Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Dad of Spears’ baby is injured in crash
OSCEOLA, La. — Casey Aldridge, the father of actress Jamie Lynn Spears’ baby, and two of his four passengers were thrown from his 2008 Ford F-250 pickup when it rolled over in Louisiana, state police said Monday. No one in the truck was wearing a seat belt.
Trooper Mark Dennis said Aldridge, 19, suffered moderate injuries. He was taken to Riverrun Medical Center in nearby Vidalia, then moved to an undisclosed hospital, Dennis said.
The wreck happened about 1:30 a.m. Sunday on a highway 60 miles southeast of Monroe, near the Mississippi state line. Dennis said the passengers, men aged 19 to 23, refused treatment for minor injuries.
“The fact that three of these guys survived ejection totally defies the odds,” he said.
Investigators did not find cause to suspect drugs or alcohol, but cited Aldridge for careless driving, Dennis said. No one was cited for not wearing a seat belt.
Aldridge, a pipe-layer from Liberty, Miss., is the father of Maddie Briann Spears, born last June. Spears, 18, is the star of the Nickelodeon TV series “Zoey 101” and the sister of singer Britney Spears.
Aerosmith to settle suit with free tickets to fans
WAILUKU, Hawaii — Free tickets to see Aerosmith in Hawaii? Dream on, unless you happen to be one of 8,300 people left in the cold when the band canceled a sold-out concert in 2007.
Aerosmith has agreed to perform on Maui to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by fans who alleged the band pulled out of the show in favor of a larger concert in Chicago and a more lucrative private performance for Toyota dealers on Oahu.
The suit claimed the cancellation cost Maui ticket buyers between $500,000 and $3 million in travel costs, handling fees and other expenses.
“Everyone who bought a ticket to the original concert will receive a free ticket, and all out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed regardless of the amount,” said Brandee Faria, an attorney representing the would-be concertgoers.
The date for the new Maui concert has not been set, but Faria said it will likely be in September or October, after Aerosmith wraps up its North America tour.
Aerosmith attorney Jay Handlin said the band was glad to reach the settlement.
“The band is about the music,” Handlin said. “So they are glad to be able to resolve this in a way that really focuses on connecting or reconnecting the people of Hawaii with the band and its music.”
Recording industry settles piracy suit
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The recording industry has agreed to accept $7,000 to settle a piracy lawsuit it brought against a suburban New York family.
If a judge approves it, the settlement will end a four-year tussle between record companies and Patricia Santangelo. She was accused of illegally downloading and distributing music.
The settlement was filed Friday in federal court in White Plains. The family must pay $7,000 over six months.
The 46-year-old mother of five from Wappingers Falls says she couldn’t have downloaded anything because she didn’t know how.
She took her case to the news media and the industry eventually dropped the lawsuit. But it filed a new one against two of her children, ages 16 and 20 at the time.
Today’s birthdays
Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 68. “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno is 59. Actress Mary McDonnell is 56. Actress Bridget Moynahan is 38. Rapper Big Gipp of Goodie Mob is 36. Actress Elisabeth Rohm (“Law and Order”) is 36. Actor Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) is 36. Actress Penelope Cruz is 35. Actress Jessica Alba is 28.