Phil Spector’s million-dollar bail has been extended through the end of next month, as investigators work to build a case against the legendary record producer. In February, B-movie actress Lana Clarkson was found dead at his L.A.-area mansion from a gunshot wound.
Spector, famous for his “Wall Of Sound” production in the ’60s for acts like the Ronettes and the Crystals, was arrested on suspicion of murder on February 3, though formal charges have yet to be filed. The Los Angeles sheriff’s department is still waiting for reports from its crime lab.
Since his arrest, Spector has claimed he is innocent and told Esquire magazine he believed Clarkson shot herself in an act of suicide, though investigators ruled that out in March, declaring that a criminal act had been committed.
Source launch.com.
Former Motley Crue singer Vince Neil has been charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly attacking a prostitute at a brothel last month, a prosecutor said. Neil, 42, allegedly grabbed prostitute Andrea Terry by the throat on July 10 and threw her against a wall at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch just east of Carson City, according to the criminal complaint. If convicted, the rocker could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. No date has been set yet for Neil’s initial appearance in Dayton Justice Court.
Neil’s lawyer, Robert Shapiro of Los Angeles, did not immediately return a phone call to his office Saturday.
Brothel owner Dennis Hof was out of town and also did not return a call.
But Hof had told the New York Daily News that Neil and Terry got into an argument because he didn’t want to have sex with her.
Neil stopped by the legal brothel after a July 9 concert in Reno with the fellow 1980s metal bands Poison and Skid Row.
In April, Neil entered a no contest plea to misdemeanor battery in an assault involving record producer Michael Shuman outside a West Hollywood, California, nightclub last year.
In that case, a Superior Court judge ordered Neil to complete 100 hours of community service and pay restitution.
Sourcecnn.com.
An upholstery shop turned rock ‘n’ roll recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, became a National Historic Landmark Thursday, one day after the death of the studio’s founder, Sam Phillips.
The building was the birthplace of Sun Records, one of the most famous recording labels in music history, linked to names such as Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
It is the first recording studio to be granted National Historic Landmark status.
Source cnn.com.
After substantial number crunching and considerable deliberation, it is with tremendous disappointment that Terrapin is forced to announce the cancellation of this summer
Several US colleges are laying down some entertainment law as part of freshmen orientation this summer: If the recording industry catches you sharing copyrighted music files, they say, we won’t protect you.
As the recording industry deepens its crackdown on Internet music piracy, administrators at several major universities said they are now spending an unprecedented amount of orientation time educating students about copyright infringement and fielding questions from an increasing number of parents who are concerned about file-sharing. And their message to students and parents is stark.
While most universities have traditionally devoted significant time to questions about computer networking, a barrage of subpoenas issued this month by the Recording Industry Association of America has focused the attention of many administrators on the problems specifically associated with file-swapping programs such as KaZaA, Grokster, and Morpheus. The industry association sent over 900 subpoenas this summer to colleges and Internet service providers, including Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp., demanding the names and addresses of computer users it suspects of sharing copyrighted music.
Copyright violation, the colleges say, is serious business: Under federal law, the industry could seek penalties of $750 to $150,000 for each illegally shared song.
Source Boston.com.
Star Wars: Clone Wars, a series of animated shorts featuring the epic battles often mentioned but never seen in the Star Wars films, is being prepped for its fall premiere on the Cartoon Network.
The first installment in the series, a collaboration between the AOL Time Warner-owned cable net and Lucasfilm, was previewed earlier this month at the Television Critics Association meeting, and buzz is building online for the ‘toons, which are being helmed by Genndy Tartakovsky of Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory fame.
Each Clone Wars adventure will run two-to-three minutes and focus on Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and their cohorts as they lead the Galactic Republic against evil armies of cloned troopers created by the Separatists. Put together, the strip tells one continuous story and includes tangents into minor characters’ stories as well.
Clone Wars is expected to debut November 9 and each episode will arrive at regularly scheduled intervals.
She says network programmers are discussing various options for how to roll out the ‘toons, but the likeliest scenario will see the cable channel present the first 10 episodes in the fall and another 10 in the spring.
The Cartoon Network is also talking with Lucasfilm about extending their partnership to include the possibility of creating a stand-alone Star Wars animated series.
Source yahoo.com.
Ringling, the nation’s largest circus will have to defend itself against charges that it mistreats elephants that perform under the big tent.
A federal judge has declined to dismiss a lawsuit by animal welfare groups claiming Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has abused Asian elephants in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
The groups claim circus employees routinely beat the elephants with sharp bull hooks, keep elephants in chains for long periods of time and forcibly remove baby elephants from their mothers before they are properly weaned.
The suit was filed in 2000 by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, The Fund for Animals and Tom Rider, a former Ringling Bros. elephant trainer.
In his decision, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said the case in Washington can go forward because Asian elephants are considered an endangered species under federal law.
Sourcecnn.com.
Rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was given 10 months in prison Thursday after a parole board found that he struck a Hollywood nightclub valet.
Knight, who has been jailed since June 27, faced a maximum sentence of a year in prison for the parole violation. He has been credited for time spent behind bars, said Bill Sessa, a spokesman for the Board of Prison Terms.
The parole board heard compelling testimony during a closed hearing from the arresting officer and a witness before making its decision, Sessa said.
Mehdi Lazrak, 25, the alleged victim, said outside the hearing that Knight never struck him.
“I never said I was hit by him,” Lazrak said. “I don’t know how police got that idea.”
Lazrak said he was hit from behind on the back of the head. Authorities believe Lazrak didn’t see who hit him, Sessa said.
Knight, 37, was instrumental in driving gangsta rap into the mainstream in the 1990s while heading Death Row Records. He fielded a stable of rappers that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur.
Knight was paroled from prison in 2001, but served 61 days behind bars earlier this year for associating with a known gang member in violation of his parole.
Source cnn.com.
