Mothers accused of bizarre child abuse go unscathed
By A. Scott Walton
Mamas, don't let you babies grow up to be snitches. Or plaintiffs in lawsuits, either.
Sooner or later, some woman caught up in a high profile case of alleged child abuse is going to receive stiff punishment from a judge.
But not this week.
Exhibit A: An Alaskan mother of six who videotaped herself pouring hot sauce down one of her seven-year-old sons' throat in hopes of appearing on an "Angry Moms" episode of the Dr. Phil show recently escaped any fine, loss of custody of jail time. Jessica Beagley could have been sentenced to $10,000 in restitution and a year in jail for the child-endangering stunt. But Anchorage District Court Judge David Wallace dismissed the charges, saying: "You're not a danger to the public...I think you committed a one-time act to get on a TV show."
Exhibit B: A Chicago appeals court just ruled that there was nothing "extreme or outrageous" about the lack of affection Kimberly Garrity showed her estranged children during their formative years. The lawsuit filed by her son, Steven Miner (23), and daughter, Kathryn Miner (20), sought $50,000 in compensation for 'emotional distress'. They were represented in court by their father, Garrity's ex-husband, Steven.
What's next?
Who's running the asylum: the parents, the kids, the courts or the media?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Beyonce Botches "Baby Bump" Debut at VMAs
Maternity Style Rule No. 1: Don't WEAR the red carpet!
By A. Scott Walton
The house of Lanvin let Beyonce down severely when it allowed her to waddle out onto the red carpet prior to MTV's Video Music Awards Sunday night.
Girlfriend looked much more like a lobster roll than a leading lady as she protruded her newly impregnated tummy for the cameras.
She might have blended into the VMS red carpet ceremony without attracting as much glaring attention as she surely will until the baby arrives if she handed taken such great (labor?) pains to caress her tummy for the cameras. And why wasn’t the proud father, Mr. Carter, there posing with her?
Do you think Beyonce’s pregnancy “announcement” was made in a dignified way? Or is this new baby drama just a publicity stunt?
By A. Scott Walton
The house of Lanvin let Beyonce down severely when it allowed her to waddle out onto the red carpet prior to MTV's Video Music Awards Sunday night.
Girlfriend looked much more like a lobster roll than a leading lady as she protruded her newly impregnated tummy for the cameras.
She might have blended into the VMS red carpet ceremony without attracting as much glaring attention as she surely will until the baby arrives if she handed taken such great (labor?) pains to caress her tummy for the cameras. And why wasn’t the proud father, Mr. Carter, there posing with her?
Do you think Beyonce’s pregnancy “announcement” was made in a dignified way? Or is this new baby drama just a publicity stunt?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Oh! Andrew "Dice" Clay Bets on Father-Figure Comeback
Foul-mouthed comic who ruled the '90s cleans up his act
By A. Scott Walton
"Everybody's a comedian", the old stand-up line goes.
But not everyone's a good daddy.
In this age of full revelation in the interest of gaining or re-gaining fame and fortune, it should come as no surprise that Andrew "Dice" Clay is now portraying himself as a reformed reprobate who's now fully focused on fatherhood.
Click here to read the USA Today Profile on Andrew "Dice" Clay
Don't be surprised if he winds up on some random cable channel starring in a semi-real TV series depicting his struggles as a single parent.
"WTF", some producer's probably text after reading USA Today's recent feature on Clay.
After all, a similar ploy worked rather well for the late Bernie Mac. His transformation from one of the most profane comics on the planet into a family-friendly figure was working well; right up until he died of natural causes in (year).
But the notion of Clay playing the "Ward Cleaver" role is a harder pill to swallow.
We'll know in time if his re-set button, at age 53, really works. If Clay is launching a comeback, it shouldn't be on the backs of the kids he got custody of after a messy divorce.
By A. Scott Walton
"Everybody's a comedian", the old stand-up line goes.
But not everyone's a good daddy.
In this age of full revelation in the interest of gaining or re-gaining fame and fortune, it should come as no surprise that Andrew "Dice" Clay is now portraying himself as a reformed reprobate who's now fully focused on fatherhood.
Click here to read the USA Today Profile on Andrew "Dice" Clay
Don't be surprised if he winds up on some random cable channel starring in a semi-real TV series depicting his struggles as a single parent.
"WTF", some producer's probably text after reading USA Today's recent feature on Clay.
After all, a similar ploy worked rather well for the late Bernie Mac. His transformation from one of the most profane comics on the planet into a family-friendly figure was working well; right up until he died of natural causes in (year).
But the notion of Clay playing the "Ward Cleaver" role is a harder pill to swallow.
We'll know in time if his re-set button, at age 53, really works. If Clay is launching a comeback, it shouldn't be on the backs of the kids he got custody of after a messy divorce.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Original Supermodel, Evangelista, Stirs Up Baby-Mama Drama
Diva Demands $46K Child Support Monthly From Salma Hayek’s Hubby
By A. Scott Walton
How much should it cost a billionaire to make a paternity lawsuit go away?
The French fashion mogul, Francois-Henri Pinault, may soon find out.
Pinault - who is currently married to the sultry Spanish actress Salma Hayek – is being sued for more than $500,000 per year in child support by the cover girl, Linda Evangelista, who’s famously quoted as saying: ‘I don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day’.
Evangelista, now 46, went to a Manhattan Magistrate’s court this week to request a minimum of $46,000 per month for the care and feeding of the four-year-old boy Pinault helped her to conceive. Pinault (49), the chief operator of such brands as Gucci and Yves St. Laurent, dated Hayek off and on for years before marrying and fathering a child with her two years ago.
In the latest Forbes listing of the world’s 100 richest people on the planet, Pinault came in at a respectable No. 67, with an approximate wealth of $7 billion. Considering how many yachts, automobiles, homes and private jets he must own, the sum Evangelista’s asking for should seem like chump change to him.
If you were Pinault, would you simply pay up and keep peace at home?
By A. Scott Walton
How much should it cost a billionaire to make a paternity lawsuit go away?
The French fashion mogul, Francois-Henri Pinault, may soon find out.
Pinault - who is currently married to the sultry Spanish actress Salma Hayek – is being sued for more than $500,000 per year in child support by the cover girl, Linda Evangelista, who’s famously quoted as saying: ‘I don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day’.
Evangelista, now 46, went to a Manhattan Magistrate’s court this week to request a minimum of $46,000 per month for the care and feeding of the four-year-old boy Pinault helped her to conceive. Pinault (49), the chief operator of such brands as Gucci and Yves St. Laurent, dated Hayek off and on for years before marrying and fathering a child with her two years ago.
In the latest Forbes listing of the world’s 100 richest people on the planet, Pinault came in at a respectable No. 67, with an approximate wealth of $7 billion. Considering how many yachts, automobiles, homes and private jets he must own, the sum Evangelista’s asking for should seem like chump change to him.
If you were Pinault, would you simply pay up and keep peace at home?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Winehouse Adoption Rumors Squashed
Doomed Diva's Rep Stops Speculation; Cause of Death Unknown
By A. Scott Walton
No. No! NO!!
Just imagine if the departed pop-soul singer Amy Winehouse actually did have plans to adopt a child from some impoverished, disease-ravaged nation in the mode of Brad and Angelina.
How in the world would that drug-addled and doomed to premature death entertainer have managed to discipline an adopted child on her own?
TMZ has just squashed rampant rumors in the tabloids that the chart-topping singer – who died last week from undetermined causes – was on the verge of revamping her personal life with the addition of a child from St. Lucia into her household.
What kind of Banana Republic official with a shred of integrity, or the fraction of a clue about Winehouse’s background, would have approved her taking custody of an innocent kid?
And, for that matter, what amount of money would it take for a loving parent to even consider such a gambit?
Even if Winehouse had become an adoptive mother, each moment of the endeavor would likely have been fodder for a “Mommie Dearest” remake; in 3-D, no less.
According to TMZ, an unidentified mouthpiece for the deceased Ms. Winehouse has flatly stated, “It’s not true” that the star performer had sealed a deal with the parents of a 10-year-old girl to take guardianship of her.
“I think (Winehouse) may have met her in St. Lucia, but she was in no way about to adopt her.”
Thank goodness.
There couldn’t be a greater trauma visited upon a child than to be separated from one parental relationship, only to be rocked by the sudden unexplained death of another.
This begs a broader question: What provisions are star entertainers making for the kids they adopt in their wills?
By A. Scott Walton
No. No! NO!!
Just imagine if the departed pop-soul singer Amy Winehouse actually did have plans to adopt a child from some impoverished, disease-ravaged nation in the mode of Brad and Angelina.
How in the world would that drug-addled and doomed to premature death entertainer have managed to discipline an adopted child on her own?
TMZ has just squashed rampant rumors in the tabloids that the chart-topping singer – who died last week from undetermined causes – was on the verge of revamping her personal life with the addition of a child from St. Lucia into her household.
What kind of Banana Republic official with a shred of integrity, or the fraction of a clue about Winehouse’s background, would have approved her taking custody of an innocent kid?
And, for that matter, what amount of money would it take for a loving parent to even consider such a gambit?
Even if Winehouse had become an adoptive mother, each moment of the endeavor would likely have been fodder for a “Mommie Dearest” remake; in 3-D, no less.
According to TMZ, an unidentified mouthpiece for the deceased Ms. Winehouse has flatly stated, “It’s not true” that the star performer had sealed a deal with the parents of a 10-year-old girl to take guardianship of her.
“I think (Winehouse) may have met her in St. Lucia, but she was in no way about to adopt her.”
Thank goodness.
There couldn’t be a greater trauma visited upon a child than to be separated from one parental relationship, only to be rocked by the sudden unexplained death of another.
This begs a broader question: What provisions are star entertainers making for the kids they adopt in their wills?
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