What we have here is a failure to communicate.That’s the reason the attorneys who have been representing Britney Spears in her ongoing custody case are asking to be relieved as her counsel, according to court documents filed Wednesday.”There has been a breakdown in communications between Petitioner and Trope & Trope making further representation of her interests impossible,” reads the motion filed on behalf of the pop star’s main legal man, Sorrell Trope. No further explanation for the requested split was given, but it reportedly happened to occur on the same day Spears missed her latest appointment to be deposed by Kevin Federline’s legal camp, a sit-down that’s been in the works for some time.She missed her last scheduled appearance Dec. 12, blaming anxiety and physical illness. In a subsequent emergency hearing, K-Fed attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan, armed with photographic evidence, noted to the court commissioner overseeing the custody case that Spears apparently was doing well enough to go out later that night. ”It’s not fourth grade, where you get a doctor’s note and it’s all okay,” Kaplan told People last weekend, adding that he was looking to get Spears’ deposition underway in early 2008.
Trope’s firm has been on Spears’ side since she parted ways with attorney Laura Wasser in September. But the Beverly Hills-based family laywer toldPeople he hasn’t yet joined the club of Spears’ ex-attorneys. He has to wait and see what the judge says first.”A lawyer cannot simply withdraw from a case,” Trope said. “We will ask the court to relieve us, which will be heard within a month’s time.” Meanwhile, the papers informing his soon-to-be ex-client of his decision are in the mail, according to the motion filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.It’s unclear how this shakeup will affect the custody proceedings. Kaplan could not yet be reached for comment. In other legal news, Spears’ trial on a misdemeanor vehicle infraction has been postponed until Jan. 25, but as far as we know, the “Toxic” singer still has counsel lined up to represent her during those proceedings.
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer(01-01) 16:34 PST OAKLAND — Two homicides on the first day of 2008, a fatal officer-involved shooting on New Year’s Eve and reports of celebratory overnight gunfire kept Oakland police busy, while San Francisco police investigated a homicide and two stabbings and arrested drunken revelers.Across the Bay Area, California Highway Patrol officers arrested 227 people for driving under the influence from Friday night to early this morning, said CHP Sgt. Les Bishop.In Oakland, a man was stabbed to death by his brother-in-law about 3:20 a.m. today on the 500 block of Jones Avenue in the Brookfield Village neighborhood of East Oakland, police said. At about 3 a.m. today, a man was shot and killed on the 2400 block of Wood Street in West Oakland.The names of the victims were not released. They are the first two homicides of the year in Oakland.On New Year’s Eve, two Oakland officers shot and killed a man whom they believed was reaching for a weapon as he hid behind a parked car after fleeing from a traffic stop, police said.
Dallas Independent School District police are reporting a sharp drop in arrests related to “cheese” heroin. Just 15 students were arrested this school year through November, down from 71 during the same period last year.But the demand for treatment for kids hooked on the deadly mix of black tar heroin and crushed nighttime cold tablets hasn’t decreased much. And users are cropping up beyond the northwest Dallas area, where the drug had previously been concentrated.”It’s slowly spreading through the different age groups and parts of the city,” said Deputy Chief Julian Bernal, commander of the Dallas police narcotics division. “We were seeing some pretty big spikes, but they’ve leveled off.”For example, figures from the Dallas Police Department show that 264 adults were arrested on heroin charges through Dec. 14 of this year, about the same number arrested during that period last year.
Mariah Carey is back with a new body and hot look. The pop diva rocked club TAO last night in Las Vegas, where she counted down to 2008. Mariah arrived sporting a white cocktail number and for once her dress actually looked like it fit her.
When asked what her New Years resolution was she responded, “I should have them, but I’ve already done them. Mariah told reporters that she had reached her diet goals. That explains why she looked so good in the tight dress.
Mariah attended the bash with an entourage of 30, which included Rapper Da Brat,”American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, Kelis and Nas. Others that attended the party included Rick Fox, R&B singer Mario and the music band Earth Wind and Fire. Mariah closed the night by playing her new track “Migrate” which features T-Pain.
Songstress Mariah Carey was in Las Vegas last night to help count down to the new year at TAO Nightclub. The only problem — she was a few seconds off!
Watch the video and pay special attention to the time displayed in the background. Happy 30 seconds after New Year’s, everyone!
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid285859616/bclid294430730/bctid1363158419
Black Eyed Peas star Fergie has told fans she is “the luckiest girl in the world” after sealing her engagement to actor Josh Duhamel.
The couple, together for three years, revealed the big news on Christmas Day.
And the singer–real name Stacy Ferguson–shared her excitement with concertgoers at her show in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday.
The 32-year-old said from the stage, “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I’m thrilled.”
She later dedicated track “All That I Got” to Duhamel, telling the crowd, “This song is about loving someone for their inner beauty. I hope you all have someone like that in your lives. I do.”
But Fergie isn’t sharing any information about her wedding, telling reporters, “I’m not giving any details. I think the fine points are sacred. It’s just important to us. It’s hard for me because I have a big mouth.”
