Gawker
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long sentences
Phil Spector Sentenced to 19 Years for Murder
Wild-maned music producer Phil Spector has been given the maximum sentence of nineteen years to life for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Spector will be 88 years old before he's eligible for parole. He also paid $17,000 for funeral expenses, as per his sentencing. [CNN, image: Getty]
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Comment by HiredGoons: Well, it took a while to METER out justice, but at long last he'll be behind BARS - back to... 6 Responses | Other threads
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mug shots
Phil Spector's Booking Shot
Following his conviction on second-degree murder charges in a Los Angeles court, music producer Phil Spector was immediately taken into custody. TMZ obtained his mug shot; click through for a larger version. More »
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By Ryan TateComment by son of spam: Martin Short gone horribly wrong. 4 Responses | Other threads
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verdicts
Phil Spector Guilty of Second-Degree Murder
Crazy-haired music producer Phil Spector has been found guilty of second-degree murder in a Los Angeles court for the 2003 gruesome shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. This was his second trial on the charge. More »
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Comment by Perhaps Not: Good Christ, how long did it TAKE to convict this guy? And how many people did he kill in the... 10 Responses | Other threads
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pic of the day
Da Doo Wrong, Wrong
Today was the first day of closing arguments in the murder retrial of violent psycho and musical genius Phil Specter, seen here looking creepy as the jury left the courtroom [AP Photo/Al Seib, Pool]
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By PareeneComment by HiredGoons: I am friends with his daughter. Too close for comfort. 4 Responses | Other threads
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spectorwatch
For His New Murder Trial, Phil Spector Chooses Hives-Chic
As hard as it is to believe, the Phil Spector "I Told My Driver 'I Think I Killed Somebody' and Somehow Avoided Conviction" Retrial of the Century is underway, with prosecutor Alan Jackson describing the music genius as "very sinister, very violent and very deadly" in his opening statements. You'll recall that an experimental and wig-friendly Spector traded in his signature Dollytor look for something more closely resembling a lesbian talk show host at the opening of his last trial. But this time around he's arguably adopted his most stylish persona to date: that of Shootin' Filip Sprängporten, the long-rumored sixth member of Swedish supergroup The Hives. Veni Vidi Vicious, indeed! More » -
britney spears
Hollywood Privacywatch: Britney Spears Enjoys Some Poolside Chicken Fingers
PrivacyWatch celebrity sightings are submitted by the loyal readers of Defamer. We'd like to remind you that this feature is powered by you, so if you want to see more installments of PrivacyWatch, then all you've got to do is to send us your sightings. Submit yours to tips[AT]defamer.com (please put "sighting" or "PrivacyWatch" in the subject line so we don't lose them) and tell everyone about the time you saw Britney Spears huffing smokes while eating poolside chicken fingers. More » -
defamer
So there was this legendary rock producer? And he was a real weirdo who lived in a castle and was obsessed with guns and hating women? And this B-movie actress working at House of Blues went home with him? And her head was blown off? And the producer walked out with the gun in his hand and told his driver, "I think I just killed somebody?" Anyway, there was a trial, but the jury was hung, and so now there's going to be another. It's set for September. [Reuters] -
defamer
Phil Spector And Defense Team Go Separate Ways After Realizing They Want Different Things
A fittingly anticlimactic coda to the Phil Spector mistrial came today, as the members of his defense team—who by now should have been sitting in adjoining hammocks in a tropical locale, clinking coconut cups over never having to deal with their mushroom-headed client again—have decided to move on from the case entirely: More »
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By SethComment by scroll_lock: @msmsry: I believe she's best friends with Christie Prody. more » | Other threads
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defamer
Joe Francis Upset At Obvious Miscarriage Of Misogynist-Related Justice
Incarcerated Girls Gone Wild titty-flash magnate Joe Francis isn't afraid to get topical in spreading the word about MeetJoeFrancis.com, the handsomely designed internet presence he launched last week to keep the public up-to-date on his hopes, dreams, and fears while he continues his ongoing battle with a judicial system hell-bent on keeping him off the drunken-coed-clogged beaches of South Florida and Mexico. More » -
defamer
Spector Mistrial A Waste Of Perfectly Good Punkin Testimony
CNN.com is reporting that Judge Larry Paul Fidler has just declared a Phil Spector mistrial, the hung jury still split 10-2. (That means there's been three converts since the original 7-5, but we don't yet know if favor of what.) We're not sure what we're supposed to be feeling right now; we're mulling outrage, but then we start picturing that adorable Great Dane and that parade of fun wigs and we just can't seem to muster it—which could very likely be the same thought process going through the minds of those stubborn holdouts. More »
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By SethComment by scroll_lock: The Wig of Freedom will be a festive affair, consisting entirely of lit sparklers. more » | Other threads
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defamer
Phil Spector's Innocence Is Your Friend!
As the hung Phil Spector jury, sufficiently confused by the judge's introduction and subsequent retraction of instructions, retires again to the jury room to resume deliberations (this time armed with 12 foam marital-therapy bats), a mini-controversy has erupted: More »
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By SethComment by raincoaster: I was all excited because I thought that was Miss Cleo in the Friends, but it's just that I'm nearsighted,... more » | Other threads
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defamer
Deadlocked Spector Jury Given A Wider Variety Of Verdict-Rendering Options
What we had presumed would take a matter of hours—the handing down of a guilty verdict upon Phil Spector, after an endless parade of witnesses took to the stand to testify about his gun-toting and woman-hating rock n' roll-pioneer ways—is now dragging into its second week, the jury still deadlocked 7-5. To muddle matters further, Judge Larry Paul Fidler has revoked a highly technical instruction that rendered the hung tribunal (and us) thoroughly confused. The defense is now asking him to clarify what it is he meant when he said that Spector didn't need to be holding the gun to be found guilty of murder: More »
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By SethComment by scroll_lock: The jury needs another field trip behind Vitello's to see where it all went down. more » | Other threads
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defamer
It's Second-Degree Murder Or Bust For Hung Spector Jury
The Phil Spector jury still sits deadlocked, one faction firmly convinced the pouffy-wigged eccentric shot Barbarian Queen star Lana Clarkson in the mouth, the other feeling Spector was merely the victim of a convoluted self-murder plot for which he'd unwittingly provide a suicide-friendly foyer and firearm. Presiding Judge Larry Paul Fidler, meanwhile, in his ongoing attempts to shake some clear-minded consensus into the divided group, has opted not to offer the option of a reduced sentence of manslaughter: More »
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By SethComment by I-heart-Rien: I love LA. Paris gets 45 days, Nicole 80 something minutes. this guy commits murder AND hair-i-cide and... more » | Other threads
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short ends
Phil Spector Sports 'The Liza'
· Phil Spector showed off his new hairstyle at the closing arguments of his trial today, clearly hoping throwing some mid-'80s Liza the jury's way might earn him some last-minute sympathy votes. More » -
defamer
Phil Spector's Lead Attorney Drops Case To Spend More Time On Showbiz Pursuits And Less Guilty Clients
In yet another discouraging development for accused murderer/avowed bitch-hater Phil Spector, lead defense attorney Bruce Cutler—who so famously got things started with a bang by hammering the phrase "murder on their minds" approximately 17,000 times into the jurors' skulls, then became a rarer and rarer courtroom presence as he attended to his daytime-TV-starring commitments—has officially stepped down from the case as of today. From the AP report: More » -
defamer
Phil Spector Finds Unlikely Ally In Neighbor's Giant Pet
LAist has a handsome photoset capturing the mini media frenzy surrounding today's field trip to Phil Spector's Alhambra mansion. Included is the above portrait of Lily, the neighbor's Great Dane, prominently sporting a TEAM SPECTOR badge on her fishing cap. While the sweet-faced, panting canine makes an adorable and unlikely champion for Spector's innocence, her eyes suggest a different story indeed—that of a terrified animal, whose refusal to surrender a rubber chew toy led the defendant to point a semi-automatic handgun at her skull, threatening to splatter her "doggie brains" across the lawn, "just like all those other bitches who refused to play fetch." More »
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By SethComment by raincoaster: Kato will do anything for press. The Akita put him up to this. more » | Other threads
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defamer
Jurors Spend A Day At The Spector Mansion
Jurors in the Phil Spector trial are soon expected to hear testimony from Devra Robitaille, the fifth witness who'll testify that Spector had held them at gunpoint when they threatened to leave his Alhambra mansion—sort of like the Playboy Mansion, but with fewer big parties, more acts of violence against women, and about an equal amount of obscenely rich, eccentric, and horny old proprietors wandering around. Earlier today, the jurors got a look at the crime scene itself. From the AP report: More » -
defamer
Hints Of A Disturbing Pattern Beginning To Emerge In Phil Spector's Dealings With Women
We're having trouble remembering the punchline to that old joke that goes: "How many women must a crackpot music producer threaten with a loaded firearm before jurors finally discount his highly unlikely story that a failed actress was so depressed, she followed him home to his mansion one night to kill herself?" (We're pretty sure that in every iteration, however, the answer was five or less.) More »
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By SethComment by raincoaster: Why can't Phil just go out one night and hook up with a homicidal woman? more » | Other threads
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defamer
Michael Bay To Take The Stand In Spector Trial
Today brings potentially bad news for Transformers director Michael Bay, who last week was so memorably dragged into the legal clusterfuck that is the Phil Spector trial by a star witness named after a popular seasonal dessert. Apparently, Bay's previous telephone testimony won't be enough, and he'll soon be forced to take the witness stand to explain how he never blew off Lana Clarkson at a party, sending her into a depressive spiral that caused her to take her own life. Reports Court TV's Spector trial blog: More » -
defamer
Michael Bay Refutes Report Of Suicide-Inducing Clarkson Snubbing
Disturbed by recent Phil Spector trial testimony by "star" defense witness Punkin Pie Laughlin that his alleged snubbing of Lana Clarkson at a party had somehow driven the actress to suicide, Transformers director Michael Bay took time out from the Tokyo leg of his Giant Fucking Robots Are Coming world tour yesterday to clarify the spurious claims about his fauxteurial power over life and death. Reports the LAT: More » -
defamer
Defense Maintains Lana Clarkson Used Phil Spector For His Great Suicide Connections
The parade of Hollywood characters and crackpots willing to testify as to Lana Clarkson's suicidal state of mind at the time of her shooting death continues with Punkin Laughlin, aka Punkin Pie, a club promoter who considered the Barbarian Queen star her "best friend." Laughlin testified that Clarkson had told her "I don't want to live anymore, I don't want to live in this town, I want to end it," less than a week before her death. Today, the cross-examination accused Laughlin of having changed her tune considerably. From the LAT report: More » -
defamer
Playwright Recalls How Badly Lana Clarkson Wanted To Be A Dead Blonde
Throughout the Phil Spector trial, we have learned much about the accused's sociopathic past, filled with misogynist death threats and loaded handguns produced at the slightest provocation. But what of the victim? Lana Clarkson is most often referred to as a B-movie actress, best known for her work in Barbarian Queen, and who had been making ends meet by taking a job as a hostess at the House of Blues. More »
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By SethComment by scroll_lock: @NotReadyForPrimeTime: that's exactly what they want you to think about Joe. It deflects attention from the real guilty Kennedy, Michael... more » | Other threads
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defamer
Judge Deems Phil Spector Comment About Wanting To Shoot Every Woman In The Head Relevant
In the end, any of the progress made by the defense with the testimony of forensics expert Vincent DiMaio—who's convinced, for $400 an hour, of the unlikely scenario that Lana Clarkson went home with Phil Spector to end her own life—will likely be negated by a damning statement allowed today by Judge Larry Fidler. It seems, according to a New York cop, that the music producer would show up to Christmas parties at Joan Rivers's house, carrying a gun and speaking rather prophetically about wanting to shoot every woman present in the head: More »
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By SethComment by beaumontjones: Whoah. I just realized Phil Spector looks like Brian Grazer after an especially hard night and a dip in the... more » | Other threads
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defamer
Even The Phil Spector Trial Has Paris Fever!
The prosecution in the Phil Spector trial spent the better part of the day aggressively trying to discredit defense witness Dr. Vincent DiMaio (pictured), a forensics expert and author of a book on gunshot wounds, who insists the only way Barbarian Queen star Lana Clarkson could have died the night she followed an insistent Spector to his castle-like manse was by placing the gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger herself. DiMaio cited both physical and circumstantial evidence, including the fact that the aging actress seemed depressed over her dwindling career prospects—at which point the world's most ubiquitous ex-con socialite made an unexpected cameo: More »
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By SethComment by raincoaster: The fact is, Lana Clarkson at 40 was better looking than Paris Hilton at any age, and a better actress,... more » | Other threads
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defamer
Defense Finds Expert Willing To Testify Phil Spector Had Nothing To Do With Actress's Murder
It's been a little while since last we've checked in with the Phil Spector trial, in which time the defendant's trademark blonde bob has sadly lost its bounce and luster (see left). Still, not all hope is yet lost for the genius hit-maker who stands accused of murder, as the first expert witness for the defense insisted the gunshot that killed B-movie actress and House of Blues hostess Lana Clarkson was entirely of her own doing: More »
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By SethComment by Little Mintz Sunshine: I think there's something to what this man says. Cuz you know, gunshot residue would never, ever in a million-cazillion... more » | Other threads
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celeb jurisprudence
Spector Trial Medical Examiner Rationally Explains Why He Had Murder On His Mind
It's difficult to know for certain what goes through the bewigged head of Phil Spector as witness after witness takes the stand to offer their damning testimony—perhaps he's conjuring elaborate revenge fantasies involving a variety of binding materials and a double-barreled shotgun, with "Carmina Burana" blasting over the castle stereo system. Yesterday's appearance by L.A. County Medical Examiner Dr. Louis Pena certainly didn't do the defense any favors, with the doctor (pictured above, miming the rare, "intra-oral gunshot wound" that took Lana Clarkson's life) explaining how several factors led him to conclude the shooting was a homicide: More » -
defamer
Withholding Of Incriminating Evidence Proves Not The Greatest Tactic For Phil Spector's Defense
The curious matter of the missing fingernail evidence hovering over the Phil Spector trial has been partially settled today in something of a bombshell ruling from presiding Judge Paul Fidler. Prosecutors had accused the defense of having withheld a fragment of what was believed to be Lana Clarkson's fingernail, recalled by several eyewitnesses as having been collected at the crime scene by forensic scientist Henry Lee. From the LAT Spector Trial Blog: More »
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By SethComment by scroll_lock: @colonel mustard Emperor Palpatine? Rose Marie in a Mark Hamill, dude. more » | Other threads
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defamer
The Lana Clarkson Gun-Eating Theory, And Other Spector Trial Developments
· A video obtained by Inside Edition (that's the TV tabloid news program hosted by Deborah "Hey, Everyone! Who Wants To Watch That Dowdy Old Jane Pauley When You Can Have Me Instead! What? I'm Fired? I Guess I'll Slum It At Inside Edition Until Something Better Comes Along. Girl's Gotta Eat!" Norville) has obtained a videotaped testimonial made shortly after Lana Clarkson's death, intended for posting on his site, in which he swears up and down he didn't pull the trigger. "She may have accidentally taken her life, she may have been eating the gun...she may have been doing anything," were some of the alternate theories he offered, says InsideEdition.com, adding a fascinating gun-gobbling angle to the mystery that the defense has yet to explore. [InsideEdition] More » -
defamer
Driver's Recollection Of Phil Spector Saying 'I Think I Killed Somebody' May Have Implications For The Defense
Of the many key pieces of evidence to click into place in the Phil Spector murder trial, none was more anticipated than the testimony of Spector's driver, Adriano DeSouza. On the fateful night, DeSouza ferried Spector to various WeHo watering holes before eventually bringing his boss and House of Blues hostess Lana Clarkson back to the castle "for one drink." Two hours later, he was startled by "a pow," followed soon thereafter by Spector emerging from the residence holding a gun in his bloodied hand: More » -
celeb jurisprudence
Witness Describes Going Down The Rabbit Hole With A Looney Tunes Phil Spector
Waitress Kathy Sullivan offered a brief respite from the parade of female witnesses testifying that Phil Spector had invited them to his Alhambra mansion only to ambush them with a firearm when they refused to succumb to the music producer's "icky" advances. Yes, he invited her and a friend back to the Château for a night of sing-alongs and sleepovers; and yes, a gun made an appearance. But this time, Spector was only doing his chivalric duty, giving them an armed escort back to their car: More »
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By SethComment by raincoaster: Please tell me that Tim Burton is working on "Spector: the Musical!" more » | Other threads
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defamer
CNN.Com Highlights Box Threatened At Gunpoint After Refusing To Put Out For Phil Spector
By now you know the drill, but for those showing up late to the Phil Spector B-actress shooting trial/wigstravanganza, it goes something like this: 1. Prosecution calls woman to the stand. 2. Woman testifies that she and Spector were friends, until the night the Wall of Demon Voices (and her reluctance to put out) convinced him to threaten her with a variety of firearms. 3. Woman inexplicably remains friends with Spector until a recurring pattern begins to suggest he may not have their best interests at heart. Certainly, all of this holds true for Dianne Ogden, whose damning testimony yesterday is reduced to its essential points in one of those convenient Story Highlights boxes. Thanks to your time-management-sensitive friends at CNN.com, you can quickly get the "forced sex at gunpoint" overview, without ever having to delve too deeply into all the "icky" details. More » -
defamer
Are Phil Spector's Lawyers Sitting On An Extremely Significant Fingernail?
A separate court hearing in the Phil Spector trial began yesterday, to determine what became of a possibly crucial piece of evidence gone missing from the investigation: a fingernail. Some background: In 2004, prosecutors filed a motion claiming the defense had discovered a fingernail blackened by gun powder residue at the crime scene. A clerk on Spector's original team led by Robert Shapiro claimed under oath that the evidence did exist, but it was a tooth, not a nail. Today, another one of Spector's former attorneys corroborated the nail story: More » -
defamer
Phil Spector: Five Decades Of Crazy
The testimony in the Phil Spector case took an unforeseen hiatus today, as defense attorney Bruce "Murder on Their Minds" Cutler has fallen ill. (In other news, high stress and hopelessness have been proven to wreak havoc on the immune system.) While we wait for the next disturbing chapter to play out on the witness stand, Radar Online provides a handy chronological compendium of half a century's worth of Phil Spector's patented brand of violent, gun-brandishing batshit insanity. It makes for stunning reading, beginning with a possibly formative 1958 incident in which the producer was urinated on by four pranksters in a public restroom, continuing to his days of fatherhood in the 1970s, when he'd allegedly lock his sons in their rooms, occasionally allowing them out so he could blindfold them and subject them to humiliating sex acts. Here's an entry about former wife Ronnie Spector née Bennett, the lead singer of The Ronettes: More » -
celeb jurisprudence
Phil Spector Trial Catchphrase Definitely No 'If It Does Not Fit'
Opening arguments for the Phil Spector murder trial began yesterday and resume today live on Court TV (WigWatch: A Level-8 Blonde Shag), where current title-holder of Hardest Working Man in Show Business, attorney Bruce Cutler, continues to lay out the groundwork of his defense. Phase One: Convince the jury Spector's long history of pressing guns to the head of women who refused to put out for him has no bearing on the trial. Phase Two: Coin your own nonsensical catchphrase, in the hopes that repeating it ad nauseam will somehow get your guy off: More »
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By SethComment by raincoaster: Roger Corman would know all about that...too late to get him as a witness, though. Convenient, no? more » | Other threads
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defamer
Jury Selection Shocker: Some Prospective Jurors Possibly Prejudging Phil Spector
Despite his defense team's clever attempt to soften accused murderer Phil Spector's image by disguising him as a well-known lesbian talk show host who's considered harmless by millions of Americans, it seems that some prospective jurors have already been poisoned against Spector by media coverage of the trial, a bias revealed in yesterday's jury selection proceedings. Reports the LAT: More »
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By MarkComment by raincoaster: You know, it sounds like they'll be needing more jurors soon. Why wait to be called? Step up and take... more » | Other threads
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defamer
Phil Spector Judge Doing His Part To Weed Out Famewhore Jury Candidates
Aware that Phil Spector's televised murder trial has the potential to quickly escalate into another media circus ("Phil! Phil! Whose wig are you wearing?!" "It's a Jackie by Jon Reneau!") the presiding judge has warned prospective jurors still in the running for having scored a "Not Completely and Utterly Obsessed With Celebrities" or lower on their screening questionnaires not to expect to use the high profile case to kickstart their stalled entertainment reporter and/or acting careers: More »
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By SethComment by gwendemarco: Is it too late to have his hair as a challenge on Shear Genius? more » | Other threads
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defamer
Judge Disagrees That Phil Spector's Habit Of Pressing A Gun To His Ex's Head Is Irrelevant
Accused murderer Phil Spector can dress himself up in sensible pantsuits and wash-n'-go haircuts all he likes, but he is unlikely to be mistaken any time soon for a benign lesbian observational comic—especially as mounting evidence reveals a disturbing history of gun violence directed at women:
More » -
defamer
Take The Phil Spector Jury Selection Challenge!
The onerous search to find an impartial jury to determine whether or not music producer/recent strategic lesbian makeover recipient Phil Spector shot actress Lana Clarkson in the face has begun, with over 100 prospective jurors being subjected to an 18-page questionnaire aimed at determining whether a candidate is either virulently prejudiced against the celebrity race or so naive about the widespread preferential treatment of the famous that their answers reveal a possible diminished mental capacity. We've excerpted the "Attitudes About Celebrities And High-Profile People" section of the questionnaire above (click here for a bigger version), allowing you to take an inventory of your own complicated feelings about your celebrated betters, a handy self-evaluation tool that could help you sail through the jury selection process should you ever be called upon to sit in judgment upon an actor you'd really like to see do some hard time. More »
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By MarkComment by raincoaster: The Guardian has a loverly slideshow of "Spector's Hairstyles Through the Ages"; well okay, that's not what THEY called it... more » | Other threads
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defamer
Phil Spector Throws Trial-Watchers A Lesbian Hairdo Curveball
Pictured is Phil Spector, showing up today for the first day of his murder trial jury selection not, as was widely expected, dressed in his trademark Dollytor style, but instead debuting a brand new look—the brainchild of Spector's savvy legal team, who strategized that it would be better for him to present himself as a harmless lesbian talk show host than a guy who would press a gun against a woman's face for objecting to his ashing on her dog. More » -
defamer
Firearms Enthusiast Phil Spector Fastidiously Teasing Collection Of Jewfros In Anticipation Of Murder Trial
Jury selection gets underway today for the Phil Spector murder trial, the visonary pop music producer (for the youngsters: he was the Timbaland of the 1960s!), who, in 2003, talked C-movie actress and House of Blues hostess Lana Clarkson into coming back with him to Pyrenees Castle, his French-château-inspired estate in Alhambra. Hours later, Clarkson would be found dead of a gunshot to the mouth: More »
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By SethComment by gwendemarco: "...Clarkson had gunshot residue on both of her hands and may have pulled the trigger." Or, maybe she was trying... more » | Other threads
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