news that made its share price plunge.
Prosecutors said Stewart had received an improper tip that federal regulators would not approve ImClone's anti-cancer drug, Erbitux.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 16, 2004, 9:55 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday cleared the way for Geffen Records to release a greatest-hits album next week from the rock band Guns N' Roses over the objection of its lead singer, Axl Rose.
Rose sued Geffen, a unit of Universal Music Group under Vivendi Universal, seeking to prevent the best-of collection from being released, claiming he was not consulted on the choice or remixing of material for the album.
He was joined as a plaintiff in the suit, filed last Friday, by two band members from the original lineup -- guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan -- even though their rights to the Guns N' Roses name was signed over to Rose years ago when they left the group.
But U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer denied their request for a temporary restraining order, allowing Geffen to issue the album as planned next Tuesday. A hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction was set for next month.
"Their lawsuit is meritless," Universal Music spokesman Peter LoFrumento said. "Fortunately, since the court has denied their application for a temporary restraining order, the album will be released as scheduled on March 23."
According to the lawsuit, Rose objected to the selection of songs for the compilation album, the timing of its release, the album's artwork and the re-mastering of the original tapes.
The album features 14 tracks in all and eight of Guns N' Roses' hit singles, including "Welcome to the Jungle, "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" from the mega-selling 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction."
The group's last studio album, "The Spaghetti Incident?," was issued in 1993. A 2002 MTV appearance by a reconstituted Guns N' Roses, with Rose as the lone member from the band's heyday, helped spark interest in the group's new lineup, but a subsequent U.S. tour was cut short.
The suit, which accuses Geffen of trademark infringement and breach of contract, says the label is barred under its contract with Guns N' Roses from altering its master recordings without the band's permission.
A statement from Rose's manager added that the greatest-hits set "will hinder the release of the band's long-awaited new studio album, 'Chinese Democracy."'
Geffen officials had no further comment on the dispute. But a source familiar with the situation said the label has been waiting seven years for Rose to deliver "Chinese Democracy" and has poured $13 million into production of that album after repeated promises that he was about to finish the project.
"Every year there's been a new reason why Axl is not done with the record," the source told Reuters, adding that Geffen went ahead with the greatest-hits package only because Rose failed to come through with "Chinese Democracy." "Had he delivered this record like he promised seven years ago, this would not be happening right now."
A representative for Rose was not immediately available for comment.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 16, 2004, 9:54 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Motorists ride past a billboard advertising the controversial movie, directed by Mel Gibson 'the Passion of the Christ'
LOS ANGELES - "The Passion of the Christ" was the top film for a third straight weekend, taking in $31.7 million and pushing its total beyond a quarter of a billion dollars.
Mel Gibson's dramatization of Christ's final hours climbed to $264 million in the United States and Canada after 19 days in theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
With solid receipts expected through Easter on April 11, "The Passion" is on track to gross between $350 million and $400 million, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which handled the release.
That would put it on par with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which took in another $2.05 million over the weekend to push its total to $371.2 million.
Johnny Depp's psychological horror tale "Secret Window," based on a Stephen King story about an author accused of plagiarism by a stalker, debuted in second place with $19 million.
The weekend's other two big releases had so-so openings. Frankie Muniz's spy caper "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London" was No. 5 with $8 million, barely half the $14.1 million opening weekend of "Agent Cody Banks" last year.
Premiering in narrower release, David Mamet's military thriller "Spartan," starring Val Kilmer, finished in 10th place with $2 million.
"The Passion" lifted Hollywood to its third-straight uptick in revenues after a long slump in January and February. The top 12 movies grossed $104.1 million, up 15 percent from the same weekend last year.
Before "The Passion" opened, Hollywood revenue was running 7 percent behind last year's. Revenues now are 3 to 4 percent ahead of 2003's, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"'The Passion' has single-handedly made what was turning out to be a pretty lousy year into a really good year so far," Dergarabedian said.
Playing in 3,221 theaters, "The Passion" averaged $9,830 a cinema, a huge number for a movie in its third weekend. "Secret Window" averaged $6,296 in 3,018 theaters, "Agent Cody Banks" did $2,691 in 2,973 cinemas and "Spartan" averaged $2,440 in 832 locations.
Starring Jim Caviezel as Christ, "The Passion" continues to draw well among church groups that helped make it a religious blockbuster, but the film is packing in much broader audiences, said Newmarket's Schwartz.
"It's a large cross-section of America," Schwartz said. "It's not just church groups going at this point. It's way beyond that."
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's romantic comedy "50 First Dates" had a $5.3 million weekend and pushed its total to $106.6 million, following "The Passion" as the second movie released in 2004 to cross the $100 million mark.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Passion of the Christ," $31.7 million.
2. "Secret Window," $19 million.
3. "Starsky & Hutch," $16 million.
4. "Hidalgo," $11.7 million.
5. "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London," $8 million.
6. "50 First Dates," $5.3 million.
7. "Twisted," $3.1 million.
8. "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," $2.4 million.
9. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," $2.05 million.
10. "Spartan," $2 million.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 15, 2004, 8:45 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Donald Trump is seen during the Los Angeles Confidential Magazine Welcomes 'The Apprentice' to Hollywood event, held at Bliss, in this Feb. 26, 2004 file photo in Hollywood, Calif
BURBANK, Calif. - The line to audition for the second season of the hit reality show "The Apprentice" stretched the length of four football fields outside NBC's Burbank studios as more than 1,000 people sought a spot on the program featuring billionaire Donald Trump.
Trump was not present Saturday because "Apprentice" producers didn't want to overshadow his appearance at Thursday's auditions in New York. More than a dozen casting calls will take place in cities including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami and San Francisco.
Kevan Moezzi of Seal Beach showed up 19 hours early to earn wristband No. 3, meaning he was third in line to be interviewed. He and two others slept outside the studios to be first in line.
"If I get this show, it will open up so many opportunities," Moezzi said. "I gotta get in there and show them what it takes."
Rob LaPlant, the show's casting producer, said he is looking for "real people" to join the show.
"The worst thing someone can do here is not talk," he said. "We throw out a topic and see how they react."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 15, 2004, 8:43 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Tom Cruise, is seen here as a presenter and Honorary Chairman at the IFP Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California February 28, 2004
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Cruise has parted ways with his longtime publicist, Pat Kingsley.
The split, which happened Thursday, had been in the works for some time, said Kingsley, a partner at PMK/HBH, who has handled his affairs since 1990.
Cruise will now be represented by his sister, Lee Anne DeVette, who works at his Paramount Pictures-based production company, Cruise/Wagner.
"It was something that was developing for a period of time," Kingsley said. "And I think he wants to pull things internal (to his company). It was a very friendly, nice chat, with no hard feelings. I have the greatest respect for him in all areas."
DeVette has been with her brother at C/W for 14 years. She first started at "the bottom rung of the company" and worked her way up, she said. Most recently, she has worked as an in-house publicist for Cruise, working closely with Kingsley on personal publicity activities as well as with the studios on campaigns for Cruise's projects.
With a new movie in the can -- DreamWorks' fall release "Collateral," from director Michael Mann -- and "Mission: Impossible 3" upcoming, it is likely that Cruise may take on another outside rep.
"Will we potentially be looking for someone on films? Yes, we will, but no decision has been made," DeVette said. "But Tom is very close with Pat, and they have a very, very good friendship."
Cruise most recently starred in "The Last Samurai," a role that earned him a best actor nomination at January's Golden Globes.
Kingsley continues to work with such clients as Jodie Foster, Cameron Crowe, Al Pacino, Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore and Warren Beatty.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 15, 2004, 8:42 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Pop star Michael Jackson walks out of the courtroom at Santa Maria Court after his arraignment on child molestation charges on Jan 16, 2004, in Santa Maria, Calif.
LOS ANGELES - The judge in the Michael Jackson child molestation case kept sealed an audio tape that apparently contains defense interviews with Jackson's accuser and his family, but allowed prosecutors to see videotapes he called "innocuous."
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville said Thursday that the audiotape could identify areas of defense strategy and should remain secret. He said the tape was of an interview conducted early last year by an investigator for defense attorney Mark Geragos.
The judge said the tape would identify areas of interest to the defense, and that the defense's investigative work should not be turned over to the prosecution. He added that "the persons interviewed are equally available to the prosecution."
Geragos did not return a call seeking comment.
Jackson has pleaded innocent to seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, reportedly wine. He is free on $3 million bail pending trial.
In his motion opposing release of the tape, Geragos had said a key issue in the case will be "the veracity and credibility of the alleged minor victim and his family."
"Given that the minor victim and his family are potential witnesses, the defense has endeavored to make a record that would either establish or undermine the veracity and credibility of these individuals," Geragos said.
The audiotape and numerous videotapes were seized from the office of investigator Bradley Miller through a prosecution search warrant.
Melville's ruling gave no hints of the videotapes' contents, other than to say they referred to "locations or circumstances that may since have changed."
Melville said the videotapes were "largely innocuous" and "unrevealing of defense strategy," and ordered them turned over to the Sheriff's Department.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 12, 2004, 11:44 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
David Crosby performs with Crosby Stills Nash & Young at Madison Square Garden in New York in this Feb. 22, 2002 file photo
FREDERICK, Md. - Three weeks before he was arrested on marijuana and gun possession charges, singer David Crosby told a newspaper he was through with drugs.
Crosby, who was to perform Friday in Frederick, told The Frederick News-Post in a mid-February interview that drugs were no longer a part of his life.
"I haven't been tempted by that stuff for 15 years. You get past it," he said.
The newspaper published the story Thursday.
Police say they found an ounce of marijuana, a .45-caliber handgun and a knife in a suitcase Crosby left in a New York hotel room. He was arrested Saturday when he returned to pick up the luggage.
"When I really got toasted toward the end of the hard drugs, it made me not want to write," he told the newspaper. "I wasted a lot of time when I could have been making music."
Crosby, 62, was a founding member of both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Meanwhile, refunds were being offered to fans who bought tickets to this Saturday's show at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.
Crosby, who is free on $3,500 bail, is to play Monmouth University's 700-seat Pollak Theatre.
The refund offer was posted on the university's Web site, although the reason wasn't stated.
Two telephone calls to his agent at the William Morris Agency were not returned.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 12, 2004, 11:43 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
This Viacom advertisement ran in the Wednesday, March 10, 2004, New York Post
NEW YORK - When media titans clash over television rights, there's always the weapon of last resort: pulling the plug.
But as the DISH Network and Viacom Inc. found out this week, actually using that weapon can be extremely costly, not only for the two combatants but also for anyone else in the industry hoping to win friends in Washington and in the public.
Even when the dispute lasts just 48 hours, as it did in this case, the fallout can be poisonous. Public interest groups and members of Congress are already on a campaign to roll back media consolidation, and a public brawl between two behemoths that traps the viewing public in the middle could hardly come at a worse time.
"Both sides are losers in this case," said Harold Vogel, a veteran media investor and CEO of Vogel Capital Management. "This should never have gotten to this point of confrontation."
EchoStar Communications Corp., which runs the DISH satellite TV service, had more to lose in the short term as viewers in more than a dozen key markets could no longer receive most channels owned by Viacom, including CBS, MTV and Nickelodeon. EchoStar said Viacom was asking for unreasonable terms to carry the networks.
The cable industry immediately went on the offensive, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen, launching a promotional campaign in several affected markets to lure satellite customers back to cable.
EchoStar didn't disclose how many subscribers it may have lost because of its bare-knuckle negotiating tactic, but clearly the damage would have been considerable if the dispute dragged on.
Viacom, on the other hand, was in a much better position to wait it out from a business perspective.
CBS and other Viacom networks still had plenty of other ways to reach national viewers, so it would take some time before they would see any dropoff in advertising profits.
By far the worst fallout for both companies, as well as for their brethren in the media industry, is political. Rep. Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican, indicated as much on Wednesday when he urged the two sides to "cut to the chase and see if we can't come to an agreement, especially as March Madness begins."
The public normally doesn't become involved when giant media companies like EchoStar and Viacom have bitter disagreements over industry issues such as the "retransmission consent" that broadcasters must give multichannel operators like DISH to carry major networks.
But when the public does get caught in the middle, it can backfire for the media companies who may think that they're annihilating the enemy. In fact, the public outcry could further hurt media conglomerates as they seek to overcome opposition to even further consolidations, such as Comcast Corp.'s proposed megamerger with The Walt Disney Co.
"I think that people are grossly underestimating the political headwinds that would face further consolidations in the media industry," said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. "The political fallout from this thing is likely to reverberate for some time."
EchoStar and Viacom already knew that they could suffer from using such tactics, given the backlash that Time Warner and Disney suffered in May 2000 when a similar dispute over transmission rights resulted in ABC being unplugged from millions of Time Warner Cable homes.
In this case, even more dirty laundry came to light.
After CBS went dark on the affected EchoStar systems, the satellite broadcaster disclosed the home phone number of Viacom president Mel Karmazin on one of its customer service lines for people to call with complaints. Viacom officials were outraged.
Moffett believes EchoStar may have pulled the stunt to gain more awareness in Congress of the issues behind a key piece of legislation governing satellite broadcasters, which is being revised this year.
But even so, Moffett says, taking SpongeBob SquarePants and March Madness away from viewers has obvious drawbacks: "It's dangerous for everybody."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 12, 2004, 11:41 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
R. Kelly performs Dec. 10, 2003 during the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
e BARTOW, Fla. - Detectives illegally seized photographs allegedly showing R&B singer R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl and prosecutors cannot use them to try him on child pornography charges, a judge ruled Thursday.
The photographs were on a digital camera seized from the singer's Davenport home during a drug raid.
Circuit Judge Dennis Maloney agreed with Kelly's lawyers that the Polk County sheriff's detectives did not have enough evidence to justify a search of Kelly's home when the deputies asked a judge for permission. A judge granted the warrant for the June 2002 search. The camera was found wrapped in a towel in a duffel bag.
Prosecutors said they haven't decided if they will appeal. If they don't, they would have to drop the 12 counts of child pornography against the 37-year-old singer, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly.
Kelly's Chicago-based lawyer, Ed Genson, immediately called the singer, who was not present, and told him the evidence was being thrown out.
"I told him `congratulations.' He was very pleased," Genson said.
Kelly is also facing 14 counts of child pornography charges in Chicago and has pleaded innocent. Those charges are not affected by Maloney's ruling. Last month, seven of the original 21 child pornography charges against Kelly in Chicago were dismissed.
Kelly's hits include "I Believe I Can Fly," "Bump 'n' Grind," "Feelin' on Yo Booty" and "Your Body's Callin'."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 11, 2004, 9:35 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Prince performs during the 46th Annual Grammy Awardsin Los Angeles, Ca., in this Feb. 8, 2004 file photo
NEW YORK - Prince fans who buy tickets to his upcoming concerts will get a bonus his new CD.
The singer, who will begin his first arena tour in six years on March 29, had been negotiating with several major labels to release his upcoming album, "Musicology," his publicist, Ronnie Lippin, told The Associated Press Wednesday.
However, the 45-year-old musician decided instead to give away the disc at his concerts.
"Every person who buys a ticket to his concert will walk away with a free CD," Lippin said.
Prince has released his albums on the Internet, through other labels or distribution deals since he left Warner Bros. in 1996 after a bitter feud.
The album also will be available commercially; his Web site, http://www.npgmusicclub.com, will make downloads available March 29, and the disc will be in record stores at a later date.
Prince will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday. The typically reclusive singer has recently raised his profile with a number of appearances, including a performance at last month's Grammy Awards.
His tour will take him to 38 cities.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 11, 2004, 9:34 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles leave a private party for Britain's Queen Elizabeth at the Ritz Hotel in London in this November 2002 file photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain's late Princess Diana staged a confrontation with her husband's longtime lover, Camilla Parker Bowles, saying she knew about the affair with Prince Charles, according to audio tapes aired on Thursday.
"I was terrified of her," the princess was heard to say on the tapes, which were played on NBC's "Today" program. "And I said, 'I know what's going on between you and Charles and I just want you to know that."'
The confrontation, which took place in 1989 at a party, occurred when Diana interrupted a conversation between Parker Bowles, the prince and another male guest.
"And I said to the two men, 'OK, boys, I'm just going to have a quick word with Camilla and I'll be up in a minute.' And they shot upstairs like chickens with no heads and I could feel upstairs all hell breaking loose: 'What is she going to do?"'
The princess said Parker Bowles had a "very interesting" response.
"She said to me: 'You've got everything you ever wanted. You've got all the men in the world fall in love with you and you've got two beautiful children, what more do you want?"'
"So I said, 'I want my husband' ... and I said to Camilla, 'I'm sorry I'm in the way ... and it must be hell for both of you. But I do know what's going on. Don't treat me like an idiot."'
The tapes obtained by NBC were secretly recorded in 1991 for a 1992 book that exposed the turmoil in the royal marriage.
Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 11, 2004, 9:32 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
White Stripes lead singer Jack White, left, and his attorney Walter Piszczatowski wait in the hallway before entering District Judge Paula G. Humphries' courtroom in Detroit, Tuesday, March 9, 2004, where his defense team was negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors
DETROIT - White Stripes lead singer Jack White pleaded guilty to assault and battery Tuesday for a fight with the lead singer of another band.
White was accused of repeatedly punching Von Bondies lead singer Jason Stollsteimer and originally was charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault. He could have faced up to a year in jail, but will avoid jail time under the plea deal.
White must pay a $500 fine, plus $250 in court fees, and Judge Paula G. Humphries ordered him to attend anger management classes. She also told him not to contact Stollsteimer.
The Dec. 13 fight between White and Stollsteimer began shortly before midnight at the Majestic Theater Center, where both men were in the audience for another concert.
Stollsteimer, of Detroit, told police that White punched him seven times in the face. Police said Stollsteimer's right eye was bruised and swollen, and he was bleeding from his nose. He was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he was treated and released.
White, of Detroit, went to police after the fight and gave a statement saying he struck Stollsteimer in self-defense.
In court Tuesday, White gave his account of what led to the fight. He said he hadn't seen Stollsteimer in a long time but had heard that he had made some allegations against him in the press and to mutual acquaintances.
"I went up to ask him to say it to me face to face," White said.
He said Stollsteimer ignored him so White spit at him and they started fighting. He said Stollsteimer landed on his hand, which he had recently injured in a car accident. White said he then punched Stollsteimer in the face a couple of times.
Outside the courtroom, White told reporters he regretted the incident.
White's lawyer, Walter Piszczatowski, said White had put the incident behind him.
Prosecutors said earlier the two men had a long-standing disagreement over White's role in producing the Von Bondies' first album.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 10, 2004, 9:01 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Courtney Love is seen here during a court hearing in Beverly Hills Superior Court on February 17, 2004
Courtney Love's stuck in an ever-deepening legal hole.
Living down her self-appointed status as America's Sweetheart, the volatile rocker-actress was hit with a new misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct on Monday by Los Angeles prosecutors, stemming from her October meltdown.
Love, 39, is already due to go to trial on a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance. She also faces two felony counts of drug possession in a separate case now pending in Beverly Hills Superior Court.
All the charges date back to Oct. 2, when police, responding to a burglary call, corralled her outside the home of ex-boyfriend Jim Barber. Love had been smashing windows in a failed attempt to gain entrance. While Barber decided against pressing charging, police still booked her on the misdemeanor drug charge.
After posting bail, Love retreated to her Beverly Hills abode where she ended up overdosing on painkillers in front of her 11-year-old daughter, Frances Bean. Love was hospitalized and charged with two felony counts of illegally possessing prescription painkillers. (The child has since been temporarily placed in the custody of Love's stepfather and stepsister).
According to Assistant City Attorney Jerry Baik, the new misdemeanor count accuses Love of endangering people in a public place while under the influence of drugs. It was added, says Baik, as a "catch-all" to give prosecutors more leeway in convicting Love should the original charge be dismissed.
"It's an alternative way of charging her and a broader way of charging her. All we have to do is show in public she was under the influence--it could be alcohol or drugs--and that she's a potential danger to herself and others," explains Baik, who says that the filing is not unusual in these kinds of cases.
Love did not turn up in court on Monday. Instead her new attorney, Michael H. Rosenstein, entered an innocent plea on her behalf. He also was granted a continuance from the judge to give the defense more time to study the results of her drug tests, which were not yet completed.
Rosenstein was unavailable to comment Tuesday on the new charge.
Baik says that had Love agreed to a plea deal she could easily have avoided jail time and had the charges wiped from her record by undergoing mandatory drug counseling.
But Love, who has called the charges against her retarded and has vowed to fight, balked at the offer.
She fired her original attorney, who advised her to take the deal, saying "he wanted me to plead guilty to something I didn't do." The case was then delayed until she could hire Rosenstein.
Should Love go to trial and be found guilty, she would face a mandatory 90 days in county jail for the intial under-the-influence count. If convicted on the disorderly conduct charge, her punishment would be solely at the discretion of the judge. The maximum sentence for disorderly conduct is six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine. (The felony charges, being tried in a separate court, carry a maximum sentence of three years, eight months, but Love would probably get probation and drug-diversion program if convicted.)
Baik says his office would rather see Love in rehab than jail "so her life is not endangered."
All the legal problems have overshadowed the release of America's Sweetheart, the first solo album from the ex-goddess of grunge and her first release of any kind in six years. Her pending court cases have derailed Love's plans tour in support of the disc, which was released Feb. 10 and debuted at a dismal number 53 on the Billboard charts with first-week sales of only 32,000. America's Sweetheart has since dropped out of the Top 100.
While a full-scale tour is off, Love will perform during a March 17 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, followed a day later by a concert at New York's Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for the Bowery show go on sale Friday via http://www.ticketweb.com
Love's next court date is April 5.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 10, 2004, 8:59 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Andy Williams talks about his return to the stage after nearly a year's absence to allow his voice to rest. Williams spoke during an interview at his Branson, Mo., theatre, in this Aug. 25, 2000 file photo
COACHELLA, Calif. - "Moon River" crooner Andy Williams was playing blackjack at the Trump 29 Casino last week when a friend ran up and told him: "You better come quick, your mother-in-law ..."
Williams had taken family and friends to the casino for dinner. He then gave his mother-in-law, Mary Jane Myer, $100 in gambling money. The first-time gambler headed for the slot machines while Williams and wife, Debbie, went to a blackjack table.
Concerned over the breathless message from their friend, the 76-year-old singer bolted from the blackjack table to find out what had happened to his mother-in-law, who was 200 yards away. A large crowd had formed and Williams feared the worst.
He asked her what was wrong.
"Wrong? I just hit the jackpot and won a new red Ford Mustang convertible by putting two quarters in this machine," Myer said.
Williams, who begins a six-week engagement April 23 at his Moon River Theatre in Branson, Mo., didn't say how he'd been doing at the blackjack table, publicist Paul Shefrin said Tuesday.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 10, 2004, 8:57 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Monologuist Spalding Gray poses in this Dec. 3, 1996 file photo taken in his New York apartment
NEW YORK - Spalding Gray, the monologuist with a swath of silver hair and an ability to lay bare his soul in a soft, New England-flecked accent, didn't believe he was a great extrovert. "People want to have me to dinner," he told The Associated Press in 1997. "I'm not Mr. Quick. I'm not a great social satirist. I need time to absorb life. I spend a lot of time mulling, cogitating."
That cogitation took a more painful direction in recent years as Gray battled depression and physical pain. On Sunday, his body was found in the East River, two months after he apparently committed suicide. He was 62.
Witnesses had told police they saw Gray on the Staten Island ferry the night he vanished, and his wife, Kathleen Russo, has said she feared he jumped off the boat. Dental records were used to identify the body.
Gray's greatest success was his Obie-winning monologue "Swimming to Cambodia," which recounted in part his movie role in "The Killing Fields." The monologue, developed over two years of performance, became a film directed by Jonathan Demme.
The monologue was widely hailed, with Washington Post reviewer David Richards observing, "Talking about himself with candor, humor, imagination and the unfailingly bizarre image he ends up talking about all of us."
Gray appeared in the David Byrne film "True Stories" as well as other movies that included "Beaches," "Kate & Leopold" and "The Paper" 38 film appearances in all.
But Gray's life in recent years was marred by tragedy and depression.
A horrific head-on car crash during a 2001 vacation in Ireland to mark his 60th birthday left him disheartened and in poor health, and he tried jumping from a bridge near his Long Island home in October 2002.
Gray, whose mother committed suicide when she was 52, spoke openly about considering the same fate. In the 1997 interview, he even provided an epitaph for his tombstone: "An American Original: Troubled, Inner-Directed and Cannot Type."
Gray was born on June 5, 1941, one of three sons growing up in Barrington, R.I. His mother suffered a pair of nervous breakdowns, committing suicide in 1967 after the second one.
In the monologue "It's a Slippery Slope," Gray told his audience he had to overcome a deep depression associated with his turning 52 his mother's age when she took her own life.
Gray began pursuing an acting career at Emerson College in Boston. His first efforts at one-man storytelling began with a select audience: his co-workers when he was a dishwasher. The compulsively self-obsessed Gray would regale the other employees with a blow-by-blow account of his day's events.
He worked in underground theater in Manhattan, eventually co-founding the Wooster Group in 1979.
There, he wrote an autobiographical trilogy of plays about life in Rhode Island.
In more than a dozen monologues starting in 1979, Gray told audiences about his childhood, "Sex and Death to the Age 14"; his adventures as a young man, "Booze, Cars and College Girls"; and his struggles as an actor, "A Personal History of the American Theater." Many were published in book form and several were made into films.
In 1989, he starred as the stage manager in the Broadway revival of "Our Town," a production that won a Tony Award.
"Spalding had an affinity with that material and its enormous sadness and wistfulness about lost opportunities and the mysteries of the universe," said Gregory Mosher, who directed the "Our Town" revival. "That probably was Spalding's main subject, wasn't it? Writing and thinking about the mysteries of life and death."
Russo reported him missing Jan. 11, a day after he vanished from the couple's apartment. He had just seen the movie "Big Fish" with Russo and one of their children.
In addition to Russo, Gray is survived by two sons, ages 11 and 6, a stepdaughter and two brothers. Russo said a memorial service would be held in a few months.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 9, 2004, 8:42 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Jack White of the rock group The White Stripes arrives at the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party, Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004, in the West Hollywood section of Los Angeles
White Stripes singer and guitarist Jack White goes to trial Tuesday (March 9) to face misdemeanor assault charges. White is accused of beating up Jason Stollseimer, frontman for Detroit act the Von Bondies, at another band's show in the Motor City back on December 13.
Stollseimer told LAUNCH that he hasn't enjoyed the intense media coverage over the incident, which included having a photo of his bruised and swollen face widely published: "No, not all press is good. In one way it is, 'cause people know us that wouldn't have ever heard of us, and now instead of saying, 'Von Bondies from Detroit Rock City,' it'll say, 'Von Bondies, bash-up band,' or something silly.
And it is annoying, but you know what? For the next five years, I'll be answering stupid questions about it."
At his arraignment in January, White pled innocent to the assault charge, claiming self-defense. White's attorneys have not said whether the White Stripes guitarist will accept a plea bargain prior to tomorrow's trial.
The White Stripes plan to write and record a new album this summer.
The Von Bondies perform Monday (May 8) at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern in Cleveland, Ohio, and will hold a record release party Tuesday (March 9) at the Magic Stick in Detroit--where the encounter with White took place. The party is being held to celebrate the release of the Von Bondies' major label debut, which is called Pawn Shoppe Heart.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 9, 2004, 8:40 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Jerry Seinfeld is shown backstage during the Narcisco Rodriguez Fall 2004 Collection, held in Bryant Park on in this Feb. 10, 2004 file photo in New York
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Jerry Seinfeld postponed his sold-out show in Spartanburg, South Carolina to be with his 1-year-old son, Julian, who had been hospitalized after a fall, the comedian's publicist said Monday.
According to the statement by publicist Elizabeth Clark, Seinfeld flew to New York Friday night after a show in Wheeling, W.Va.
"Julian is at home and is doing very well," the statement said. "Jerry's tour will continue this weekend as scheduled."
The show had been scheduled Saturday night at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium. It has been rescheduled for Nov. 13.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 9, 2004, 8:38 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Martha Stewart responds to questions from reporters after leaving 500 Pearl Street in New York Monday, March 8, 2004, where she met with a probation officer for about an hour
NEW YORK - Martha Stewart's syndicated television show, "Martha Stewart Living," was taken off the air Monday on Viacom-owned CBS and UPN stations.
There was no immediate word about the show's future from King World, the show's syndicator, but the Viacom-owned stations in major media markets were considered its most important customers, said Bill Carroll, an expert on syndication for Katz Television.
While "Martha Stewart Living" was considered a dependable performer in some markets, it was shunted off to undesirable time slots elsewhere airing at 2:05 a.m. in New York City, for example.
A spokesman for King World, Arthur Sandow, did not immediately return a call for comment on Monday. The Viacom cancellation was confirmed by CBS spokesman Dana McClintock.
Even before Stewart's conviction Friday in her stock trading case, her TV show's future was in question. King World was not actively trying to renew contracts in markets where the show aired, Carroll said.
Carroll doubts it will continue now.
"If she'd been acquitted, I think everyone would have taken a step back and made an evaluation on what the potential was for the show," he said. "I think it was almost an automatic decision once the verdict came in."
"Martha Stewart Living" was a low-key alternative to shows like "Extreme Makeover" and "Trading Spaces," Carroll said.
Who's positioned to claim Stewart's crown? Carroll said there's been industry speculation that Oprah Winfrey's production company is considering a spinoff makeover show, much like it launched the popular "Dr. Phil" talk show.
Winfrey has been doing a handful of makeover segments on her show each month where it seems like she's auditioning concepts and personalities, he said.
"That would be the next generation Martha Stewart," he said.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 8, 2004, 10:16 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
'Sex and the City' writer Michael Patrick King and actress Sarah Jessica Parker talk about the show at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Friday, March 5, 2004, in Aspen, Colo
ASPEN, Colo. - Don't expect a "Sex and the City" movie, said the TV series' executive producer, Michael Patrick King.
Nothing we did in the series was altered to save something for the movie," King said at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
"This is exactly the way we wanted to end the series," he said Friday. "We're proud of what we did."
The HBO series, which aired its last new episode Feb. 22, will live on in syndication. That pleases star Sarah Jessica Parker, even if the episodes are toned down for a broader audience.
"I am not sad about a larger audience," said Parker, who played columnist Carrie Bradshaw. "Part of me is happy that people who could not afford HBO" will now have the opportunity to meet the four women whose love lives were chronicled on the show.
"We joke there will be no Samantha" after the censors have their way, writer Cindy Chupak said of the free-spirited character played by Kim Cattrall.
Parker, King, Chupak and the show's five other writers appeared at the comedy festival, which ended Sunday.
The writers, all women, described how their real-life experiences made their way into the scripts. In the sanctity of the writers' room, they discussed their dates and relationships.
"Very often that bleeds into story building," said writer Elisa Zuritsky.
Some of the writers said they share the characters' love of expensive shoes. Amy B. Harris acknowledged she has 50 to 75 pairs; Jenny Bicks' collection consists of about 30 pairs.
And Parker's shoe wardrobe? "I can't talk about it," she said with a laugh.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 8, 2004, 10:14 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
David Crosby performs with Crosby Stills Nash & Young at Madison Square Garden in New York in this Feb. 22, 2002, file photo
Woodstock it wasn't for David Crosby.
The doughy member of Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, who once spent a year in the slammer on a drug charge, has been busted in New York for pot and criminal possession of a weapon.
Crosby, 62, was arrested early Saturday morning at the DoubleTree Guest Suites hotel in Times Square just hours after playing a concert with his band CPR at a college in Wayne, New Jersey.
The musician had accidentally left a piece of luggage at the hotel. After searching the green-canvas bag for identification, a maid reportedly came across a one-ounce baggie of marijuana in a wooden box, a .45-caliber handgun, ammunition and two knives. The employee informed hotel management who then called the authorities.
When Crosby eventually returned to retrieve the lost luggage, he was met by police, who took him into custody.
The rotund rocker was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and criminal possession of a weapon--the latter, a third-degree felony that could potentially net him up to seven years in prison if convicted, according to Manhattan District Attorney spokeswoman Barbara Thompson.
The twice-enshrined Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, as a member of the Byrds and of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, also faces one count of illegal possession of ammunition--approximately three magazines totaling 26 rounds--and one count of illegal possession of a hunting knife. He was released after posting $3,500 bail.
Neither Crosby's attorney, David Parker, nor representatives for the DoubleTree were available for comment on the arrest.
The shaggy-haired, mustachioed musician arrived in New York for a Thursday night gig at B.B. King's Blues Club with CPR bandmates Jeff Pevar and James Raymond.
According to media reports, Crosby earned a standing ovation at the New Jersey gig.
For Crosby, Saturday's run-in with the law seems like a mild case of dj vu.
In 1985, he served a year in a Texas jail after being found guilty for a drug-related arrest in Dallas. The conviction was later overturned on appeal and he was released.
Crosby reunited with CSNY in 1999 and the group released Looking Forward, its first album of new material in over 10 years, and launched a well received reunion tour.
The singer, known for his soaring tenor harmonies on such '60s anthems as "Carry On" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," is perhaps even more famous today as the guy who fathered fellow rocker Melissa Etheridge's baby.
Crosby provided the sperm that artificially inseminated Etheridge's then partner, Julie Cypher.
Crosby is due in court on the gun and drug charges on May 19.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 8, 2004, 10:12 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Hi CJ
Remember me?? It has been a long time. Glad to see your site is still going strong - and my astoria review is still there!! I've been out of it all for a while.I'd love to get FabulousFreaks back up and running. Who knows, it may still happen. Be great to hear from you again, if you have a mind. Feel free to email. Take care...glennXX
Posted on Mar 6, 2004, 2:31 PM from IP address 213.166.27.166
Of course I remember you! Yeah, your review is still up. I loved your Fabulous Freaks site...every new incarnation of it! lol We seem to be opposites in that regard, you take a good thing and change it and change it, and I....look at me! I still have your review up! Well, I know a good thing when I see it and stick with it!
I do want to work more on my site though...add more pages. The problem is I'm stuck with restrictions on space on here, and I don't want to lose the stuff I have. I don't know...I'll think of something!
Thanks for dropping by! Hope to see more of you AND Fabulous Freaks!
- CrystalTJapan
Posted on Mar 8, 2004, 10:10 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Actor Alec Baldwin, Academy Award nominee as best supporting actor for his role in 'The Cooler,' arrives at the Oscar nominee luncheon in Beverly Hills, February 9, 2004
A custody truce has been declared between embattled exes Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.
Earlier this week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge persuaded the onetime twosome to resolve their bitter custody battle over eight-year-old daughter Ireland.
Last week, when the case kicked off, the judge closed the doors to the press and had imposed a gag order on all matters relating to custody and visitation.
Still, some details have leaked out.
New York-based Baldwin reportedly wanted an "equal share" of parenting rights with Basinger, who lives in California.
According to Celebrity Justice, the judge ruled in the actor's favor on Monday.
In happier times, the Marrying Man costars were inseparable offscreen. They wed in August 1993, a union that produced their only child. Basinger filed for divorce in 2001, citing "irreconcilable differences." Her father later chalked the split up to Alec's fiery temper.
Until now, Basinger, 51, had custody of Ireland, and Baldwin, 45, had visitation rights.
But the Hunt for Red October star was unhappy with the arrangement and sued his ex-wife for custody after learning that an independent evaluator had recommended that she retain full custody of Ireland, according to published reports.
While neither of the celebs' attorneys would comment on the outcome of the hearing, Baldwin's lawyer, Dennis Wasser, said, "Alec is very happy this is resolved."
Meanwhile, a rep for Basinger was less than enthused. "It would be crass to say she's happy. When it comes to the welfare of a child, neither parent can be happy at the other's expense."
With the custody battle behind them, the actors can get back to their day jobs. Baldwin, a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for The Cooler (he lost out to Tim Robbins last weekend), recently appeared in the Ben Stiller-Jennifer Aniston comedy Along Came Polly and will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's epic biopic of Howard Hughes, The Aviator, due out in November.
Basinger, herself a Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for L.A. Confidential, has three films in the pipeline for 2004: the family drama Door in the Floor, the thriller Cellular and the romantic comedy Elvis Has Left the Building.
..................................................................................................................................................................
I'm glad that Alec Baldwin got joint custody, it seems a little silly that he would only have visitation rights.
Posted on Mar 5, 2004, 9:04 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
..................................................................................................................................................................
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Never having cleaned a bathroom in his life, Jonathan Tisch was down on his knees, scrubbing with great effort but little interest, under the watchful eye of his supervisor.
Tisch, the chief executive officer of Loews Hotels, a unit of Loews Corp., was one of several CEOs to get down and dirty for a week's worth of labor in the new reality-based show "Now Who's Boss?" airing March 8 on cable's The Learning Channel.
The grueling week humbled them, said the executives, who agreed to work in lower-level jobs in their own companies, but it also made them affect changes in the workplace.
Tisch -- after pushing housekeeping supplies and luggage carts all over the Loews Miami Beach Hotel -- decided to change the staff uniforms. "These just get way too hot. We need to change the fabric," he said from a plush conference room at his corporate offices in New York. "We also need to upgrade the uniforms to make them look hip and trendy."
Tisch, a third-generation hotelier, also decided to make some technological changes that will reduce the time it takes to check in guests.
Representing industries from hospitality to cosmetics, the executives were trained by the flight attendants, housekeeping staff and restaurant busers, whose jobs they performed.
The temporary duties of John Selvaggio, president of Song Air Service, the low-cost carrier of Delta Air Lines, included making sushi and disposing of raw sewage. He also became aware of more efficient ways of time-management.
"I asked myself: Can you have caterers load an airplane, while cleaners are cleaning it, while passengers are boarding it?" Selvaggio said in an interview. "And I realized while working on the plane -- Yes, we can."
Selvaggio helped reduce turn-around time for planes from one hour and 20 minutes to just 40 minutes.
Song, known for its tempting and varied menus, sells food on its flights -- unlike most other airlines.
The carrier hired all its flight attendants from its parent, Delta Air Lines.
"Since flight attendants always served food at Delta, I noticed they knew how to serve the food, but not how to sell it," said Selvaggio, who walked up and down the aircraft aisle, selling candy bars to passengers unaware of his identity.
"I made a sales pitch out of it. I had a better time and the customers had a better time. Oh, and I sold every single Snickers bar we had on board," he said.
Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield, co-chairmen of California Pizza Kitchen, washed dishes, bused tables and made pizzas for five days each.
After a total of 10 days labor, it took them less than two days to implement changes in the kitchen.
First, they added two tubs for dishwashing, where previously, all knives, forks and spoons were tossed into one tub. "Then (the staff) had to put (their) hands in there and it was somewhat dangerous and took a lot of time because forks are going one way, knives are going another," Rosenfield said.
It was a relatively minor change, but one that speeded up the process of dishwashing and made it safer. "We got great thanks and telephone calls and letters from our busers around the country," Rosenfield added.
Also, after spending hours spraying and polishing the glass front doors of the restaurants, the executives agreed the doors should be redesigned with "a stainless steel plate where people push on them, so you don't get as many fingerprints," Rosenfield said.
The series, based on the popular British show "Back to the Floor," has six episodes.
Representing the lucrative beauty products industry, Dan Brestle, group president at The Estee Lauder Companies, spent several days making, shipping and selling cosmetics.
Afterward, he suggested a two-day program to teach make-up artists at Stila, an Estee Lauder cosmetics unit, how to sell the make-up they are now trained to apply.
At Loews Miami Beach Hotel, housekeeping supervisor Sara Roiz was charged with training CEO Jonathan Tisch to perform various tasks -- from making beds to cleaning bathrooms. When asked if she would hire him as a hotel employee, she replied: "We'd have to see if he can make it through the three-week training period. Frankly, I don't think he can take it."
..................................................................................................................................................................
I so want to see these bosses being tortured.
But it look a little annoying, like that guy that's like "I'm better at selling Snickers bars than anyone!" It's like "whatever".
Doing the job for a week is a little different than doing the job every day for an infinite amount of time. And people might like the novelty of some guy selling them Snickers bars that obviously gets a kick out of it, or whatever, doing it for fun...but if some stewardess was in their face on every flight pushing candy bars, people would get mad at her. But this guy is like "I'm the best! I know everything!" pfft. figures.
Posted on Mar 5, 2004, 9:02 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Morgan Spurlock, director, producer and star of the documentary film 'Super Size Me' clowns with a movie poster at the U S Comedy Arts Festival, Wednesday, March 3, 2004, in Aspen, Colo
ASPEN, Colo. - For all the one-liners about McDonald's trimming Supersize servings from its menu, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock doesn't think fat is anything to joke about.
Spurlock directed "Super Size Me," a dark comedy that skewers America's fast-food culture. The film is being shown at the 10th U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, which will run in Aspen through Sunday.
"Super Size Me" chronicles Spurlock's experience of eating only fast food for a month breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spurlock said he gained 24 pounds and his cholesterol soared 65 points during the 30-day experiment.
Fast-food companies are scrambling to cater to Americans' growing preference for healthier food. McDonald's launched its "Eat Smart, Be Active" initiative last year.
Spurlock, who is still trying to shed the extra pounds, said the Supersize decision is a direct reaction to "Super Size Me," which won the documentary directing prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. He said reducing portion sizes is just the first step.
"My film is about corporate responsibility and individual responsibility," he said. "The company says they're doing their part. Now people have to do their part. People who go to these stores need to realize what they're putting into their mouths."
McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker has said the phasing out of super-sizing has "nothing to do with that (film) whatsoever."
The company says the film is not about McDonald's but about Spurlock's decision to act irresponsibly by eating 5,000 calories a day.
Growing up in West Virginia he characterized it as "a very fat state" Spurlock's diet was laden with chicken fried steak, fried baloney sandwiches and bacon. He said his McDonald's-only regimen was even less healthy, in part because of the sedentary "fast food lifestyle" that accompanies it.
"Super Size Me" is set for general release in May.
..................................................................................................................................................................
I guess the guy came up with this idea during that class action lawsuit against fast food companies that they "made" people fat?
He's like "I'm gonna' get RICH!" lol
Posted on Mar 5, 2004, 8:58 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Sounds and Visions, Best of Bowie retrospective at the Northbrook Theatre, Durrington, West Sussex, UK. 18th & 19th March 2004.
A performance of many of David Bowie's hits looking back over the last four decades, including Ziggy Stardust, Jean Genie, Pretty Things, Space Oddity, Fashion, Under Pressure, Golden Years and many more. It will be set on an atmospheric stage awash the light and colour.
The music will be performed by HND Music Performance students show-casing their talents.
For booking information contact Northbrook Theatre Box Office
(01903) 606162
www.uktw.co.uk/info/nbrook.htm
box.office@nbcol.ac.uk
Posted on Mar 4, 2004, 10:33 AM from IP address 81.178.227.96
The Walt Disney Company has removed Michael Eisner as chairman but kept him as chief executive, dividing the top two jobs at the media giant after a stunning shareholder rebuke
PHILADELPHIA - Frustrated Disney shareholders spoke with a loud voice, and the company responded by stripping CEO Michael Eisner of his chairman's title a move unlikely to quell the grumbles among many of the 43 percent who voted to withhold their support for Eisner.
Disney's board met late Wednesday and voted unanimously to sever the roles of chairman and chief executive, naming director George Mitchell as nonexecutive chairman. Eisner is keeping his job as CEO, and the board reiterated its approval for his leadership and the company's strategy.
Yet the change in management structure came only hours after a stunning number of Disney shareholders nearly half did not support Eisner's re-election to the board.
Major institutional shareholders have been critical of Eisner's autocratic management style and what they say is a subpar record of creating value for Disney's shareholders over the past several years. They also want Eisner to be more accountable to the board of directors and a clear succession strategy put in place.
Although the action curbs Eisner's control over Disney and addresses the concerns of corporate governance groups who had called for the change, it won't satisfy the company's most vocal critics, ex-board members Stanley Gold and Roy E. Disney. The men have vowed to continue their fight to oust Eisner.
In an interview with ABC's "Nightline" program Wednesday, Eisner, 61, acknowledged the vote against him: "I do not belittle a large withhold vote." He also portrayed the jobs split as the result of wider reforms in corporate America.
"We should have been considering, and getting our company into contemporary governance and we did it today. We heard our shareholders who seemed to be interested in that, so we went ahead and did it," he said.
"And there are obviously certain people that are not happy with me personally, I guess," Eisner added.
Mitchell, a former senator from Maine, may also prove to be a controversial choice. Shareholders withheld 24 percent of their votes from his re-election Wednesday the second highest total after Eisner.
Mitchell has been criticized by Gold and Roy Disney as being too close to Eisner and not independent enough because his law firm had worked for Disney in the past.
Early investor reaction to the changes was positive but muted. Disney's shares were up 17 cents at $26.82 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
In its statement, the board said it understood that investors were concerned about more than just the issue of separating the chairman and CEO positions.
"We are aware that some voted for an immediate change in management and in the board," the statement said. "However, taking all these factors into account, we believe the action we have taken today is in the best long-term interest of the shareholders of the company."
Institutional Shareholder Services, a proxy advisory firm that had recommended its large investor clients withhold their votes from Eisner, said the Disney board's change was welcome, but insufficient.
"If the Disney board believes this is the silver bullet to fix all the problems, they are sort of mistaken," said Cheryl Gustitus, an ISS spokeswoman. "The level of the vote makes it clear that investors have a lot of more on their minds than just the splitting of the position."
Earlier Wednesday, the nation's largest public pension fund, which withheld its 9.9 million votes from Eisner, called for his resignation.
"This discontent is too wide and way too deep in the marketplace, and it has led us to believe that Eisner should go and the board should get quickly to work on planning for an orderly transition," said Sean Harrigan, president of the board of administration of the California Public Employees Retirement System.
Also Wednesday, Disney's board rejected a renewed overture from cable television giant Comcast Corp., saying it would serve no purpose to reconsider an offer already dismissed as too low.
The board's action followed a long shareholders meeting marked by cheers and standing ovations for former board members Gold and Roy Disney, who have waged a bitter three-month campaign to oust Eisner.
The two hailed the vote and said it was a clear indication Eisner should go.
Shareholders, following the advice of Roy Disney and Gold, also withheld more than 20 percent of their votes from two other board members: Judith Estrin and John Bryson.
Analysts had said that in the face of the votes, Disney's board either had to split the chairman and CEO jobs, do nothing, or fire Eisner, who has served as Disney's chairman and CEO since 1984.
Eisner, who chaired the meeting, showed little emotion, even as Gold and Roy Disney took the stage and called for his firing.
His voice a bit hoarse, Eisner briefly defended himself and his fellow managers, saying he enjoyed an "excellent relationship" with the dissident board members until they disagreed with his handling of the company after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Stanley felt we weren't listening," Eisner said. "We felt we were listening and not agreeing."
"I love this company," Eisner said. "The board loves this company. And we are all passionate about the output of this company."
Eisner acknowledged that the performance of Disney's ABC network was "disappointing," but he also told shareholders that Disney has "the management skills and creative talent to continue its growth path."
Gold and Disney went slightly over the 15 minutes they were allotted at the meeting to present their case against Eisner, saying it was not sufficient for the company simply to split the roles of chairman and CEO.
"Michael Eisner must leave now," Gold said. "We see today's meeting as a first step toward saving the company. ... We are seeking real and meaningful change."
Eisner defended his management team: "The criticisms you have just heard are fundamentally wrong," he said to applause. "I believe you have just heard rhetoric from our critics that frankly replaces reason. It's a disservice to cast members as well as shareholders."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 4, 2004, 10:33 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Osama Bin Laden speaks at a news conference in Afghanistan in this May 26, 1998 file photo
OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian documentary about a family closely linked to Osama bin Laden portrays the al Qaeda chief as a well-meaning family man who banned ice in drinks, loves volleyball and has trouble controlling his children.
The program, broadcast on CBC television Wednesday night, lifted the veil on the private life of the world's most wanted man, accused of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide attacks in the United States.
It included lengthy interviews with the widow and children of Ahmed Said Khadr, an Egyptian-born friend of bin Laden and an accused al Qaeda financier.
Khadr was killed in a gun battle with Pakistani police last October, and his son, Omar, 17, is in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay accused of involvement in the death of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Another son, 21-year-old Abdurahman Khadr, was released from Guantanamo Bay late last year and now lives in Toronto. In the documentary he described bin Laden as quite normal.
"He has issues with his wife, and he has issues with his kids, financial issues, you know, the kids aren't listening, the kids aren't doing this and that. It comes down to (the fact) he's a father and he's a person," he said.
Khadr's 23-year-old daughter Zaynab, who lives with her mother in Pakistan, said bin Laden was athletic.
"He loved playing volleyball. And he loved horse riding... Kids played around him....And (when) they'd go shooting he'd go with them. If he missed his (shot), they'd laugh at him and stuff like that," she said.
The Khadrs lived in the bin Laden family compound in the Afghan town of Jalalabad for several years, leaving the compound soon before the United States attacked Afghanistan in late 2001. One son, 14-year-old Abdul Karim, was paralyzed in the fight which killed his father.
Be Ready To Survive
Zaynab said bin Laden imposed many restrictions on his three wives and their children and banned the use of electricity in their part of the compound.
"He didn't allow them to drink cold water...because he wanted them to be prepared (so that if) one day there's no cold water, they'd be able to survive and it wouldn't be so difficult for them," she said.
"He didn't like to buy American soft drinks, Coke and Pepsi and all that."
Abdurahman recalled: "He was against using ice, and he actually forbade it (for) the people that lived around him... He didn't want them to be spoiled."
Ahmed Said Khadr was arrested in Pakistan in 1996 on suspicion of financing a fatal bombing of the Egyptian embassy there. He insisted he was an innocent charity worker, and was released after then Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien intervened in the case.
"I admit it that we are an al-Qaeda family. We had connections to al-Qaeda," said Abdurahman Khadr, who says he opposed violence and had resisted his father's urgings to become a suicide bomber.
But another son, 22-year-old Abdullah Khadr, backed the idea of martyrdom for Islam. "Every Muslim dreams of being a shahid (martyr) for Islam," he said. "Everybody dreams of this, even a Christian would like to die for their religion."
The documentary offered no clues on when the Khadr family had last seen bin Laden, who is still the subject of a manhunt in the tribal areas which straddle Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Abdurahman and Zaynab remembered the al Qaeda leader as a man who loved horses and camels.
"Their father had promised them that he would get them a horse if they memorized the Koran. They were so anxious to finish memorizing it so that they could get a horse, which shows you that they're normal children too," said Abdurahman.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Yeah, Canada wants us to see Osama as a family man. That figures. Fine, take him in your country, hes such a nice guy. Let us know how all that works out.
Posted on Mar 4, 2004, 10:31 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Audio recordings of the late Princess Diana pouring her heart out clandestinely, reveal a beloved icon who was secretly wrestling with bulimia and thoughts of suicide
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Audio recordings of the late Princess Diana pouring her heart out clandestinely, aired by NBC television, reveal a beloved icon who was secretly wrestling with bulimia and thoughts of suicide.
"The public side was very different, obviously, from the private side," Diana said on the 1991 tapes, recorded in secret by an intermediary for royal biographer Andrew Morton.
"The public side, they wanted a fairy princess to come, touch them and everything would turn into gold and all their worries would be forgotten," Diana said.
"Little did they realize that ... the individual (was) crucifying herself inside, because she didn't think she was good enough."
Diana's battle with bulimia became a bit more public in 1986, when she fainted during a trip to Canada with Prince Charles. Publicly, officials blamed fatigue for the fainting spell, but in private, she said Charles was cross with her.
"My husband told me off," she said. "He said I could have passed out quietly somewhere else, behind a door. It was all very embarrassing. ... And inside me I knew there was something wrong with me, but I was too immature to voice it."
In talking about a 1982 suicide attempt, Diana painted a picture of a rather cold, aloof Charles.
Three months' pregnant and feeling miserable as her marriage was on the rocks, Diana said she spoke with Charles and threatened to kill herself.
"Charles said I was crying wolf, and I said I felt so desperate, and I was crying my eyes out. And he said, 'I'm not going to listen. You're always doing this to me.' He said, 'I'm going riding now.'
"So I threw myself down the stairs, bearing in mind I was carrying a child. Queen comes out, absolutely horrified, shaking she's so frightened. I knew I wasn't going to lose the baby, quite bruised 'round the stomach, and Charles went out riding. And when he came back, you know, ... it was just dismissal -- total dismissal."
Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, died in a late-night car crash in Paris in 1997, one year after her divorce from Charles.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 4, 2004, 10:29 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
British rock legend David Bowie, seen here performing in Paris in October 2003
HONG KONG (AFP) - Rocker David Bowie will play Hong Kong next month, scotching fears that one of his band member's outspoken comments on China may have put the concert at risk, the event's promoter said.
"It is absolutely not going to be cancelled," said Colleen Ironside of Live Ltd, which is bringing the Thin White Duke over for his first concert here in 20 years. "Bowie is coming, nothing is going to stop him."
Press reports in Hong Kong suggested the show was under threat because Bowie's drummer Sterling Campbell was a supporter of the Falungong sect, which has been banned in China.
Reports said he had invited sect members to gigs in Europe and the US and had erected anti-China banners at some of the shows.
One reportedly read "China -- stop the persecution", while another attacked the former Chinese leader, saying "Support the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, Chinese dictator, for genocide".
Ironside said that there would be no Falungong paraphenalia at the March 14 show, part of Bowie's Reality tour.
"For security reasons, the only people besides the band and staff we allow to work at our shows are the merchandise people," she said. "There will be no Falungong stand or banners inside the venue."
She also said that she had not been approached by Hong Kong immigration or any other authority on the matter.
China outlawed Falungong, which combines meditation with Buddhist-inspired teachings, as an "evil cult" in mid-1999 and practitioners have subsequently faced often brutal repression.
The outlawed group claims at least 1,600 followers have been killed, 500 others illegally sentenced, 20,000 sent to re-education camps and 100,000 jailed.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 3, 2004, 9:57 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Businesswoman Martha Stewart arrives at federal court in New York on March 3, 2004
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jurors in the Martha Stewart case were told by the judge to consider the trendsetter's fate separately from that of her co-defendant stock broker just before they began their deliberations on Wednesday.
Stewart and her former Merrill Lynch broker, Peter Bacanovic, are charged with hiding the reason behind the domestic trendsetter's suspicious sale of ImClone Systems Inc. stock on Dec. 27, 2001.
Federal prosecutors say that Bacanovic ordered his assistant to tip Stewart that ImClone's founder was dumping all his shares. The two defendants say they had a pre-existing deal to sell Stewart's ImClone shares if they fell to $60.
"You are to consider the charges separately against each defendant ... as if that defendant were being tried alone," U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum said at the beginning of jury instructions. "You can find one guilty without finding the other guilty.
"The fact the defendants are being tried together is not evidence of anything," she said.
The eight woman and four men will begin deliberations after the judge finishes giving instructions.
Neither Stewart, a former model and stockbroker who founded Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., nor Bacanovic took the witness stand.
Stewart scored a major victory on Friday when Cedarbaum dismissed a count of securities fraud, the most serious charge against her, which carried a possible 10-year prison sentence, on grounds of a lack of evidence.
During the trial, prosecutors called 21 witnesses including Douglas Faneuil, Bacanovic's former assistant, who said his boss ordered him to tip Stewart that ImClone founder Sam Waksal was dumping shares in his own company. Faneuil, one of the government's most damaging witnesses, said the trendsetter sold all her nearly 4,000 ImClone shares after hearing the news.
Stewart's defense attorney conceded on Tuesday that the celebrity homemaker received the secret stock tip but said she was too smart to botch the cover-up she is charged with committing.
The risky gambit by lawyer Robert Morvillo, on the eve of jury deliberations, marked the first outright admission in the closely watched trial that she had received the tip.
The 62-year-old Stewart faces one count of conspiracy, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of agency proceedings. Each count carries a possible prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine.
Bacanovic, 41, is charged with one count each of conspiracy, making false statements, making a false document, perjury and obstruction of agency proceedings. Each of the five counts carries a possible maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 3, 2004, 9:31 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Hundreds of Disney shareholders line up outside a Philadelphia hotel to enter and attend a meeting by those opposed to the leadership of Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner, Tuesday, March 2, 2004
PHILADELPHIA - Disney chairman and chief executive Michael Eisner heads the toughest annual meeting of his career Wednesday as one in three shareholders are likely to withhold their approval for Eisner to serve another term on the board.
And even if Disney's board splits the roles of chairman and chief executive to placate corporate governance groups which it could do as early as Wednesday the two ex-board members leading the fight against Eisner say they will not rest until he is gone.
Disney is under intense pressure from state pension funds and proxy advisory firms to split the chairman and CEO jobs. It has been unwilling to do so, and as late as Tuesday, Disney board member George Mitchell defended the company's decision to name him the "presiding director" with powers to chair meetings of the board's independent members outside the presence of Eisner and other managers.
Mitchell has said the company felt it would be best to wait until at least 2006, when Eisner's contract expires, to decide on splitting the roles.
But as support for that action is growing, the board may be forced to act earlier, naming a different board chairman and keeping Eisner on as chief executive.
The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday after the shareholder's meeting.
On Tuesday, ex-board members Stanley Gold and Roy E. Disney pledged to continue their fight to oust Eisner, even if the board splits the roles.
"They think that's all they have to do and we'll go away," Gold told a group of about 1,000 small shareholders, mostly supporters of his "SaveDisney" effort.
"The company does need to split the chairmanship, it does need to split the CEOship and Michael Eisner needs to have neither job."
Robert Iger, Disney's president and chief operating officer, Tuesday called the anti-Eisner effort "a campaign of misinformation and distortion" by the former directors.
"The fact of the matter is this is a venerable company, one that has a wonderful legacy and one we know will continue and thrive for many years to come," Iger said at the end of a dress rehearsal for Wednesday's annual meeting.
Disney has said there is no reason to replace Eisner or other managers because the company is turning around. Shares have risen more than 40 percent in the past year and the company has said earnings per share will rise 30 percent this year and by double digits through 2007.
Several major pension funds representing millions of Disney shares have said they will withhold their approval from Eisner and several board members to press for greater board independence.
The re-election of Eisner and the board is not in doubt because they are running unopposed. But analysts have said that if a significant number of shareholders withhold their votes, the board would be forced to react.
Roy Disney and Gold will have 15 minutes to speak at the meeting, as will shareholders during the question and answer session.
Watching the action this week is cable television giant Comcast Corp., which last month made an unsolicited bid for Disney. The Disney board unanimously rejected the offer.
Gold and Roy Disney have said they would rather see Disney remain an independent company with new management rather than be taken over by Comcast.
Comcast's bid was originally valued at $54 billion, but the value of the all-stock deal has declined as Disney's stock price has risen.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 3, 2004, 9:30 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones pose as Nicole Kidman is honored by EIF's Womens Cancer Research Fund and Honorary Chairs in Los Angeles, Monday, March 1, 2004
LONDON - Catherine Zeta-Jones and her parents are building a home on an estate in a fishing village in southern Wales, and they want privacy there.
But they appear to be losing an effort to force one of their neighbors to stop managing his telecommunications business from the garage of his home.
On Tuesday, the Swansea Council planning committee voted to allow Steve Gwynn to keep doing that for the next two years, despite the $1.85 million Zeta-Jones home being built.
Eight letters of objection received by councilors included one from a lawyer representing Zeta-Jones' parents, Dai and Pat, who are believed to be about to move there.
"Our clients purchased the plot and agreed to the construction of a substantial dwelling on the clear understanding that it would be private, prestigious and exclusive, and extremely safe and secure as it was a `gated' development," their letter said.
"Our clients would also be extremely concerned and alarmed that the privacy and security of the development would be jeopardized by virtue of the visits to site by members of staff, customers and delivery vehicles of Mr. Gwynn."
Zeta-Jones, who was born in Swansea, won a supporting-actress Oscar for playing jazz-singing murderess Velma Kelly in 2002's "Chicago." She is married to actor Michael Douglas.
Gwynn said his business only receives one to three visits a week, usually by couriers delivering packages.
But Councilor Howard Morgan told the committee that during a site visit by councilors last month, a group of foreign tourists were gathered outside.
"You would think they had come to visit a shrine," he said.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 3, 2004, 9:27 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Patrons of the York Theater wait in line for the first showing of the Mel Gibson movie 'The Passion of the Christ,' Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004, in Elmhurst, Ill
LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" took in $125.2 million in its first five days, passing "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" for the best gross by a movie opening on a Wednesday.
In its first weekend, "The Passion" grossed $83.8 million.
The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc.:
1. "The Passion of the Christ," Newmarket, $83,848,082, 3,043 locations, $27,554 average, $125,185,971, one week.
2. "50 First Dates," Sony, $12,565,729, 3,450 locations, $3,642 average, $88,683,963, three weeks.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, smiles with former Gov. Grey Davis during the NBC's ''The Tonight Show', Monday, March. 1, 2004, in Burbank, Calif
LOS ANGELES - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger , who announced his bid for governor last year from Jay Leno's couch, returned to "The Tonight Show" with a friend the man he defeated in the recall election.
Schwarzenegger told Leno on Monday night that he and former Gov. Gray Davis are now good friends. The former movie star said he's even been advising Davis about a possible acting career.
"He's helped me a lot with acting, particularly with my pronunciation," said Davis, going on to mimic one of the Austrian-accented Schwarzenegger's signature movie lines, "I'll be back."
"You have to do it with the Terminator glasses," Schwarzenegger quipped, referring to the dark sunglasses he donned for his "Terminator" films.
The Republican Schwarzenegger and Democrat Davis hatched the idea of a joint appearance to promote Propositions 57 and 58 over a recent dinner, according to aides for both men.
If approved by voters Tuesday, Proposition 57 would pay down the state's debt and help close next year's projected budget shortfall. The $15 billion bond measure is paired with Proposition 58, which would create a reserve fund and restrict future borrowing by legislators. Both measures must pass for either to be enacted.
Schwarzenegger has campaigned aggressively for the propositions, warning of "Armageddon cuts" to state services if they fail. Davis, who was recalled largely because of the state's fiscal crisis, has also spoken in favor of them.
Schwarzenegger and Leno both feigned surprise when Davis walked on stage as the talk show host was interviewing the governor.
"I hope you are here plugging my Proposition 57 and 58," Schwarzenegger said to laughter.
"I am for 57 and 58," Davis said. "But if you think this is a surprise, wait until Gary Coleman comes out here."
Coleman, the former child star, was one of the 135 candidates on the ballot to replace Davis in last year's recall election.
Asked to evaluate Schwarzenegger's performance as governor, Davis replied, "I think Arnold is off to a good start."
Then he added, "He's certainly doing a better job than he did in `Hercules in New York.'"
The reference was to the former actor's first, and arguably worst, movie.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 2, 2004, 8:33 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Dick Clark, shown in New York City on May 12, 2003, is being sued by a 76-year-old game show producer, who says the 74-year-old Clark discriminated against him because of his age
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A 76-year-old game show producer sued Dick Clark Monday, alleging the 74-year-old Clark called him a "dinosaur" and refused to hire him because of his age.
Ralph Andrews, who produced the 1960s and '70s game shows "It Takes Two," "By the Numbers" and "You Don't Say," filed the suit in Superior Court.
Andrews' attorney, Phillip R. Maltin, said Clark's actions violate the Fair Employment and Housing Act, which makes it illegal for an employer "to discriminate against a person who applies for a position based upon that person's age."
The suit also names Dick Clark Productions and one of its owners, Mosaic Media Group, and seeks general and punitive damages.
Paul Shefrin, a spokesman for Dick Clark Productions, said the company does not comment on pending litigation. A message left after business hours for Mosaic Media Group was not immediately returned.
In the complaint, Andrews says he spoke off and on for more than a year with Clark and other executives about joining the company and was told he would be considered for any openings.
But when he wrote Clark to say he was interested in available positions, Clark wrote back, allegedly turning Andrews down because of his age.
"I have great respect and admiration for your accomplishments, and wish you success in your desire to 'get back to work," Clark's letter read, according to the suit.
"(But) the last development guy we hired was 27 years old. Another person who is joining our staff next week is 30. People our age are considered dinosaurs! The business is being run by 'The Next Generation.'"
Clark added, "On a brighter note, Ralph, please know that if any project comes up where we could use your experienced hands, I wouldn't hesitate to call you."
Andrews told The Associated Press he has known Clark for 40 years and hired him on several game shows, including a brief 1997 revival of "It Takes Two."
..................................................................................................................................................................
Posted on Mar 2, 2004, 8:32 AM from IP address 216.205.224.10
Hope to see more of you AND Fabulous Freaks! 
