Posted Dec 2nd 2008 7:39PM by TMZ Staff
It's been 30 years since Roman Polanski was charged with having sex with a teenage girl, but it's never too late to try and have the case dismissed.
The Oscar-winning director has filed a request to have the child-sex charge against him tossed out, the AP is reporting. His lawyers claim a documentary about Polanski that was released this year revealed "misconduct and improper communications" between the judge and prosecutors in his case.
Polanski was initially indicted on six felony counts and could have gotten life in prison. Instead, he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor -- the other counts were dismissed.
Polanski skipped sentencing and fled the country when he was charged in 1978 and hasn't returned to the U.S. since. He won the Oscar for directing "The Pianist" back in 2002, but skipped the ceremony because there is still an active warrant for his arrest.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 7:36PM by TMZ Staff
A photographer is looking for a massive payday from Rihanna and Chris Brown, after he says he was beaten and robbed for snapping a photo of the young couple in May.
Luis Santana just filed a $1 million lawsuit in Florida -- claiming his $3,000 camera was stolen from him after being form-tackled outside Brown's 19th birthday party at the Vintage Ultra Lounge in St. Petersburg.
Luis says bodyguards for RiRi, Brown and the Lounge attacked him for taking a photo of the couple through their open limo window, according to The St. Petersburg Times.
The reason Santana's suing for such a large amount -- he says the photo would have made a killing since the two lovebirds weren't officially dating, and it showed them together.
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 7:00PM by TMZ Staff
Hockey Fun Fact: You can punch the hell out of an opposing player on the ice, but when you refer to his girlfriend as your "sloppy seconds" -- that's where the NHL draws the line.
Moments ago, the NHL suspended hockey's most hated player, Sean Avery, for talking trash to the new player dating his ex girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert.
Here's the deal -- Cuthbert's new boyfriend, Dion Phaneuf, plays for the Calgary Flames -- and during a practice session in Calgary today, Avery got the media's attention and said the following:
"I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."
Avery is out pending a hearing with NHL Commissioner Gay Bettman.
Filed under: Talk Sports
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 6:00PM by TMZ Staff
Shauna Sand's husband Romain Chavent is fuming over allegations he beat his wife and threatened to sell naked photos of her children -- chalking the devastating allegations up to Shauna being "completely crazy ... like a buffalo."
In what turned out to be one hell of a candid phone call, Romain ferociously defended himself -- and then proceeded to slam Shauna, claiming her own mother doesn't like her, she fights with half the hairstylists in town and that he's going to blacklist her from the Hollywood nightclub scene.
Here's the transcription -- you just gotta read it:
TMZ: What's going on with this restraining order?
Romain: Yesterday, she called me and said, "I'm at court filing for divorce. You need to come tomorrow morning at 8:30 to sign for divorce or I'm putting a restraining order on you." I thought she was joking!
TMZ: And when did you hear that she actually did it?
Romain: I just heard. The first time I heard about it was on TMZ. Someone called and told me to look at the website.
TMZ: These are some crazy allegations! Are they true?
Romain: SHE'S completely crazy – completely! Of course they are not true.
TMZ: So you didn't take pictures of her kids?
Romain: The pictures are not true. Of course not. This is not the first time - when she was divorcing with Lorenzo, she was making allegations he wanted her to be a prostitute!
TMZ: OK, so you know all this but yet you still chose to be with her?
Romain: She's the nicest person on earth, but she can be crazy. Like a buffalo. She just goes mad. She's bipolar.
TMZ: What about that you punched her breasts?
Click here... it's not over yet
Filed under: Dirty Divorces
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 5:58PM by TMZ Staff
Plaxico Burress' season is officially over.
The New York Giants just put him on the reserve list and suspended him for four games "for conduct detrimental to the team," meaning his season is toast. It's actually the second time the self-shooter has been suspended by the Giants this year.
Burress also faces felony weapons charges -- and three and a half years in the slammer.
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 5:30PM by TMZ Staff
That's right ladies, Dylan McDermott will officially be a single man on January 2, 2009. The countdown begins!
Dylan and Shiva Rose McDermott had been married since 1995 and have two daughters together.
The two separated in 2007 -- Dylan filed papers in June of this year.
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 5:20PM by TMZ Staff
Everybody hates a name-dropper -- and now the former president of the all-powerful William Morris Agency is being sued for allegedly tossing around Bruce Willis' name to finance a bunch of movies.
The guy in the dog house is Arnold Rifkin, who co-founded a major production company with Bruce Willis in 1999 that put out about 15 movies -- but they went their separate ways in 2006.
In 2007, Rifkin and a guy named Chris Eberts started their own company -- Rifkin-Eberts, LLC -- and Eberts claims he was led to believe Bruce Willis was still Rifkin's pal -- the kind of pal "committed to starring in future projects."
In a lawsuit filed today in L.A Superior Court, Eberts says he was sold a bag of lies -- claiming Willis never got anywhere near the company's flicks and Rifkin never put together talented crews, established good credit lines and was not "well regarded in the Hollywood community."
Ebert is suing Rifkin for over $3 million of alleged unpaid debt associated with their company's movies: "Timber Falls," "Stag Night," and "Night Train."
UPDATE: We just spoke to Rifkin's lawyer, Glen Rothstein, who said: "First, we categorically deny all accusations Mr. Eberts is making... We currently have a pending arbitration against him, suing him for between $5-10 million.
Eberts lawyer sent the American Arbitration Association a letter saying he has "insufficient funds" to pay a $10,000 fee associated with the arbitration. Eberts is also named in numerous lawsuits filed within the last year.
Obviously, this is a nuisance, but I am confident Mr. Rifkin's rights will be vindicated."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 5:00PM by TMZ Staff
Shauna Sand has finally had it with hubby Romain Chavent -- the guy who allegedly beat the crap out of her this weekend -- and now she's filing for divorce. Again. Kinda.
A day after Shauna filed a shocking restraining order against him accusing Romain of a disturbing history of violence, Shauna went back to court today to ask the judge to re-open her divorce case against Romain.
Just last week, Shauna and Romain's divorce became official -- but the couple went to court the next day to have it called off. Shauna claims Romain pressured her into having the divorce canceled so he could keep his green card.
Shauna has accused Romain of choking her on multiple occasions, throwing her against a wall, and threatening to sell nude photos he took of her young daughters when Shauna wasn't around.
Filed under: Dirty Divorces
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 3:51PM by TMZ Staff
Tonight on TMZ TV -- Heidi and Spencer are increasing the population... the dude from How I Met Your Mother is getting crotchblocked by his own crotch ... and you'll never believe who left home without shaving her armpits!
Check your local listings.
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 3:02PM by TMZ Staff
The Cook County state's attorney's office has just officially charged William Balfour with the murders of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew.
He's been charged with three counts of first degree murder and one count of home invasion.
Balfour is scheduled for a bond hearing at noon Central time tomorrow.
UPDATE 4:21 ET: In their presser, which just ended, the State's Attorney and cops said they're "confident" about their case, which some unnamed sources have claimed is "mainly circumstantial." They said they do have physical evidence tying Balfour to the scene, and emphasized they did not cut a deal with Balfour's girlfriend to elicit her testimony.
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 3:01PM by TMZ Staff
The "Eight is Enough" pop says he wants on "Dancing with the Stars" -- and he's already got one of the prerequisites covered: Hospital tags.
Filed under: Dancing with the Stars
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 2:45PM by TMZ Staff
Gotta love Miss France -- not only does she roll into our home turf in her frickin' sash, but then she fires off a shot at Paris Hilton's reputation?! Sounds like the makings of an international catfight to us!
Filed under: Paris Hilton
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 2:00PM by TMZ Staff
Ilene Graff -- and her feathered winged 'do -- became somewhat famous for playing the mom (Marsha Owens) on the '80s TV series "Mr. Belvedere." Guess what she looks like now!
Filed under: TV, Beauty, 'Memba Them?!
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 1:48PM by TMZ Staff
Just what the world needs... little annoying, blonde, jobless kiddies running around.
Right after the vomit-inducing twosome returned home from their elope-a-dope in Cabo San Lucas, they confirmed the rumor -- they're going to start a family.
Filed under: The Hills
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 1:31PM by TMZ Staff
No, Larry King wasn't doing the Macarena in the middle of a Beverly Hills street yesterday -- but he did stop to drop his best "Zoolander" pose for the paparazzi.
Filed under: Paparazzi Photo, Beauty, Nurse!
