Courtroom drama Archives

New York, November 15, 2006 – Anger mismanagement poster girl Naomi Campbell made her court date in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after being accused of yet another assault, this time in Europe. The supermodel had missed a previous hearing in September, and was threatened with arrest if she failed to turn up again. But Naomi still played the diva just a tiny bit by showing up about ten minutes late for her 9:30 appointment. Inside the courtroom, she removed the dark sunglasses that she wore on her way in and out of the courthouse. The whole encounter lasted about ten minutes.

New York, October 24, 2006 – We were hoping for a showdown between rappers Foxy Brown and Busta Rhymes as each appeared around the same time at Manhattan Criminal courthouse this morning. But apparently court officials were taking no chances – Foxy entered 100 Centre Street though a southern entrance, and Busta through the north.

Not wanting to miss a public relations opportunity, Foxy drove by the courthouse at around 9:30 A.M., and leaned out of her car to scope out the situation. It seems the media contingent was a bit on the thin side, because she drove away and returned almost an hour later, happily giving interviews on her way into the building.

The judge refused to withdraw Brown’s three-year probation sentence for a fight with two nail salon employees. However, the hearing-challenged rapper has found a nail salon to take her on – we couldn’t help noticing her flawless bubblegum pink talons.

Busta Rhymes arrived on time in a bulletproof SUV, and had better luck today. While he remains accused of assault for spitting on someone’s car, the judge rejected bringing additional weapons charges against him. Rhymes’ car wasn’t waiting when he left the courthouse, it was stuck in traffic nearby. So he walked down the street to the vehicle, followed by an army of TV crews, paparazzi and fans.

New York, August 14, 2006 – Manhattan’s Chinatown was even more chaotic than usual as a swirl of journalists pursued pop singer Boy George on his first day of working as a street sweeper. Arriving at Sanitation District 3 depot in lower Manhattan at 7 A.M., George was assigned a shovel, a broom and a trash bin, and eyeing the media, said “Quite a turnout”. He then got into a van and was driven to the Manhattan Bridge with a caravan of cars and trucks carrying at least 50 reporters, TV crews and photographers, plus six paparazzi on bicycles, following through the winding Chinatown streets.

A Reuters photographer making a left turn from Allen Street onto East Broadway smashed his car into the rear of a paparazzo’s vehicle. (It was not clear who was at fault. Maybe it’s George’s fault?)

The media circus watched George work for a bit – he’s a very meticulous sweeper – and then, suddenly, he was piled again into the Sanitation van and headed off for the Brooklyn Bridge. This time, only a few quick-thinking journalists had time to jump into their cars and follow; the other 45 or so aimlessly wandered around lower Manhattan, calling contacts, trying to find out where George had gone, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-style.

Sanitation officials, who were cordial, professional and surprisingly media-savvy, soon decided that the situation was dangerous, and took George back to the District 3 depot, where he spent the day sweeping the yard safely behind a chain-link fence.

George’s community service sentence for filing a false police report runs for five days. He’ll work from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M., with two 15-minute breaks and a 45-minute lunch.

New York, June 27, 2006 – Be glad that you are not Naomi Campbell’s driver today. The supermodel appeared in court briefly this morning in connection with her cell phone assault case, and when she left, her car was nowhere to be found. Besieged by media crews, Naomi and her small entourage were forced to go back inside the courthouse until her limo arrived. We don’t envy that driver!

The anger-management poster girl wore dark sunglasses, and, apparently, Birkin bags are no longer the must-have accessory for the legally challenged; Naomi carried no handbag.

Milford, Michigan, May 30, 2006 – The final stop on our middle American Memorial Day sojourn was not the final resting place of Jimmy Hoffa. After meeting Vince and Jen, and Ludacris and Dubya, we took a detour to suburban Detroit, where FBI agents tore down a barn on a lovely horse farm, based on a tip that missing Teamsters boss Hoffa, who disappeared over 30 years ago, might be buried there.

We arrived just in time to catch the FBI press conference calling off the search that inspired the entrepreneurial spirit of the Milford townspeople.