Plea deal lands Lohan in morgue

1/19/2008

Lindsay Lohan is about to see dead people.

The 21-year-old actress will soon be working at a morgue as part of her punishment for misdemeanor drunken driving, her attorney, Blair Berk, told a judge Thursday in Los Angeles.

She has also spent two months in rehabilitation and has done some community service, Berk said at a hearing on her progress toward fulfilling the terms of her plea bargain.

Her two four-hour days at the morgue are part of a court-ordered program to show drivers the real-life consequences of drinking and driving. She must also spend two days working in a hospital emergency room.

Lohan was arrested twice last year on DUI charges and pleaded guilty in August to misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges. She has served 84 minutes in jail as part of the plea deal.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated George Clooney as a U.N. "messenger of peace" yesterday to promote the world body's activities, especially in its far-flung peacekeeping missions.

The 46-year-old actor has been campaigning for an end to the 4 1/2-year war in Darfur and for humanitarian aid for the millions caught up in the conflict. He will become the ninth U.N. peace envoy.

While many U.N. agencies have goodwill ambassadors to promote activities ranging from helping children and refugees to promoting human rights, "messengers of peace" are selected by the secretary-general to promote the broader work of the United Nations. Clooney will receive his designation at U.N. headquarters Jan. 31.

A financial adviser has testified that he warned Wesley Snipes that he could get into trouble if he didn't pay his taxes.

Snipes is on trial on charges of tax fraud, conspiracy, and willful failure to file tax returns. He faces up to 16 years in prison. The 45-year-old actor allegedly stopped filing returns, illegally sought refunds totaling $11 million for 1996 and 1997 taxes paid, and drew fake checks to pay the U.S. Treasury.

Kenneth Starr, head of New York-based Starr and Co., testified Thursday in Oscala, Fla., that he tried to persuade Snipes to pay his taxes in a telephone conversation in 2000. Starr handled the actor's taxes before Snipes met his co-defendants.

"(Snipes) was adamant about the fact that he did not have that obligation," Starr said. "I said that was ridiculous; that everyone has that obligation. He said he had spoken to some people that said he didn't have to."

A judge wants more information before she decides whether to let Foxy Brown get out of jail and go to California for repair of an electronic ear implant.

Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice Melissa Jackson said Thursday she wants proof that deafness looms unless the 28-year-old rapper goes to a Los Angeles clinic for treatment and repair of a cochlear implant.

Brown revealed her hearing problems in late 2004. Her petition says her hearing faces serious harm unless she has the implant reprogrammed and repaired.

Assistant District Attorney Cindy Chung objected, saying Brown had offered nothing to show the medical procedure could not be done in New York.