People: California governor pardons Robert Downey Jr. in drug case
The governor of California pardoned Robert Downey Jr. on Thursday for a nearly 20-year-old felony drug conviction that led to the Oscar-nominated actor’s imprisonment for roughly a year.
Downey was among 91 people granted pardons for criminal convictions after demonstrating they had rehabilitated themselves and been out of custody for at least 10 years, Gov. Jerry Brown’s office announced.
The pardon does not erase records of a conviction but is a public proclamation that the person has remained out of trouble and demonstrated exemplary behavior, according to material on Brown’s website.
Downey, once a courthouse mainstay for a series of drug-related arrests, has become one of Hollywood’s greatest success stories for career and addiction rehabilitation.
Since 2008, Downey has portrayed “Iron Man” in a series of Disney blockbuster films, including “The Avengers,” based on the Marvel comic books.
The 50-year-old actor is a two-time Oscar nominee for his roles in 1992’s “Chaplin” and 2008’s “Tropic Thunder.”
Downey’s legal troubles began in June 1996 when he was stopped for speeding on Pacific Coast Highway and authorities found cocaine, heroin and a pistol in his vehicle.
In 1999, he was sent to prison for roughly a year after he acknowledged violating his probation.
Downey obtained the pardon after getting a judge to issue a certificate of rehabilitation, according to a proclamation released by Brown’s office. It said Downey has “lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen.”
Rapper Trey Songz plays Santa in Virginia hometown
Grammy-nominated singer Trey Songz delivered shoes and gift cards to dozens of needy children in his hometown of Petersburg.
The Progress-Index reported the entertainer surprised 68 children Wednesday with the early Christmas presents, including gift cards. His charity, Angels with Hearts Foundation, arranged the visit and gift-giving with the city, where he graduated from Petersburg High School.
Songz was known in Petersburg as Tremaine Neverson. During his visit with the children he reflected on his humble roots in the city known for its role in the Civil War. He said the children’s glee gave him “an extra sense of joy.”
Colbert respects Trump’s populist appeal
Stephen Colbert may not respect much of what Donald Trump says, but he does admire the Republican’s ability to craft a message that many voters are responding to.
“There is a populism to Trump that I find very appealing,” Colbert said on an interview to be shown on CBS’ “Face the Nation” this Sunday. “And it’s only this: The party elders want him to go away, but the people have decided that he’s not going to.”
The “Late Show” host, like most late-night comedians, has feasted on the New York businessman’s campaign. And he makes it clear that he disagrees with many of Trump’s “more than a little shocking” policy proposals.
But his ability to attract support in the face of establishment rejection is “the one saving grace of his candidacy,” Colbert said.
Colbert’s comments come with their own backdrop. After a fast start in September, he’s been sagging in the ratings against competitors Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. A poll found Colbert is more popular among Democrats than Republicans, perhaps a vestige of his character as a blowhard political commentator on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”
Colbert told “Face the Nation” moderator John Dickerson that one of the reasons he ended “The Colbert Report” was a sense that people were getting tired of divisiveness.
“That’s what I was aping,” Colbert said. “And I thought, ‘I can’t really drink that cup anymore.’”