Kanye West charged in LAX altercation
Rapper Kanye West was charged Friday with battery and attempted grand theft in connection with a July paparazzi clash at Los Angeles International Airport, city prosecutors said.
West, 36, faces up to six months in jail for each misdemeanor charge. The case will go before a judge Oct. 10 in L.A. County Superior Court.
West, who has long maintained a hostile stance toward paparazzi and even rapped about his contempt for the media, was captured on video July 19 wrestling video photographer Danny Ramos to the ground. The video, obtained by TMZ, showed West leaving the airport and heading toward a waiting car. He then stops and appears to get into an argument with one of the numerous photographers on scene, putting the man in a headlock and forcing him to the ground.
After reviewing the incident, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to file felony assault and attempted-robbery charges, and instead referred the issue to the city attorney.
Allen getting DeMille Award
The organizers of the Golden Globe Awards plan to honor Woody Allen for his contributions to filmmaking. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association said Friday that Allen will receive the 2014 Cecil B. DeMille Award.
A tribute to the 77-year-old actor, writer and director will be included in the 71st annual Golden Globe ceremony set for Jan. 12. Morgan Freeman and Martin Scorsese are among the previous recipients.
Zadora ordered to get counseling
A judge has ordered singer-actress Pia Zadora to complete alcohol and impulse control counseling.
The entertainer, whose career peaked in the 1980s, was arrested in May after police say she sprayed her teenage son with a hose in an attempt to get him to go to bed. A Las Vegas judge told Zadora on Thursday that she’ll face 30 days in jail if she fails to seek help.
Zadora was charged with domestic abuse and coercion after a disturbance that began with her attempt to hustle the 16-year-old boy to bed so she could get some rest. Police reports say the one-time blond bombshell turned a watering hose on her son and tried to rip the phone from his hands when he called 911. Zadora told police she thought he was calling the authorities to avoid his bedtime.
The birthday bunch
Actress Zoe Caldwell is 80. Actor Walter Koenig is 77. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 69. Actor Sam Neill is 66. Singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 66. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 57. Actress Mary Crosby is 54. Actress Melissa Leo is 53. Actress Faith Ford is 49. Actor-writer-director-producer Tyler Perry is 44. Rapper Nas is 40. Actress Jessica Brown Findlay is 26.