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Confetti punctuates circus around Lohan surrender

LYNWOOD, Calif. – Hitting bottom under Hollywood's glare, Lindsay Lohan began serving jail time Tuesday for a probation violation that underlined the starlet's inability to put a 2007 drug case behind her.

Incongruously — or maybe not given the media frenzy surrounding her personal drama — someone showered the actress and the crowd with a blast of confetti outside the Beverly Hills courthouse as she walked in to surrender with dozens of cameras following her.

Two weeks after sobbing at her sentencing, Lohan was more composed but nervous Tuesday, fidgeting with her hair in court as she waited to begin serving her time for violating probation. The judge ordered the cameras off for the moment a bailiff handcuffed the 24-year-old and whisked her into a lockup cell.

Her estranged father, Michael, shouted in court, "We love you, Lindsay!"

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel sentenced the "Mean Girls" star to 90 days in jail, three months in rehab and increased scrutiny by probation officials on July 6 after determining the actress violated her probation by missing seven alcohol education classes since December. Sheriff's officials said Lohan will end up serving only about two weeks behind bars because of jail overcrowding and anticipated credits for good behavior.

After Tuesday's brief court hearing, news helicopters chronicled her ride in an unmarked sheriff's cruiser to a suburban women's jail about half an hour away. The helicopters surrounded the facility as Lohan entered through a side entrance. Clusters of camera crews awaited Lohan's arrival inside marked areas surrounded by yellow sheriff's tape on the grass in front of the county jail, which is located next to a busy freeway in a blue-collar area.

Lohan will serve significantly longer than the 84 minutes she spent at the same jail in her 2007 case. Revel ordered that the actress cannot be freed on house arrest, electronic monitoring or work release.

Lohan's surrender was long anticipated but not without last-minute drama. Last week she moved into a sober living facility founded by famed celebrity attorney Robert Shapiro, who on Friday said he agreed to represent her.

But by Monday afternoon Shapiro was standing before Revel, announcing he would not be handling it. That prompted widespread speculation about who would represent the actress.

On Tuesday morning it was Lohan's longtime attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, who accompanied the starlet to court and stood beside her. Holley acted like she had never left the case and said afterward she will continue to represent Lohan.

"She's scared as anyone would be, but she's as resolute and she's doing it," Holley said after the hearing.

Lohan was booked into the jail at 10:11 a.m. and sheriff's department spokesman Steve Whitmore described her as "extremely cooperative."

Once there, she traded in her dark denim jeans, gray top, black corset belt and black jacket for a jail jumpsuit. She will now spend much of the next few weeks in an isolation unit that has housed celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Michelle Rodriguez.

After a pair of high-profile arrests, Lohan pleaded guilty in August 2007 to two misdemeanor counts of being under the influence of cocaine. She also pleaded no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 percent and one count of reckless driving.

She was sentenced to three years of probation but has struggled with the terms, earning a one-year extension in October but still failing to complete her alcohol education program as ordered. Holley said Tuesday she submitted proof that Lohan had finally completed the program.

Lohan was first arrested after a hit-and-run crash on Memorial Day weekend in 2007. Two months later, she was arrested after commandeering a sport utility vehicle and engaging in a chase that ended in downtown Santa Monica. The incident has spawned a civil case that has been delayed because of Lohan's jail stint. Revel noted that during both of her arrests, Lohan lied about her involvement and said her recent apology didn't ring true.

The incidents proved to be more than just a blip in Lohan's personal life. The star of films such as "Mean Girls," "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Fully Loaded" has seen movie roles evaporate. Her last release, "Labor Pains," didn't even get a theatrical release.

In recent months, she also has sparred publicly with Michael Lohan, who she sometimes calls her "ex-father." The two arrived separately for Tuesday's hearing.

Jail is only the beginning of a period of increased court scrutiny for Lohan, who will now have to report to a probation officer within a day of leaving jail and will have to enter 90 days of rehab.

The time away is impacting several Lohan projects, including her starring role in a biopic on porn actress Linda Lovelace. It has left her unable to promote her upcoming turn as a gun-toting nun in Robert Rodriguez's "Machete."

It will also silence her on Twitter, the microblogging service where Lohan frequently goes to post updates and defend herself. Her final post — roughly 12 hours before she walked into the Beverly Hills courthouse — made light of her once promising film career and her looming incarceration.

"The only 'bookings' that I'm familiar with are Disney Films, never thought that I'd be 'booking' into jail eeeks," she wrote.

ANTHONY McCARTNEY and DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writers

MICHAEL JACKSON'S SECRET SON SURFACES

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson has an alleged secret son.

Insiders claim Donte Williams Jackson, who lives with the late “Thriller” star’s 80-year-old mother Katherine Jackson, is the result of a fling between the legendary King of Pop and an unknown woman.

The 18-year-old has spent most of his life being looked after by Alejandra Oaziaza, who has four children with Michael’s brothers Randy and Jermaine.

It was initially believed Donte was the son of Randy and Alejandra, but he was born just eight months after their son Randy Jr.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “‘Michael was very close to Donte. We’re not even sure if Donte knows who his parents are.”

“He’s one of the nicest kids you could possibly meet.”

Insiders claim Donte came about after a fling in Las Vegas in the early 1990s.

Donte is the second alleged secret son of the legendary singer, who has children Prince Michael, 13, and Paris, 12, with ex-wife Debbie Rowe and eight-year-old Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket, whose mother is unknown. It is also believed 26-year-old dancer Omer Bhatti is his child. (msn.com)

Naomi Campbell to testify at Taylor war crimes trial

ONDON (AFP) - – British supermodel Naomi Campbell will give evidence at the war crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor about a "blood diamond" he allegedly gave her, her spokeswoman said Friday.

"Naomi Campbell has confirmed she will attend the Charles Taylor trial at The Hague as per the court's request. She is a witness who has been asked to help clarify events in 1997," her spokeswoman said.

The war crimes court ordered Campbell last week to testify on July 29 about a diamond she was allegedly given by Taylor after a celebrity dinner hosted by then South African president Nelson Mandela in September 1997.

Taylor has been on trial since 2008 for his alleged role in the civil war in Sierra Leone, accused of arming rebels in return for illegally mined diamonds.

"Miss Campbell has made it clear that she is willing to help the due process of law," said the spokeswoman from The Outside Organisation PR firm.

"For avoidance of doubt she is not being accused of any wrongdoing and is not on trial."

Campbell will have to testify about claims by her former agent Carole White and actress Mia Farrow that she was given the diamond.

The prosecution alleges the gem was among those Taylor had obtained from Sierra Leone rebels and took to South Africa "to sell... or exchange them from weapons."

It believes Campbell's evidence will be direct evidence of Taylor's possession of rough diamonds, a claim he has denied.

When it ordered the model to appear, the Special Court for Sierra Leone warned she could face up to seven years in jail if she failed to turn up.

Campbell had previously refused to talk to prosecutors about the alleged gift.

The court "hereby orders you to appear as a witness in the case of Prosecutor v Charles Ghankay Taylor on Thursday July 29, 2010 at 9:00am (0700 GMT) or to show good cause why you cannot comply with this subpoena," states the subpoena addressed to the model.

The court said there was "at least a good chance that the information provided by Ms Campbell would be of material assistance" in the case.

Taylor, 62, is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the 1991-2001 civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone, where he is alleged to have armed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in exchange for rough diamonds.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, rape, conscripting child soldiers, enslavement and pillaging.

The RUF is blamed for the mutilation of thousands of civilians who had their hands and arms severed in one of the most brutal wars in modern history, which claimed some 120,000 lives.

Talent Agency WME drops Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson has been dropped by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.

Earlier this week, the agency's Patrick Whitesell informed the actors' representatives that he would no longer be represented by the agency.

Gibson's longtime agent, Ed Limato, died July 3, and a funeral will take place in New York next week.

WME partner Ari Emanuel had previously expressed hostility toward Gibson after the actor made anti-Semitic remarks and made remarks implying skepticism about the Holocaust.

An agency source said the only reason the agency had represented Gibson in the first place was his association with Limato. "Mel was really important to Ed," an agency source said. "He was with him for 32 years and I think Ed saw him as a son." But he added, "The world knows how Ari feels and he has never changed that opinion."

Gibson's troubles have only increased in recent weeks with allegations of bigoted tirades against blacks and Latinos and reports that he is under investigation for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Several studio executives have said in the wake of these disclosures that they consider the troubled actor to untouchable in the industry. "I'd rather get engaged to Lindsay Lohan than have anything to do with him," one studio chief said.

A spokesman for Gibson said the star had always planned to do without an agent after Limato's death. He added, "At this point he doesn't seem to be in need of an agent." He said Gibson has projects lined up for the next two years. Those include starring roles in two films: "The Beaver," a dark comedy directed by and co-starring Jodie Foster, and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," that Gibson co-wrote.

KIM MASTERS /THR

Minnie Riperton performs "Loving You" on Soul Train

Paris Hilton marijuana charges dropped in SAfrica

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa – A court in South Africa has dropped a marijuana-smoking case against Paris Hilton.

The socialite appeared late Friday in a FIFA World Cup courtroom after being arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana at a quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands.

The authorities dropped the charges against Hilton, after her co-accused, Jennifer Rovero, "acknowledged to be in possession of cannabis, and pleaded guilty," said Brig. Sally De Beer, a spokeswoman for South African police.

Rovero, 31, from New York, was sentenced to a fine of 1000 rand ($130) or 30 days imprisonment, De Beer said.

A publicist for Hilton said the incident was a "misunderstanding."

"Paris Hilton was questioned today by police in South Africa on allegations of smoking marijuana," a publicist for Hilton, Dawn Miller, said in a statement.

"However I can confirm that the incident was a complete misunderstanding and it was actually another person in the group who did it," the statement said. "The case has been dropped against Paris and no charges will be made."

When told the case had been dropped, Hilton said "thank you" and left the courtroom.

Hilton wrote on Twitter later: "Hey guys, there's a lot of crazy rumors going around. Just want you all to know the truth. Everything is completely fine. I was not charged or arrested, cause I didn't do anything."

She said she was helping police with their investigation.

"Everyone was super nice and friendly to me," Hilton wrote. "I love South Africa! Such an amazing place, especially during The World Cup! Hope that clears everything up."

The socialite was wearing an off-white sleeveless blouse in court. Her hair was in pigtails and she had heavy black eyeliner.

Hilton and Rovero were believed to have left court without speaking to reporters after a white van left the building with two of the passengers covering themselves to hide their identities.

Hilton was detained in Port Elizabeth earlier Friday, on suspicion of possessing marijuana, two South African police officers said on condition of anonymity earlier in the day.

The officers spoke on condition of anonymity, since they were not authorized to release Hilton's name before she appeared in court.

A local radio station in Johannesburg said Hilton was detained outside the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, following the quarterfinal match between Brazil and Netherlands.

Hilton pleaded no contest in 2007 to alcohol-related reckless driving and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. After spending about 23 days in jail, Hilton told Larry King that the experience caused her to re-evaluate the role partying played in her life. She said she wanted "to help raise money for kids and for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis."

Investors for Hilton's 2006 box-office bomb "Pledge This!" have been battling the heiress in federal court, claiming that she didn't plug the film enough. Hilton, who testified last summer at a trial over the dispute, previously said that she was dissatisfied with the finished film, but she worked hard to make sure the college sorority romp succeed. - AP