Names and faces

Singer Chris Brown’s trial on an assault charge in Washington, which had been set for Monday, has been postponed until Wednesday. A judge delayed it while attorneys work out issues over testimony from Brown’s bodyguard, who was convicted of assault in a separate trial. Both Brown and bodyguard Christopher Hollosy were arrested in October after a man accused them of punching him outside a Washington hotel. Hollosy told police that he punched the man after he tried to get on Brown’s tour bus. But the man says Brown and later Hollosy punched him after he tried to get in a photo Brown was taking with two women. Judge Patricia Wynn set Hollosy’s sentencing for June 25. Brown’s attorneys now want Hollosy to testify at the singer’s trial. Hollosy would be expected to say that he, not Brown, punched 20-year old Parker Adams outside the W Hotel. But Hollosy’s lawyer Bernard Grimm told a judge he plans to appeal his client’s conviction. Unless prosecutors grant Hollosy immunity, testifying in Brown’s case could affect his appeal. Prosecutors haven’t said if they will grant Hollosy immunity, and waiting until his appeal is over could take a year, prosecutors have said previously.

Forty years of practice has made songwriting harder, not easier, for Tom Petty. “As life goes by, you get a little more carefree or distracted by other things and you have to really police yourself - I do - into sitting down and doing something that pleases me,” the 63-year old rocker said. “Plus, I’m trying to do things that I haven’t done before and not go over the same ground.” The writer behind such hits as “American Girl,” ”Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “I Need to Know” will accept the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ Founders Award on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Previous honorees include Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel. “It’s very nice to get an award for songwriting,” Petty said. “I’m duly impressed.” His process is much the same as it’s always been: Sit down with the guitar and see what comes. When inspiration strikes, “it’s a very real magic,” he said. Petty and his band just finished their latest album, Hypnotic Eye, set for release this summer.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 04/22/2014

Upcoming Events