People in the News for March 20, 1998

Friday, March 20, 1998 | 10:29 a.m.

T.G.I. Dropped Charges Day! It's a champagne-cork-popping Friday on the celebrity police blotter, at least for Anna Nicole Smith and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Neither will have to face the consequences of their boorish behavior, and if that's not worth a mug of Dom Perignon, what is? Smith, the bosomy Playboy model and willing bride of wealthy, about-to-die old guys, won't be charged for an alleged February assault on a Beverly Hills Hotel employee. The district attorney cites a lack of evidence. This being California, however, she will have to meet with the victim April 2 to work out their differences. Once again, justice is swerved. Meanwhile, by completing anger-management counseling and paying a small fine, Jabbar has dodged battery charges for allegedly roughing up some guy during a heated mini-mall parking-lot dispute last April. Now he can await further "Airplane" sequels without distraction. The charges were dropped over the objections of the L.A. district attorney's office: "Essentially, you're buying your way out of a violent crime." Ah, if only it was that easy. All of Robert Downey Jr.'s money, charm and A-list hair did him no good Thursday: A judge tacked three days onto his drug-charges sentence to make up for the days he got out of jail to pursue movie work. He was to be released March 29. Hang on, baby, your T.G.I. Wednesday is coming.

Miscellany

When the hair on the back of your hands starts to stand up and you feel the rumble of the engine turning over, you know you're in the presence of an item on Leonardo DiCaprio. The latest buzz in our microcoverage of the dreamy hunk is that, despite rumors to the contrary, he won't attend the Academy Awards Monday night. Is it a bit of adolescent pique because his role wasn't among the 14 aspects of "Titanic" deemed worthy of Oscar nominations? Of course not; it's because he's a heck of a guy! He cares about the more fortunate! Says his spokeswoman, "He doesn't want to take away from everybody else from the movie who is nominated." Rarely do you see such selflessness in the face of tragedy. Now can we get back to Drew Barrymore?

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets