NEWSMAKERS | Charlie Sheen in court for divorce hearing

NEWSMAKERS

Charlie Sheen in court for divorce hearing

LOS ANGELES

Former “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen went before a Los Angeles judge Tuesday seeking custody of his twin sons with estranged wife Brooke Mueller, who also attended the closed hearing.

No resolution was announced immediately. Sheen left the courthouse flanked by security and was on his way to catch a plane to Washington, D.C., for a performance of his stage show.

Mueller emerged from court smiling and hugged her attorney but declined to comment.

Attorneys for both sides also refused to divulge details of the hearing.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hank Goldberg sealed the hearing at the request of Mueller’s attorney, saying it was “in the best interest of the children” because of “questions of abuse and other inflammatory and emotional issues.”

Sheen arrived in court wearing a black suit, glasses and an orange tie. As the public filed out of the courtroom, Sheen gave a fist bump to a reporter in the audience.

One of his girlfriends, whom he describes as goddesses, accompanied him to court and sat on a bench outside the courtroom.

The actor and his estranged wife have sparred in recent months, with Mueller accusing Sheen of threatening her with a pen knife.

Black Eyed Peas to start music academy

NEW YORK

The Black Eyed Peas are opening a school where New York City teens will be able to learn video and music production using professional-quality equipment.

The six-time Grammy Award winners announced Tuesday that their Peapod Foundation together with the Adobe Foundation will open a new Peapod Adobe Youth Voices music and multimedia academy in lower Manhattan.

The two foundations already run three Youth Voices academies in California — in Los Angeles, Oakland and Redwood City.

The New York academy will offer classes to students age 13 to 19 starting in July.

The Peapod Foundation is the hip-hop group’s charitable organization. It’s administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

The Adobe Foundation is the philanthropic arm of software maker Adobe Systems Inc.

Jackson estate settles Heal the World suit

LOS ANGELES

Michael Jackson’s estate reached a settlement Tuesday that ended its lengthy fight with a nonprofit that claimed it was the successor to the singer’s Heal the World charity.

The deal came just as a trial was set to begin to decide ownership of lucrative trademarks.

The singer’s estate battled the Heal the World Foundation in federal court for more than 18 months, alleging it was misusing trademarks and likeness rights to create an association with Jackson’s defunct charity.

The new incarnation of Heal the World Foundation had said it was given authority by Jackson’s attorney to run the foundation in 2005. In recent months, it placed Jackson’s mother, Katherine, on its board of directors and also collaborated with the late singer’s children.

In a statement, Jackson’s estate said the settlement calls for it to retain the rights to the Heal the World charity and rights to any trademarks the current foundation held.

The remainder of the agreement remained confidential.

Jackson founded Heal the World in 1992 but later abandoned it as he fought child-abuse allegations.

The foundation’s current director, Melissa Johnson, claimed one of Jackson’s former attorneys told her the pop star wanted her the run the foundation in 2005.

Her attorney, Edgar Pease, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Tuesday.

Paz de la Huerta in court over NYC charge

NEW YORK

Television actress Paz de la Huerta derided a former reality TV figure as a “fake actress” after attacking her in a trendy hotel bar, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The “Boardwalk Empire” actress was arraigned on assault and other charges in her encounter last month with Samantha Swetra, who appeared on the MTV reality series “The City.”

De la Huerta, who went to court wearing a long, black coat and a white pantsuit over a black turtleneck, didn’t speak during her brief court appearance. She was released without bail.

Swetra’s attorney didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

De la Huerta punched Swetra in the face, giving her a bloody nose, and hurled a glass that left cuts in Swetra’s leg around 4 a.m. March 20 at the Standard Hotel, authorities say in a court complaint.

Associated Press