Phil Spector Trial: Day 32
A new witness in the Phil Spector murder trial could "contribute to reasonable doubt" that the producer committed murder in February 2003.
Raul Julia Levy, an actor and producer, was a longtime friend of actress Lana Clarkson who died at Spector's mansion as a result of a shot to the head.
Lawyer for Levy, John DeHart told the court they would hear the "real truth", following two months of hearing the prosecution's case.
Levy is expected to testify that Clarkson threatened to commit suicide, but that he did not take her threats seriously. Judge Larry Paul Fidler gave the prosecution until July 18 to research Levy.
The defence began its case this week, with writer David Schapiro testifying that Clarkson had money worries before her death and that she emailed him saying "I am truly at the end of this whole deal. I am going to tidy up my affairs and chuck it, because it is really all too much for one girl to bear anymore."
Schapiro also said that Clarkson frequently exaggerated and that he did not believe she would kill herself. |
John Cooper Clarke joins tributes to Tony Wilson
Poet John Cooper Clarke has paid his tribute to Tony Wilson who died on Friday (August 10).
The Factory Records legend passed away in Manchester after battling kidney cancer, and the poet - who Wilson was a big supporter of - admitted he was shocked by his friend's death.
"It's a real tragedy. I was talking to him a couple of months ago, and he seemed to think he was gong to be back on his feet pretty soon. I told him 'Not to worry, Tony. My dad had it, you can beat it'," Cooper Clarke told NME.COM.
"I honestly can't think of a bad thing to say about him," added the wordsmith who toured with many punk bands in the late 1970s as well as recently collaborated with Arctic Monkeys. "He gave me my first television gig, actually. On his Granada show. He came out to see The Buzzcocks, and I was third on the bill, and ended up getting chucked out of the venue for something or other, but he noticed me and said 'No, give him a chance'. It really gave me a leg up - in those days it was really hard to get on TV, and it tripled my audiences overnight."
Cooper Clarke added that support for new talent was typical of Wilson.
"He was very into giving things a chance. He always had the next big thing in his sights. Just the other week he was talking to me about Enter Shikari, how amazing they were, how they were the new Sex Pistols. He would walk miles to see a new band if he had to," he explained. "He was also something of a svengali to Joy Division. I remember them when they were called Warsaw, and they were dreadful, but he said: 'No, change your name to Joy Division, play it like this'. He knew what he was doing - he was very intuitive." |
Britney Spears denied restoration of child custody
A Los Angeles County judge refused to restore Britney Spears' custody of her two sons today (October 3).
During a two-hour hearing behind closed doors, Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon said that Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline, would retain custody of Sean Preston (2) and Jayden James (1).
According to Federline's attorney, Gordon granted Spears visitation rights under certain conditions, but did not specify what those conditions were, reports the Associated Press.
Another hearing has been set for October 26, at which time Gordon may revisit his decision.
Spears lost custody of her children on Monday, as previously reported. |