Courtney Love gets delay in criminal case

Courtney Love getsdelay in criminal case
LOS ANGELES -- A trial date for one of Courtney Love's two criminal cases was delayed after she told the judge she dismissed her lawyer because he wanted her to plead guilty.
Love's new attorney, Michael H. Rosenstein, said he needed time to familiarize himself with the case in which Love is charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance. Judge Patricia Schnegg rescheduled the trial for March 8.
The 39-year-old singer-actress told the judge Monday she dismissed attorney William Genego because "he wanted me to plead guilty to something I didn't do."
Genego denied Tuesday that he'd been dismissed by Love but declined to say why he left the case.
Love was charged with the misdemeanor after police officers said they discovered her trying to smash the windows of a former boyfriend's house.
After being released on bond, she returned to her Beverly Hills home but later was taken by ambulance to a treatment center for an overdose.
During that episode, police said, they discovered the painkillers hydrocodone and oxycodone, and Love was charged with two felony counts of illegal possession of controlled substances. She awaits a March 16 preliminary hearing in that case.
Love has pleaded innocent to all charges.
For Martin Lawrence,lawsuit isn't funny
LOS ANGELES -- A woman sued comedian Martin Lawrence, accusing him of hitting her in the jaw at a party after she asked him if he'd be interested in attending another party at the Playboy mansion.
Jennifer Palmer sued Monday in Superior Court, seeking more than $25,000 for assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Lawrence's publicist, Arnold Robinson, said the accusations are false and "financially motivated."
The lawsuit alleges Palmer approached Lawrence at a Jan. 18 party and told him about another party she knew was happening at the Playboy mansion. Lawrence responded by "wildly waving his hands around, slurring and mumbling in a manner suggesting that he was intoxicated or otherwise disoriented, using very foul language," the lawsuit said.
When he heard Palmer telling friends about his behavior, he allegedly confronted her "in an angry and threatening manner," the lawsuit said. Palmer said she tried to push him away and he struck her in the jaw.
Witnesses contacted by Lawrence's representatives told a different story, Robinson said.
"An intoxicated and disorderly individual verbally insulted and physically attacked Lawrence without provocation, at which time Lawrence understandably moved to defend himself," Robinson said in a statement.
'Sex and the City':a hate-hate relationship
NEW YORK -- We suggest you sit down for this shocker: The "Sex and the City" gals are not bosom buddies. Well, the two alpha gals, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, aren't. In fact, they hate each other.
That bit of hyperbole comes via the New York Post, which reports that plans to make a "Sex" movie may hit road bumps courtesy of a raging smackdown between the two stars.
An "on-set insider" tells the tab that Cattrall "does not want to sign on" to the flick because "she feels she has been treated horribly by Sarah Jessica Parker for six years -- so why would she want to revisit that for one moment?"
We suggest one possible reason: lots and lots of money. (About 10.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the show's finale Sunday on HBO.)
An HBO rep played down hints of any friction without quite denying it: "I'm not telling you they have dinner five times a week and take vacations together, but there's a professionalism. They get the work done."
Today's birthdays
Actor Mason Adams is 85. Actor Tony Randall is 84. Actress Betty Hutton is 83. Singer Fats Domino is 76. Political columnist Robert Novak is 73. Country-rock musician Paul Cotton (Poco) is 61. Actor-director Bill Duke is 61. Singer Mitch Ryder is 59. Rock musician Jonathan Cain (Journey) is 54. Singer Michael Bolton is 51. Actor Greg Germann is 46. Bandleader John McDaniel is 43. Actress Jennifer Grant is 38. Singer Erykah Badu is 33. Rhythm and blues singer Rico Wade (Society of Soul) is 32. Country singer Rodney Hayden is 24.