People: Vanilla Ice makes deal in felony case
The criminal case against Robert Matthew Van Winkle, of Wellington, Florida, also known as rapper Vanilla Ice, suddenly melted away Thursday.
In a surprise appearance at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Van Winkle, 47, smiled after a judge approved an arrangement that enables him to avoid prosecution on a grand theft charge.
“I never had any criminal intent,” Van Winkle told reporters, after admitting guilt and signing a pretrial intervention agreement requiring 100 hours of community service and a few other conditions for the next 12 months. “I’m moving forward.”
Lantana police on Feb. 18 arrested the man who achieved stardom in 1990 with his hit song “Ice Ice Baby.” Van Winkle – who has since achieved recognition as a remodeling expert and real estate entrepreneur – was accused of taking furniture, a patio set, a pool heater, bicycles and other items from a vacant home.
Van Winkle promised to pay $1,333 in restitution to the alleged victim in the case – the estate of homeowner Morgan Wilbur III, who died in 2008.
Along with an order to stay away from the property, Van Winkle will have to pay $100 for the cost of the prosecution, attend a four-hour course on theft deterrence, and complete the service hours for local Habitat for Humanity projects.
Van Winkle said it’s long been his passion to give back to the community anyway. In 2014, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce named Van Winkle “Outstanding Citizen of the Year” for his contributions to the community. “It’s like asking the pope to pray,” Van Winkle said of the punishment.
Ferrell, Wiig scuttle Lifetime movie
Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig say they are abandoning plans for a Lifetime TV movie after the secret project became public.
Lifetime had confirmed news reports Thursday that the former “Saturday Night Live” stars play a couple who befriend a pregnant woman in hopes of adopting her child. The film’s ominous title was “A Deadly Adoption.”
The actors quickly issued a statement that they were disappointed word got out. Ferrell and Wiig said they decided it’s best to forgo the project they labeled “top secret.”
Earlier, Lifetime said the movie had already been taped and was being kept under wraps with plans to air it this summer. The network didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Ferrell and Wiig’s statement.
The pair appeared together in the big-screen movie “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” playing it strictly for laughs. They’ve had big-screen dramatic roles, but their casting in a melodramatic Lifetime movie seemed odd.
The birthday bunch
Actress-singer Doris Day is 92. Actress Marsha Mason is 73. Singer Wayne Newton is 73. Singer Tony Orlando is 71. Folk-rock singer Richard Thompson is 66. Actor Alec Baldwin is 57. Actor David Hyde Pierce is 56. Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy is 54. Actress Jennie Garth is 43. Comedian Aries Spears is 40. Actress Amanda Bynes is 29.