Hip Hop Artist Charged in Death of Hollywood Man

A Swedish Hip Hop artist was charged with murder Tuesday in the death of a Hollywood pianist who was killed during an alleged road rage incident last month, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced.

An amended complaint charging 34-year-old David Moses Jassy with one count of murder, along with an additional count of assault with a deadly weapon, was filed prior to the defendant’s scheduled arraignment today.

Jassy originally was charged on Nov. 25 with assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident. At the time the case was filed, an autopsy had not been performed on the victim, 55-year-old John Osnes. Prosecutors said at the time that the case remained under investigation.

The murder count alleged that Jassy personally used a “deadly and dangerous weapon, to wit, automobile,” to commit the crime. The additional assault charge also alleged an automobile was the deadly weapon.

Osnes was crossing a street in Hollywood around 1 a.m. on Nov. 23 when a rented vehicle driven by Jassy moved into the crosswalk. Authorities said Osnes, a pedestrian rights advocate, struck Jassy’s car on the hood. Jassy, police said, got out and punched the victim in the face. When Osnes bent down to retrieve his glasses, police said, the defendant kicked him in the head and drove away.

Several witnesses, including an off-duty Anaheim police officer, tried to stop Jassy from driving away, authorities said. The police officer took the license number of the vehicle, which was traced to Jassy. The defendant was arrested several hours later.

He remains in custody on $1 million bail. He faces a possible life-with-parole prison term.

Man Shot Dead at Hollywood Scientology Building

A man who reportedly was wielding a pair of Samurai swords was shot dead today on the grounds of a Scientology building in Hollywood.

According to authorities, the unidentified man came towards three guards at approximately noon in the parking lot of the Scientology Celebrity Centre, when one of the guards shot him. Detectives were questioning the guard to see what the swordsman's motive might have been and determine whether the shooting was justified.

The Celebrity Centre includes a seven-story Norman-revival landmark that towers over the Hollywood freeway and at one time was a residential hotel for movie stars.

Hollywood Fire Hits Clothing Store

An early morning fire in Hollywood hit a two-story clothing store on North Cahuenga Blvd.

According to officials, the fire started shortly after midnight on the second floor of an Alife clothing store at 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd. The fire was put out in just under an hour.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and there was no word on damages.

Politics Flare Up at Emmy's; No Surprise Here

We may not have degrees from Harvard or been community organizers, but we are always amazed that the Hollywood elite (better known as the liberal lefties) are just so out of touch with most of the country.

And we also find it funny that these super rich stars don't mind the fact that if elected, Barack Obama will soak it to them when it comes to taxes. We guess they just don't mind paying more than their fair share of taxes, huh.

At Sunday night's yawnfest that was the Emmy Awards, which by the way tanked in the ratings, the Hollywood crowd took numerous shots at John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Shortly into the broadcast, co-host Howie Mandel fired the first moron remark, comparing a mostly failed comic routine involving him and his fellow reality show co-hosts to being on "Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere."

Laura Linney (won best lead actress in HBO's "John Adams"), who we frankly had not heard of before, then defended community organizers, saying her experience in working on the miniseries made her "so grateful and thankful for the community organizers that helped found our country."

Backstage, Linney noted, "Our founding fathers were community organizers," she said in the media tent. "I just feel it's been disparaged a bit. I don't feel anyone should be disrespected, no matter what party they're in. No matter who they are." Hmmm... wonder how Linney feels about mothers with five kids being in the political spotlight and being told by some that they need to choose between their careers and their families? We don't remember Linney addressing that issue.

Finally, there was the ever present Tina Fey, who got roars (and rightfully so) for her impersonation of Palin the other weekend on Saturday Night Live.

"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5," said Fey, who won Emmys in comedy for her acting and writing. "So, if anyone can help me be done playing this lady, that would be good for me."

Even Stephen Colbert got into the hot air show with comments backstage. Questioned which actor he would cast as Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Colbert said, "[Don] Rickles, obviously, would be good. And maybe me for Sarah Palin, because I also have absolutely no business being vice president."

Well, Stephen, sounds sort of like you being cast for Barack Obama, because you also have absolutely no business being president.

Hollywood Heights Hotel Debuts

Interstate Hotels & Resorts, a leading hotel real estate investor and the nation’s largest independent operator of full- and select-service hotels, introduced the latest concept in hospitality, Hollywood Heights Hotel earlier this month at 2005 N Highland Avenue.

The property, formerly Holiday Inn Hollywood-Walk of Fame has been reimaged to reflect the growing need for a more sophisticated mid-range hotel offering at the gateway to Hollywood. The new property will appeal to the independent traveler who seeks out interesting alternatives to branded hotels but refuses to compromise on quality.

“Hollywood is an iconic destination famous for being famous,” says Robert Cioffi, Hollywood Heights Hotel’s newly appointed general manager. “With one of the best addresses in the world, we want to make sure our guests enjoy their stay by offering them contemporary comfort and quality at an affordable price.”

Each of the property’s 160 guestrooms has been reappointed and now boasts 32-inch LCD HDTVs, Internet Access and luxurious bed linens. The guest bathrooms have also been upgraded and now provide Face brand bath amenities. A new restaurant and bar menu offers top-quality comfort food with a twist and inventive drinks preceding the new concepts planned for these spaces, which will debut this fall. The hotel will continue to be a popular venue for small meetings offering executive meeting space and packages. The renovated outdoor pool area, Hillside, will remain a hidden treasure accessible exclusively to hotel guests and an ideal venue for outdoor events.

Located steps from Hollywood Boulevard, minutes from exciting attractions like Universal Studios Hollywood and just miles from major airports, Hollywood Heights Hotel is the place for escape whatever the reason to visit the City of Angels.

For more information about Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit the company's Web site: www.ihrco.com.

Editor's note: If you have a business that just opened or did a remodel in California, send the press release to: eastcoastdt@aol.com.

Hollywood Celebs Need to Tell It Like It Is

Do you think there will come a day when Hollywood celebrities just tell us the truth? We didn't think so.

The Hollywood crowd goes out of its way to shield itself from the public, except of course, when it will do them some good.

Whether it is the hush-hush of having a baby, noting a disease or who you are currently dating, Hollywood celebs go out of their way to keep it private for the most part. Now everyone is entitled to their privacy of course, but we generally support these stars through thick and thin.

A report out today says actor Paul Newman, 83, is doing just fine after previous communications said he was battling lung cancer. Okay, either Newman is fighting lung cancer or he is doing just fine for a man his age, which is it? If he is battling lung cancer but is in relatively good condition, then just tell us that. Maybe he could help other lung cancer patients by coming out and addressing the disease.

Are celebs afraid that if word gets out they are seriously ill, etc. that they will never work again?

Another example are Hollywood celebs having babies and keeping it more of a secret than the secret code at Fort Knox. While we don't need to know every single detail, telling us (the public who supports your movies and tv shows) a few nuggets is not the end of the world.

On a brighter but sad note, we congratulate Ed McMahon for going public on his foreclosure difficulties. McMahon and his wife are reportedly some $640,000 behind on house payments and could lose their home. Maybe McMahon did it to gain some attention for his personal cause, but it is something most folks would not want to brag about. We applaud McMahon for being up front about it.

Maybe some other celebs will take a cue from Johnny's right hand man and just tell it like it is.