Actor Wesley Snipes was acquitted on felony tax fraud charges but was convicted on three counts of misdemeanors in failing to file his taxes. Snipes’ defense rested without presenting any evidence, claiming the government had failed to prove their case. Most seemed to think that move doomed Snipes, but he was acquitted of the most serious charges. He still could face up to three years in prison on the misdemeanors.

Snipes is part of the tax denier movement, who believe that tax laws are unjust and that they shouldn’t have to pay them.

Tax deniers assert variously that the tax laws are valid but do not apply to them, that no law makes anyone liable for taxes and that the government tricks people into paying. Promoters of tax denial claim that people can legally stop paying income taxes by executing certain documents, or by not signing others, like tax returns. Courts have rejected all these arguments.

[From the New York Times]

The Supreme Court has said that tax deniers are not guilty of fraud if they can prove that they “sincerely believe” that they weren’t required to pay the taxes. They still have to pay back the taxes and fines, but they can escape criminal consequences.

Snipes became a tax denier in 1999, when he found out he’d have to pay $2 million in taxes. Which is what happens when you make a lot of money. It’s the downside of being rich. Though Snipes was acquitted of all his serious charges, his two co-defendants were both convicted on the fraud and conspiracy charges. Defendant Eddie Ray Kahn is a promoter of tax denial and has previously served time on tax convictions. Douglas Rosile is a former accountant. Both the defense and prosecution say that the fact that Snipes was let off while Rosile and Kahn were convicted shows that the jury agreed that the co-defendants were the criminals and Snipes was the victim who bought into their ideology.

British singer Lily Allen, 22, who had a miscarriage on New Years, has been dumped by her boyfriend, Chemical Brother’s member Ed Simons, 37. The pair’s relationship grew strained after the miscarriage, and though they made some attempts to save it, eventually it was a lost cause. Lily became pregnant after they’d only been dating a month.

The Smile singer, 22 - who suffered a New Year miscarriage - was last night said to be heartbroken. The couple’s five-month relationship hit the rocks as they battled their grief by taking a £3,000-a-night holiday in the Maldives.

They tried to patch things up on their return to the UK - but following a series of bitter rows millionaire Ed, 37, told her: “It’s over.” A pal of Lily’s confirmed last night: “They tried to make things work but couldn’t. The miscarriage was a horrible experience for both of them - and in recent weeks the mood between them had been really strained.”

The friend went on: “Lily is really upset things haven’t worked out for her and Ed. She had talked about settling down for good and having a family.

[From the Sun]

Lily obviously has a lot to deal with right now. Having a miscarriage must be awful, and breaking up with someone you care about is just salt in the wound. They do have a 15 year age difference, which can be a lot, especially at their respective points in life. Handling something as complicated as a pregnancy - and a miscarriage - is challenging in any relationship, but must have been extra hard in one so new.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 53, married his girlfriend of only three months, former supermodel Carla Bruni, 40, at the Elysee Palace today. The Elysee is the official residence of the President.

The pair tied the knot at a low-key, civil ceremony conducted by the mayor of the Paris district that houses the president’s grandiose official residence.

“I married two voters … who live at 55 Rue du Faubourg St Honore,” Mayor Francois Lebel told Europe 1 radio, giving the official address of the Elysee. The bride was wearing white and was ravishing, as usual,” he said, adding: “The bridegroom wasn’t bad either.”

Another official told Reuters the wedding took place at 11 a.m. (5 a.m. EST) and Italian news agency ANSA quoted Bruni’s mother, Marisa Borini, as confirming the event. Sarkozy and Bruni indicated last month that they planned to marry after a whirlwind romance and made clear that it would be a private affair, far from the eyes of the press.

[From Yahoo! News]

The wedding was short, lasting only about 20 minutes. There were only 20 people there, mostly family and very close friends. The last head of state to marry in office was Napoleon III. Sarkozy has only been divorced from his second wife for a few months after they separated last October. Reports were that he took the divorce very hard. His colleagues said he was deeply upset by the divorce. He and Bruni started dating in November.

The two have garnered a lot of press - and a lot of criticism - over the course of their short relationship. Anytime a political figure dates a model or actor, a lot of people are going to talk. But the popular opinion was that Sarkozy was spending far too much time focusing on his relationship with Bruni when he should have been spending more of it on the nation’s business. It’s thought their marriage may actually make things easier for Sarkozy, since Bruni is now the first lady and will join him on official trips.

Last year Bruni told Figaro Madame magazine “I’m monogamous from time to time, but I prefer polygamy and polyandry.” Apparently that preference doesn’t hold when you’ve got the chance to marry the President of France.

Picture Note by JayBird: French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his model-turned-singer girlfriend, Carla Bruni, in Luxor, Egypt. Images thanks to Splash.

Is there any limit on when you need to stop appearing nude in public? Or should you never, ever do it? Pamela Anderson at 40 is surely testing the limits of socially acceptable nudity. Always being one to test the boundaries, Pammy is planning on performing at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris, famed for its nude revues.

Asked whether Anderson will bare it all in the show, Crazy Horse managing director Andree Deissenberg said: “We’re going to have to talk to Pamela about that.”

“The Crazy Horse has always been about, ‘You think you see everything, (but) you see nothing,”‘ she added. “It’s going to be a sexy, beautiful, creative performance — that’s as far as I can go.”

[From Fox news]

There is no word on whether Pamela will actually be appearing nude in the review. I’m not even convinced there is still a market for her pink lady bits anymore. The details that have been released are that she will be performing to a song, ‘Harley Davidson’, on a Harley Davidson motorbike. Will she get to keep the bike?

Pamela has previously said that she would be performing in Europe to ‘fulfill the exhibitionist in me.’ That statement was made on her official blog, which has been inaccessible ever since rumors of her abortion surfaced.

Pammy might have been concerned that a stripper role could damage her acting career, but after seeing Blonde and Blonder I don’t think it’s an issue.

Pammy performs at the Crazy Horse on February 13th and 14th. Take your girlfriend, it’ll make a great Valentine’s Day surprise.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Pamela Anderson is shown at LAX nightclub on New Year’s Eve, thanks to PRPhotos.

Kylie Minogue is just my favourite little Aussie, and ever since her break up with Olivier Martinez we’ve been hoping that she would find new love and have some babies. Now it seems she has a plan.

“Kylie has taken him back - with a new set of rules,” a friend of Miss Minogue’s told the Daily Mail.

“Ollie has agreed to try for a baby. That was always the stumbling block in their relationship. They have both been single for a year and Kylie has realised she has never had anyone that has matched up to him.

“A month ago, a mutual Parisian friend passed a message on to Kylie that Ollie was pining for her and deeply regretted the break-up. Two weeks later, Ollie called her late one night when he was a bit drunk. That was their first conversation in almost a year.

Before the break: Kylie and Olivier at the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2003

“Since that time, they have been regularly calling, having intense conversations and texting incessantly.

“Ollie has told her he is ready to start a family, to marry her and to settle down. It was against that background that this first meeting happened last week.

“They have decided that if they have no success within a year, they will try to adopt.

“Olivier was always unsure of adoption before and neither did he want to have a baby naturally. He did not want to marry either. But after being apart for a year, he has obviously had a change of heart.”

Daily Mail

The Daily Mail adds that the couple spent much of the weekend together, with Olivier’s dog Sheeba. Kylie has had a long history of spending time with the pooch, often being seen taking her on walks in Paris. Which probably means that the phone calls of the last few weeks aren’t the first contact the couple have had.

While Martinez’s family are happy to see the couple together, apparently Kylie’s aren’t pleased, although the Daily Mail offers no explanation. Maybe it could be those rumours about Olivier’s sex scene with Diane Lane in the film Unfaithful – some viewers thought they were a little too convincing.

The steamy sex scenes in the 2002 thriller, which also starred Richard Gere, were made to look so lifelike that internet gossips have claimed that the actor’s went one step further during taping.

But 42-year-old Lane - who is now happily married to ‘No Country For Old Men’ actor, Josh Brolin - insists that the rumours are not true.

Mercy me, no no, no. That was wishful thinking on somebody’s part,” Lane told US talk show host, Tyra Banks.

“That’s not for me. That’s a whole different thing, and I like this industry better than that one.”

Celebrity Truth

How could you possibly manage to fool everyone on the set? Surely someone would notice - I hope that there is big difference between fake sex and real sex. Actually, I can’t imagine many things less appealing than sex, on a film set, with strangers watching.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Images are older ones of Kylie Minogue and Oliver Martinez at the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2003.

There was more news in the ongoing Britney saga this weekend. She remains in the psych ward at UCLA Medical Center, where the new psychiatrist who has been treating her supposed bipolar disorder practices. Britney’s stay has been extended for 14 days, and it is thought that it is on the recommendation of her doctor and is against her will. People reports that she is in a padded room and that she is allowed to keep her own clothing and toiletries and can take cigarette breaks outside. She may make phone calls, but only from a pay phone. LA Rag Mag has some supposed details from inside the psych ward, presumably from a patient or hospital worker, who claims that she is calling herself “Jack Triple X 59,” after having asked people to call her “Amanda.” It could be true, or it could be an anonymous tipster pulling everyone’s leg.

On Friday some valuables were noticed missing from Britney’s mansion. The theft apparently occurred after her hospitalization Thursday morning, and everyone is pointing fingers at Sam Lutfi, the megalomaniac self-appointed manager who has now been shut out of the singer’s life by a restraining order. Britney’s parents called the cops and filed a report of the missing items, which are described as “valuable possessions” by US Weekly. Lutfi has never hesitated to discuss his relationship with Britney to the press, and fellow blog Bitten and Bound has some inside information from a “friend” of Lutfi’s, who claims that he bragged about his power over her and tried to demonstrate that she was helpless without him.

Lutfi might still weasel his way back into Britney’s life despite the restraining order. Britney’s divorce lawyers, who are said to be aligned with Lutfi, are expected to fight her father’s legal control of her estate and medical affairs. TMZ reports that her lawyers will request “that a different conservator be appointed” when they go to court today, but that the person has not yet been decided on. Fingers crossed that it’s not Lutfi - or maybe that would be a good thing. A judge isn’t likely to give Lutfi control over Britney’s affairs. Part of me hopes that Britney with stay in the hospital with her father making the decisions and learning to live with the situation while gaining control of her health. Since she fights everything tooth and nail and seems to hate her dad, maybe an impartial legal team should be running things for her. That way she might have less animosity towards the treatment and day to day help she so badly needs.

Britney is shown in better times at the Scandinavia Style Mansion on 12/2/07, just two months ago. Thanks to PRPhotos.

When Angelina talks people listen - and often have emotional reactions which are completely out of proportion to whatever it is she said. The overly-candid actress spoke to the crowd in a question and answer session at the Santa Barbara Film Festival where she accepted the Outstanding Performance of the Year Award for A Mighty Heart. She may not have been nominated for an Oscar this year, but someone should give her an award for the ability to remain controversial while making benign statements.

Angelina talked graciously about one of her ex husbands, calling Billy Bob Thornton “an amazing artist” when someone brought him up. She let us all know that she’s not trolling the ‘net reading up on the vitriolic gossip about her by saying that she doesn’t even know how to turn on a computer. And she seems to have opened up a whole can of dead dried out worms by mentioning how she met her partner again, saying she was reluctant at first to take her role in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but that “obviously I’m very glad I did it – It changed my life.” She even brought up her strained relationship with her dad. Of course all of this is taken out of context and she was specifically asked about these things.

• She retains fond memories of sharing a single acting scene in Tomb Raider with her father Jon Voight, from whom she’s currently estranged. “Strangely enough, the scene was about a daughter and her father who had not spent their lives together and had a lot of questions for each other…[It was] kind of therapeutic for us to get some things out and talk. We spent that time as two artists, and it was a special time. It was an important time.”

• When her ex-husband and Pushing Tin costar Billy Bob Thornton was mentioned, she said “I thought he was an amazing artist, and still is.”
• Prior to screening the famous tango scene clip from Mr. & Mrs. Smith, she was asked if she or Pitt was the better dancer: “I think we’re about equal,” she replied. “Equally not so good.”
• Despite starring in several high-tech productions, she’s technologically challenged in real life: “As Brad knows, I don’t really how to turn on a computer.”
• After back-to-back clips featuring romantic scenes with Brad in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and she and Matt Damon in The Good Shepherd, Jolie said she looked like she was “out on one date and went out on another.” Given the choice between former [Pitt] and current [Damon] holders of PEOPLE’s “Sexiest Man Alive” title she responded “I’m going with the first one.”
• Both she and Pitt were initially reluctant to take on their roles in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but “obviously I’m very glad I did it – It changed my life.”
• When asked if her humanitarian efforts were an even greater passion than acting, she chose a third alternative: “I love being a mom, and I think that’s my big passion: being with my family.”

[From People.com]

The way that Angelina Jolie seems to elicit very strong feelings in others often baffles me. But reading this interview, distilled and excerpted down to the key issues that people have with her, helps me understand how she’s become such a target. She doesn’t say anything controversial in this talk, but manages to address all the reasons she is controversial. Maybe this doesn’t have anything to do with her, and she’s just trying to graciously answer all the questions without deferring. When she said she wouldn’t talk about the Jennifer Aniston W Magazine cover face-off everyone bashed her for it, so maybe she can’t win either way.

She should hire a publicist and a personal coach to help her talk around things though. She could also make friends with Reese Witherspoon. Now there’s an A-List actress who manages to make statements about her personal life without revealing much. But I suppose you can’t blame Angelina for addressing all the bullet point reasons that people use to bash her. After all, she can’t turn on a computer and presumably doesn’t know how much fury some seemingly minor statements can unleash. (Don’t make me turn off the comments on this post.)

Brad and Angelina are shown on the red carpet at the Santa Barbara film festival. Reporters were instructed not to ask questions about Angelina’s rumored pregnancy or to question Brad about his rare lapse in fashion judgment. Thanks to Splash News for these photos.

The Giants upset the Patriots 17 to 14 in this year’s Super Bowl in what was described as a riveting game. I’m not a real sports fan and am one of those people who watch for the world class commercials. You can watch all the super bowl ads without any of the sports filler in several locations online. Check them out on MySpace, and Sports.AOL.com. The ads I’ve seen so far are decent and funny, but there’s nothing amazing.

Here are some ads which feature celebrities, many of which are movie trailers. Let me know which ones were your favorites among the other ads and we’ll feature those in another post.

Diet Pepsi Max - Cameos from Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Macy Gray, Missy Elliott, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck.

Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons - Bridgestone Tires
Adriana Lima - Victoria’s Secret
Carmen Electra - Icebreakers
Adam Sandler - Don’t Mess with the Zohan Trailer
Republican Bill Frist and Democrat James Carville - Coke
Justin Timberlake for Pepsi

Will Ferrell Semi Pro for Bud Lite
Owen Wilson - Drillbit Taylor Trailer
Angelina Jolie - Wanted Trailer
George Clooney - Leatherheads Trailer

Prison Break Super Bowl tie-in
Update: Sobe Lifewater Thriller featuring Naomi Campbell

Robert Downey Jr.: Iron Man Trailer

Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted out at dinner with a fair trade diamond dealer, and since we can assume he’s no longer doing research for a role he must be planning on getting engaged to his on-again girlfriend, Bar Refaeli, right?

Now that Leonardo DiCaprio’s romance with model Bar Refaeli, 22, is back on, he’s shopping for diamonds. Leo, 33, had dinner with a diamond dealer who specializes in fair-trade gems at Madeo restaurant in West Hollywood on January 17, according to a witness. “Ever since starring in Blood Diamond, Leo has become sort of an expert on the industry,” his pal explains.

[From In Touch, print edition, February 11, 2008]

DiCaprio is also considered an expert on environmental issues, and has been invited by the Green Party of Scotland to speak before their Parliament. They are anxiously awaiting a response.

DiCaprio was among the stars in the audience at the friendly Democratic debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Hollywood on Thursday. Other stars in attendance were Diane Keaton, Rob Reiner and Stevie Wonder.

I don’t see DiCaprio getting engaged at this point, especially considering how low-key he’s been in his relationship with Refaeli. We’ll have to wait it out and see what happens.

Leonardo DiCaprio is shown in the header image at Cannes on 5/19/07. Bar Refaeli is shown modeling lingerie on 10/18/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

The former nanny to Katie Price (aka Jordan) and Peter Andre’s children, Becky Gauld, has a few things to say about the reality show couple. If you watch their dreadful show, you know that in the season finale last year, Becky was fired from her job as caretaker to Katie and Peter’s two sons because she took a holiday against Katie’s wishes. Since then, Becky has taken the pair to court for wrongful termination and won. Now, she’s going to the tabloids and telling them that Jordan isn’t the devoted mom she appears to be on TV.

Becky, 25, stormed: “Their life is very different to the one on TV. The reality is she’s selfish and self-centred - and NOT the perfect mum.

“If viewers had seen what I saw off-camera they’d be astounded. The only thing they do as a family is photoshoots.”

In the revealing interview she tells how Jordan:

ALLOWED overweight thyroid disorder sufferer Harvey to eat TWENTY chicken nuggets at once - even though she’d been told by doctors he could DIE if he didn’t diet.

WAS QUIZZED by SOCIAL SERVICES after the blind autistic youngster scalded himself in a bath of hot water.

TAUGHT Harvey to say “f*** off just so she and Andre could raise a laugh from their friends at a barbecue.

ASTONISHINGLY sent Becky a TEXT from her bed summoning her nanny from her cottage in the grounds of the £2.5 million mansion at 4AM… because the star couldn’t be bothered to get up and cope with Junior crying in a nearby room.

Becky told the paper: “When she was named Celebrity Mum Of The Year by Grattan last year I laughed.

[From The Sun]

Becky goes on to say that the ‘devoted parents’ routine is just that–a routine. The pair only cuddle and play with the children when the cameras are on, but when there’s no one around to impress, they were all too eager to dump the kids on the nanny. Apparently, Peter likes to hang out in his recording studio, while Jordan is more worried about her beauty treatments than changing diapers. The nanny expressed particular concern for Jordan’s oldest son, Harvey, who is autistic, blind, and suffers from a thyroid disorder.

Jordan has blamed her son’s weight problems on him hating vegetables, saying: “The doctors told me, ‘If he doesn’t go on a diet he could die’. I said, ‘I’m telling you now, he will not eat vegetables. He only wants to eat chicken nuggets or anything with potato’.”

But Becky - whose interview can be seen in full at notw.co.uk - says: “That is total rubbish, he WOULD eat vegetables - you just had to have patience and you had to hide them.

“I used to give him Bernard Matthews mini kievs and hide green beans inside. She’d seen me doing it but she knew it took PATIENCE to get him to eat them.

“Harvey’s weight problems were due to his condition but she also fed him the wrong things. They would sometimes give him up to 20 packets of raisins a day.”

On a holiday to Cyprus the nanny watched in horror as the couple fed him a mountain of fast food.

“In a McDonalds Peter bought him 20 chicken nuggets and chips and brought them back to the car,” she said. “Then he and Katie went shopping while Harvey bolted them down.

“I didn’t want him to eat them but I was not his mum. They went on holiday in America for ten days and he lost nearly a stone when I looked after him. I just gave him healthy food and exercise.”

Is it true– or is it sour grapes? While Jordan has not officially responded to the story, sources say she is very upset and plans to refute these claims. Becky certainly has a motive to paint Jordan as a bad mother. It can’t be easy to be fired from your job on national television– I would probably want some revenge on my employers if that’s how they chose to sack me. It wouldn’t be the first time a disgruntled former employee told tall tales about their boss to get even. However, Becky did win a court case against the pair, which adds a certain air of credibility to the story. And she has since found employment with another family. However, she did go running to The Sun, which means she was probably paid to tell her story.

I think Jordan’s a tacky, no-talent attention-whore, but I’ve always given her credit as a caring mother who seems to cope well with raising a child with so many disabilities. If the nanny is telling the truth, I hope there is some kind of investigation into what’s going on in that house. But with so many cameras pointed at Jordan and her kids on a daily basis, it’s hard to believe that someone other than the nanny wouldn’t have noticed all these things.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Thanks to DListed for these image from the January, 2006 issue of OK! Magazine.