Remember the summer of 2006? The midterms were heating up, that freak who wanted attention confessed to killing Jon Benet Ramsey, Israel was bombing the hell out of Lebanon, and an Oscar winning director was spending his summer getting wasted in Malibu bars. It was on the sultry night of July 28 that Mel Gibson was pulled over for speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway. What happened next was equal parts hilarious and sad. It involved Mel Gibson drunkenly yelling about “the f-cking Jews” and claiming to “own Malibu”. It involved an open bottle of tequila in the front seat, and refusing to be handcuffed. It also allegedly involved Mel asking a female officier, “What are you looking at, Sugart-ts?”

Of course all hell broke loose, and Mel’s reputation has pretty much never recovered. Mel didn’t have to go to jail – he was formally charged with a misdemeanor DUI, and Mel pled no contest. Mel got three years probation and treatment for his alcoholism. He also volunteered to do public service announcements. The judge praised him for his good work, and now Mel’s probation is officially over. So, of course, Mel wants his record expunged. Because that’s the way to make this incident go away?

Mel Gibson will ask a judge to expunge the DUI heard round the world.

We’ve obtained legal papers (on Yom Kippur, funny enough) revealing that Gibson’s lawyer, Blair Berk, will go to court in exactly one week and ask the judge to remove the DUI from Gibson’s record — because he has successfully completed all the terms of his 3-year probation.

You may recall Gibson was arrested in Malibu back in July, 2006 and went on an anti-Semitic rant that authorities tried to bury. TMZ broke the story of the tirade after obtaining four inflammatory pages that had been removed from the deputy’s report.

[From TMZ]

I don’t care for celebrities being given special treatment, so I think that if it’s common in California to have your misdemeanor DUIs expunged, then Mel should be allowed. If it’s uncommon, then the charge should remain on his record. I hate when DUIs are treated like just some random driving charge, though. A DUI isn’t like a failure to signal, or expired tags or whatever. I believe DUIs should remain on a person’s record, and affect their insurance and any future charges they may face. Many states do that now – if you get two or three DUIs, you lose your license for life. I think that’s the way it should be – regardless of the sad hilarity of “sugart-ts” and “owning Malibu”, Mel could have killed somebody with his drunk driving.

Back in 1977, director Roman Polanski was photographing a 13-year-old girl, Samantha Geimer, at his friend Jack Nicholson’s home. Just days later, she accused Polanski of rape. She claimed Polanski fed her champagne and prescription drugs, then raped her repeatedly. At first, six charges were leveled at Polanski, and after the charges were filed, Polanski made a plea deal with the LA County’s district attorney in 1978. He pled guilty to “unlawful sexual intercourse” with an underage girl, and he was imprisoned for 42 days.

What happened then is rather sketchy, and there have been several different versions. Some versions have Polanski simply not wanting to serve any additional time in any jail, as per his plea deal, which led to his fleeing the United States. Other versions have a corrupt judge and/or district attorney who were trying to renege on the agreed-upon plea deal. It’s very confusing, and I’m honestly not sure what really happened. All I know is that in 1978, Roman Polanski fled the country on his French passport, and he’s never come back to the states once, not even to collect his Best Director Oscar for 2002’s The Pianist. (Sidenote: Jack Nicholson collected Polanski’s Oscar, and hand-delivered it to him in France.)

Since 1978, Polanski has lived in France for the most part, making his films and enjoying his freedom. The French authorities always claimed that they would not enforce an outstanding American extradition order because his crime was not covered by existing treaties between France and America. This weekend, the 76-year-old Polanski set out from his French home to head to Switzerland. He was due to receive a lifetime achievement award from Zurich Film Festival. The Swiss police arrested and detained Polanski as soon as he entered the country, and they have every intention to extradite him to the United States:

Director Roman Polanski, who fled the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in California, has been arrested in Switzerland.

In a statement, the Zurich Film Festival, where Polanski, 76, was due to receive a lifetime achievement award, said the Oscar-winning director was held on his arrival in Switzerland Saturday.

A U.S. warrant for his arrest was issued when Polanski left the country more than 30 years ago before his sentencing. Polanski, a French citizen, has never returned to the U.S. since then and has sought to have the case against him dismissed.

The Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police, which confirmed Polanski’s arrest on an outstanding American warrant, added that a decision to extradite him to the U.S. is subject to judicial procedure.

“Why now?,” a friend of Polanski told PEOPLE on Sunday. “We don’t understand. Roman has been to Switzerland before so we don’t understand why he’s been arrested this time.”

Earlier this year, a California judge demanded that the director return to the U.S. in order to apply for dismissal – something Polanski has refused to do for fear of being arrested on arrival as a fugitive.

Polanski’s victim, Samantha Geimer, who has said she long ago moved on with her life, told PEOPLE in 1997, “If Polanski comes back – fine. That would at least end it. It will never be over until that happens.”

The Polish born filmmaker – whose films include Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown and 2002′s The Pianist, for which he was named Best Director (Harrison Ford accepted on his behalf) – is married to French actress Emmanuelle Seigner and has two children, Morgane and Elvis.

In 2005, he won a libel suit against Vanity Fair magazine over an article that accused him of propositioning a woman while on the way to the funeral of his murdered second wife, Sharon Tate, a victim of the 1969 Charles Manson killings.

[From People]

According to the Associated Press (via HuffPo), the Swiss authorities are waiting for the American government to make a formal extradition request. There’s still a lot of paperwork and legal and diplomatic wrangling to be done, but I think there’s a good chance Polanski could be back in America within the next few months. Although, Polanski has very powerful allies in the French government, and they might try to pull some major strings to get Polanski back. The French Minister of Culture, Frederic Mitterrand, is said to be briefing President Nicholas Sarkozy on the issues, so Sarko could step up big time.

People rake Polanski over the coals every few years, and Polanski’s victim, Samantha Geimer, usually gives a quote. The last time I remember her speaking out was after Polanski’s Oscar win, when she said publicly that Polanski’s case should be dismissed and all charges dropped. While I think she was definitely raped, I also think she’s dealt with what happened to her, and she’s looking for some peace. Polanski even paid Geimer an undisclosed settlement when she took her case to civil court. While it’s nice to see the Swiss stand up for justice everywhere, at some point people have got to drop this. I hope Polanski is extradited, brought to America, and the case can be formally resolved in a just way.

Roman Polanski is shown on 6/15/09 in Paris in the header and on 5/25/08 in Cannes below. Credit: PRPhotos

Professional whiney bitch loser Joe Francis is getting off on tax evasion charges with one hell of a light sentence. Francis has one hell of a long and complicated legal history. He’s served time for all sorts of things, from taping underage girls topless (for the Girls Gone Wild series) to two contempt charges (for showing up five hours late to a trial and freaking out and going on an expletive-laced tirade in a court-ordered mediation). Even though he was given the option of bail, he chose to remain in a Nevada prison where he got special treatment, including unlimited phone and email privileges, so he wouldn’t be extradited to a Florida prison where he’d be treated like everyone else. It’s incredibly hard to keep track of all the slimy douche baggy things the guy has done. And he seems to get away with it more often than not. Now he’s just got to pony up a little cash and he’s good to go.

UPDATE: Francis pleaded guilty this afternoon to two counts of filing false tax returns and one count of bribing Nevada jail workers to bring him food.

He must pay $249,705 in restitution but will receive credit for the 301 days he spent in lockup—meaning, no more slammer time for Francis, who had been facing a possible 10 years in prison if the case had gone to trial.

In court, Francis told the judge he will “try to be good and stay out of the clubs.” He is also allowed to travel outside the U.S.

He’ll be officially let off the hook sentenced on Nov. 6.

In thanking his lawyers following today’s hearing, Francis said in a statement: “The one thing I’ve learned about myself during this process is that I can be a difficult client, but they are a fantastic group of brilliant legal minds who recognized the truth when they saw it and had the passion to care about what happened to me. “

[From E! News]

Joe Francis deserves to be locked up indefinitely just for being Joe Francis. Yes, being Joe Francis should be a crime. He is the sleaziest, most disgusting slug. Not just what he does for a living or the way he does it, but who he actually is. Look at that smile. Don’t you just want to knock him upside the head? I relish the thought of Joe wasting away in prison. Unfortunately I’m not a judge, or Joe would never see outside of solitary confinement until the end of his days. Let’s not forget that this is the man who got an 18-year-old virgin totally wasted and then raped her on a bus. That’s the kind of scum we’re dealing with here. He also could have served up to ten years on all the tax charges. Everything considered, he got off way too easily.

Here’s Joe Francis laughing outside of STK restaurant in Los Angeles on September 3rd This was six days after he attacked and punched Playmate Jayde Nicole in a club. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Hulk Hogan will not be taken advantage of. Just because he made a career out of getting knocked around (and probably sustaining a couple head injuries along the way), don’t let that make you think he’s some dummy who can be cajoled out of millions of dollars for fancy lawyers defending his son for nearly killing a friend while drag racing. Because he can’t. Despite Hogan’s attorneys getting a very favorable result for Nick Hogan’s criminal charges (he was sentenced to 8 months and served five and a half), Hulk is seriously pissed at them. Why? Because they didn’t tell him that his then-insurance company was responsible for paying the attorneys’ fees, and kept on billing Hogan directly. Hulk also claims they withheld correspondence between the insurance company, which actually tried to do the right thing and see if he wanted them billed.

The harsh world of legalities must be all too familiar for Hulk Hogan, but this time the semi-retired pro-wrestler has decided to sue the professionals whose job it was to stand up for him. Hogan filed a lawsuit in the Pinellas County on Monday against two attorneys, Morris “Sandy” Weinberg Jr. and Lee Fugate, of the firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, with claims that the men (who defended him and son Nick Bollea following Nick’s 2007 car crash) for cheating him out of over $1.5 million.

According to the suit, Hulk’s automotive insurance company Progressive was obligated to cover all necessary legal costs, however the lawyers named allegedly failed to notify him of this and continued to bill at excessively high rates. Hulk also claimed that Progressive attempted numerous times to communicate with him over the incident, but the Zuckerman Spaeder legal team did not make him aware of their letters. By the time he understood his entitlements, he claims the relationship with the insurers had been “terminated.”

“It is common knowledge throughout the legal profession experienced in such matters, especially in the area of insurance defense litigation and personal injury law, that automobile insurance policies include the aforementioned duty to defend the insured, as well as any permissive user, should a civil suit arise or the possibility of a civil claim exist,” the lawsuit stated. “Defendants made no effort to advise of this important fact. Defendants were further aware, or should have been, that Bollea had no experience in the area of insurance.”

Consequently, Hogan alleges in the 44 page suit that he not only paid the big bucks for 17 months until he reached a point where he “couldn’t afford” the fees anymore, but he was billed unawares for time spent on the case by paralegals too. “The charges made by Terry Bollea are simply baseless. The Bollea’s came to Zuckerman Spaeder under very difficult circumstances. Both Terry Bollea and his son faced the threat of criminal prosecution and civil litigation. Zuckerman Spaeder, working with a co-counsel, achieved a very favorable result in the criminal case,” a rep from the firm told Tarts in a statement. “We absolutely dispute and will contest the claims made against us.”

Hogan is suing for unspecified damages and Progressive declined to comment on the incident.

[From Pop Tarts]

Uh, I hate to ever side with the Hogans, but it sure sounds like Hulk has a good case. I love that the lawyers didn’t bother to explain their side whatsoever. They just said, “Nope. Didn’t happen.” I mean they used some legalese, but they talked about things that had nothing to do with the lawsuit. Just because the Hogans “came to Zuckerman Spaeder under very difficult circumstances” – what does that have to do with incorrectly billing them? And getting them a “favorable result” again has nothing to do with billing. They don’t bother to defend or explain a thing; they’re just throwing out as many generic phrases as they can and hoping a few stick. And what in the world could possibly be the explanation for not telling Hulk that Progressive was trying to communicate with all of them over the bills?

Like I said, I never want to side with the Hogans on anything. But their lawyers didn’t respond to a single specific claim and just said they disputed all of it. Excellent defense. I didn’t realize you could still get a law degree from correspondence courses.

Here’s Hulk giving Nick a long goodbye before his departure from LAX on February 19th. Images thanks to BauerGriffinOnline.

Former Miss California (and Perez Hilton bête noire) Carrie Prejean is so mad! She’s so mad she’s going to throw a little temper tantrum through the California court system. She’s going to wail and cry and stomp her feet, and if that doesn’t work, she’ll probably drop to the floor of Wal-Mart and start rolling around, sobbing loudly. As you might have guessed, no one was paying attention to Carrie Prejean anymore, and she’s decided to sue the Miss California pageant. The charges include libel, infliction of emotional distress (she got a boo-boo on her psyche) and religious discrimination.

This is happening after most of us forgot about the insanity that is this whack-job’s martyr complex. After she got dissed by the pageant committee for being an insolent, unprofessional, lazy, hypocritical liar, her ass was saved by Donald Trump, who called her “strong, tough, smart and very beautiful.” Less than a month later (the second week of June), Carrie was fired, for good this time. When Carrie made some vague lawsuit threats when she was first fired, the Miss California pageant struck back quickly, giving a laundry list of reasons for why Carrie had not fulfilled her contract. They accused Carrie of “churlish insolent misbehavior,” “intolerable misbehavior,“ and “hostile communications.” They also had a record of Carrie turning down 39 pageant related appearances in one month. Of course, Carrie still thought she was persecuted and “set up” because of her conservative views. And now she’s got “evidence”:

Former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean has filed a complaint against pageant officials, Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of California, cites damages to Prejean including libel, public disclosure of private facts, religious discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

“To us it’s outrageous what happened,” Prejean’s attorney, Charles S. LiMandri, told RadarOnline.com exclusively. “There’s no doubt in our minds, that if she had answered that question at the Miss USA pageant differently she’d probably still be Miss USA right now, but she’d definitely still be Miss California.”

In a statement obtained by RadarOnline.com, Limandri explained: “Over the past two months we have worked hard to provide overwhelming evidence that Carrie Prejean did not violate her contract with Miss California USA and did not deserve to have her title revoked by Keith Lewis. We will make the case that her title was taken from her solely because of her support of traditional marriage. Keith Lewis has refused to clear her good name or even to admit any wrongdoing. Therefore, Carrie Prejean is left with no alternative but to take her case to court where she expects to be fully vindicated.”

A comment call to Shanna Moakler’s rep was not returned.

[From Radar]

Is it just me or does Carrie’s lawyer make it sound like the idea of proving that Carrie might have a legal leg to stand on is really, really difficult? I think it’s the way he says “…we have worked hard to provide overwhelming evidence that Carrie Prejean did not violate her contract…” (emphasis mine). Look, if you want to know what a liar this girl is, just see all of the crap she’s said over the past six months. She’s insane. And as far as the religious discrimination stuff… good Lord! Get off the cross, people need the wood. It’s an insult to the genuine religious persecution that goes on in the world.

Who are the worst celebrity parents in the world? There’s a long list to pull from, but I’d say the constant drama surrounding Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler puts them right near the top. The constantly feuding ex-couple will say and do just about anything to each other. Then a few weeks later they’re photographed all over each other at a club. This is the epitome of a love/hate relationship. Though they both have volatile tempers, I think the general consensus is that Travis is the better parent. Certainly that was the impression given on their old reality show “Meet the Barkers.”

Travis and Shanna have been talking some major smack about each other on their Twitters. Because heaven forbid you’re a celebrity and don’t tweet the intimate details of your messed up relationships. First, TMZ’s account of what went down between Travis and Shanna – all regarding a pedophile.

Finally some clarity about Monday’s epic battle between Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler — cops have released the dramatic report from the incident that centered around a convicted child molester.

According to the Barrington Police, the drama began when Travis went to Shanna’s Rhode Island home to drop off their two kids. When Travis noticed a car belonging to a convicted child molester near the home, he got into an argument with Shanna — and she called the cops.

When police arrived, Travis told police he didn’t “want to leave the kids in the residence with a pedophile and wanted a certified nanny with the kids.”

Cops read the court order explaining the custody agreement between the couple, which stated that the man who owned the car was not allowed near the kids. But when they checked Moakler’s home and discovered he was not there, Barker agreed to leave as long as he was given the names and numbers of the two nannies staying with the kids.

After the deal was made, cops say Shanna asked about how to get a restraining order. It doesn’t say who she was trying to restrain, but after Travis posted a message on his Twitter page calling his wife a piece of … well, another word for excrement … you could probably figure it out.

[From TMZ]

When I read the first part of this story I thought the child molester was someone who lived in the neighborhood and was known to people (thus why Travis recognized his car). But then I realized this is obviously a guy Shanna knows in some way, because he’s mentioned in their divorce papers. He’s been some sort of issue in the past. And yeah the cops didn’t actually find the man in the home, but there was enough reason to believe it was possible that they searched for him. It seems like Shanna is in some way keeping company with a pedophile. She has two little children – son Landon, 5, and daughter Alabama, 3. I cannot even imagine what’s going through her mind. Obviously I’m filling in a few holes with suppositions, but they seem reasonable.

Of course both Shanna and Travis took to their Twitters to share cryptic sentences about what went down. Here’s what Travis had to say:

Rhode Island police are cool as hell, thanks for keeping child molesters away. On my way to NYC.
3:56 PM Aug 24th

http://twitpic.com/f8cha – Would u leave your kids at a house where a child molesters(Rick Sinnott) car was present? Me neither. The REAL reason the cops were involved yesterday. So lame bloggers step your game up with the facts.
9:45 AM Aug 25th

Figured I’d clear up the rumors that surfaced from that lame website ran by that guy/girl/creature/coward that got socked up not 2 long ago.
9:55 AM Aug 25th

[From Travis Barker’s Twitter]

Travis obviously deleted the comment directly about Shanna, which said “My babies mama is a pile of [sh*t].” Maybe he came to his senses on his own and decided not to talk smack about the mother of his children, at least for his kids’ sake. But he’s still understandably riled up about the child molester, who he names in his Twitter as Rick Sinnott. He also posted a picture of Sinnott’s license plate. Looking the guy up, there’s a “moose whisperer” by the same name who appears to dominate most of the web chatter. I’m assuming it’s not the same guy.

Shanna didn’t directly address the incident via her Twitter, though she may have made a Ghandi-based jab (or “Gandh,” as she spelled it) at Barker:

my babies are on their way to me NOW! I haven’t seen them for 4 weeks! I am SOOOO excited!
1:05 PM Aug 24th from web

Sitting on the deck with my family watching my babies play…so amazing!
5:00 PM Aug 24th from Sidekick

“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.” -Mahatma Gandh
about 14 hours ago from web

[From Shanna Moakler’s Twitter]

I feel like I need to phrase all this very carefully because no one has out-and-out said “Shanna Moakler had a pedophile in her home as her kids were arriving.” And I can’t imagine many things worse to accuse someone of. It seems like when you put the pieces together, that’s what went down, but everything is circumstantial. I can’t imagine what she was possibly thinking or what kind of explanation she could give, which is probably why she hasn’t addressed it in any way. She’s not exactly known for taking the high road either. Travis was the one who got in a little trouble (being “warned” by the police), but it seems like Shanna’s the one who did something reprehensible.

Here’s Travis with his kids at the Premiere of ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ in Los Angeles on June 22nd. Header of Travis and Shanna from 2007. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Katherine Jackson is thinking about suing Dr. Conrad Murray for the wrongful death of her son Michael Jackson. And from the sound of the information that’s being leaked about Murray, she better do it. This guy seems like one shady mofo. Nothing’s official yet, and all People’s sources will say is that the Jackson family is kinda sorta thinking about it and Murray’s name has kinda sorta been tossed around a bit.

While her husband Joseph says their son will be buried on what would have been his 51st birthday Aug. 29, Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine reportedly is mulling over filing a wrongful death suit in connection with the King of Pop’s June 25 fatal cardiac arrest, say reports.

Authorities investigating Jackson’s death have been focusing on his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, who is suspected of giving a powerful anesthetic to the singer on the day he died.

“The possibility of a wrongful death action has been floated,” Katherine Jackson’s lawyer Burt Levitch said, the Associated Press reports. “In that regard, no decision has been finalized … “Dr. Murray’s name has been floated [as a possible defendant in the potential lawsuit] because he is under investigation.”

[From People]

Everything associated with Murray has seemed suspicious and strange from the beginning. Remember how police impounded his car before they’d even questioned him? There were rumors that they were making sure he didn’t try to run. Clearly they already had enough information on the guy to be suspicious. Now it looks like Murray spent up to FIVE hours cleaning up “the situation” at Michael Jackson’s house before he even bothered to call 911.

An uncle of the two sisters who worked at Dr. Conrad Murray’s medical practice in Houston says the day Michael Jackson died, one of the women got a call from either Dr. Murray or someone who worked for him to go and pick up boxes at Dr. Murray’s storage facility … and she got the call more than 5 hours before Dr. Murray called 911.

Joseph Middleton tells TMZ the morning of June 25, one of his nieces, LaQuisha Middleton, had just arrived at Dr. Murray’s medical practice where she worked when she received a call to go to the storage facility. Joseph does not know who called LaQuisha, but based on his conversations with her, he says the call came either from Dr. Murray or someone who works for Dr. Murray. He also says she went with another woman who was not LaQuanda Price, LaQuisha’s sister.

The manager of the storage facility tells us two women, whom she believed at the time to be Laquisha and LaQuanda, arrived at 9:22 AM (Houston time) and picked up 3-5 boxes, as well as other items. Joseph says LaQuanda told him LaQuisha picked up a chair and boxes, although when we interviewed LaQuanda in Houston, she only remembers a box — she says a box containing dirty needles that LaQuisha inexplicably brought back to the office. In the same interview, LaQuisha only admitted picking up a chair.

Joseph told us LaQuisha got the call at around 9 AM Houston time. That is 7 AM Los Angeles time, more than 5 hours before Dr. Murray called 911. As we first reported, it took multiple bottles of Propofol to keep Michael Jackson asleep through a single night. Law enforcement sources tell us they believe — though cannot prove yet — that Propofol bottles may have been stored at one or more locations under the control of Dr. Murray and FedExed to L.A.

Law enforcement has a suspicion Dr. Murray walked out of the room for a period of time after administering the Propofol, possibly fell asleep, and when he returned Jackson had stopped breathing. Cops think Dr. Murray then may have spent hours “cleaning up” the situation before calling 911.

[From TMZ]

As hard to follow as that story is, the point is clearly made: this guy was up to something, and it was big. Obviously he always knew what he was doing was wrong, and the rental of the storage unit makes that clear. He was preparing to cover his tracks from the get-go. You know what else will keep you from getting into trouble for accidentally killing Michael Jackson? Not giving him the damn Propofol in the first place! It’ll save you both storage fees and attorneys fees. Marvelous concept.

Hopefully we’ll see an indictment against Dr. Murray soon – in no way should this man be allowed to practice medicine.

Update: Here’s an incredibly cheesy YouTube video that Dr. Conrad Murray just posted. There’s a lot of thanking people (he apparently thinks he’s won an award), talking about how he can’t return messages because he’s so scared, and some more thanking people. Oh, and God. He name drops God a few times too. Thanks to PopEater for the tip.

Header of Katherine Jackson arriving at Madeo Restaurant in West Hollywood, California to have dinner with Joe and Randy Jackson on August 1st.

Although she spent 13 years with O.J. Simpson, his now ex-girlfriend Christie Prody admits she’s afraid of the former NFL player/current convict. She’s hired lawyer Gloria Allred to represent her, which must mean she wants a little attention, too. Simpson is appealing his conviction on the legal equivalent of “I don’t like being behind bars and should get to do whatever I want without ever having a single consequence.” I’m not up to putting that in legalese. His lawyers are also claiming he should be let out of prison while he’s appealing his case. Naturally, so that he can chill at home, maybe eat a nice steak and watch some T.V. O.J. Simpson should never have to sit in a concrete cell because he kidnapped a guy, robbing and threatening him. Allred claims Prody is afraid that if Simpson’s let out, he’ll contact and/or harm her. This after thirteen years of her denying he killed his wife. NOW she gets that he’s someone to be afraid of.

One person who is hoping O.J. Simpson is not released from prison is the former gridiron star’s now ex-girlfriend Christie Prody, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

Simpson was convicted last December on robbery, kidnapping and weapons charges and sentenced to nine-to-33 years in prison. His attorneys on Monday argued before the Nevada Supreme Court that he should be released pending his appeal.

“Christie would not want to see him released because she is concerned that he might try to see her,” Prody’s attorney Gloria Allred told RadarOnline.com exclusively. “She is concerned that he is dangerous and she fears for her safety.”

Prody was a fresh-faced 20-year-old Nicole Brown-lookalike when she met Simpson. Back then she told her family and friends she didn’t believe he’d murdered his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman. Over their 13 years together, however, their relationship became increasingly violent, with numerous calls to 911 and allegations of drug and alcohol abuse.

A decision on Simpson’s request for bail could come at any time.

[From Radar]

I tend to go back and forth in my ability to have empathy for Christie. I mean she dated O.J. Simpson for 13 years. That’s a lot of time to make a better decision. And obviously it makes sense for to be as afraid of a rage-filled killer when he’s your ex-boyfriend as when he’s your boyfriend. It just seems to me like she should have been afraid all along.

In related – and tacky – news, the story of the botched heist that landed Simpson in prison is being made into a movie, according to the Enquirer.

Coming to a theater near you – O.J. The Movie! The knuckleheads behind the botched Las Vegas robbery that ended up landing O.J. Simpson behind bars for up to 33 years are now going to be immortalized in a Hollywood movie.

A script for the film version of the book “Busted!” – ex-con Thomas Riccio’s account of the bungled 2007 Sin City heist – has been making the rounds at top Tinsletown agencies and studios, where it’s caught the eye of filmmakers Nick Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese, among others.

The Enquirer has obtained a copy – which casts the main players in a startling light. The story is Riccio’s take on what happened when the former Heisman Trophy winner and his henchmen stuck up memorabilia collectors Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong in their Las Vegas hotel room to get back O.J.’s items.

As crazy as it seems, the screwed-up “gang that couldn’t shoot straight” is going to be portrayed in the movie as a bunch of heroes.

[From the National Enquirer, August 10, 2009, print ed.]

Well that just makes me physically ill. Simpson won’t profit off it, but Riccio sure will. In fact he’s already made a good deal of money from that ill-fated night – the Enquirer also says that he’s earned at least $200,000 from a secret audiotape of the crime, and received a $350,000 advance on the book. He’s also portrayed as a “noble righter of wrongs,” instead of a true criminal, even though he’s got a lengthy rap sheet. This’ll probably make Simpson pretty infuriated too. Maybe more reason to keep him behind bars… just in case.

Here are OJ and Christie in 2006. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Despite worries and rumors that she would refuse to testify, Rihanna has been subpoenaed to appear at ex-boyfriend Chris Brown’s trial on Tuesday. And Rihanna’s lawyer says she will testify, answer questions, and do whatever else is required of her.

Los Angeles prosecutors have subpoenaed Rihanna to appear in court to testify in the assault case against Chris Brown, her lawyer tells PEOPLE.

The “Umbrella” singer, 21, was served in person Tuesday in Los Angeles with the subpoena for the June 22 hearing in Superior Court, her lawyer Donald Etra confirms.

Brown, 20, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts following his alleged Feb. 8 assault on Rihanna.

“Rihanna was served at my office by L.A. DA investigators,” Etra says. “If the preliminary hearing indeed goes forward, she is now legally required to be there, she will be there, and will answer all questions truthfully.”

The purpose of the hearing is to determine if there’s enough evidence to bind Brown over to trial. Rihanna will also be subject to cross-examination by Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos. The case could end any time with a plea deal, making the hearing unnecessary.

“Rihanna’s testimony can make or break the case,” says L.A. criminal defense attorney Jeffery Rubenstein, who’s not involved with the case. “Her willingness to testify and be truthful about what happened is a step closer to convicting Brown. On the other hand, if prosecutors fail to present a case, Geragos can seek to dismiss or reduce the charges on the spot.”

[From People]

I think everyone is relieved that Rihanna has seemingly moved on from Brown – for about a billion reasons. One being that it obviously would have been hard to get her to testify if she were still dating him. Everyone had assumed Chris would plead out by now, and it is sort of strange that he hasn’t. I can’t help but wonder if it’s because there’s so much attention on the case thus the D.A. is under a lot of pressure to prosecute. Because if it weren’t for that, this seems like the kind of case they’d plea out pretty quickly. First offense, young-ish offender, etc.

Frankly I’d like to see him do as much time as possible, but there is absolutely nothing about the justice system that rehabilitates domestic abusers. Of course you could make that argument for most criminals, but I would say it’s especially true in this case. It just gives them time to stew over whatever they’re pissed about and be on the receiving end themselves – which you’d think would teach them a lesson but generally doesn’t.

Hopefully this will be a good step for Rihanna though, and help her get closer to moving on with her life. I doubt she’ll ever really feel “over it.” But knowing she stood up for herself will make it a hell of a lot easier to be proud and carry on every day.

Here’s Rihanna arriving at JFK to catch a flight out of New York City today. Images thanks to INF Photo.

Sam Lutfi is bringing out the big guns in his case to beat a restraining order against him, forcing him to stay away from Britney Spears. Sam has long claimed that it’s Britney who’s repeatedly contacted him, begging for his helping in getting out from under dad Jamie Spears’ conservatorship. So who’d he get to testify? His little sister. A rock solid witness who I’m sure has no other motivations and couldn’t possibly be manipulated by Sam. Right.

It seems Britney Spears’s life has gone from soap opera to spy novel. Sam Lutfi’s younger sister Christina testified in a Los Angeles court Wednesday that she recently snuck a cell phone to the pop star at a Beverly Hills hotel – a plan allegedly hatched by Spears herself. Spears, 27, whose phone access is strictly limited by her father Jamie, had initially called Sam’s cell phone number in mid-January to speak with Christina.

“[Britney] told me she wanted to get a hold of Sam,” said Christina, 25, whose brother had once been Spears’s manager. “She wanted him to help her find a lawyer, and wanted someone to get a prepaid cell phone to her. She was scared because her father was blackmailing her with visitation rights over her kids.”

Spears allegedly told Christina to meet her on the fifth floor gym of the Peninsula Hotel on Jan. 16. When Christina arrived, Spears was working out with her mother while a bodyguard stood nearby. But they rendezvoused in a sauna where Christina gave her a phone, saying it was from Sam and ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, which Spears then hid in a locker. “She asked me, ‘Will Sam be able to help me?’” Christina added.

The phone, however, was later discovered by Spears’s security team and confiscated from her purse.

Earlier on Wednesday, Blair Berk, a lawyer for Jamie Spears, testified that Britney “was in such fear [of Sam], she asked if I could get him arrested, to keep him away from her.” As for a purported recording of the pop star circulating the internet in which she allegedly asks for a lawyer’s help in ending her father’s legal control, Berk said the singer repeatedly denied she was seeking outside legal help. Berk also expressed doubt in the recording’s authenticity.

[From People]

Let’s not forget that Sam Lutfi is the guy who admitted to Lynne Spears – bragged, really – that he consistently drugged Britney by grinding up pills and putting them in her drinks. Britney wasn’t making great choices before he came along, but it’s when Sam started controlling her life that she really went off the rails. There is no reason to believe a word from anyone related to him. I can only imagine the way he must have Svengalied his sister over the years. Enough to make Svengali a verb.

The recording of a supposed Britney asking for a lawyer’s help does sound like her, but it certainly hasn’t been verified. And what the woman on the tape says doesn’t really make any sense. It sounds like she doesn’t know the lawyer she’s leaving the message for, like she just contacted him once prior and was calling to see that everything was done. Obviously in a case like hers she’d need consistent contact with an attorney. It was very general and weird – something about it just seemed off. I wouldn’t put it past Sam Lutfi to have somehow faked it.

I agree that Jamie Spears is controlling, and it can’t be fun for a 27-year-old woman to be forced to behave by her dad. But I’d take a hundred Jamie Spears over one Sam Lutfi any day.