Floyd Mayweather pleads guilty to domestic violence and harassment, gets 90-day jail sentence

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. received a 90-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to domestic violence and harassment charges in Las Vegas on Wednesday (Dec. 21). The WBC welterweight title holder must also complete 100 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine. The deal helps Mayweather avoid a felony trial related to a Sept. 2010 charge that he hit his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris and threatened their two children. Had Mayweather chosen to go to trial, he could have received up to 34 years if convicted on eight separate counts. This is not the first time the boxer has been in trouble with the law. On three separate occasions between 2002-05, Mayweather was charged with either assault or battery. In each case he received a suspended sentence. Mayweather must report to jail Jan. 6.

George Michael healthy, home for Christmas
George Michael has been released from a Vienna hospital and will be able to celebrate Christmas at home. The 48-year-old British singer was being treated for pneumonia. Broadcaster ORF says he was released Thursday morning from the AKH hospital and is catching a flight to London later in the day. Michael was hospitalized late last month after canceling a performance in the Austrian capital.



Michael Douglas' Son Gets More Prison Time
 A judge called the imprisoned son of actor Michael Douglas reckless and irresponsible as he nearly doubled his prison sentence Wednesday from five years to 9½ years for repeated drug offenses.  U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan cited Cameron Douglas' "history of reckless behavior" as he imposed a new punishment that was more than double what prosecutors were seeking for Douglas' guilty plea to drug charges that arose from his successful efforts to smuggle drugs into prison. Berman added 4½ years to the five-year term he gave Douglas last year for his guilty plea in connection with his sales of methamphetamine in July 2009 from a high-end Manhattan hotel.  The judge said he had never had a case before in which a defendant "has so recklessly, wantonly, flagrantly and criminally acted in such a destructive and manipulative fashion as Cameron Douglas has." Berman reminded Douglas' lawyers that he had warned at the earlier sentencing that it was the defendant's last chance to turn around a life derailed by drugs and mental troubles stretching into his teenage years.  The judge also criticized the government for being too lenient on Douglas after he repeatedly violated prison rules by arranging to get drugs. The judge said the violations included four instances in which a lawyer smuggled anti-anxiety prescription drugs into prison for Douglas in her bra. The lawyer entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that enabled the charges against her to be dropped if she stayed out of trouble for six months. The 33-year-old Douglas asked the judge to give him another chance at treatment. "I cannot seem to find comfort within my own skin," he said. "I feel ashamed. I feel defeated. ... I know that I bear in my heart what it will take to overcome this plague." He asked Berman to give him "the room to deal with this situation medically." His lawyer also requested leniency for his client, saying that his efforts to get drugs in prison were not unusual for a drug addict who had not been rehabilitated.

Rams WR Pettis suspended four games

The NFL suspended St. Louis Rams wide receiver Austin Pettis for four games Wednesday for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, the team announced. The rookie third-round pick out of Boise State will be suspended without pay for the final two games of this season and the first two of next season. The suspension can be appealed. Pettis is still allowed to participate in practices, offseason activities and preseason games."Austin's situation is unfortunate," said head coach Steve Spagnuolo in a statement. "Obviously, we are disappointed and will miss him during this suspension. But the NFL's policies are very clear and we respect the League's decision in this matter." Pettis, 23, did not play the first two games of the season, but has 27 receptions for 256 yards in the past 12 games as a reserve for the 2-12 Rams. He was a first-team All-WAC selection in his final two seasons at Boise State, finishing first in school history in receptions (229) and receiving touchdowns (39).

Deion Sanders' prenup may give wife Pilar a $10+ million mansion

Former NFL player Deion Sanders may end up wishing he wasn't living quite so large now that he and soon-to-be-ex wife Pilar have filed for divorce. a prevision of his prenup is that the bigger home "Prime Time" lives in, the bigger the house he has to buy Pilar should they split up. In a rather unusual provision of a prenuptial agreement, sources say Neon Deion agreed in the prenup that should they split, he would buy Pilar a house that is equal to half the value of whatever their current home is. Their current home is in Propser, Texas, and has a listing price of $21 million (it has 30,000 square feet and 10 bedrooms). Pilar has been house hunting since Thanksgiving. The 44-year-old Sanders played in the NFL from 1989 to 2005 as a cornerback/return specialist. He was previously married to Carolyn Chambers, with whom he has two children (Deion Jr. and Deiondra). Sanders has three children with Pilar (Shilo, Shedeur and Shelomi).

Terrence Howard Fires Back at Estranged Wife, Claims She Hates Black People

Two weeks after getting restrained by his estranged wife, Terrence Howard is firing back, accusing Michelle Ghent of hurling racial slurs at him at various times during their short-lived and apparently tumultuous union. The 42-year-old thesp claimed his erstwhile missus (whom he notes is not African-American) often referred to him using the N-word and screamed other racist names at him like "monkey." The former Crash star asserted that his 34-year-old spouse, whom he married in secret in January 2010, once yelled that she "never wanted to marry a n----r in the first place" and "didn't want to be the stepmother of some n----r kids." He also claimed Ghent once said had "a lot of Russian friends" who would have him "clipped" if he ever went to authorities. Ghent filed for divorce last February after only a year of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. But it wasn't obvious just how ugly things had gotten between the two until Ghent took out a temporary restraining order on Dec. 6, claiming Howrard had routinely abused her and threatened to kill her. Howard, who's not allowed to go within 100 yards of Ghent until their next court hearing on Jan. 17, rebutted the charges in court papers, denying he ever laid a hand on her and contending blackmail, saying she threatened to go public with "private materials" unless he paid her money. The actor does have a history of violence, however. He was arrested in 2001 on charges that he attacked his then-wife, Lori McCommas. He later pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace, and the couple divorced.
 There's trouble brewing this Christmas for Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa and Joe Giudice. On Tuesday, a grand jury in Passaic County, N.J., handed down a two-count indictment against Joe Giudice, a former developer. The charge includes one count of wrongfully using identifying information of another, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and one count of impersonation, which can carry up to 18 months in prison. The indictment alleges that last year, Giudice used his brother Pietro Giudice's information, including a marriage and birth certificate, to obtain a driver's license at the Paterson, N.J., department of motor vehicles. His own license had been suspended at that time following a DUI. In an interview last spring, Joe, 40, denied any wrongdoing, saying that he and his wife, who also weathered a contentious bankruptcy before withdrawing the claim earlier this year, were targets because of their notoriety from the Bravo reality show. "They didn't even catch me driving," he said at the time. "They came to my house and said you're driving with your brother's license and then they got me with some kind of stupid charge."


TV NEWS
How’s this for a crowning achievement: Glee is playing host to the Queen! Oscar winner Helen Mirren has signed on to guest star in the show’s first episode back on Jan. 17. But in a twist, the British dame will be heard, not seen. Per a Glee insider, Mirren provides the “inner voice” of a character who shall remain nameless. (For now at least.) “Helen came in and secretly recorded several long and hilarious monologues two weeks ago,” says the source. “Then she visited the kids on set, and they had no idea she was coming; they were stunned.”  The role was written for Mirren, but there was no guarantee she’d actually do it. So producers dispatched frequent Glee director and Mirren confidante Eric Stoltz (the two co-starred in the 2007 drama The Passion Of Ayn Rand) to sell her on the idea. Stoltz apparently didn’t have to twist her arm too hard though. “Helen’s a big fan of the show,” says the source, “and the message it sends out about arts education.”


ABC Family will run a marathon of the first 10 episodes of The Lying Game on Jan. 1 from 9 am – 7 pm. The winter season premiere airs the following evening, Jan. 2, at 9/8c.


Sony Pictures TV has made all of the already aired episodes of ABC’s Pan Am available for free on iTunes through Jan. 5.

USA Network will air Out of Character With Krista Smith on Jan. 11 at 11/10c. The one-hour interview special will feature actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and fashion designer Jason Wu.