Friday, November 27, 2009
Polanski prepares for luxury Alpine house arrest
GSTAAD, Switzerland — After two months in a Swiss jail, Roman Polanski prepared Thursday for the splendid captivity of his $1.6 million chalet in one of world’s most luxurious winter resorts.
Polanski will have views of snowcapped Alpine peaks, spacious rooms and the all the amenities of a town with a reputation for catering to the wishes of the rich and famous.
But he won’t be able to go out the front door.
In this isolated bastion of wealth, the 76-year-old director will be placed under house arrest as soon as he posts $4.5 million bail, surrenders his identity documents and is fitted for an electronic bracelet that allows authorities to monitor his whereabouts.
The Justice Ministry declined Thursday to appeal a court decision granting Polanski bail, and said it would release him from jail while it considers whether to extradite him to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
Judge Ito’s placard stolen
LOS ANGELES — Judge Lance Ito’s fame has ironically made his courtroom the most difficult to find in downtown Los Angeles.
Since presiding over O.J. Simpson’s murder trial more than a decade ago, Ito has repeatedly had his name placard stolen from the door of his courtroom.
For now, he has given up replacing the placard, and people looking for his courtroom must seek help in the lobby.
Ito was not available to comment but confirmed the thefts in an e-mail to a Superior Court spokesperson that was cited Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times. No records are kept at the courthouse on placard replacements, so an exact number was unavailable.
Today’s birthdays
Actor James Avery (“Sparks,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) is 61. TV personality Bill Nye (“Bill Nye the Science Guy”) is 54. Guitarist Charlie Burchill of Simple Minds is 50. Drummer Charlie Benante of Anthrax is 47. Drummer Mike Bordin (Faith No More) is 47. Actor Fisher Stevens (“Early Edition”) is 46. Actress Robin Givens is 45. Actor Michael Vartan (“Alias”) is 41. Rapper Skoob of DAS EFX is 39. Rapper Twista is 37. Actor Jaleel White (“Family Matters”) is 33.