Newsmakers

McCartney, Mills
negotiate divorce

LONDON — Paul McCartney and Heather Mills appeared in court Thursday as British media reported they may be nearing a settlement in their high-profile divorce. McCartney and Mills arrived separately at London’s Royal Courts of Justice. Bodyguards shielded Mills from view with a dark blanket as she made her way into the neo-Gothic courthouse. A Mills aide later carried a wheelchair from the back of a car for the former model, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident in 1993. McCartney arrived minutes later, wearing a dark gray suit. The hearing is listed discreetly on the daily court lists only by its case number, one of two cases not listed as assigned to a particular judge or courtroom. Even a small security viewing hole in the door of the courtroom was covered to stop prying eyes. News reports say the immediate issue is likely to be the size of Mills’ divorce settlement from the wealthy former Beatle. Press speculation has recently put the size of the settlement between $40 million and $100 million. McCartney and Mills announced in May of last year that they were splitting up after four years of marriage. They married in June 2002, four years after McCartney’s first wife, Linda, died of breast cancer. McCartney and Mills have a 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice. Mills, 39, recently appeared as a contestant on the U.S. television network’s “Dancing With the Stars” program. She was the first contestant to compete on the show with an artificial limb.

Snipes fires legal team
in tax evasion trial

OCALA, Fla. — A judge postponed Wesley Snipes’ tax evasion trial until early next year after the actor fired his legal team. U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges on Wednesday called it a “ploy” for Snipes to delay trial, but said the motion was in the public interest. The case was headed to court this month after earlier delays pushed it off the calendar in March. Prosecutors objected, saying they were prepared. Snipes expressed a “complete lack of trust and confidence” in attorney William R. Martin, who also represented former National Football League quarterback Michael Vick. Snipes said Martin ignored his case while working for Vick, hadn’t reviewed boxes of documents and even lost information. Snipes’ new lawyer, Robert G. Bernhoft, previously represented him in a paternity case. An October 2006 federal indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid. The 45-year-old star of the “Blade” trilogy and other films also was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

Today’s birthdays

Actress Antonia Rey is 80. Blues singer Nappy Brown is 78. Comedian-activist Dick Gregory is 75. Former Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah, is 75. Singer Sam Moore (formerly of Sam and Dave) is 72. Sportscaster Tony Kubek is 71. TV reporter Chris Wallace is 60. Actress-singer Susan Anton is 57. Rock singer-musician Pat DiNizio is 52. Actor Carlos Bernard is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Claude McKnight (Take 6) is 45. Rock singer Bob Schneider is 42. Actor Hugh Jackman is 39. Actor Adam Rich is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Garfield Bright (Shai) is 38. Country musician Martie Maguire (The Dixie Chicks) is 38. Actor Kirk Cameron is 37. Actor Marcus T. Paulk (“Moesha”) is 21.