Amy Winehouse must be going through some serious shit. Even for her. No, she’s not stoned out of her mind – or at least not to the point that it’s obvious just by looking at photos of her – but Amy’s beehive has reached legendary proportions. And Amy herself once said that when the beehive grows that tall, shit is going down.

Amy Winehouse has spoken out about her recent troubles - and blames her meltdown on having no confidence about her looks.

‘I’m quite an insecure person,’ she says. ‘I’m very insecure about the way I look. I mean, I’m a musician I’m not a model. The more insecure I felt, the more I’d drink.

‘And to Tracey Trash, who does my hair, I’d be like, “Bigger! Bigger!” - like the more insecure I feel, the bigger my hair has to be.’

[From Now Magazine]

Amy said this in an interview last fall, after she and husband Blake were arrested in Norway for pot possession. I’m guessing she’s either feeling super unattractive right now, or the beehive height can correlate to any kind of insecurity. Though logically, I’ve got to wonder how a higher beehive would make a girl feel better about herself. Perhaps she thinks it distracts from the rest of her. Which – to be fair – when it’s really big, it sorta does.

Amy has a lot to stress about right now. Her husband Blake has pleaded guilty to assault and perverting the course of justice (witness tampering) in London, and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Images thanks to Splash.

Details have finally been released in the criminal case of Amy Winehouse’s husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Blake has been on trial for assault and perverting the course of justice (akin to witness tampering here in the states). Last week he copped a plea, but it couldn’t be released until this week, due to some stipulations put on the media by the judge.

It’s now been learned that Blake Fielder-Civil and friend Michael Brown tried to bribe pub landlord James King with approximately $400,000 after they assaulted King. It appears they beat him up in June of 2006 due to something relating to a woman: Brown used to date one of King’s friends. Fielder-Civil and Brown attacked King around closing time at the bar, and kicked him repeatedly.

Using two middle men, they offered King £200,000 to withdraw the charges, refuse to testify, and leave the country so that he couldn’t be forced into court. One of the middle men and King brought the plan to the Daily Mirror, trying to sell their story (after they’d already extended the bribe, and King had accepted). The Daily Mirror – being remarkably scrupulous – reported what they’d learned to the police, which launched the investigation. King clearly isn’t that bright, since by going to the Daily Mirror, he alerted police to his illegal activities all on his own.

But the plot was exposed when King and Kelly contacted the Daily Mirror in an attempt to sell their story - and staff informed the police. Kelly claimed that Miss Winehouse, a Grammy Award winner, was effectively funding the bribe, the court heard.

…King, who is being tried for conspiring to pervert the course of justice, said he would ‘effectively throw the case and not turn up’, so that Fielder-Civil and Brown would not face prosecution, Snaresbrook Crown Court, in East London, heard.

When they met journalist Stephen Moyes, in October 2007, he asked if Amy Winehouse was involved in the plot. ‘He was told by Kelly, “Who do you think is paying for it? Of course she is”,’ Mr Larkin said.

But there was no evidence she was part of the conspiracy. King claimed that he was ‘hounded’ by people to stop the case from going to court and suggested money was coming from Amy Winehouse to ‘make this go away’, the jury was told.

[From the Daily Mail]

It’s hard to believe that Amy Winehouse wasn’t involved in this in some way. Where else would Blake Fielder-Civil possibly get money like that? I’m not saying it was Amy’s idea, but I doubt even she would hand over that amount of money without asking what is was for. Police did investigate her involvement, but for whatever reason decided not to charge her. But it sounds like it’s pretty clear that she had something to do with the witness tampering all along.

Here’s Amy Winehouse briefly leaving her London home to hand out ice pops to fans and photographers today. Images thanks to WENN.

Amy Winehouse’s useless husband Blake Fielder-Civil, plead guilty last week to assault and conspiring with the guy he assaulted. Fielder-Civil, 26, beat up Macbeth’s Pub owner James King – and then he tried to bribe King to withdraw his allegations and leave the country. While Fielder-Civil could have gotten about three years for the original assault, it’s the witness tampering – called perverting the course of justice in the U.K. – that’s the much bigger crime. That carries up to life in prison – though Fielder-Civil is unlikely to get such a harsh sentence.

Amy Winehouse’s husband has admitted assaulting a barman and then attempting to cover it up. Blake Fielder-Civil, 26, is standing trial in London on charges of attacking pub landlord James King, and then conspiring with him to withdraw as a witness at the trial. Fielder-Civil and three-co-defendants pleaded guilty last week, but a court order barred reporting the pleas because King is due to face a separate trial. Judge David Radford lifted that restriction Monday.

Soul diva Winehouse and Fielder-Civil married in Miami in May 2007. He was arrested in November and has been in jail awaiting trial ever since. Winehouse was at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court last week for the opening legal arguments in her husband’s trial.

Fielder-Civil faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the assault charge. Perverting the course of justice carries a maximum sentence of life, though that is unlikely to be imposed in this case.

[From the Huffington Post]

I can’t even imagine what Winehouse is going to do as a result of this. Since the plea actually happened last week, it’s safe to assume she already knows about it. Fielder-Civil will be sentenced in about a month, once his co-defendants are finished with their other trials. I would imagine that if he ends up being sentenced for any significant amount of time, we’ll find Amy hallucinating on top of someone’s chimney or something. And that’d be a big improvement for her, behavior-wise.

Here’s Amy Winehouse with her dad Mitch at Guanabana restaurant in Camden, London last night. Amy then stopped at a newsstand for cigarettes and candy. Header of Blake and Amy in November, 2007. Images thanks to WENN.

Just in case Amy Winehouse’s career wasn’t screwed enough from her inability to perform, her crack-smoking video, her multiple arrests including an assault charge after she head-butted a guy, her general drugged-out behavior, and her curious friendship with perhaps the only current musician with a worse reputation than she has, there’s now a new video that’s been released by The News of The World that has shows Amy singing an obnoxious idiotic racist song that insults seven different groups at once. The News of The World also claims to have seen a video of Amy giving her husband a BJ, and a photo of her giving him a listless hand job. It doesn’t sound like Amy is shown doing drugs in the video, although she’s shown holding a home made crack pike and there is certainly plenty of paraphernalia strewn around. There is also a photo of Amy and Blake with white tablets in both of their mouths.

The News of The World describes the entire video, which was taken a little over a year ago by Amy’s incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder Civil. The say that the video was given to them by “a former friend determined to show the world just what power Blake wields in manipulating the vulnerable young star,” but Blake is likely the one who released the video and accompanying photos. There have been stories about how he’s been selling topless photos of Amy to his fellow inmates, and how he has a new girlfriend and they’re trying to extort money from the troubled star.

Fielder-Civil is now on trial for assault and “perverting the course of justice,” or witness tampering, and things seem to be better between the two. Amy has been showing up to blow kisses at her husband, speaking out inappropriately in the courtroom, and telling the press how f’ing handsome and great he is. That doesn’t mean he’s beyond releasing this video and photos, especially considering how much he lies to her on tape and swears up and down he’s not recording:

In a sequence shot around May 2007—weeks after the couple eloped to wed in Miami—they are in a dingy crack den with Delboy-style bamboo patterned wallpaper.

Amy, 24, and a pal called Sarah giggle as they sing a string of racist lines set to the tune of kiddies’ favourite ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’.

Blake pretends NOT to record the unfolding events and eggs them on, saying: “Can we have a singsong of it?”

Sarah is at first reluctant but soon warms to the action as Amy enthusiastically sings:

“Blacks, Pakis, Gooks and Nips, Gooks and Nips!

“And deaf and dumb and blind and gay!”

She repeats the first line over again and on the word “Nips” Amy pulls her eyes into slits then pushes her boobs up in a gesture to her nipples.

The girls’ efforts are greeted warmly by Blake, who pledges: “Well done. I promise I wasn’t recording it.” Amy Winehouse’s shock show-off pose

He then adds to Sarah: “I swear on your life. I swear on your life.”

As the camera pans back we see a coffee table in front of Amy. On it are SIX cigarette lighters and what appears to be HEROIN on a foil—a typical druggie scene set for “chasing the dragon” by heating the drug from below then inhaling the smoke through a tube.

[From News of the World]

Amy seemed to clean up briefly right before the Grammys in early February. She gave a great performance and seemed genuinely touched to have received five awards, including best new artist. Her troubles go beyond her choice of companions, though, and she looks worse and is acting out in public more than she did last year when this video was taken.

It’s pretty disgusting how racist and stupid she is, and she doesn’t need to have the public know that she’s an ignorant bigot as well as a drug addict. That’s not something you joke about and I wonder if she’ll apologize. Her back up band is made up of black guys and she has fans all over the world. But Paris used the “n” word and that was caught on tape and she didn’t suffer much fall out unfortunately. This is a much worse offense in that she insults four groups with incredibly derogatory names and dismisses them by saying they’re “deaf, dumb, blind and gay,” as if that’s the most negative thing she can come up with. She’s managed to dismiss and insult seven groups in one sing-song rant and there will be many more people who are unwilling to work with her or buy her music now that this is out.

After everything that this 24 year-old woman has gone through you hope she’ll clean up and that someone will step in and help her. It seems like less of a possibility the more time passes, and one of the sad things about these photos is that she looks much healthier than she does now. The more photos and videos that come out of her doing drugs and acting like a fool the less I care what happens to her though. I don’t wish her any harm, but she’s dug herself a deep hole and she seems more than content to wallow in it, singing about how happy she is to roll around in the mud.

Photos are from News of The World, where there are many more, including some of her husband’s tattoo tributes to her.

Amy Winehouse sure knows how to keep it classy. After doing her best to clean herself up for her husband Blake Civil-Fielder’s pre-trial hearings on Monday (and by best, I mean her nicest beehive and too-tight skirt), but the attempt seems to be short-lived. Today she didn’t bother to show up until 3 in the afternoon, wearing a shirt with stains on it, and generally caused a scene throughout the ENTIRE half an hour she managed to stay in the courtroom.

Amy Winehouse gave her verdict on court Wednesday, announcing aloud as pretrial arguments were going on in her husband’s case: “It’s like Disneyland.”

Fielder-Civil, who spent the first part of the afternoon with his face buried in his right hand, appeared to come to life as his wife arrived. As they did on Monday, (Winehouse did not appear in court Tuesday) the pair beamed at each other across the courtroom, raising their eyebrows, winking and blowing each other kisses.

At one point, Fielder-Civil motioned to his lawyer, who brought him paper and pen, apparently to write Winehouse a note. After the court usher shook his head no, the lawyer only whispered to Winehouse, but did not pass her the note.

The singer got up and left after about a half hour. She was unsteady on her feet and whispered “f— you” as she left.

[From People]

Ahh, the traditional “F-you.” I find few things are more likely to turn a biased judge’s favor towards your husband than uttering one of the more offensive curses. Whispered or not, it clearly was audible. But you know, let’s be fair here. If Winehouse didn’t do that, she might have just brought too much elegance and grace to the court proceedings. Really, such sophistication would have caused a major distraction in court. Amy Winehouse behaving herself is much bigger news than Amy Winehouse uttering obscenities and eyeball flirting with her husband. Yeah I know that was oddly specific, but I keep thinking of this picture for some reason.

Can’t you just imagine Winehouse and Civil-Fielder exchanging googly eyes like this at each other throughout court proceedings? I don’t even want to guess what was on the note Blake tried to pass Amy, but I’m guessing that anyone passing notes at 24-years-old is probably making fun of the judge’s wig… and then trying to get some drugs. We all know what Amy keeps in the beehive.

Here’s Amy returning home in London today after her grueling half-hour at Blake’s trial. WENN notes: “Amy Winehouse arriving home from court clutching her arm after reportedly hurting it during a clash with photographers earlier in the day. She is also carrying a bottle of Malibu.” Images thanks to WENN.

Amy Winehouse showed up for the first day of husband Blake Fielder-Civil’s trial today – but in classic Amy style, she made her appearance four hours late. Fielder-Civil is being tried on charges of assault and witness tampering. Yeah, he’s all sorts of classy. He’s been held in jail for over six months while he awaited trial. Amy did her best to clean herself up. She managed to wear a decent dress and put on her best beehive. But she still had crack-addict skin and the generally slovenly Winehouse appearance.

Amy Winehouse turned up more than four hours late to court to show support for husband Blake Fielder-Civil on Monday. Asked how her husband looked, Winehouse told PEOPLE: “He’s gorgeous as f—. Haven’t you seen him before?”

Dressed in a blue spotted shirtdress, cream platform peep-toe Christian Louboutin shoes and carrying a black quilted Chanel handbag, Winehouse arrived at court shortly after 2 p.m. She sat alone in the court’s empty front row, blowing kisses and mouthing “I love you” to her husband, who was seated behind glass across the courtroom.

The singer appeared alternately dazed, bored, and outraged as pretrial arguments wore on. At one point, Fielder-Civil got the bailiff to have the court’s usher fetch one of Fielder-Civil’s lawyers in order to relay a message to his wife. After a whispered conversation with the lawyer, Winehouse rummaged in her handbag and held up a heart brooch bearing the word “Blake” in her husband’s direction.

Winehouse continued a mouthed conversation with her husband until the usher stopped her. At about 4 p.m., she motioned to her husband that she’d had enough and was leaving. “I love you, you’re fit,” she said, using the British slang for gorgeous as she stood up and exited the courtroom.

[From People]

What a picture of wifely devotion. Winehouse had quite the hickey on her neck when she gave a widely-panned performance at her concert in Lisbon on Friday night. Here’s Winehouse at court today in London. Images thanks to Splash.

Any good will and future hope Amy Winehouse garnered during her triumphant Grammy performance and multiple wins has been pissed away by now. At this point, even her most ardent fans are getting fed up with her refusal to get help for her obvious substance abuse problems- to the point that she cannot reliably perform live anymore. This was evident after Winehouse disappointed a group of fans who waited over an hour for her to show up at her first concert since appearing on the Grammys. Not only was she late, but she was, as expected, a complete and total mess. The fans even booed her.

Amy Winehouse kept 90,000 fans at the Lisbon music festival waiting almost an hour at the first concert she has given since leaving rehab.

“Hey Lisbon, I’m sorry I’m late,” the Grammy winner, 24, told the sold out crowd, which had started to boo when she failed to arrive, the Associated Press. The singer said she was suffering from a sore throat, but disappointed many with her distracted performance of hits like “Rehab.”

Her voice cracked repeatedly and she often stopped to fix her microphone or talk with her band members.

The singer, who had visible cuts on her left arm, and a bandage on her right hand, left the stage without performing an encore.

[From People]

I really wish Amy had a Daddy Spears in her life who would come in, take charge, and get her back on track. While her parents seem to care about her a lot, they don’t seem to be able to give her the “tough love” she needs right now. Instead, they run to the tabloids or write long, rambling letters to magazines that Amy doesn’t read, because she’s too busy getting cracked out with Pete Doherty. I’d love to see Amy’s dad march into her apartment, throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to a rehab clinic. It might be the only way she’d go.

Amy Winehouse is shown performing at Rock in Rio Lisboa on 5/30/08, thanks to WENN.

Here’s the video:

A lot of bad ideas don’t seem like bad ideas until you’re half way through them. Then you think back with that beloved 20/20 hindsight and wish you would have thought whatever it was through a little better. But there are some ideas that are so obviously terrible that you’ve got to wonder what kind of moron would go through with it. Case in point: booking Amy Winehouse to perform at the prestigious concert celebrating Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday.

Nelson Mandela just scored a coup of a birthday guest…that is, if she shows up. Amy Winehouse has officially been added to the lineup of artists set to perform at a special London concert marking the former South African president’s 90th birthday.

In addition to the “Back to Black” singer, Leona Lewis, Queen, Razorlight, Annie Lennox and Shirley Bassey are set to perform at the three-hour June 27 event in Hyde Park, which Mandela himself is set to attend. Proceeds will go toward his 46664 charity, a global campaign to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS.

“We are delighted Amy will be appearing at Hyde Park,” Tim Massey, the international director of the charity named after Mandela’s prison number, said.

The gig—which, fitting with the theme of the night, will have an audience that’s 46,664-strong—will mark Winehouse’s first full set onstage since last November, right before she called off her tour.

[From E! News]

What a fabulous idea. Who better to promote AIDS awareness than a famous IV drug addict? Now in all fairness the likelihood that Winehouse will actually even show up is almost nil. And to further ensure that she makes a fool of herself and increases her reputation as being unreliable, Amy is also scheduled to perform at the Glastonbury Music Festival the next day.

Two high profile concerts in two days? When in the world will she have time to snort and shoot? I can guarandamntee you that at least one of those concerts isn’t going to have Amy Winehouse singing. It might have Amy Winehouse passed out in a porta potty, but singing isn’t going to happen.

Here’s Amy Winehouse arriving at Pentonville Prison to visit her husband Blake ahead of her performance this weekend at the ‘Rock in Rio’ festival in Portugal. I honestly did not cherry pick the worst photos. This is the lot of them. Images thanks to WENN.

It turns out that when you bring a good influence into Amy Winehouse’s life, the odds are much greater that Winehouse will mess up the good influence rather than the good influence straightening out Winehouse. Amy’s rumored boyfriend Alex Haines was brought in by her record company to keep Amy on the straight and narrow. Romance rumors started swirling almost immediately, with Winehouse’s family – seemingly joyfully – declaring them a couple. But instead of helping Winehouse clean up, it seems that she instead helped Alex get messed up. He was videotaped smoking crack and then fired by Winehouse’s record label.

Another member of Amy Winehouse’s posse has been busted for drug abuse. Alex Haines, an employee of Winehouse’s label who was instructed to keep an eye on the troubled singer, was fired after he was allegedly caught smoking crack on tape, Britain’s The Mirror reports.

Haines was originally brought into the fold to keep Winehouse, who has a history of problems with drugs and alcohol, on the straight and narrow. The singer’s mom raved about Haines last month, telling the U.K.’s Daily Mail that he’s “a lovely boy” who was a good influence on her daughter. Whoops.

Winehouse and Haines have been plagued by reports that they’re a couple, which didn’t sit too well with Winehouse’s incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. “Alex was a good friend to Amy but he caused massive rows for her with Blake,” a pal said. “He couldn’t stand hearing they were sleeping together.”

A spokesman Winehouse’s label has confirmed that Haines is no longer their employee.

[From the New York Daily News]

Poor guy. I mean I’m sure Winehouse didn’t hold a gun to his head and force him to smoke crack, but you can’t help but feel sorry for a guy that was widely reported to be a relative pillar of straight-laced integrity prior to meeting Amy Winehouse. Of their rumored romance, Amy’s father Mitch conceded that it was likely Amy who seduced Alex, and not the other way around. I’m guessing if that’s the case, she’s probably the one who turned him onto crack too. It sucks that he got fired, but in the long run being far away from Amy Winehouse can only be good for Alex.

Here’s Alex s at Amy’s house on April 29th. Header image of Alex with Amy on April 25th. Images thanks to WENN.

Amy Winehouse’s longtime friend and producer, Mark Ronson, told reporters that she was in no shape to record the soundtrack for the upcoming James Bond film Quantum of Solace. However Winehouse is claiming that she’s got enough material – good material – to fill up the entire soundtrack. But 007 film bosses still aren’t sure if they want her tunes.

Fiery Amy Winehouse last night told James Bond film bosses to “put up or shut up”. She has been shaken and stirred by claims she has abandoned plans to record the theme tune for new 007 blockbuster Quantum Of Solace. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sunday, the troubled singer said she was delighted with the result of her recording efforts – believed to be without top producer Mark Ronson. And, barely disguising her annoyance at 007’s movie bosses, she said it was now “up to them” if they want the sure-fire hit songs or not.

It is also believed Bond bosses fear using her music in case it detracts from the movie, even though star Daniel Craig recently said: “It would be amazing if she could.” Amy, 24, whose family say is now on the road to recovery, said: “I’ve done loads of Bond songs, there are loads of good ones I’m really happy with. I don’t know what is wrong with them or what the problem is, to be honest. It’s there, ready and done, and it’s up to them if they want it or not.”

Pals say the main track up for consideration is a big Shirley Bassey 60s-type number. Record company bosses are pleased with the “surefire hit”. But Bond chiefs are still dithering. And a source said: “It’s at a delicate stage. Amy is still seen as damaged goods – she will have to prove she’s on the road to recovery before she’s signed up.”

[From the Daily Star]

Several media outlets are reporting that Beyonce has already been tapped to replace Winehouse as the film’s songstress. Though frankly I think her music could detract from the film much more than Amy’s.

I find it curious that the “Bond chiefs” are saying Amy would have to “prove she’s on the road to recovery” to sing the film’s songs. It’d be one thing if they had yet to be recorded, and thus studio bosses were afraid she couldn’t follow through. But Winehouse is claiming they’re already done. So unless the studio doesn’t like the music, I can’t see what the problem is.

I guess it’s possible the studio might want Winehouse to perform a few songs from the soundtrack to promote the film. That could be problematic. Either way, it could only help Amy to be on the “road to recovery” as they put it. She sounds pretty annoyed with them, and it sounds like it’s quite likely her songs will never see the light of day… or the darkness of a movie theater.

Here’s Amy, answering her door to sign autographs barefoot and wearing only a bra on Friday. Images thanks to WENN.