Pop Culture: Christina Aguilera ties the knot; Russell Crowe gets slap on the wrist for phone-throwing
While watching an E! True Hollywood Story on Demi Moore in an attempt to kill time before Saturday evening festivities, I was surprised by the program's sudden interruption by a "breaking news story." Expecting another natural disaster or a terrorism alert, I laughed out loud, relieved, when the anchorwoman broke the news of Christina Aguilera's wedding, which had taken place earlier that day. The pop diva married longtime boyfriend music mogul Jordan Bratman at a Napa Valley resort. The couple met when Bratman started working at her management company, AzoffMusic Management, three years ago. Although most likely taking a break for her honeymoon now, Aguilera continues to work on her latest album, which she says is a "throwback to the 1920s, '30s and '40s." I wish the couple all the best, and commend E! News for its excellent and up-to-date coverage. After all, celebrity marriages are just as worthy of program interruptions as President Bush's latest disaster relief efforts. Russell Crowe finally hung up on his court case stemming from the phone-throwing incident. This past Friday, Crowe pleaded guilty to third-degree assault for throwing a phone at a hotel concierge back in June. The judge let Crowe off with a slap on the wrist, giving him a conditional discharge, which means he must avoid being arrested for the next year or else he will face jail time. He also had to pay a court surcharge of $160, pocket change for a high-paid actor such as Crowe. The incident occurred in New York last summer, when in a failed attempt to reach his wife in Australia, a frustrated Crowe hurled the phone at the night manager of the Mercer Hotel in Manhattan. The phone hit the concierge in the face, and he was taken to a local hospital to be treated for cuts he sustained to his cheek. While it's his first criminal offense, this is not Crowe's first issue with anger management. For example, he allegedly bit his bodyguard's ear in 2004. Maybe Crowe should consult Mike Tyson, a hot-headed celebrity who might sympathize with Crowe's problem, for tips on how to channel his anger more efficiently.
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