LONDON — George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and lost his license for five years Tuesday for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car into a London photo shop.
A British judge told the star his addiction to marijuana put him and the public at risk.
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The former Wham! singer pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence and possession of cannabis after a July 4 collision between his Range Rover and a Snappy Snaps store in north London.
District Judge John Perkins told the singer he had taken a “dangerous and unpredictable mix” of prescription drugs and marijuana.
“It does not appear that you took proper steps to deal with what is clearly an addiction to cannabis,” the judge said.
Perkins sentenced Michael to the prison time and a 1,250 pound ($1,930) fine during a hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court.
The judge said Michael would have to serve four weeks of the sentence in prison and the rest on parole.
According to police, Michael appeared “spaced out” when they found him sitting in the SUV, whose engine was still running, in the wee hours of July 4. He acknowledged smoking marijuana and taking a prescription sedative, prosecutors said.
Jury selected in Kid Rock’s battery trial
DECATUR, Ga. — Jury selection has been completed in a lawsuit against musician Kid Rock stemming from a fight at a Waffle House restaurant near Atlanta.
Robert James Ritchie, aka Kid Rock, and five members of his entourage appeared Tuesday before a DeKalb County judge.
In the lawsuit, Harlen Akins claims the musician cursed at him during the early-morning fight in October 2007, and members of his entourage beat Akins up and smashed his cell phone.
Kid Rock pleaded guilty in March 2008 to a misdemeanor charge of simple battery.
Baby on the way for Penelope Cruz
MADRID — A Spanish agency that represents Penelope Cruz says the Oscar-winning Spanish actress is pregnant.
The Madrid-based agency Kuranda says in a statement that 36-year-old Cruz is 4 1/2 months pregnant.
Cruz has no children. She married Spanish actor Javier Bardem, 41, in a discreet wedding in the Bahamas in July.
They appeared together in the Woody Allen film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” for which Cruz won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2009.
New ‘Jeopardy!’ record set
NEW YORK — A University of Delaware graduate student who made a bold bet has become the biggest one-day winner in the history of the game show “Jeopardy!”
Roger Craig earned $77,000 on Tuesday’s telecast. He beat the $75,000 standard set more than six years ago by legendary “Jeopardy!” champ Ken Jennings.
Craig finished the regular part of the game with $47,000 and bet $30,000 on the category “Literary and Movie Title Objects.” The clue was: “The inspiration for this title object in a novel and a 1957 movie actually spanned the Mae Khlung River.”
The 33-year-old correctly replied, “What is ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’?”
After two days on the show, Craig has earned $114,000. He’s 72 games short of Jennings’ record of 74 wins in a row.
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