JENA, La. — No media throng or thousands of supporters greeted Mychal Bell on Tuesday as he and his parents walked into the LaSalle Parish courthouse. Details of why Bell was in court were unavailable since his case now is being handled in juvenile court and is not open to public scrutiny.

“I can’t tell you about what just happened or what is next,” said Louis Scott, one of Bell’s attorneys, as he left the building. Bell was the first of six black students to be tried for an alleged attack on Justin Barker, a white classmate at Jena High School. His case and those of the other defendants — now known as the “Jena Six” — have prompted comparisons to the struggles of people like Rosa Parks.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped organize a massive protest in the small central Louisiana town after news of the charges spread, has called the demonstration the beginning of the 21st-century civil rights movement. Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and other critics accused District Attorney Reed Walters, who is white, of prosecuting blacks more harshly than whites. They note that he did not file charges against three white teens suspended from the high school over allegations they hung nooses in a tree on campus not long before fights between blacks and whites, including the attack on Barker.

Since the rush of activity leading up to Bell’s publicized release last week, things have “finally quieted down,” Bell’s family has said. The number of reporters stopping by each day has waned. The phone calls have begun to lessen. Bell was given an ankle monitoring device before his release Thursday for the home confinement that is part of the terms of his release, Scott said.

Although Scott wouldn’t comment about Tuesday’s hearing, he did confirm that the “restrictions” on Bell’s release would not change for the time being. The hearing, which started around 9:30 a.m., lasted more than four hours. Bell was accompanied by his parents — Marcus Jones and Melissa Bell — and his attorneys. Also on hand were Barker and his parents — David and Kelli Barker.

Bell and the other five defendants have been charged in connection with the Dec. 4 attack on Barker that left him unconscious and bleeding with facial injuries. According to court testimony, he was repeatedly kicked by a group of students at the high school. Barker was treated for three hours at a local emergency room and was able to attend a school function that evening, authorities have said.

Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw were all initially charged — as adults — with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit the same. A sixth defendant was charged in the case as a juvenile. Bell, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was convicted in June of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime. Walters reduced the charges just before the trial. Since then, both of those convictions were dismissed and tossed back to juvenile court, where they now are being tried.

Charges against Bailey, 18, Jones, 19, and Shaw, 18, have been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery. Purvis, 18, has not yet been arraigned. Details about the juvenile’s case, like Bell’s, are unknown as it is being handled in juvenile court, though he has returned to school and is participating in athletics. Bailey, Jones, Purvis and Shaw must face their charges in adult court, as they were all 17 or 18 at the time of the incident.

Last week, state District Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. set Bell’s bond at $45,000, and Bell was released after spending more than 10 months behind bars. He was greeted by close to 50 family members and friends, Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, Bishop T.D. Jakes and more than 100 members of the media.

Source: Houston Chronicle

Yikes. Even though Robbie looks a bit like distressed leather these days, he’s still on point when it comes to performing. At Mark Ronson’s first-ever performance as a headlining act in Los Angeles, he welcomed the British pop star to the stage to accompany him on their take on The Charlatans’ song, “The Only One I Know.” In addition to receiving on stage support from Williams, Ronson also was joined by Nikka Costa, rapper Tiggers, as well as a number of other artists, all of whom lent their musical talents to the sold-out show at the El Rey Theatre. Nicole Richie and baby-daddy, Joel Madden were some of the audience who showed up to enjoy the musical stylings of Ronson and company. Shouldn’t she be in bed? Mostly, I’m saying that because it looks like she just woke up. Well, enjoy it now, Nic, cause soon, you’ll have a screaming baby waking you up at all hours of the night. Oh wait, you’re rich. You’ll just buy a nanny to do all the dirty work. I never win.

(Flynet)

More photos from the El Rey attendees are after the jump.

I wasn’t aware but apparently Ralph Lauren’s car collection makes Jay Leno’s look like the trashy backyard auto dump of some of my distant half cousins. Hey, you never know when are gonna need a drive shaft from that 1971 Camaro.

From the Press Release:

There is no other car collection like it in the world. Each is hand-crafted, some of them one-of-a-kind, others with unmatched racing pedigrees. Like Ralph Lauren’s extraordinary designs, this collection is classic… timeless… enduring. Each car has a unique story to tell, and through the histories of these cars, the discovery of an unwavering dedication to design is revealed.

On Saturday, October 6, at 8PM (ET/PT), Discovery Channel will air SPEED, STYLE AND BEAUTY: THE RALPH LAUREN CAR COLLECTION, a one-hour world premiere special shot entirely in high definition, giving viewers a definitive first look into the car collection of one of the world’s leading designers and fashion visionaries.

All kinds of celebrities are speaking out about Britney Spears and her current woes. Dr. Phil’s reaching out to her on his show, the “American Idol” judges have long since made it known that they’d love to give her a helping hand (although, note to Paula, charity begins at home) and Timbaland has suggested some tough love be dished out to the starlet who got too ” big-headed” for her own good and should try to “humbly humble herself.” But, I think my favorite offer has come from D-list Queen Kathy Griffin, who said the following:

“I would like her to just wash her hair. I’m gonna start small.”

Meanwhile, shampoo or no, Britney’s moving forward with the promotion of her new single, “Gimme More,” preparing for the release of the video for the song. It’s set to premiere on MTV’s TRL on Monday at 3:30PM ET. I’m thinking it’s safe to say that a good hunk of the budget probably went to special effects to keep Britney from looking like the listless Britney avatar to which we were subjected at the 2007 VMAs.

(WENN)

More photos of Ms. Spears are after the jump.

State of the Blog Address

Yay! Fall has arrived. It’s one of my favorite times of the year (or at least in the top four), with the weather changing ever-so-slightly and Halloween right around the corner. I know people accuse Los Angelenos of not having weather changes but we do. We just can’t help it that every season is just a variation of “perfect.” That’s why our rent is so damn expensive, so get out of our faces already! But seriously, I really am looking forward to spending Halloween in my new apartment complex filled with kids. This year, I’m keeping the costume simple and authentic–that’s right, the Wicked Witch of the West. And none of that “sexy witch ” crap either. We’re talking big, black skirt, pointy hat and green face make-up. I’m already genetically predisposed to being able to successfully pull off the look (have you seen my chin and nose?) and LOVE face paint above all else.

More on Lisa’s ghoulish plans for October after the jump…

A daffy-looking Lindsay Lohan has conflicting reports about her current whereabouts swirling around. X-17 is saying that she has exited the Cirque Lodge rehab in Utah, where she’s been holded up f*cking in bathroom stalls, testing positive for cocaine and nature hiking since early August. I’m sure she’s cured. And headed right for her drug dealer’s bungalow on Venice Beach. Probably followed by Dina Lohan and camera crew. The cycle begins anew, kids. But at least we might have someone to write about besides Britney next week. But wait! TMZ is claiming otherwise!

Sources tell TMZ that Lindsay is in family therapy all this week at the Cirque Lodge in Orem, Utah — with her father, Michael Lohan. We’re told she will be returning to L.A. soon — for some minor dental work. But the plan is: when Lindsay’s choppers get fixed, she’ll return to Cirque.

Someone issue an Amber Alert so we can find this mess. We need to know where she is at all times! Our pills aren’t safe! And neither is that porcelain doll I picked up in Cancun that’s secretly made up of cocainya! Wait, I didn’t say that.

(Flynet)

• Kate Beckinsale is a Sexy Terrorist [Egotastic]
• Hot Celebrity Daddies [CityRag]
• Mary-Kate Olsen Will Save Us All [Hollywood Rag]
• Jessica Simpson’s Got Sexy Legs! [Hollywood Tuna]
• Little People, Big World [IDLYITW]
• Justin & Jessica: Too Cute in Toronto [Just Jared]
• Clooney Brandishing a “Sex Ramp” [MollyGood]
• Boo Boo Is Hot, But Her Owner Is Hotter [Dlisted]
• When Are We Going To Get A Confirmation?! [I’m Not Obsessed]
• Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley! [Best Week Ever]
• Highs & Lows [Pink is the New Blog]
• a boozing angelina jolie collapsed?!? [popbytes]
• Tom Brady for Stetson [Towleroad]

People who despise Angelina, rejoice! Everyday we get to read your comments. T-Bone said this! Angietothemax said that! And Green Cardigan and Darth Paul are just funny. Look - shoutouts! It’s a constant war between those who love Angelina, and those who feel she’s the worst thing to happen to our society since “The Hills”. For all of you drinking Haterade, check it out! It’s been discovered that 80% of e-mails with the the heading of “Angelina Jolie” contain viruses! Let the bitchery commence!

Fake emails claiming to offer nude photographs of Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Milla Jovovich and pixelated videogame babe Lara Croft are behind 80 per cent of computer viruses last month, according to experts.

For, though claiming to contain shocking pictures of female celebrities, the emails, once opened, install a malicious rootkit.

“These emails are masquerading as pornographic content, tempting the unwary into opening a file on their Windows computer which will install a rootkit and download further malicious code from the internet,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

You should hold her solely responsible for your system falling to pieces and becoming an expensive paper weight. She’s pure evil in a designer dress! Don’t be fooled by that humanitarian bullshit. She’s coldblooded, shifty and you know she knows the dark arts. She stole a girl’s husband and turned him into a simpering eunuch. She steals kids from their native lands! And now this! An e-mail with her in the subject heading is like a poison pen letter from Satan himself! See, I don’t think she’s all that and a bag of Miss Vickie’s Lime and Black Pepper chips ALL the time, ok? Lay off, bitches!

(INF)

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A weekend incident with racial overtones at a high school for deaf students could result in criminal charges with “enhanced penalties for a hate crime,” Metro Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Wednesday. A black student was held against his will and then released with “KKK” and swastikas drawn on him in marker at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf on Sunday, she said.

No charges have been filed, and no names have been released, Lanier said. The incident began when a group of black students and a group of white students were in a dorm. “My understanding is the two groups engaged in friendly horseplay,” she said. But, she said, the groups got “angry with each other.”

The two groups separated, she said, but later, six white students and one black student — all between the ages of 15 and 19 — took one of the black students into a dorm room and “held him there against his will.” “They used markers to write ‘KKK’ and draw swastikas on the student,” Lanier said.

The student was released after about 45 minutes. He notified dorm and school authorities, who called police. Lanier said police have identified and interviewed the students involved and the “investigation is ongoing.”

“The support we’ve received from the campus and from the school employees has been tremendous,” Lanier said. “And I think they’re supporting us in making a very strong statement that this investigation may lead to charges that could have enhanced penalties for a hate crime.”

The school is a residential high school on the campus of Gallaudet University, a higher education facility for deaf and hard of hearing people. The high school is administered as a division of the university’s Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center.

Dean of Clerc Center Katherine A. Jankowski said the seven students who participated in the incident were sent home. Gallaudet provost Stephen Weiner said the school does “not tolerate any action, behavior of this type.” “We are taking action,” he said. “We are looking at programs to help students understand we are a school with a diverse population.”

“This incident is intolerable,” he said. “That’s why the Metro police are involved. That’s how serious we are about this incident.” Jankowski said the school has also hired a consultant to work with the school and its students on diversity issues.

On Monday, teachers and staff hosted a school-wide assembly with students related to the incident, said Jankowski. Individual and group counseling services were also available to students, teachers and staff. “We are committed to ensuring MSSD is a safe and supportive learning environment,” she said

Source: CNN