Justin Bieber : Homecoming Party Busted Up By Cops

Justin Bieber just got back to the U.S.A. and he's already got police pounding on his front door -- for throwing one of his trademark Beverly Hills all-nighters.

According to law enforcement sources ... Bev Hills P.D. went to Bieber's condo TWICE last night to deal with noise complaints. The first visit was shortly after 11 P.M. ... but when officers arrived they didn't hear anything, so they left without knocking.

The second time -- around 12:40 A.M. -- there was noise ... we're told around 30-40 people were milling around Bieber's balcony. Cops knocked on the door, and spoke directly to Justin ... reminding him his neighbors could make a citizen's arrest if the noise continued, but Justin was cooperative and agreed to break up the party.

As we first told you ... JB was supposed to be out of this building at the end of September, but he's been traveling around Europe for several weeks ... and hasn't found a new pad yet.

Enjoy him while you can, Beverly Hills.      HeHe

Oscar Pistorius's Ex Samantha Taylor In Court As Athlete Awaits Sentencing For Killing Of Reeva Steenkamp

As Oscar Pistorius arrived for the second day of sentencing following his conviction for killing Reeva Steenkamp, a former girlfriend of the double amputee joined the courtroom.

Samantha Taylor, who has previously claimed Pistorius cheated on her with Steenkamp was pictured in the Pretoria High Court as people took their seats.

Wearing a black open-sleeved dress, she appeared to purse her lips as Pistorius made his way past her.

Oscar Pistorius moves past former lover Samantha Taylor in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday

Last month Pistorius was found guilty of the culpable homicide of Steenkamp.

Sentences for such a crime can range from a suspended sentence and a fine to as many as 15 years in prison.

Pistorius, once a celebrated athlete who ran in the 2012 Olympics, was charged with premeditated murder in a televised trial that transfixed many people around the world, but judge Thokozile Masipa found him not guilty of that charge.

After the verdict, Taylor, 20, told how Pistorius made her fear for her safety and worried "it could have been me."
  In an interview aired with Nine’s A Current Affair, Taylor claimed Pistorius bit her and locked her in his house while he went out.

Taylor and Pistorius dated for 18 months

Taylor also gave evidence during the trial, revealing how Pistorius once fired a weapon through an open sunroof after being pulled over for speeding.

  When asked why they split, she told the court: "Because he cheated on me with Reeva," the Mirror reported.

Sentencing hearing begins for Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius faces sentencing this week for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home.
The South African athlete was found guilty last month of culpable homicide in the 2013 Valentine's Day death, but was cleared of murder.
Culpable homicide is a charge similar to manslaughter.

JOHANNESBURG — A South African judge on Friday convicted athlete Oscar Pistorius of "culpable homicide" in the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
A conviction of culpable homicide, the term for manslaughter in South Africa, carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence. Pistorius had already been cleared of murdering Steenkamp.
Pistorius has been granted bail and will return to court on Oct.13 to find out whether he will be imprisoned and, if so, for how long.
A day earlier, Judge Thokozile Masipa said state prosecutors had failed to prove Pistorius, 27, was guilty of premeditated or second-degree murder.

However, Masipa found the actions by Pistorius — an Olympic and Paralympic athlete known as the Blade Runner for his use of specially designed prosthetic legs — to be "negligent."
Reading a lengthy explanation of the evidence and charges, Masipa told the court Thursday that she found Pistorius "acted too hastily and used excessive force" when he fired four times into the door of a toilet stall in his apartment, killing Steenkamp, 29, on Valentine's Day in 2013.

Masipa's decision to acquit Pistorius of murder was met with criticism from South Africans.
"Culpable homicide is not enough. The life lost doesn't get justice," said entrepreneur Nzolo Ezee Bidla, 25, on Friday, as he sat glued to the TV in a Johannesburg bar.
Pistorius was also convicted on one of three unrelated firearm charges.

The judge ruled that the athlete was guilty of unlawfully firing a gun in a public place when a friend's pistol he was handling discharged under a table in a restaurant in Johannesburg in early 2013 — weeks before Steenkamp's killing.

Pistorius was acquitted on two other gun charges, including a count of firing a gun in public and a count of illegal possession of ammunition in the Pretoria home where he killed Steenkamp.
Pistorius, who stood calmly with his hands folded in front of him as Masipa delivered her final verdict Friday, had denied the prosecution's claims that he had deliberately shot Steennkamp in the early hours of Feb. 14 last year.

Prosecutors accused Pistorius of intentionally killing her by firing through the door of the stall where, they alleged, she had taken refuge following an argument.

Pistorius claimed he thought Steenkamp was in bed and that he accidentally shot her through the bathroom door, mistakenly believing there was an intruder in his home.
As the track star prepared to spend a month waiting for sentencing, some South Africans said he has already suffered enough.
"I think they must forgive him," said bartender Thato Nailane, 25. "He is suffering emotionally. A light sentence would be better. He suffered for (6 months) being on trial."

Mannie Witz, a criminal defense attorney in Johannesburg, said state prosecutors could lodge an appeal but that the Pistorius defense team is unlikely to do so.
"There is still a long way to go," he said, adding he doubted Pistorius would get the full jail term.

Oscar Pistorius Update: When Is Sentencing For The South African Olympian?

Oscar Pistorius claims that he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend on Feb. 14, 2013. Reuters
Oscar Pistorius will soon learn his fate for shooting and killing Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day of last year. After being convicted of culpable homicide in September, the Olympian faces sentencing on Monday, Oct. 13.

Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius not guilty of murdering his girlfriend, but the culpable homicide conviction carries a sentence of up to 15 years in jail. While the double-amputee could be in prison into his 40's, there’s a chance he won’t spend a day in prison.

Even if Pistorius gets the maximum sentence, he can still fight the ruling with an appeal. The judge could deliver a maximum sentence because of the likelihood that Pistorius could get it reduced.
  "I think we already have an indication that she is looking at his character, in her comments that he was an evasive and untruthful witness," Criminologist Laurie James-Pieters, said, via The Telegraph. "We may be looking at a harsh sentence. She may opt to hand down the 15 years, knowing it will be reduced on appeal to five or 10."

Pistorius’s behavior outside of the courtroom could have an impact on the judge’s sentence. He was involved in a fight at a bar while awaiting the verdict in July, and James-Pieters says instances before the trial began could also indicate that Pistorius is a danger to society.

The 27-year-old was also found guilty of one gun charge, which involved him discharging a firearm at a restaurant. He faces up to five years in prison for the incident, but he could also get away with paying a fine or losing his gun license. Pistorius was found not guilty of illegal possession of ammunition, as well as an incident in which he allegedly fired his gun through a car sunroof.

The trial has spanned more than seven months and has become an international story. It’s featured multiple breaks, including one that began at the end of May and nearly lasted until July, when Pistorius underwent a mental health evaluation.

**************************************
Will Pistorius get jail time? Experts divided

Pretoria - Legal experts seem to be divided on whether athlete Oscar Pistorius will get jail time after he was found guilty of culpable homicide for Reeva Steenkamp’s death.

Law experts who spoke to the Times said Pistorius was likely to get house arrest or possibly even just a fine.

Criminal law expert Martin Hood told the newspaper that Judge Thokozile Masipa would take into account Pistorius's personal circumstances, substantial financial losses, physical disabilities and medical requirements.
Kelly Phelps, from UCT’s School of Law said a prison sentence would be considered "extremely harsh".
  However, another expert, who also happens to be a judge, told Pretoria News he would impose a 10-year jail term with part of it being suspended.

It is also expected that the prosecution will call Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp to the stand.

In an interview shortly after judgment, June and her husband, Barry, expressed their disappointment that Pistorius had been found not guilty of murder, saying his culpable homicide conviction was not right.
  Pistorius returns to the North Gauteng High Court on Monday for sentencing, which was set down from 13-16 October.

Extortion Claims Against Faye Grant

In the wake of the stunning child-molestation confession of 7th Heaven star Stephen Collins, a lawyer for the actor is more than hinting that his estranged wife, Faye Grant, has been trying to extort Collins throughout their divorce proceedings. ( A typical ploy to draw attention away from the real culprit.)

"Over the course of my representation of Stephen in the divorce case, Faye has repeatedly threatened to give this audiotape to the media unless Stephen agreed to pay her millions of dollars more than that to which she was legally entitled," attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan reportedly said in a statement to TMZ.
Kaplan continued: "When these demands were rebuffed, Faye attempted — without success — to peddle the tape to numerous different people. It appears that she finally found an audience for this tape — not surprisingly, on the eve of the trial in the divorce case where, again, she is seeking millions of dollars more than that to which she is legally entitled."

However, Grant and her attorney have come out swinging against the extortion claims. On Wednesday, Faye's attorney Larry A. Ginsberg, issued the following statement:
"The statement that my client attempted to extort Mr. Stephen Collins with an audiotape is fabricated and defamatory, and could not be farther from the truth.  In fact, Faye turned over the recording to the LAPD and NYPD two years ago after Mr. Collins refused to address and get help with regard to his reprehensible conduct.
"It is offensive and outrageous that Mr. Collins' lawyer is now attempting to deflect focus away from the disturbing content of the recording and away from Mr. Collins' admissions by attacking the victims, including Faye, who Mr.Collins' lawyer is attempting to portray as the 'villain' in this tragic situation.
"Faye never asked to receive more than the 50 percent of the community property to which she is entitled under California law. Faye never asked for more than the 'guideline' amount of spousal support based on Mr. Collins' income. From the very beginning of the dissolution of marriage matter, Faye has worked diligently to get this matter settled and to put it behind her while coping with the distress and trauma suffered as a result of the revelations about Mr. Collins' life. Faye requested that Mr. Collins create a trust fund for their daughter, and further requested that he make a contribution to a charitable organization benefitting sexually abused children. To falsely characterize these requests as extortion threats is reckless and constitutes yet further abuse.
"Contrary to the efforts by Mr. Collins’ lawyer to infer that my client tried to extort a settlement from Mr. Collins with the recording, neither my client nor any of her representatives ever made the recording part of the family law proceedings. As stated previously, neither Faye nor any of her representatives had any part in providing the audio tape or any part thereof to the media."
Grant also denied the allegations that she is after their estimated $14 million in assets.
"This is a deeply sad situation for everyone involved. With regard to the divorce proceedings, I am seeking no more than that to which I am legally entitled under the laws of the State of California," she stated. "The recording of Mr. Collins’ statements has not been part of family court proceedings or any negotiations related to that action at any time."
On Tuesday, TMZ posted an audio recording taken during a therapy session purportedly between Collins, 67, and Grant, 57, from 2012 in which the actor appears to admit to sexual misconduct with at least three girls under the age of 14. The comments match court documents submitted in the couple's divorce filing.
Faye first filed for divorce from Collins, who played the Rev. Eric Camden on the beloved show, in May 2012 (the recording was supposedly taped after this).
Meanwhile, Grant has denied that she had anything to do with the leaking of the tape. "I woke up today to learn that an extremely private recording I handed over to the authorities in 2012 per their request in connection with a criminal investigation was recently disseminated to the press," she said in a statement. "I had no involvement whatsoever with the release of the tape to the media."
Both the LAPD and NYPD are reviewing the taped confessions but no charges have been filed.
While Collins has yet to address the situation — a lawyer for the actor told TMZ, "The circumstances dictate that we must regrettably refrain from [commenting] at this time" — the fallout in Hollywood has been swift.
Collins will be dropped from an upcoming episode of Scandal, a rep for ABC confirmed on Wednesday. This comes one day after he got the boot from Ted 2 and resigned from the national board of the SAG-AFTRA actors' union. Multiple networks have also pulled reruns of 7th Heaven.
While the majority of Stephen's co-stars have remained mum on the controversy, a few have spoken out.
Catherine Hicks, who played Collins's on-screen wife from 1996 to 2007, says she "didn't know anything," adding, "Stephen's a good guy in my opinion."
Kyle Searles, who had a recurring role on the show for three years as Mac, confessed he "was a little shocked" to hear the news. "That wasn't who I remembered at all, not in the least bit," he told TMZ.
"I never once had any type of encounter where he was maybe a little inappropriate, nobody in the cast had ever come to me, nor was it ever an issue," he continued. "Stephen was somebody that I looked up to. If you ask anybody that knows me pretty well and has asked about my experiences in Los Angeles and acting, Stephen was by far the most likable, influential, genuine person that I ever had the pleasure of working with.”

10 Questions : Cornel West

Philosopher  and agitator Cornell West talks about  prophets , Presidents  and breaking the  law  for  John Coltrane .

Question :Your new  book  'Black  Prophetic Fire' has  quite  a  title . Why that name ?
Answer : I think that we  need  fire in our world ; people  on fire for  justice  , on fire  for  freedom . The  most  fundamental  question  in the book  is  how  to be men and women  of integrity   and  honesty in a time  of such  vast mendacity  and criminality . And when you look  at W.E.B. DuBois  and Frederick  Douglass , Martin Luther  King  , Malcolm X , Ida  B. Wells  and Ella  Baker  , these  are people  of integrity and decency .

Question : So a prophet is  not the same  as a leader ?
Answer : Usually  not . A prophet  is a  lover , not  a leader  . A lot of people say ,"you're a leader of  black people ." No, no, no, I'm not  a leader of  black people  . I am a lover of  black people  . I'm a lover  of  poor people .

Question : You're  critical of President Obama  in the book  and publicly . What are  his chief failings ?
Answer : It's  not  so much as  a personal  attack . It's a critique  of his  priorities . We ended up  with a Wall Street  presidency , a drone  presidency  , a  national-surveillance  presidency . When  you're  speaking  to young black boys  in a very paternalistic way  but on Wall Street  you speak in  a very  subservient way , or you say  your major  program  for black  young  boys  is  going  to be one  of  charity  and philanthropy  but no public  policy , then criticism  must be put  forward  just to be true  to the black prophetic  tradition .  I think he lacks  backbone .

Question : Did  you  vote for  Obama  in  '2012?
Answer : I didn't  vote for anybody . I couldn't  vote  for a war criminal . He's  tied  to war  crimes  and drones  dropping  bombs  on innocent  people  . But  no way would I vote for  Romney .

Question : Why do  you write  that  many black leaders  are  for sale ?
Answer : In the  history of black people  , those  who could be  prophetic  have either  been kill or  bought off  and  co-opted . And  we live  now in an age  of the sellout  , no matter  what color. I  argue in the book  that we have witnessed  the re-niggerization of the black  professional class , they got  power , assets  and  prosperity , but they're  still intimidated  . They're  concerned  with their  careers  rather than their  callings . Malcolm X  specialized in de-niggerizing  black people . Folk  willing to  fight  , tell the truth , die . That's what we  need  today .

Question : What would  you like to see happen in Ferguson , Mo ?
Answer : I want justice . The policeman  needs  to be arrested  . They have  to have  a fair trial . But it's  not  just Ferguson . That's the  peak of the iceberg . We  need more targeting  of our  poor  young  people  , make them center stage in  our public  policy .

Question : Why are you opposed  to the  idea of the self-made man ?
Answer : It's  a lie . Everybody's  dependent on  somebody . Nobody  gave  birth to themselves . Everybody gets a language  from somewhere else . And so the  notion  of self-made  men , from Henry  Clay  and Abraham Lincoln  ... even Frederick  Douglass  went around  the country  giving lectures  on being  self-made . It's  an American lie  that anybody's self made .

Question : Is a prophet  always  marginalized ?
Answer : Yes  absolutely .

Question : Have  you  been marginalized ?
Answer : I've  been very  blessed  . But you know  , you got  character  assassination  . You got  different  lies  told  on you . That's a kind of marginalization .

Question : How  did  you celebrate  John Coltrane's birthday  ?
Answer : We started  off  at Union Theological  Seminary  with "After  the Rain"  and then ended up  in the cemetery . We  jumped the  fence  [at Coltrane's grave]  and  tried  to make  it on in . Coltrane  had what you  this book  is also  about  ... a militant  tenderness  and a subversive  sweetness .

Thanx ... Belinda  Luscombe

'7th Heaven' Dad Stephen Collins Confesses on Tape to Child Molestation ... NYPD Investigating

Stephen Collins -- who played the pastor/dad on "7th Heaven" -- confessed to his estranged wife he was a child molester, and it's all on tape ... a tape obtained by TMZ. And the New York Police Dept. is now conducting an active criminal investigation involving sexual contact with multiple children.

Collins -- who is in the middle of a nasty, prolonged divorce with actress Faye Grant -- revealed to her in 2012 he had molested and/or exposed himself to several underage girls years before. Collins and Grant went to a therapist where she peppered him with questions about the incidents ... and he not only answered, he was specific.

Here's what Collins didn't know at the time. Grant taped the therapy session. We're told her lawyer advised her it was legal to secretly record the conversation because in California you're allowed to secretly record conversations to gather evidence the other person committed a violent felony ... and molesting a child under the age of 14 qualifies.

We have protected the names of the victims Collins mentions on tape. As you listen ... you will hear Collins refer to a "disclosure" and a "list." This refers to a confession Collins had already made to his wife ... which triggered the therapy session.

You hear Collins flatly confess to molesting an 11-year-old New York girl -- a relative of his first wife -- saying, "There was one moment of touching where her hand, I put her hand on my penis." He also acknowledges exposing himself to the girl "a couple of times" ... he says when she was 11, 12 and 13.

Grant asks, "When you exposed yourself ... did you have an erection?" He responds, "No, I mean, no. Partial, maybe I think."

Grant then inquires about other girls. Collins mentions an L.A. girl who lived in their neighborhood, but says he tried righting the wrong by apologizing to her years later.

And then they talk about yet another girl. It's incredible ... Collins has trouble keeping the girls straight, but then he gets clear and confirms the incident. We're told this girl was also from New York and was between 12 and 13 at the time.

TMZ has learned ... the NYPD is in possession of the tape, and last Wednesday 2 NYPD detectives from the Special Victims Unit flew to L.A. to interview Grant. We're told they asked her about the tape and about other potential witnesses.

An NYPD official tells TMZ ... there is a current, active investigation. The official says there are "at least 3 victims" and the nature of the investigation is "inappropriate sexual contact with minors."

Law enforcement sources tell us ... one alleged victim in the investigation is the relative of Collins' first wife, who we're told first reported the molestation in 2012. One law enforcement source tells us ... although decades have passed since the molestation, they believe the case can still be prosecuted because the statute of limitations runs from the date of reporting.

Collins -- who is on the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild -- frequently interacts with young actresses. In addition to "7th Heaven," he was also on the ABC Family show "The Fosters," about a bunch of young kids being raised in a foster family. And he had a role in the recent show, "Revolution" ... which also had underage actors.

We contacted Collins' reps ... they had no comment.