Earlier today we learned that Richard and Mayumi Heene, the parents who perpetuated the Balloon Boy hoax in Colorado last month, would be pleading guilty to charges that they illegally orchestrated the hoax. This afternoon, Richard Heene turned himself into police to officially be placed under arrest. Here is the loser’s mug shot:

The parents of a 6-year-old Colorado boy once feared missing inside a runaway helium balloon have accepted a plea deal to avoid a trial, according to the father’s attorney. Richard Heene turned himself in Thursday afternoon and was released on his own recognizance, authorities said. The Heenes will appear Friday in Larimer County Court, where they are expected to plead guilty, their attorneys said. The penalty range for the felony is two to six years in prison with a fine of $2,000 to $500,000. The range for the misdemeanor would be six months in jail with a fine of $50 to $750, the district attorney’s office statement said. The prosecutor has recommended probation, Richard Heene’s attorney said. Under the deal, Richard Heene, 49, will plead guilty to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant. Mayumi Heene, 48 and a Japanese citizen, will plead guilty to false reporting, a misdemeanor, lawyer David Lane said in a statement. Lane said the Heenes accepted the plea deal rather than risk a trial in which Mayumi, if found guilty, would face deportation to Japan. Mayumi Heene admitted to deputies last month that she and her husband Richard “knew all along that Falcon was hiding in the residence” in Fort Collins, according to an affidavit used to get a search warrant for the home. She allegedly told investigators the incident was a hoax meant to make them more marketable to the media. “Mayumi described that she and Richard Heene devised this hoax approximately two weeks earlier…. She and Richard had instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax,” the affidavit said. Richard Heene had denied a hoax. The most serious charges recommended by Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden would have carried a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

To be honest, I’m thoroughly done with this whole sad ordeal … but I couldn’t resist sharing the moron’s mug shot with the entire World Wide Web. Let this be a lesson to any potential fame-hungry losers out there who are thinking about using their children to get famous … you’re an idiot, don’t do it. The world already has enough Heenes, Gosselins, Federlines, Lohans … we don’t need any others.

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Just when you thought you’d heard the last of the Balloon Boy incident comes new word that Richard and Mayumi Heene, the parents of the so-called Balloon Boy Falcon Heene, will plead guilty to charges that they orchestrated the hoax that cost local government tens of thousands of dollars and very valuable man-hours. As you may recall, the Heenes called 911 to report that their son Falcon flew away in a balloon only to have it turn out that no such thing happened and that the whole incident was a hoax to try and generate media attention for the fame-hungry family. After Mayumi Heene admitted that the incident was a hoax, mastermind Richard Heene had no recourse but to plead guilty to charges as well:

The Colorado parents in last month’s notorious “balloon boy” case will plead guilty to offenses for creating a hoax that their son had flown away in a large balloon. Richard and Mayumi Heene are to plead Friday morning in Larimer County Court, according to a statement issued by Richard Heene’s attorney. Mayumi Heene is expected to plead guilty to an offense of false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor of the lowest level, according to the attorney. Richard Heene is expected to plead guilty to a felony offense of attempting to influence a public servant. Though the Heenes could receive jail time for the charges, the prosecutor has recommended probation, Richard Heene’s attorney said. The threat of deportation for Mayumi Heene was a factor in the plea deal negotiation, the attorney’s statement said. “Mayumi Heene is a citizen of Japan. As such, any felony conviction or certain misdemeanors would result in her deportation, even though her husband and children are Americans,” the statement said. “It is supremely ironic that law enforcement has expressed such grave concern over the welfare of the children, but it was ultimately the threat of taking the children’s mother from the family and deporting her to Japan which fueled this deal.” Prosecutors in the case could not be immediately reached for comment.

Thank goodness … even if these idiots aren’t thrown in the slammer (where they belong) I’m very glad to know that they will have their sorry asses hauled into open court and that convictions will be added to their records. While I personally do not believe they are fit parents to care for their 3 children, I suppose it would be too cruel for the children to suffer in foster homes for their parents crimes. This story has been insane from the get-go … I’m glad it’s finally about to be over, once and for all.

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While Taylor Swift may be happy to be a part of the new video game title Band Hero, I have it on pretty good authority that the members of No Doubt are NOT happy with the game. It turns out that No Doubt is pretty pissed that the game title allegedly misused their likeness against their wishes by not even asking how their likeness would be used in the game … as a result, No Doubt is suing Activision, the company that makes the game:

Rock band No Doubt has filed a real-world lawsuit over its virtual role in the just-released Band Hero edition of the Guitar Hero video game series, claiming that the game has “transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act,” singing dozens of songs the group neither wrote, popularized nor approved for use in the game. In a suit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, the band alleges that Santa Monica-based Activision, the maker of the game, has far exceeded the contractually approved use of likenesses, or avatars, of band members Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young. An Activision spokesman said the company had not seen the complaint yet and therefore had no comment. “The band [members] are bitterly disappointed that their name and likeness was taken and used without their permission,” manager Jim Guerinot said Wednesday. “They agreed to play three No Doubt songs as a band…Activision then went and put them in 62 other songs and broke the band up [and] never even asked.” The suit also charges that the game allows users to manipulate their characters to sing songs popularized by other pop music acts. No Doubt’s contract with Activision allowed the company to use the band’s music and likenesses in no more than three of the band’s own songs, the suit states. The game, which was released Tuesday, puts the group members’ images, collectively and individually, into more than 60 songs, “many of which include lyrics, contained in iconic songs, which are not appropriate for No Doubt and have not been and would not have been chosen by No Doubt for recordings or public performances.” Specifically, the suit notes that through the game’s Character Manipulation Feature, Stefani’s image can be induced to sing the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women.” “While No Doubt are avid fans of the Rolling Stones and even have performed in concerts with the Rolling Stones,” the complaint states, “the Character Manipulation Feature results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes.” It also states that bassist Kanal’s likeness can be manipulated to sing, in a female voice, one of No Doubt’s signature hits, “Just a Girl.” “Activision has deceived and confused the public into believing that No Doubt authorized the use of its name and likeness for the Character Manipulation Feature of Band Hero and that No Doubt approves and endorses the appearance of its members individually performing songs that are wholly inappropriate and out of character for No Doubt,” according to the complaint. The suit states that Activision executives withheld disclosure of the character manipulation feature, and refused the band’s request to remove or disable it in conjunction with the No Doubt avatars after the band learned how they were being used. The complaint says Activision officials told the band that doing so would be “too expensive.” “Perhaps most disappointing is when Activision was made aware of the problem, rather than make a fix they admit was technically feasible, they made a business decision that both the time and money required to do the right thing were too much,” Guerinot said. “I guess they are developing the next level of the game: corporate Rock Hero.” The suit asks for unspecified actual and punitive damages, a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction against distribution of the game and for Activision to recall existing copies.

Damn … if the band’s allegations are to be believed it is pretty crappy that the company would just run wild with No Doubt’s likenesses like that. It’s one thing to have the band perform other songs but quite another to break up the band when they are very adamant about staying a single unit. I find it very hard to believe that Activision will be able to recall all the copies that have been sold thus far … my guess is that if they want this lawsuit to go away, they’re gonna hafta pay up. In the meantime, you might want to run out and buy Band Hero while you still can … depending on how this lawsuit turns out, the game might be in high demand … or may disappear altogether.

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Lil’ Wayne, who was arrested on charges of gun possession back in 2007 and was scheduled to go to on trail in January for said charges, has decided to plead guilty and forgo a lengthy trial. Because of his guilty plea, it is expected that Wayne (née Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.) will face a year in jail as punishment … which, it sounds like, is more tolerable than a multi-year jail sentence had he gone to trial and was found guilty by the court:

The Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne has pleaded guilty to attempted weapon possession, and expects to receive a one-year jail sentence. He previously had pleaded not guilty to illegal gun possession charges that carried at least 3 1/2 years in prison upon conviction. Police said a gun was found on his tour bus in Manhattan in 2007. The rapper, born Dwayne Carter, won last year’s best rap solo performance Grammy for “A Milli.” His albums include “Tha Carter,” “Tha Carter II” and “Tha Carter III.” His trial had been due to start Jan. 20.

I mean … when you’re guilty, you’re guilty … and you’ve got to be pretty guilty to voluntarily plead guilty and face jail time. I suppose on some level this will give Lil’ Wayne street cred and will give him license to rap about his time in jail so I guess that’s one positive thing to come from this mess. Perhaps Lil’ Wayne will do some growing up behind bars and will emerge as Big Wayne when he completes his sentence … who knows. What we do know is that Mr. Wayne will be going away for a while to pay his debt to society … I suppose it’s a good thing that he’s man enough to pay for his mistakes.

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LOL!!!! So, just when you may have thought you’ve heard the last of Carrie Prejean, the former beauty queen contestant who was stripped of her crown for her inability to fulfill the requirements necessary to reign as Miss California USA, we have a new story to bring her back onto our radar. As much as Prejean and all that she stands for kinda sickens me, this story is too funny NOT to share ;) It turns out that pageant officials who fronted the money for Prejean to get silicone breast implants for her to put on display in competition now want her to pay back that money since she broke her contract with them. If Prejean loses, she’ll have to pay back the money … or mebbe give back her plastic boobs?

Officials from the Miss California pageant are sending a message to Carrie Prejean — three can play that game! The production company that runs the pageant is filing a cross complaint against Prejean, demanding, among other things, that Carrie return the $5,200 the pageant fronted her for her breast augmentation. In other legal docs, Keith Lewis and crew are asking to strike a portion of Prejean’s lawsuit — the portion dealing with public disclosure of private facts. The new docs say, “the alleged ‘private facts’ consist of her breast augmentation (which ceased being private during the swimsuit competition of the nationally-televised Miss USA pageant, in which Ms. Prejean walked the stage in a bikini).” The cross complaint says, “Had [Carrie] heeded the guidance of the Gospel of John, who admonished only those who are without sin to cast stones in judgment, she might have avoided this legal battle …” As for the cross complaint, Lewis and the production company claim Prejean is a hypocrite, championing family values after posing for a variety of “semi-nude photos…[which] surfaced via TMZ.com.”

It turns out that all this suing back and forth between Prejean and pageant officials is really just a matter of very public back and forth feuding. I, too, find Prejean hypocritical and do believe that if she is going to break her contract with the pageant then she doesn’t deserve to get free fake boobs for doing so. Since being stripped of her Miss California USA crown, Prejean has made many new friends in the evangelical Christian movement … perhaps they can take up a collection to help her pay back the boob job money that she owes?

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Yesterday we learned that infamous world-traveling partygirl Lindsay Lohan was ordered to appear in court today so that the judge could get a status update on how well Lindsay is completing her probation. Lindsay managed to make it to court today but she showed up late, which didn’t sit too well with the judge. Altho Lindsay answered all questions politely, the judge felt that she needs another year of probation to keep her on the right track. Here are a few photos from Lindsay’s appearance in court just a couple of hours ago:

Lindsay Lohan is in hot water again. At a hearing in Beverly Hills Friday, a judge slapped an extra year on Lohan’s existing three-year probation sentence. Lohan, looking solemn and appearing gaunt, wore a white sportcoat, black pants and her hair in a bun as she walked into the courtroom holding her attorney’s hand for a progress review in her two DUI cases. Her attorney Shawn Chapman Holley explained to the judge that a miscommunication had occurred when Lohan failed to notify instructors of an alcohol education class she attends as part of her probation that she would be returning to the class after she left the country for work. Judge Revel sternly warned the actress, “I ordered you into court today because I wanted to speak to you directly. I don’t want to get any more notices again [that you might be in violation of probation], no warrants … where you’re thumbing your nose at the court.” Judge Revel ordered Lohan to get prior court approval the next time she leaves Los Angeles for work, and warned that any failure to comply with the terms of her probation could lead to jail time. But the judge also voiced a conciliatory tone when she told the troubled actress, “I’m rooting for you to successfully complete probation.” Lohan’s only words in court were “yes” when asked if she understood all the proceedings. A progress review hearing was set for Dec. 15. Lohan was sentenced to the probation term following her second DUI conviction in August 2007. Earlier this year, the court issued an arrest warrant for Lohan, also related to her class enrollment, but the matter was later determined to be a misunderstanding and was dismissed.

Now, I’m not sure that Lindsay will see this as a good thing but I deffo see it as a great thing. She’s managed to stay out of trouble since going on probation and that is very likely due to the fact that she doesn’t want to go back to jail. Forcing her to stay clean might be the only way to ensure that she stays clean. I, too, want to congratulate Lindsay’s successful completion of her sentence but I honestly believe she needs more work. She wasn’t lookin’ too hot in court today (florescent lighting is NOT her friend) … mebbe another year of forced good behavior is just what she needs to turn her life around.

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Lindsay Lohan, who has been spending some time shopping around NYC this week, has been ordered by the judge overseeing her drunk driving case from a couple of years ago to appear before the bench in open court tomorrow so that her progress in her ordered alcohol education program can be assessed. Here is a photo of Lindsay shopping at Dior in NYC this week … but will she deign to return to SoCal to make her court date tomorrow?

TMZ has learned the judge in Lindsay Lohan’s DUI case is so concerned about the famous defendant, she’s ordered her to appear personally tomorrow for her progress report. Sources tell TMZ the judge has received information from the people who run the alcohol education program that triggered concern. Typically in a misdemeanor case like this the defendant would not have to appear. Not so with Lindsay. We’ll be there tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Might someone have tipped off the judge of Lindsay’s partying ways? That’s what it sounds like … I guess we’ll have to wait and see if she will show up in court to answer the judge’s questions or not. My money says she will skip it/postpone her court appearance. What do y’all think?

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]