David Hans Schmidt, who plead guilty last month to attempting to extort Tom Cruise, was found dead of an apparent suicide in his Phoenix, Arizpna home on Friday. Schmidt was under house arrest after agreeing to plead guilty to a $1 million extortion fiasco, using Tom Cruise’s stolen wedding photos. “Authorities went to Schmidt’s Phoenix home after a tracking device on him had not moved and he hadn’t checked in,” said police spokesman, Lt. Anthony Lopez. Schmidt was facing up to two years in prison after he had agreed to a plea agreement in the case. His attorney, Nancy Kardon, said she had spoken to Schmidt earlier this week and was preparing for an Oct. 11 hearing in federal court where he would enter his formal guilty plea to attempted extortion. She said she had planned to ask for probation.”I was greatly saddened by his loss and I found him to be a very kind man,” Kardon said. He was contacted by Marc Lewis Gittleman who had obtained the wedding photos after recovering them from a damaged computer hard drive brought in for repair by a photographer. Schmidt emailed Cruise with samples of the photos, and asked for more than $1 million to keep them off the market. Schmidt had brokered some of Hollywood’s most infamous deals in recent years, including the Dustin Diamond sex tape, Tonya Harding honeymoon sex tape, a Colin Farrell sex tape and other scandals.
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A mistrial was declared Wednesday in the murder case against Phil Spector when the jury reported that it was deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting him of killing actress Lana Clarkson more than four years ago. The prosecutor’s office announced it would seek to retry Spector, and the family of Clarkson also pledged to press on.”We will not rest until justice is done,” said John C. Taylor, a lawyer for the family.The mistrial came after months of a trial in which jurors had to decide who pulled the trigger of the gun that went off in Clarkson’s mouth early Feb. 3, 2003. The jury had met for about 44 hours over 12 days since getting the case Sept. 10. A week ago, the jury foreman had reported a 7-5 split. After that, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler withdrew a jury instruction that he decided misstated the law and issued a new one giving examples of what panelists could draw from the evidence, including the possibility that Spector forced Clarkson to place the gun in her own mouth. Fidler polled the jury, and each member agreed that a unanimous decision was not possible.”We will seek the court’s permission to retry the case and begin immediately to prepare for a retrial,” prosecutor Steve Cooley said in a statement. A hearing was set for Oct. 3.
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George Clooney and girlfriend, Sarah Larson were injured when their motorcycle collided with a car on a narrow road in New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. Clooney suffered a broken rib and scrapes while Larson broke her foot in the collision.”The two were treated at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen and released,” Clooney’s spokesman, Stan Rosenfield, said.”He’s doing fine,” Rosenfield said. “He has a broken rib, it’s very painful and it’ll take a long time to heal.”"Clooney and Larson were traveling north and sped up to pass on the right of a vehicle that was reportedly preparing to make a right turn,” said Weehawken police Sgt. Sean Kelly. “Both were wearing helmets.” “It wasn’t known whether the other driver, whose identity was not immediately released, used a turn signal,” Kelly said. The accident was under investigation. Rosenfield said the accident occurred when the vehicle’s driver signaled a left-hand turn, but turned right and struck Clooney’s motorcycle.”The car signaled left. George was riding to the right. The driver decided to make an abrupt right turn and clipped George,” he said. Clooney was in the New York area filming a new movie.Rosenfield said, “Clooney’s recovery shouldn’t interrupt the production’s schedule.”
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Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson pleaded guilty to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop last year as he was leaving a nightclub. Tyson quietly acknowledged to a judge that he had cocaine and was impaired when he was stopped for driving erratically in Scottsdale, Arizona on Dec. 29. He pleaded guilty to a single felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor DUI count and faces up to four years and three months in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 19. A felony charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and a second misdemeanor DUI charge were dropped, according to the terms of a plea agreement. Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Tyson has been clean and sober for eight months.”It’s obvious this was a crime he was committing against himself,” Chesnoff said. Police stopped Tyson after he had spent the evening at the Scottsdale club. An officer said he saw Tyson wiping a white substance off the dashboard of his black BMW, and that his speech was slurred. Authorities said they found bags of cocaine in Tyson’s pocket and in his car. Tyson told officers later that he used cocaine “whenever I can get my hands on it,” and that he preferred to smoke it in Marlboro cigarettes with the tobacco pulled out, according to court documents. He also told police that he used marijuana that day and was taking the antidepressant Zoloft, the documents state. Since his arrest, Tyson checked himself into an in-patient treatment program for what his lawyer called “various addictions.” Defense lawyer David Chesnoff had said previously that he had try to keep the boxer out of prison.
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As jurors returned to deliberations in Phil Spectors murder trial, his defense filed a motion asking the judge to give the panel more guidance to clarify controversial new instructions he issued last week to help break a deadlock and avoid a mistrial. In a hearing outside the jury’s presence, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler listened to arguments on the motion and told attorneys he would think about it, but gave no indication how he would rule. Amid the hearing, the jury sent a note asking for a VCR. Trial evidence included a videotaped interview of Spector’s chauffeur by sheriff’s investigators. The driver testified that Spector came out of his house with a gun and said, “I think I killed somebody.” There was also a videotape of a driveway fountain. The defense contends noises including the fountain made the quote suspect. Spector is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 3, 2003, death of actress Lana Clarkson from a gunshot fired in her mouth. The defense contends the shot was self-inflicted, either an accident or a suicide. After the jury reported the 7-5 impasse last week, the judge withdrew a so-called pinpoint instruction and decided that the instruction misstated the law by unduly limiting possibilities that the jury could consider. He gave a new instruction that included examples of inferences the jury could draw from the evidence, including the possibility that Spector forced Clarkson to place the gun in her own mouth and it went off. He also cautioned that he was not suggesting that any of the examples took place, and they could be rejected. In the defense motion, Spector’s attorneys said that Spector would have needed a second firearm to have forced Clarkson to put the gun in her mouth. They asked that the judge tell jurors there is no evidence in the record that Spector had a second firearm present. The defense also asked that the jury be told that Spector cannot be found guilty merely for aiding, encouraging or advising Clarkson to commit suicide. The prosecution argued that any further instruction on the issue of suicide would weigh against its case.”It highlights the defense case,” prosecutor Alan Jackson told the judge. “It’s saying if you believe she killed herself, don’t bother with any of those other instructions.” The case went to the jury on Sept. 10 and the jury foreman told the judge on Sept. 18 that the panel was deadlocked after four ballots. After two days of contentious debate among attorneys on new instructions, the panel was sent back into deliberations on Sept. 20.
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Britney Spears legal woes mounted as prosecutors charged her with misdemeanor counts of hit and run and driving without a valid license after she allegedly smashed her car into another in a parking lot in August.”She could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count,” said Nick Velasquez, spokesman for the city attorney’s office.”The accident occurred Aug. 6,” Velasquez said. Spears was filmed by paparazzi that day crashing her car into another vehicle as she tried to turn into a spot in a Studio City parking lot. After assessing the damage to her own car only, she was shown on the paparazzi video walking away.”Three days after the accident, the owner of the other vehicle, Kim Robard-Rifkin, filed a police report, and investigators later determined that Spears does not have a valid license,” officials said. Robard-Rifkin learned it was Spears who had hit her car through a video that was posted on a celebrity web site. She said she was “sort of amused and sort of shocked” when she learned Spears was the source of the damage, adding that she had expected to hear from Spears or one of her representatives.”I simply want my car fixed, the same as I would fix somebody’s car if I had done that,” Robard-Rifkin said. Spears was scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 10.
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George Clooney and girlfriend, Sarah Larson were injured when their motorcycle collided with a car on a narrow road in New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. Clooney suffered a broken rib and scrapes while Larson broke her foot in the collision.”The two were treated at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen and released,” Clooney’s spokesman, Stan Rosenfield, said.”He’s doing fine,” Rosenfield said. “He has a broken rib, it’s very painful and it’ll take a long time to heal.”"Clooney and Larson were traveling north and sped up to pass on the right of a vehicle that was reportedly preparing to make a right turn,” said Weehawken police Sgt. Sean Kelly. “Both were wearing helmets.” “It wasn’t known whether the other driver, whose identity was not immediately released, used a turn signal,” Kelly said. The accident was under investigation. Rosenfield said the accident occurred when the vehicle’s driver signaled a left-hand turn, but turned right and struck Clooney’s motorcycle.”The car signaled left. George was riding to the right. The driver decided to make an abrupt right turn and clipped George,” he said. Clooney was in the New York area filming a new movie.Rosenfield said, “Clooney’s recovery shouldn’t interrupt the production’s schedule.”
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Britney Spears ia about to fire the new lawyer in her custody battle, after just one day in the job. Spears is currently embroiled in a bitter battle with her ex-husband Kevin Federline over the care of their two sons.. Spears’ former lawyer, Laura Wasser quit with reports suggesting the attorney found Britney a “problem client”. Melvin Goldsman was named as Wasser’s replacement, but Spears is considering firing him, according to high-profile divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope. Trope claims he has been chosen as Goldsman’s replacement. He says, “Yes, it’s true Ms. Spears quit Melvin Goldsman’s firm, but we haven’t been officially retained yet. The paperwork has not been signed, and it has to have our firm’s, Goldsman’s, and Ms. Spears’s signatures. I anticipate it will be signed.” Meanwhile, Federline is “happy” with the judge Scott Gordon’s decision to order Spears to undergo twice-weekly random drugs testing after he raised concern about her apparent “habitual, frequent, and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol.” Federline’s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan says “It would appear the court wanted to stabilize the status quo, but also implement orders that give as much protection to the kids until the court has the benefit of the evaluations. Kevin is happy the case is moving forward in a positive direction.”
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A judge has ruled Naomi Campbell’s violent past can be used against her in a new lawsuit filed by a former employee. Gaby Gibson alleged she had been attacked by Campbell, just a month after Campbell was arrested for throwing a mobile phone at ex-maid Ana Scolavino . Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Stallman has ruled past altercations involving Campbell’s stormy temper can potentially be used against her. In the alleged January 2006 attack on Gibson over a missing pair of jeans, Campbell is quoted as saying, “I’ve had it with you, f&%king bitch,” before allegedly kicking the back of the maid’s head. Gibson is “very happy with the court’s decision”, according to her attorney Lambros Lambrou. The lawsuit claims Campbell repeatedly hit Gibson while yelling ‘discriminatory comments’ at her. Campbell denies the claims.
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Britney Spears has shocked again, flashing her panty-less private parts at a paparazzi photographer after her performance at MTV Video Music Awards. Spears exposed herself while stepping into an awaiting limousine after leaving Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel, where she partied after her embarrassing awards show performance. While she was slammed for performing the opening act at the VMAs in a skimpy outfit, she made headlines for taking them off later, when she was caught without her panties by a WENN photographer. It’s not the first time Spears has been caught without underwear. In November of last year, Spears revealed all to a photographer during a night out with party pal Paris Hilton, just two months after giving birth to her second child. Spears’ most recent gaffe came just hours after she disappointed the VMA audience with a disjointed and critically panned comeback performance of her new single ‘Gimme More,’ her first major public appearance in four years. A bystander said, “What is she thinking? She’s a mother of two and here she is flashing her goods to the world!”
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The murder case against record producer Phil Spector has gone to the jury. Spector’s wife, Rachelle sparred with the judge over a gag order and Spector himself publicly denied he had criticized the judge and jury pool. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler sent the jurors into deliberations after asking if any had heard or seen any news reports over the weekend that could affect their discussions. No one raised a hand. Spector is charged with second-degree murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot through the mouth after going home with Spector from a nightclub on Feb. 3, 2003. He faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted. Deliberations for the jury of nine men and three women began after five months of testimony.Prosecutors sought to show during the trial that Spector had a history of threatening women. The defense contended Clarkson killed herself. Just before sending the case to the jury, Fidler slapped a gag order on Spector and his wife in a contentious hearing on media contacts. Fidler said Rachelle Spector sent e-mails to reporters over the weekend pointing out a TV interview she had given, despite the fact that Fidler had warned her against such activity.”Ma’am, Im going to do something I’ve never done before,” Fidler said. “You are here in the courtroom. You will not talk to the press until a verdict or other decision is arrived at in this case. If you do, you’re in violation of my order and you know what I do to people who violate my orders.”Rachelle Spector began to talk back from the gallery.”Ma’am, you’re in front of me,” the angered judge said. “Youre in front of me. I’m making an order. You want to violate my order, go ahead and do so. I can assure you I will hold you in contempt of court for violating my order and I will treat it according.” She then began to argue, and the judge again warned of consequences. “That’s right, I am talking to you, and what you need to do is listen,” he said. Fidler also admonished Spector and Clarkson’s family not to speak to the press, though he noted that Clarkson’s family had not done so.
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Vanessa Hudgens also posed for sexy photographs for former boyfriend Drake Bell before she was famous, claims a source. The candid mirror-image shots of Hudgens began circulating on the internet last week were allegedly intended for her boyfriend and ‘High School Musical’ co-star Zac Efron’s eyes only, but an unknown third party stole the pictures and put them on the internet.Reportedly, this isn’t the first time Hudgens posed naked for a boyfriend. Hudgens emailed racy shots to her former boyfriend several years ago.A representative for Bell denies the controversial pictures were ever received by him. Jill Fritzo says, “Drake says he never received those photos.” Hudgens said in a statement, “I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me. I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends.”
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Kid Rock has been ordered by Las Vegas police to appear in court next month following his attack on Tommy Lee at the MTV Video Music Awards. Rock was ejected from the VMA ceremony in front of thousands of fans after punching Lee. Although neither star was arrested at the time of the incident, both were later questioned by local authorities with Rock receiving a citation for the assault. A spokesman for the Las Vegas Police Department says, “A little after 8:00pm, we received a call that a disturbance had occurred at the MTV Video Music Awards. We had a lot of officers working in and around the awards so they got there fairly quickly. We determined that the altercation was between Kid Rock and Tommy Lee. After our investigation, Kid Rock did receive a citation for misdemeanor battery. Everyone involved was interviewed.”Rock will appear in court in the next three to five weeks, where he faces a maximum sentence of six months behind bars. Both Lee and Kid Rock have been married to Pamela Anderson, but it is unclear whether she was the cause of the fight.
Original post by CelebrityCash News Feed
Britney Spears kicked off the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night with her new single, “Gimme More,” looking bleary and unprepared. An out-of-shape, out-of-touch Spears delivered what was destined to be the most talked about performance of the MTV Video Music Awards, but for all the wrong reasons. She lazily walked through her dance moves with little enthusiasm. It appeared she had forgotten the entire art of lip-synching; and, perhaps most unforgivable given her once taut frame, she looked embarrassingly out of shape. MTV hyped Spears appearance as the evening’s most anticipated performance, but it became the most shockingly bad of the night. Jive Records might want to push back that Nov. 13 album release date.
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Vanessa Hudgens’ representative has confirmed that a nude photo circulating on the Internet is indeed the star of the extremely popular ‘High School Musical’ movies.”This was a photo which was taken privately,” said Jill Fritzo, Hudgens’ publicist. “It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public.” The National Enquirer was the first to report of the photo’s existence, and it has since surfaced on various web sites. The photo shows Hudgens standing naked in what appears to be a bedroom, with a red curtain behind her.Sources have also denied a published report that Hudgens will be dropped from the upcoming feature film ‘High School Musical 3.’ That movie is in development and negotiations with the stars are incomplete.Hudgens portrayed Gabriella, the brainy love interest of Zac Efron’s basketball star character in the first two ‘High School Musical’ made-for-cable movies. The two are said to be dating in real life.
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Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg is “doing fine” and recovering from a brain hemorrhage in a Paris hospital, says her husband, Yvan Attal. She was taken to the Clinique Monceau in Paris, France late on Wednesday and was operated on by brain specialist Stephanie Delajoux. Late Wednesday, she was still in a coma, but out of danger. Delajoux says, “The operation went well and she is not at risk anymore.” Gainsbourg had been suffering from headaches for several weeks following a waterskiing accident in the US last month. Thursday afternoon, Attal said his wife was improving. He said, “She is doing fine. I spoke to her, she replied and I kissed her. She is fine. It’s not as bad as the media says it is. She may be able to leave the hospital within the next couple of days.”
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Halle Berry has confirmed she’s three months pregnant with her first child. She confirmed the good news that she’s expecting boyfriend Gabriel Aubry’s child. Berry said, “Yes, I am three months pregnant! Gabriel and I are beyond excited, and I’ve waited a long time for this moment in life. Now the next seven months will be the longest of my life. You heard it from me first!” Rumors of a baby had been rife for quite sometime. According to the reports, the producers of her upcoming film ‘Tulia’ had delayed the shooting, which was supposed to start in October, because of Berry’s pregnancy.
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Britney Spears will be the opening act at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. MTV announced that Spears will perform ‘Gimme More,’ the first single from her upcoming album, at Sunday’s event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spears, whose late-night partying and erratic behavior have made her a tabloid fixture, is a veteran of the VMAs. She performed ‘I’m A Slave 4 U’ with a 7-foot albino python around her neck in 2001. Two years later, she and Madonna sparked a controversy and delighted viewers with an open-mouth kiss, when they performed together in the opening act. As previously announced, Spears’ long-awaited new album is due for release Nov. 13 by Jive Records. She has said she’d hoped to jump back into the music scene this year, and in May, staged several concerts at clubs in California.
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Luciano Pavarotti, whose grand showmanship made him one of opera’s most beloved tenors, has died. He was 71. Pavarotti had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment as recent as two weeks ago. His manager, Terri Robson, said in a statement that Pavarotti died at his home in Modena, Italy, at 5 a.m. local time, Wednesday.”The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness,” the statement said. Pavarotti’s voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and ’70s when he first achieved stardom. Instantly recognizable from his charcoal black beard and tuxedo-busting girth, Pavarotti radiated an intangible magic that helped him win millions of fans worldwide.
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Paris Hilton sold her 1926 Spanish-style Hollywood Hills home for $4.25 million. Hilton is buying a larger home in a gated community or, one with a long gated driveway, according to her aunt and informal spokeswoman, Kyle Richards. Hilton bought the four-bedroom residence in 2004 for about $2.9 million, during the second season of her reality show, ‘The Simple Life.’ She redecorated the interior in black and white and transformed one bedroom into a walk-in closet and another into a security control room. During Hilton’s recent legal woes, her home was the center of a media invasion that was upsetting her neighbors. The throng of reporters and paparazzi staked out the home above Sunset Boulevard, capturing her move from jail to home and back again. The onslaught caused some residents to circulate a letter advising neighbors to call police about the noise and traffic. Richards, says their discomfort was not a factor in Paris’ decision to sell. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to see the paparazzi go, but that had nothing to do with it,” Richards says. “She can’t control the people who are outside.”
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