Swatting calls target Timberlake, Gomez
LOS ANGELES, April 6 (UPI) -- Los Angeles police said 911 calls they received reporting trouble at the homes of celebrities Justin Timberlake and Selena Gomez Friday were "swatting" hoaxes.
Officers were dispatched to the residences Friday afternoon but nothing was amiss at either location, police told the Los Angeles Times.
The LAPD concluded the calls were pranks aimed at triggering a massive police response to the homes. Similar "swatting" this week claimed there had been shootings or assaults at the homes of Riannah and Sean Combs.
Swatting has become a growing annoyance for Los Angeles-area law enforcement. Anonymous callers report often-serious incidents to 911 dispatchers and then wait for police to show up in force with guns drawn, presumably catching the unwitting residents by surprise.
The Times said California lawmakers were considering toughening the penalties for hoaxers.
DC Comics artist Infantino dies at 87
NEW YORK, April 6 (UPI) -- Carmine Infantino, the comic artist whose modern aesthetic helped save Batman and the Flash from cancellation, died in New York, his agent said. He was 87.
The cause of Infantino's death Thursday at his Manhattan home was not reported.
The artist was most associated with his work for DC Comics, where he began as a penciler in 1947 with the comic "The Black Canary," The New York Times reported Friday.
He later went on to become an editor for DC and eventually the publisher.
Infantino transformed the busier and baggier style of comic books to a more streamlined look more in tune with mid-century modernism, the Times reported.
The comic book industry credits Infantino with resurrecting the stories of the Flash and Batman with his minimalist style. Both characters were on the chopping block by the mid-1950s due to woeful sales, the newspaper said.
The popularity of the "new look" Batman led to the ABC television series starring Adam West in 1966 to 1968.
Infantino left no immediate survivors.
New Kids' Jon Knight bolts mid-concert
NEW YORK, April 6 (UPI) -- New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight has apologized for leaving the stage during a concert in New York, where a blogger said he "seemed out of it."
The boy band was in the middle of a concert Thursday when Knight, who has previously been vocal about his struggle with anxiety, began acting abnormally.
"I noticed from the front row that Jonathan Knight seemed out of it," wrote HollywoodLife.com blogger Emily Longeretta.
"While the men started their choreographed dances, Jonathan stood uncomfortably in the background -- actually just standing and texting on his phone during the performance," she said.
During a rendition of "Survive You," Knight walked off the stage, CNN reported.
The rest of the five-member group kept performing as fans chanted for Knight's return -- but he never came back.
Knight later appeared to offer fans an apology on Twitter, saying "I'm sorry......"
Earlier in the day, before the concert, he tweeted the hashtag "I feel naked," perhaps indicating his emotional state that led to his behavior that night, the report said.
Bandmate Donnie Wahlberg took to Twitter to address the New York performance.
"Joe was especially dazzling! Jordan was especially amazing! Danny was especially solid & Jon was especially shy! #Allsystemsnormal," he said.
Chris Brown back in court
LOS ANGELES, April 6 (UPI) -- A lawyer for singer Chris Brown accused Los Angeles prosecutors of fraud for saying he submitted defective documentation of his court-ordered community service.
Prosecutors accused Brown of submitting poorly documented, and possibly fraudulent, paperwork indicating he completed 180 days of community service in his home state of Virginia. He agreed to perform the labor as part of a 2009 plea bargain deal when he was prosecuted for assaulting his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.
The work was purportedly completed under the supervision of Richmond, Va., police but prosecutors said records show Brown was traveling abroad on the dates documents said he was picking up trash in Virginia.
Brown was in court Friday to face allegations his violated his probation,
His attorney, Mark Geragos, asked for a contempt of court hearing, accusing prosecutors of filing false documents, CNN reported.
"And I don't mean just false, it is fraudulent," he said.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey asked Superior Court Judge James Brandlin to restart Brown's 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a probation officer, CNN reported.
Brandlin ordered Brown to return to court June 10 because lawyers needed more time to review "additional discovery" in the case.
Bryan Norwood resigned as Richmond police chief in February after prosecutors questioned the validity of paperwork showing Brown performed the required community service under the supervision of Richmond police officers.
