Wesley Snipes Ordered To Serve Prison Time

From Yahoo News:

MIAMI (Reuters) - Actor Wesley Snipes was ordered on Friday to start serving a three-year prison sentence for failing to file income tax returns by a federal judge who rejected the Hollywood star's bid for a new trial.

"The defendant Snipes had a fair trial ... The time has come for the judgment to be enforced," U.S. District Judge Terrell Hodges said in his ruling.

Revoking bail for the 48-year-old star of the "Blade" trilogy, the judge ordered him to report to prison as directed by the U.S. Marshals Service or Bureau of Prisons.

It was not clear when or where Snipes would begin serving his time behind bars, however. His lawyer, Daniel Meachum, has said he would appeal if a new trial was denied.

Meachum told the Orlando Sentinel the ruling was shocking.

"Wesley is very disappointed but staying strong and positive," the newspaper quoted Meachum as saying.
Snipes had already lost his appeal of the prison sentence stemming from his 2008 conviction in Hodges' Ocala, Florida, court on three counts of "willful failure to file tax returns" for 1999 through 2001.
Snipes was found not guilty of five other counts in the high-profile felony tax case.

In seeking a new trial, Meachum had argued that jurors in the original trial were biased and that the prosecution's star witness had his own criminal problems.

At his sentencing, prosecutors said Snipes, a resident of Windermere, Florida, had earned more than $38 million since 1999 but had filed no tax returns or paid any taxes through October 2006.

Although he is best known for his roles in action films, Snipes has also had critical success in comedies like "White Men Can't Jump" in 1992. He played the lead in director Spike Lee's interracial drama "Jungle Fever" in 1991 and also played the jazz saxophonist in Lee's "Mo' Better Blues" in 1990.

Eric Thompson, a supervisor in the U.S. Marshals Service office in Orlando, Florida, said the Bureau of Prisons would notify Snipes and his lawyer of a surrender date.

"He'll probably get it by certified mail," Thompson said.

He declined to say what prison was likely to be selected for Snipes except to say that it would not be in Florida.

A listing for Snipes already posted on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website says his prisoner ID or registration number as 43355-018, his location is "in transit" and his release date is "unknown."

(Reporting by Tom Brown, additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Prince Charles Says Camilla May Be Queen

From The Associated Press:

LONDON – Prince Charles has reopened a sensitive debate in Britain by suggesting his wife Camilla may take the title of queen when he becomes monarch. The comments came in an interview with U.S. network NBC recorded in August and due to be broadcast later Friday.

Extracts were aired on British television and received high attention in the week Charles' son Prince William — who is second in line to the throne — announced his engagement to Kate Middleton.

Camilla legally will be queen if Charles takes the throne, but when the couple married in 2005 officials said she planned to adopt the title Princess Consort rather than the more traditional Queen Consort.

NBC's Brian Williams asked the 62-year-old heir to the throne if Camilla would become "Queen of England, if and when you become the monarch." Charles hesitated as he replied "That's, well ... We'll see won't we? That could be."

The difference is purely semantic — the role of consort carries no constitutional power. But polls have suggested there is hostility to Charles' divorced second wife, whom he married eight years after the death of Princess Diana, being called Queen Camilla.

At present Charles is Prince of Wales, but Camilla is known as Duchess of Cornwall rather than Princess of Wales — Diana's title.

Camilla was reviled by Diana-lovers as the old flame who poisoned Charles' first marriage. "There were three of us in that marriage," Diana said in a famous TV interview

Although Diana acknowledged affairs of her own, many Britons vilified Camilla as a royal home-wrecker.

But since her marriage to Charles the British public has warmed to Camilla, who is perceived as down-to-earth and funny. Those qualities were on display this week when she greeted news of Prince William's engagement with the words: "It's wicked."

Friday's Author

With bestsellers like The Marilyn Diaries and The Fame Game to his credit, Charles Casillo has earned his place among the literati indeed. It's also no wonder that his next big step is into the world of film. His movie Let Me Die Quietly was a critical success and has developed a cult following of its own accord, while his newest project Fetish stars the legendary Joan Collins.

Charles' is one of those examples that inspires people. I know it inspired me. Having a dream and having the gumption to go for it are two entirely different things. Charles projects them both with ease. He's someone who is loyal, supportive, and always there with a kind word and a friendship that doesn't falter.

Check him out here: www.myspace.com/charlescasillo

Friday's Flashback

The biggest hit of 1981, Endless Love remains one of the most popular love songs of all time. Originally recorded for a dreadful little film starring Brooke Shields, Lionel Richie both penned the tune and recorded it with superstar Diana Ross. Both were at the zenith of their careers at the time; he having just split with The Commodores to go solo while Ross had only recently departed Motown for a multimillion dollar contract with RCA Records.

Number One for nine weeks, Endless Love eclipsed the film it adorned. In fact, the movie is all but forgotten now. Ross and Richie performed the song live on the Academy Awards in 1982, where it had been nominated for Best Original Song. This clip shows the two Motown legends performing their mega hit at the Oscars.

Thought For Today

"Forgiving is only for the brave, for those willing to confront their pain and accept selves as changed." - Gordon Dalbey