• Video will vindicate Alec Baldwin after he was accused of slugging a man in the face over a parking space, the actor's lawyer said on Monday. Baldwin himself said nothing as he was arraigned on a misdemeanor attempted assault charge and a charge of harassment, a violation, in the latest of his several brushes with the law over the years. The Emmy winner has previously denied he punched anyone in the clash outside his Manhattan apartment building Nov. 2. Lawyer Alan Abramson echoed that denial Monday and added that "incontrovertible video evidence" proves it "beyond all doubt." "Mr. Baldwin did not commit any crime, and we are confident that once this matter is fully investigated, it will be resolved swiftly and appropriately in court," Abramson said. He didn't show the video and declined to give details about it. Prosecutors, meanwhile, said in court papers that the 60-year-old star told a police officer the other driver "stole my spot," used a vulgarity to describe him, and acknowledged: "I did push him." Baldwin didn't enter a plea. It's normal not to do so at this stage of a Manhattan misdemeanor case. He was released without bail and is due back in court Jan. 23. Baldwin, the star of former television sitcom 30 Rock and current host of Match Game, has portrayed Republican President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live and recently started a talk show on ABC.
• Talk show host Jerry Springer is getting a new TV role as Judge Jerry, where he'll hear testimony and render verdicts before a studio audience. Springer's new half-hour show is scheduled to debut in national syndication in fall 2019 and has already been sold to 75 percent of the U.S. via major station groups, according to the announcement made by NBCUniversal Television Distribution on Monday. The 74-year-old TV host is best known for The Jerry Springer Show, in which guests loudly, and at times violently, meted out their own brand of justice over 27 seasons. Before he became synonymous with chair-throwing and animal weddings courtesy of The Jerry Springer Show, Springer was a practicing lawyer for more than 15 years. The eventual TV host then served five terms on the Cincinnati City Council -- despite an incident involving paying for sexual services via check -- before being elected mayor. "For the first time in my life, I am going to be called honorable," said Springer in Monday's statement. "My career is coming full circle and I finally get to put my law degree to use after all these years."
A Section on 11/27/2018