Dr. Conrad Murray’s legal team believes sequestering the jury is the only way to ensure his fair trial in the Michael Jackson manslaughter case. Charged with involuntarily causing the King of Pop’s death, Murray wants the court protect him and the system from “character assassinations.” The name Nancy Grace has come up more than once from Murray’s lawyers, citing the case of Casey Anthony , who ended up walking in July. Dr. Conrad Murray ‘s lawyers say the only reason the Anthony jurors were unswayed by the media skewering of Anthony was because they were sequestered. According to documents, Grace and others engaged in “nonstop on-air abuse of not only the defendant, but the jurors and defense attorneys involved.” The legal docs claim , “There is reasonable expectation that Dr. Murray’s trial will be the most publicized in history,” and that of the several hundred jurors polled during jury selection, only one claimed not to have heard of the case. Judge Michael Pastor said last month he would consider sequestering the jury, although he felt it was unnecessary and expensive. Stay tuned … [Photo: WENN.com]
Dr. Conrad Murray’s legal team believes sequestering the jury is the only way to ensure his fair trial in the Michael Jackson manslaughter case. Charged with involuntarily causing the King of Pop’s death, Murray wants the court protect him and the system from “character assassinations.” The name Nancy Grace has come up more than once from Murray’s lawyers, citing the case of Casey Anthony , who ended up walking in July. Dr. Conrad Murray ‘s lawyers say the only reason the Anthony jurors were unswayed by the media skewering of Anthony was because they were sequestered. According to documents, Grace and others engaged in “nonstop on-air abuse of not only the defendant, but the jurors and defense attorneys involved.” The legal docs claim , “There is reasonable expectation that Dr. Murray’s trial will be the most publicized in history,” and that of the several hundred jurors polled during jury selection, only one claimed not to have heard of the case. Judge Michael Pastor said last month he would consider sequestering the jury, although he felt it was unnecessary and expensive. Stay tuned … [Photo: WENN.com]
Last week’s eviction of Lawon and return of Brendon could’ve spelled certain defeat for Daniele and Kalia unless the former somehow came through to win HoH. Amazingly, with a boost from Jorff and Brenchel’s inability to count, she did. But what she did in her second reign as Head of Household came as a surprise. THG recaps Sunday’s Big Brother installment below … Minus 8 for having to relive this moment again at the start. Minus 5 more for Shelly’s blatant celebration of Brendon’s return, which – spoiler alert – she may come to regret depending on how this week progresses. “Why?!? Why, America?!?!” Kalia whines about the voting that sent Brendon back into the house. Um, probably to see this exact reaction on TV? Plus 4 . For the second time this year, Dani knows that if she doesn’t win HoH, she’s toast. But then Brendon, Rachel, Jeff and Jordan all go down hard! Plus 7 . Plus 2 for Jeff’s overly enthusiastic narration, in general. When Porsche’s home state came up, she cannot BELIEVE it is represented by olives (in a martini glass to symbolize nightlife, her career field ). Instead, she suggests … alligators. GREAT idea for a counting game. Plus 6 . Plus 3 more because whenever we see her listed as VIP Cocktail Waitress, we can’t help but think of Tiger Woods. She’s even from Florida, too! Daniele triumphs with a consistent set of ballpark guesses. If nothing else, the girl backs up her tough talk and will never say die. Props. Plus 9 . Shelly’s machinations finally caught up with her. About time. Minus 12 , because you can’t play all sides for so long AND act so indignant after it backfires. At least be somewhat self-aware and own your mistakes. Plus 6 for Jordan’s “job interview” with her, though. Porsche’s an airhead, but she’s not totally inept, making her more of an idiot savant than, say, Lawon, who was purely an idiot. He asked to be evicted! Plus 2 . While Brenchel’s word must be taken with a boulder of salt, they made a nice pitch to Daniele. First, they sabotaged Shelly nicely. Second, they admitted that they, too, are targets. No one would see this alliance coming … Plus 9 . Adam to Daniele: “If I win HoH next week …” Sorry, we stopped paying attention, since we focus only on plausible scenarios here. Plus 3 for trying though. “I will never let her take my class away from me.” – Shelly. No words can do it justice, but Minus 17 for the amazingly clueless, absurd nature of this quote, on top of the nonsense about not being “cool enough” to hang with Dani. At least Adam (like Dominic) realizes he sucks. Plus 5 . Daniele surprisingly puts up Shelly and Adam. Wash . Seems like she’s overthinking it, rather than going with her gut and gunning for Brenchel. Then again, the back door strategy is in play, and Shelly is the worst kind of floater – a dangerous one. EPISODE TOTAL: +14. SEASON TOTAL: +4. Did Dani make the right call with her nominations?
In Friday’s THG Caption Contest , we asked you to come up with the best one for this photo of Britney Spears and Pauly D during her concert. Our winner is kellie . Nice work! The winning entry appears below . Honorable mentions go out to Tina , Misty and Anouchka . Thanks to all of you for playing as always, and best of luck in our next contest! “CRABS ARE HEAAAAA!!!”
Casey Anthony’s lawyers are fighting her court-ordered return to Florida . Judge Belvin Perry ruled last week that that Casey must serve out her probation for a check fraud conviction right now, in her native state of Florida. Anthony’s legal team believes she effectively served it while she sat in jail during her murder trial, and appealed the judge’s order for her to return. If they lose the appeal, Casey will have to return to Florida in 11 days. Anthony was given a year’s probation in her 2010 check fraud case, and the judge who sentenced her said in court that the time Casey spent in jail facing murder charges would not count toward completing probation. However, the order the judge signed mistakenly allowed Casey’s probation to run concurrently with her time behind bars. Thus the confusion. The judge ruled Friday that the error was just that – an error. Perry said it wouldn’t make sense to allow Casey to get credit for the time she was in jail, as the point of probation is to test how a person behaves in the real world, not locked up with few opportunities to get into trouble. Nevertheless, her attorneys are appealing Friday’s ruling. If they win, it would mean Casey would get a huge break, as her probation would already be considered complete because of a technical error. As a contingency, Casey’s lawyers say if they lose their appeal, they want her to be allowed to serve her probation in a state other than Florida. They believe that as America’s Most Hated Person , it would be both expensive and dangerous for Anthony, who has been in hiding (in Ohio, among possible other locations) since her release, to come back to Orlando.
Welcome to THG’s Week in Review! Below, our staff takes a look back at the stories, stars and scandals that made these last seven days so memorable. If you don’t already, you can FOLLOW THG on Twitter and Facebook for 24/7/365 news. Day in and day out, let us be your #1 celebrity gossip source! Now, a rundown of the week that was at The Hollywood Gossip : Any week featuring Lady Gaga in drag is going to be a good week. Mercede Johnston unloaded on the Palins. And posed in Playboy . Thank you, Kelly Rowland , for the extreme on-stage exposure. Kayte Walsh and Camille Grammer traded some genitalia jokes. Robert Pattinson had some harsh words for Edward Cullen . Sesame Street confirmed the status of Bert and Ernie . Al Gore Global Warming Rant This Al Gore rant (above) was the talk of the Internets he invented. Singer Gavin DeGraw was attacked on the streets of New York. Miranda Cosgrove broke her ankle in a bad tour bus accident. Casey Anthony was named America’s most hated person . Rihanna is too sexual , according to a former Spice Girl. Lopez Tonight got the axe from TBS. Melanie Moore is this year’s So You Think You Can Dance winner . Our latest Jersey Shore recap documents the drama from Italy. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez as you’ve never seen them. Police probed the disappearance of Robyn Gardner in Aruba. Jenelle Evans was arrested for violating her probation. Someone may be stalking Jasmine Villegas . Uncool. Anderson Cooper took a shot at Chris Brown . Miltary Personnel Cover Adele Members of the armed forces made our day with the Adele cover above. Kanye West and Jay Z released their latest music video collaboration. Demi Lovato revealed the title of her upcoming album Unbroken . Kate Gosselin is ready to start dating again. Thankfully. The Teen Choice Awards were, like, pretty huge. Adam Lambert is in love . R.I.P. Jani Lane .
Earlier this week, Casey Anthony temporarily avoided a hearing regarding the terms of her probation stemming from a Florida check fraud conviction. Judge Belvin Perry said he’d need more time to consider the facts before ruling on whether Casey must return home to serve probation in that case. “I’ll be the first to admit this is not a very clear cut issue … you’ve given me a lot to think about,” Perry said, calling it “a legal maze” and “a mess”. Anthony who was acquitted last month in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, is believed to be in Ohio and didn’t attend the hearing. Her attorneys argue that she should not be required to return because of safety concerns, and because she served the probation behind bars. It’s as confusing as it sounds, if not more so. On January 25, 2010, Anthony was given probation by Judge Stan Strickland after she’d pleaded guilty to charges she stole checks from a friend. The confusion set in as Florida’s Department of Corrections thought Anthony could serve the probation while in custody awaiting her murder trial. Strickland said last week he wanted Anthony to serve the probation after the sentence, not during. Last week, Perry said he’d wanted the same. However, Department of Corrections probation supervisor Susan Finigan testified that proper procedures were practiced in Anthony’s case. Finigan added that while it’s not the usual arrangement to have someone in custody serving their probation, “It does happen on occasion.” The Department of Corrections therefore deemed that Anthony’s probation was concluded on January 24, long before her murder acquittal . Anthony’s legal team claimed their client’s life would be in grave danger if the state forces her to serve a year’s probation for check fraud. “This thing is over and done,” her Florida-based lawyer, Jose Baez, said. “And for some reason things seem to keep coming up again.” Judge Perry did not say when he would announce his ruling.
Last week Chante Moore made an announcement that she and her hubby of nine years Kenny Lattimore are officially a wrap. The singer posted the following “private announcement” on her Facebook page last Wednesday: Private Announcement Wednesday, July 27 at 11:30pm – July 28 at 2:30am TO MY FANS There are moments that change your life forever. I’ve NEVER been one to share the details of my personal life in the media. This moment will be an exception. I would much rather my fans hear this sensitive information directly from me, than some random inaccurate media source. My Ex-husband Kenny Lattimore and I are Divorced. We both will continue to be devoted parents to our son. Keep us all in your prayers! ~Chante’ They’re definitely in our prayers… particularly her bangin’ a*s. We will happily scoop her up for some good cougar lovin’. In the meantime Chante’ has her hands full as the host of an upcoming Sporty Girl Fitness 90 Day Transformation reality show. Michael Jai White, Vivica Fox and Tamyra Gray (American Idol) are also involved with the project.
Ah, ah, ahhhh not so fast… A Florida judge on Monday signed amended court documents mandating that Casey Anthony return to Orlando to serve a year of probation stemming from her check fraud conviction. “From my reading of this, she should be reporting to probation in Orlando probably within 72 hours,” Orange County Circuit Judge Stan Strickland said in signing the documents, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The action came after an apparent misunderstanding in the case. Anthony pleaded guilty in January 2010 to felony check fraud charges, admitting she stole a checkbook from her friend Amy Huizenga and wrote five checks totaling $644.25. At the time, defense attorney Jose Baez asked that Anthony be given credit for time served and be placed on probation. Strickland apparently intended for the supervised probation to begin after Anthony’s release from custody, said Randy Means, spokesman for the Orange County State Attorney’s Office. But the order signed by Strickland at the time seemed to indicate it was to run while she was in custody awaiting trial on murder charges in the 2008 death of her daughter Caylee. We bet you thought you were Scott-free huh heffa? Source
People can soon stop asking ” Where is Casey Anthony ?” The acquitted murder suspect went into hiding after her July 17 release, with people speculation that she was everywhere from California to the Bahamas. Thanks to a judge’s order, however, Anthony soon will return to her native Orlando, Fla., within the next three days to report to a local probation office. Orange County Judge Stan Strickland signed court documents requiring Anthony to serve a year of supervised probation on her check fraud charges. “She should report to probation, probably within 72 hours,” Strickland said . Last year, Srickland sentenced Anthony – then awaiting trial for murder – on charges that she stole a friend’s checkbook and forged several checks. Last week, he said he intended for Anthony to go to supervised probation upon her release. Department of Corrections officials misinterpreted that order. Believing that Casey Anthony had served her probation while in jail, her lawyers did not have her report to probation. That’s what she must do this week. It is unclear where Anthony will stay when she returns to Orlando, but you can bet there will be police officers protecting her at every turn. Anthony, who has received myriad threats since she got out of jail, where she spent nearly 1,000 days since 2008, has said through her legal team that she will be undergoing major mental health treatment .
