Famous (And not so famous) Celebrities In Trouble Thread

[TexasStooge]

CBS newsman Mike Wallace issued summons for alleged disorderly conduct

NEW YORK (AP) — "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace, arrested in a dispute with parking enforcement inspectors, says he wonders why anyone thought that he, at age 86, was a threat.

Wallace was handcuffed and taken to police precinct headquarters after the incident Tuesday evening. He was released after being issued a summons citing him with disorderly conduct.

The dispute began as Wallace was leaving an Upper East Side restaurant, WCBS-TV reported. Wallace saw two Taxi and Limousine Commission inspectors interviewing his driver, who they said was double-parked outside the restaurant.

The TLC said Wallace approached the inspectors and became "overly assertive and disrespectful," interfering with their ability to perform their duties, according to WCBS.

The inspectors then asked him to step away from the car and Wallace refused, lunging at one of the inspectors, according to the TLC. Spokesman Allan Fromberg told the New York Post that "the other inspector feared for his partner's safety."

Wallace laughed off the notion.

"I'm an 86-year-old man," he told the Post. "For whatever reason, this guy and his buddy were intent upon telling me that I was interfering with the execution of the law."

Luigi Militello, the manager of Luke's Restaurant, told WCBS that the inspectors "manhandled" Wallace.

CBS said in a statement Tuesday that Wallace was at home and that more information would be released if it became available. Wallace has been with CBS since the 1950s and on its flagship "60 Minutes" newsmagazine since its inception in 1968.

Wallace is due in court in October.

[TexasStooge]

Actress Sandra Bullock launches court fight with luxury home builder

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Miss Congeniality is waging a legal battle.

Sandra Bullock was in Travis County court Wednesday in a dispute with the Austin developer she hired to build a luxury home that she says is defective.

The developer, M.B. "Benny" Daneshjou, claims the movie star owes him money and that the Lake Austin home was fine. He filed a lawsuit against the actress and she countersued.

Travis County District Judge Paul Davis barred cameras from his courtroom for the trial that's expected to last more than a month. "In the courtroom, I want her to be a regular person," Davis said.

The star of the "Speed" movies and various romantic comedies including "Miss Congeniality" has been entangled in litigation with Daneshjou for several years.

Bullock was in the courtroom for jury selection Wednesday as potential jurors were asked if her celebrity would be a factor in reaching a verdict.

Bullock laughed when one woman said she didn't realize she was a movie star but had thought instead she was a former wife of the late Texas political giant Bob Bullock, a former lieutenant governor and state comptroller.

Another woman said she enjoyed Bullock's movies and questioned whether she could be impartial when hearing the evidence. "I loved `Speed.' I love `Miss Congeniality,"' she said. "I'm not in love with her, but she's a movie star."

Bullock, 40, first contracted with Daneshjou in 1997 to build the lakefront house. She also agreed to become a partner with him in a development project.

But she now says that she spent millions on a house that was unlivable. She said the home needed massive repairs and that Daneshjou committed fraud in the development project in which she invested more than $300,000.

In previous legal filings, Bullock claimed she spent $6.5 million on the house.

Daneshjou claims she caused the delays on her home and that any finding of shoddy construction should be blamed on the project manager, who under contract assumed responsibility for the job.

Opening statements in the case could begin as soon as Thursday.

[TexasStooge]

Dave Matthews Band may face charges for allegedly dumping tour bus waste

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Authorities were considering criminal charges Wednesday against the Dave Matthews Band and one of its tour bus drivers for allegedly dumping human waste from a bus into the Chicago River, dousing a tour boat filled with passengers.

The announcement came a day after the state sued the band and driver Stefan Wohl, accusing them of violating state water pollution and public nuisance laws. The lawsuit seeks $70,000 in civil penalties.

Chicago police said surveillance footage from nearby buildings shows a bus crossing the grated bridge Aug. 8 as the tour boat passed underneath.

"Certainly, this is the bus that discharged this fluid," Cmdr. Michael Chasen said. He said the driver told police he crossed the bridge around the time of the incident but didn't admit dumping the waste.

More than 100 people on an architecture tour were showered with foul-smelling waste. The attorney general's office said no one was seriously injured.

The band was waiting to see the video surveillance footage and other evidence before making a judgment, Dave Matthews Band spokesman John Vlautin said Wednesday.

Police were working with the attorney general's office to determine if any charges should be filed.

Howard Learner, the executive director of the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center, said criminal charges could include violations of public nuisance laws and ordinances to protect public and health safety.

[TexasStooge]

Al Gore Caught Speeding, Pays Ticket

PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore paid a $141 fine for speeding on a highway last month near Oregon's coast, a state police official said on Friday.

Gore, who carried Oregon in the 2000 presidential election, was driving in a rented car to visit family when he was issued a speeding ticket for going 75 miles (120 kph) per hour in a 55 mph (88 kph) zone on a highway between Portland and the Oregon coast, a popular summer destination.

"He was cooperative, polite and respectful," said Dale Rutledge, spokesman for the Oregon State Police.

Gore mailed in his check for the ticket, well ahead of the deadline for contesting it on Sept. 13, Rutledge said.

[TexasStooge]

Actor Tom Sizemore's probation revoked for failing to complete drug test

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Tom Sizemore's probation in a domestic abuse case involving former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss was revoked Thursday because he failed to complete a drug test.

The judge allowed Sizemore to remain free pending an evidence hearing on Nov. 8.

Sizemore, 42, who has appeared in such films as "Black Hawk Down" and "Saving Private Ryan," was sentenced in October to six months in jail on misdemeanor charges of physically abusing Fleiss during their two-year relationship.

Authorities said Sizemore refused to provide a urine sample for a drug test at a probation office last month. "He simply walked out," prosecutor Robert Cha said.

Sizemore's attorney said the actor passed a test at his drug counselor's office that day, but he declined to take a test at the probation office because an officer he didn't recognize wanted to search him and he feared the results might be tampered with.

"I have every reason to believe him when he tells me that he is clean," attorney Michael Rovell said.

Authorities still are deciding whether to file charges against Sizemore in connection with his Aug. 11 arrest at his West Hollywood home, where police said they found drugs.

The drugs "belonged to somebody else and were planted," his attorney said. He did not elaborate.

[pojo]

Court upholds decision in Ahman Green divorce


The Associated Press

WAUSAU — The former wife of Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green was treated fairly in their divorce a year ago and is not entitled to get $20,000 a month from him to support herself, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The 3rd District Court of Appeals rejected Shalynn Green’s claims that the divorce settlement provided her inadequate child support and maintenance from the NFL star, who is slated to earn $3.6 million from the team this year and $4.37 million in 2005, according to court records.

The panel also rejected her claim that the assets of the marriage — homes, investments, savings accounts — were divided unequally in Ahman Green’s favor.

The divorce settlement ordered by Brown County Circuit Judge Sue Bischel provided enough money for Shalynn Green to retain a very “very comfortable lifestyle,” allowing such monthly expenses for her as $200 for hair care, $100 for cosmetics, $100 for gifts and $500 for clothing and entertainment, the appeals court said.

She leaves the brief marriage “in a far better financial position than when she entered it,” the appeals court said.

Ahman Green, 27, was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1998 out of Nebraska and was traded to the Packers in 2000. Last season, Green set a single-season Packers rushing record with 1,883 yards.

The couple, who met each other in high school in Nebraska, were married in Florida in June 2000 and separated in March 2002, according to court records. They share joint legal custody of their two daughters, ages 7 and 2.

Under terms of the divorce, Green must pay $6,700 a month in child support through May 2005, when it is reduced to $5,500, court records said. Green must put his entire child support obligation — $1.5 million over the years — into a trust fund to make the payments for his daughters’ needs until they turn 18, recognizing the uncertainty of his pro football career, court records said.

Green must put $15,000 annually into a separate trust for the children’s extracurricular activities, such as camps, clubs and lessons, court records said. Green also must pay $320,000 into a trust for his children’s college education.

The divorce, which was finalized in August 2003, called for Green to pay his ex-wife, $1,000 per month in maintenance for two years and also make a $1,027 monthly lease payment on her Lexus automobile until the term ended this year.

In the property settlement, the judge awarded the ex-wife a $325,109 home in Nebraska, where she now lives, and ordered her ex-husband to pay off the mortgage balance of $231,078 so the property was debt-free.

The running back received the couple’s Green Bay home valued at $321,000, plus a $98,000 home he bought for his parents in Louisiana, court records said.

Shalynn Green, 26, sought $20,000 per month in maintenance for two years while she returned to college to seek a degree in criminal justice, and she argued the child support payments were too low, court records said.

She contended the monthly expenses for herself and the children were nearly $20,000, court records said.

Ahman Green testified that monthly household expenses during the marriage ranged from $5,000 to $7,000, including mortgage payments, car payments, food, clothing, baby sitters and entertainment, court records said.

The appeals court said the $1,000 monthly maintenance award to the ex-wife was fair, given the “ample” child support ordered and the “substantial” property division.

“The record supports the court’s finding that there was no proof that the parties would spend anything close to $20,000 to $30,000 a month on their children had their marriage continued,” the appeals court said.

[TexasStooge]

Lead singer of Jamiroquai loses license for speeding

LONDON, England (AP) — Jay Kay, the lead singer of pop band Jamiroquai, had his driving privileges revoked for six months for speeding.

Sheriff Robert McCreadie of Perth Sheriff Court in Scotland also ordered the star to pay a $1,350 fine on Monday and told him his conduct was "entirely unacceptable."

The musician, whose full name is Jason Kay, had pleaded guilty. He previously explained in a letter to the court why he overtook a string of cars on a road near Perth on Feb. 26, exceeding the 70 mph speed limit. Police officers recorded that his four-wheel drive vehicle was traveling at 105 mph.

"I'd set out early in the morning but had become stuck behind slow moving traffic on the single-carriageway road," the 34-year-old said in the letter.

"I appreciate the maximum penalty for this offense could lead to the loss of my license and this is a matter of grave concern to me," Kay wrote.

[TexasStooge]

Tracey Gold Charged After Family Crash


Former TV star Tracey Gold has been arrested on drunk driving charges after driving her family over an embankment in a sports utility vehicle.

The 35-year-old former star of hit sitcom Growing Pains lost control of the vehicle just after midnight on September 3.

Her husband, Robby Marshall, was left with a neck fracture in the accident and one of the couple's three children was treated for a fractured clavicle and head lacerations.

Gold was booked and released from custody. She is scheduled to appear in court in October.

Copyright World Entertainment News Network 2004

[TexasStooge]

Culkin Arrested on Drug Complaints

Child Star Macauley Culkin Arrested on Drug Complaints in Oklahoma City

The Associated Press / ABC News

OKLAHOMA CITY Sept. 17, 2004 — Child star Macauley Culkin was arrested on drug complaints in Oklahoma City Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Culkin, best known for his role in the movie, "Home Alone," was taken into custody on complaints of possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a valid prescription and possession of marijuana, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's office.

Culkin was booked into the Oklahoma County jail, where he remained Friday evening. Bond was set at $4,000.

A jailer declined to release details of Culkin's arrest.

It wasn't clear why Culkin was in Oklahoma City or whether he was traveling alone.

[TexasStooge]

Bob Barker to face courtroom battle after model's suit ruled valid

By Jessica Su - Court TV

For 32 years, host Bob Barker has charmed audiences on "The Price Is Right," the game show that made "Come on down!" and "You've won a new car!" household phrases.

Off-camera, however, the show has resembled a soap opera, complete with power plays, demeaning comments, racial slurs and secret conversations, according to several employees.

"It's a weird show," said Linda Riegert, 57, a former production assistant. "It's like the most dysfunctional family you ever saw."

The behind-the-scenes battles have involved suits from nine employees who alleged wrongful termination or sexual harassment. One suit, which has been pending for eight years, recently got a boost when an appeals court ruled it was suitable for trial.

Holly Hallstrom, one of the original "Price" models, said she was fired in 1995 because she gained weight. A trial court had tried to toss the suit, but on Sept. 8, 2004, a Los Angeles appeals court ruled that she had a valid claim.

Nick Alden, Hallstrom's attorney, said he expected the trial to start in late 2005 or early 2006.

Hallstrom's suit goes deeper than external appearances, according to Alden.

"The weight was an excuse," he said.

In reality, Hallstrom was fired because she did not support Barker in another model's sexual-abuse suit, according to Alden.

"It's a chain reaction. Anyone who doesn't support Barker is fired," Alden said.

Offstage allegations

According to Alden, the chain of events began in 1989, when another "Barker's Beauty," Dian Parkinson, began an affair with the then-65-year-old.

Both parties admitted to the three-year relationship, but Barker publicly said it was the Playmate's idea to get "hanky-panky." Parkinson, however, called it sexual harassment and filed an $8 million suit against Barker in 1993.

To discredit Parkinson, Barker asked Hallstrom to lie in his favor, Alden said. But when Hallstrom refused, Barker privately threatened her with "early retirement," and badgered her about her weight, according to Alden.

The president of the show's production company, Jeremy Stamos, even admitted to calling Hallstrom "the Pillsbury dough girl," according to a court opinion.

Hallstrom claimed she had gained 14 pounds because of medicine to treat a hormonal condition. She claimed she lost the weight in the time limit Barker allotted — and was still fired in September 1995.

Hallstrom was now out of Barker's way, and so was Parkinson. Barker's mistress dropped her sexual harassment suit in April 1995, saying it was too costly and had taken a toll on her health.

The game show's legal troubles, however, were far from over. When Hallstrom told news programs she was fired for her weight and age, Barker followed with a slander-and-libel suit in December 1995.

"Holly's weight has absolutely nothing to do with her departure from [The Price Is Right]," Barker told Entertainment Tonight. "Her dress size has fluctuated from an 8 to a 14. Now if the company were going to terminate her for a weight problem, Holly would have been gone years and years ago."

Barker said Hallstrom was terminated because of show cutbacks. However, another model, Chantal Dubay, joined "Price" just after Hallstrom left. Dubay was 28 at the time, while Hallstrom was 43.

"He's a slippery devil," Hallstrom said of Barker.

Hallstrom fought back in July 1996, filing a suit for medical-condition discrimination, age discrimination and retaliation.

Taking sides

When Linda Riegert, a production assistant who overheard Hallstrom and Barker's secret conversation, sided with the model, trouble started for her as well.

"He called me a 'stupid mean lady' in front of the audience and a 'f---ing idiot,'" Riegert said. "He made my life miserable, and he used to write me notes during Christmas saying our friendship was so strong."

In the summer of 2000, Riegert came forward and testified on Hallstrom's behalf, but not without resistance.

"Barker's lawyer, Patricia Glaser, told me to go home and think long and hard about my version of the story," Riegert said.

Barker dropped his suit against Hallstrom in September 2000, after damaging testimony from Riegert and three other women on the show, according to Alden.

Their testimony came with a price: On Oct. 19, 2000, the four women — Riegert; Janice Pennington, a model; Kathleen Bradley, a model; and Sherrell Paris, Barker's personal assistant — were dismissed from the show. Sharon Friem, a writer who rejected Barker's alleged sexual advances, was also let go that day, Alden said.

"We know for a fact that five out of 14, or 38 percent, of the show's women were fired the same day. Coincidentally, these same women are the ones who are fighting against Bob Barker," Alden said. "It doesn't leave much room for coincidence."

"They weren't fired," countered Henri Bollinger, Barker's publicist. "Basically, they weren't renewed. It's not Bob's decision whether they stay with the show or not. It's the production company's decision."

Bollinger was referring to Pearson Television, which took over the show's production in October 2000. According to news reports, CBS needed to cut costs. Even Barker wasn't immune: In 1999, he started renewing his contract just one year at a time.

Riegert insisted Barker was still responsible for the staff changes.

"Barker's really good at covering things," she said. "He waited until the takeover of Pearson. As executive producer, he made all the decisions on who's hired and who wasn't going to be there. It was very rare for people to be fired."

All five women who were dismissed in October 2000 filed suits against Barker and Pearson Television, claiming wrongful termination. With the exception of Riegert, they all settled out of court.

Riegert is still awaiting a trial date after her case was vacated June 25, Alden said.

Racism suit

Barker suffered another legal blow on Aug. 3, when Claudia Jordan, a model, and Sylvia Clement-Henry, assistant to producer Phillip Rossi, sued over allegations of wrongful termination, sexual harassment and racial discrimination.

"You are the butt model. Repeat after me: 'I can fire your ass,'" Rossi told Jordan, according to the suit.

Jordan, an African American, was also told to stand between two Caucasian models "to do the reverse [Oreo]," the suit said.

After Jordan confronted Rossi, he advanced the clock on the set and cursed at her for being late, the model claimed.

When Jordan formally filed a complaint, human resources pressured her to withdraw it, and she was fired on Oct. 31, 2003, according to the suit.

Moreover, Clement-Henry claims she was instructed to mark a "B" next to African American contestants, "to make sure that no more than two African Americans are selected" and to make sure they perpetuated racial stereotypes.

She was fired when she refused to stay silent, the complaint said.

"Barker is probably the most vicious man I've met in my life," Alden said, who also represents Jordan and Clement-Henry. "I honestly liked him before I got involved in these lawsuits, until I took his deposition and thought, 'My God, what a monster.'"

Bollinger, however, viewed these suits as a publicity stunt.

"Barker has been dragged into every one of these situations, not because he was responsible for the direct actions, but because he's a big name," Bollinger said. "When lawyers just sue the production company, they get no attention."

Both Barker and his lawyer, Glaser, declined to comment on his pending litigation.

[TexasStooge]

Actor Anthony Anderson accused of another sex assault

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Anderson, the rotund comedic co-star of "Kangaroo Jack" and the original "Barbershop," has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman who visited him on the set of his TV show last year. Anderson, who also is facing rape charges in Tennessee, denied both allegations.

"Clearly, this is an attempt to exploit Anthony's perceived vulnerability because of the ridiculous rape charges pending against him in Memphis," according to a statement released by Anderson's publicist. "As Anthony has said before, those charges are also completely baseless."

The latest allegation came in a lawsuit filed Wednesday. The lawsuit, which identifies the woman as "Jane Doe," names as defendants Anderson and the show's producer, Warner Bros. Television.

The woman alleged that she was trying to land a job on Anderson's now-defunct TV series "All About the Andersons" when she was assaulted on Sept. 18, 2003.

Anderson, 33, was charged in July with raping a Memphis woman who was an extra in the film "Hustle and Flow," which is still in production. He is free on $20,000 bail.

[TexasStooge]

Makeup artist files rape suit against Snoop Dogg for $25 million

LOS ANGELES, Ca. (Court TV/AP) — A celebrity makeup artist has filed a $25 million lawsuit against rapper Snoop Dogg, alleging he and several men in his entourage drugged and raped her two years ago.

The woman also claims that one of Snoop Dogg's associates beat her following a taping of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show, which the rapper guest-hosted in January 2003. The lawsuit was filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

In addition to Snoop Dogg and three associates, the suit names The Walt Disney Co. and its parent company, ABC Inc. The woman identifies herself in the documents, but The Associated Press is withholding her name because she is an alleged rape victim.

The woman applied Snoop Dogg's makeup before four shows, according to the lawsuit, which said she was drugged with spiked champagne after his final appearance.

Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, filed a lawsuit Dec. 11 alleging that the woman had been trying to extort $5 million in exchange for keeping silent. He is seeking punitive damages and to bar her from future threats.

"It is truly unfortunate that (she) has chosen to follow the increasingly common path of misusing the legal system as a means of extracting financial gain from entertainers," Snoop Dogg's publicist, Meredith O'Sullivan, said in a statement Monday.

Kevin Brockman, a spokesman for ABC, said the allegations have "simply no merit."

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department said she didn't know whether the woman had filed a police report. According to Snoop Dogg's complaint, the woman waited six months after the alleged incident to go to police. No charges were ever brought.

The woman's attorney, Perry Wander, said she waited two years to sue because she had been trying to negotiate a settlement with the media companies. Disney and ABC should be held responsible because they "failed to provide a safe working environment for my client," Wander said.

[TexasStooge]

Former Turtles guitarist sent to jail for drunk driving

DAYTON, Nev. (Court TV/AP) — Al Nichol, former lead guitarist for The Turtles, has been sentenced to six months in jail for drunken driving while on probation for a previous DUI conviction.

Nichol's blood-alcohol level was 0.311 at the time of his May 2004 arrest, well above Nevada's legal limit of 0.08, according to court documents.

Nichol, 58, also showed up drunk for a Jan. 12 court hearing. Tests showed he had a 0.19 blood-alcohol level.

"I don't know what to tell you, Mr. Nichol," Justice Court Judge William Rogers said during Wednesday's hearing. "It's sad that you've taken a successful life and turned it into the town drunk."

The Turtles had a hit in 1967 with "Happy Together."

[TexasStooge]

Country star charged with shoplifting, assaulting a police officer

TAOS, N.M. (Court TV/AP) — Lynn Anderson has been accused of shoplifting a "Harry Potter" DVD from a Taos supermarket and punching a police officer.

Anderson's lawyer entered pleas of not guilty on behalf of the 57-year-old country singer to charges of battery on a police officer, resisting a police officer and shoplifting.

Taos County Magistrate Betty Martinez allowed Anderson to seek medical treatment out of state after the pleas were entered Friday. Martinez said she didn't know why Anderson was seeking medical treatment.

Anderson was arrested Jan. 24 at Smith's Food & Drug Center.

According to a statement filed by Taos police officer Virgil Vigil, Anderson asked him, "Do you know who I am?" when refusing to sign a citation after supermarket employees had accused her of taking the DVD.

Anderson allegedly balked several times when she was asked to go to a patrol car. When the officer asked if she was resisting arrest, Anderson turned and punched him on the left forearm, according to his statement.

Brigitte Ursula Lotze, Anderson's lawyer, said the singer deserves the prayers of Taos residents.

"Ms. Anderson is a loved and respected member of the Taos community," Lotze said.

[TexasStooge]

Filmmaker tied to Sundance Festival arrested outside Utah club

PARK CITY, Utah (Court TV/AP) — Celebrity photographer-filmmaker David LaChapelle was arrested during the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival after a run-in with police.

LaChapelle was arrested early Saturday after police were called to control a crowd that had gathered as security attempted to escort two actresses from the Marquee Club on Main Street.

Summit County sheriff's deputies said they asked LaChapelle several times to back up but he failed to comply.

LaChapelle was booked into the Summit County jail and later was released. He was cited for disorderly conduct.

Sundance Institute spokesman Patrick Hubley said LaChapelle's arrest wouldn't mar the festival's image because the Marquee isn't an official venue. He added that although LaChapelle is a filmmaker associated with the festival, he is also a private citizen.

LaChapelle was in Park City to debut his first full-length feature, "Rize," which chronicles a dance movement in South-Central Los Angeles known as "krumping," a high-energy dance where the performers dress as clowns.

[TexasStooge]

Ray Charles' son arrested for drug possession

LOS ANGELES, Ca. (Court TV/AP) — The son of the late singer Ray Charles was arrested Thursday for alleged drug possession and being under the influence of cocaine, authorities said.

Ray Charles Robinson, 45, who also goes by Ray Charles Jr., was arrested at the Dunes Wilshire Hotel after police received a tip, police said. Authorities did not provide any other details or say whether he would be charged.

Robinson was released on $1,000 bail. He has a previous arrest for possession of a controlled substance, police said.

Robinson is one of a dozen children of the soul singer, who overcame a 20-year addiction to heroin during his life. The elder Charles, who died last June of liver disease, was born Ray Charles Robinson but changed his name in the 1950s to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

His life is the subject of the Academy Award-nominated movie "Ray."

[TexasStooge]

Macaulay Culkin may offer plea bargain in drug case

OKLAHOMA CITY (Court TV/AP) — A court hearing for actor Macaulay Culkin has been delayed so that attorneys can work on a plea bargain in his drug possession case, court officials said.

Culkin, 24, was scheduled to appear in Oklahoma County District Court Thursday, but the hearing was moved to April 6.

Culkin's attorney, Catherine Burton, could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Police arrested Culkin, best known for his role in the movie, "Home Alone," during a traffic stop Sept. 17 on Interstate 44 in northeast Oklahoma City.

About 17.3 grams of marijuana and 16 milligrams of Xanax, a prescription drug used to treat depression and panic disorders were found in the vehicle, which was stopped for traveling 70 mph in a 60-mph speed zone and making an improper lane change, police said.

Culkin wasn't driving.

Oklahoma County prosecutors have charged him with misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and possession of the Xanax. He pleaded innocent to the charges in October.

Culkin was freed on $4,000 bail shortly after his arrest.

[TexasStooge]

Ex-Libertines Singer Charged With Robbery

LONDON, England (AP) - Rock singer Pete Doherty, the former frontman of The Libertines, has been charged with robbery and blackmail, police said. The 25-year-old musician was arrested Wednesday after a reported fracas at a London hotel.

He appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court Friday. His lawyer, Sean Curran, said the singer would spend the weekend in jail because the $280,000 bail couldn't be raised immediately.

Another musician, Alan Wass, 23, was charged with the same offenses and was granted bail. Wass is a guitarist with rock band Lefthand.

Doherty's spokesman, Tony Linkin, said the singer was arrested over allegations he assaulted filmmaker Max Carlish, who was making a documentary about Doherty's new group, Babyshambles.

Carlish was quoted as telling British media that he sold pictures to a Sunday newspaper of Doherty taking heroin. He said Doherty assaulted him in a hotel after he refused to give the singer money.

Curran said both men "ferociously deny the allegations against them" and were confident they would be found innocent.

Doherty, who is widely reported to be dating supermodel Kate Moss, was kicked out of The Libertines after failing to curb his publicly acknowledged drug problems.

[TexasStooge]

Murder Re-Enacted in Calif. Blake Trial

VAN NUYS, Calif. (Reuters) - Lawyers in the murder trial of actor Robert Blake took turns on Friday pretending to be Blake's wife as a crime scene analyst demonstrated the killer's position when Bonny Lee Bakley was fatally shot.

Prosecutor Shellie Samuels called the expert to show why the star of the 1970's cop show "Baretta" would not have had gunshot residue on him after the May 4, 2001, slaying.

But defense attorney Gerald Schwartzbach used the same expert to suggest the killer was right-handed, while Blake, 71, is left-handed.

Crime scene reconstructionist Rod Englert said that if Bakley were sitting straight up in the passenger seat of Blake's 1991 Dodge Stealth, the bullets would have had to travel through the door to strike where they did.

He said the lack of bullet holes in the door, the way Bakley slumped over onto the center console, and patterns of pooled and splattered blood in the front of the car were consistent with Bakley leaning to her left as the gunman fired from outside the car, just behind the passenger seat.

"There's a lot of blood there and there's no way it got there other than her falling and leaning in that position," said Englert, who demonstrated his theory with photos of a live model in a replica of Blake's car and with the prosecutor in the courtroom.

Jurors watched intently as Samuels sat in front of them, leaned to her left and raised her right shoulder in a cringing motion as Englert used dowel rods to demonstrate the angle at which the bullets traveled.

But defense lawyer Schwartzbach insisted that the discovery of a bullet casing inside the car suggests that the casing bounced off the shooter's body as the killer fired the gun with his right hand. The murder weapon, a Nazi-issue Walther P38, ejects casings to the left.

Englert said Schwartzbach may be right, although casings can wind up in different places for all sorts of reasons.

Prosecutors say Blake shot Bakley to get sole custody of their daughter because he despised her and the way she conned men out of money. The defense suggests she left a long trail of victims who might have wanted her dead.

Lead detective Ronald Ito told the trial earlier in the week that investigators found hundreds letters between Bakley and various men. About five or six letters to Bakley had a threatening tone.

Schwartzbach said that Blake was Bakley's 10th husband, and that she married the previous eight husbands for their money. The lawyer said Bakley bilked one of the men out of anywhere between $80,000 and $350,000, and collected more than $82,000 from one husband's life insurance policy.

[TexasStooge]

Michael Jackson Goes on TV Again Before Trial

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson, on trial on charges of child molestation, said he and other celebrities are "targets" and sensational reports about him are "fiction."

"The bigger the star, the bigger the target," Jackson told Fox News Channel correspondent Geraldo Rivera in an interview set to air on the cable network on Saturday. Jury selection in his trial began this week.

"I'm saying the fact that people come at celebrities, we're targets," the 46-year-old singer said.

Jackson is constrained by a court-issued gag order barring him from speaking publicly without a judge's permission about the case, in which a 15-year-old accuses Jackson of molesting him two years ago.

He did not specifically mention the criminal case, but said sensational reports about him are untrue. "It's like looking at a fictitious movie. Because it's fiction. It's like watching science fiction. It's not true," Jackson said in excerpts of the interview released on Thursday.

Jackson's lawyers have said in the past that his young accuser invented his account of abuse to extract money from the entertainer.

A grand jury returned a 10-count indictment in April charging Jackson with lewd acts on a child and conspiring to commit the crimes of abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

The charges stem from accusations leveled by a recovering teenage cancer patient seen holding hands with Jackson at his Neverland Valley Ranch in a documentary that aired on the U.S. ABC network and British television in February 2003.

Returning to television in a presumed effort to bolster his public image before testimony gets under way, Jackson said he expected the truth would prevail.

"I know eventually, the truth will prevail and I'm about truth," he said. "I've become immune in a way too. I have rhinoceros skin, but at the same time I'm human. So, anything can hurt like that, but I'm very strong."

Jackson also said he has tried to "create my world behind the gates" of his Neverland Valley Ranch in California "because I can't go to the local movie theater down the street or the local park down the street or go pick up ice cream at the market, at the corner store."