Winehouse gets visa too late to attend Grammys

London – Amy Winehouse’s work visa was approved after all, but the State Department’s change of heart Friday wasn’t in time for her to make the trip to Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

Instead, the rehabbing British singer will go ahead with the backup plan that was concocted while her visa was still in limbo: a live performance, via satellite, from a studio in London where she will also accept any awards that may come her way. Winehouse and her acclaimed “Back to Black” album are nominated for Grammys in six categories.

“Unfortunately, due to the logistics involved and timing complications, Amy will not be traveling to the U.S. to perform at the Grammys in person,” the Outside Organization said in a statement.

Winehouse’s original visa application was denied under U.S. immigration rules regarding the “use and abuse of narcotics,” a senior State Department official said Friday, on condition of anonymity because the U.S. Embassy in London’s application deliberations are confidential. As a British citizen, Winehouse would not normally need a visa to enter the United States – unless she wanted to work or perform.

Strike may end soon after today’s meetings

Los Angeles – The now 3-month-old Hollywood writers strike could enter its final chapter today when guild members gather in Los Angeles and New York to consider a proposed contract.

If writers respond favorably, the walkout that has devastated the entertainment industry could end as soon as Monday.

If members show strong support for the deal, the union could quickly lift its strike order, allowing dozens of TV shows to return to production and putting thousands of actors, crew members and others back to work.

An end to the strike might also salvage the Feb. 24 Academy Awards show, which is now facing a possible boycott by writers and sympathetic actors. The writers union has given a picket-free pass to Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, have not publicly commented on the proposed contract because of a joint media blackout.

Michael Eisner, a former Walt Disney Co. chief executive, told CNBC the proposed deal was good enough to end the strike.

“It’s impossible the writers will turn it down,” said Eisner, whose successor at Disney, Robert Iger, was among the studio chiefs who helped shape the proposal with leaders of the writers guild.

Spears’ father given power to fire manager

Los Angeles – A Superior Court commissioner gave Britney Spears’ father the power to fire the singer’s business manager, according to documents released Friday.

Commissioner Reva Goetz also ordered Howard Grossman to turn over “all documents, records and assets relating to Britney Spears” to James Spears, who is the court-appointed conservator of his daughter and her estate.

The order came the day after Goetz held an emergency closed-door hearing on a motion brought by the singer’s father and her attorney, Andrew Wallet, who is part of the conservatorship.

Spears’ parents said they feared their daughter’s life was at risk after she was released from a hospital psychiatric ward on Wednesday.

Spears’ affairs were placed under a temporary conservatorship after she was taken to UCLA Medical Center on Jan. 31 under heavy police escort. Conservatorship are granted for people deemed unable to care for themselves or their affairs.

The conservatorship lasts until Thursday.

Cornwell donates $1M for crime scene academy

New York – Patricia Cornwell is donating $1 million to a top criminal justice college for a new academy to teach CSI techniques.

The best-selling novelist said she’s taking action because she’s appalled by what she’s seen at crime scene investigations.

“I’ve seen cops walk through blood. I’ve seen them leave their own fingerprints on a window,” Cornwell said in an interview Friday. “I’ve seen bloody clothing put in a plastic bag, instead of a paper bag, so it decomposes.”

Her funding will help start the Crime Scene Academy at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, set to open this fall with training in DNA typing, fingerprint enhancement techniques, ballistics and forensic psychology.

The 51-year-old author has written more than a dozen books featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner. Her latest is “Book of the Dead.”

Praised for her meticulous research, Cornwell blames television and movies for misleading the public on how crimes are investigated.

“It’s like ‘Star Trek’ compared to the real Air Force,” she said.

Ex-Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss arrested

Pahrump, Nev. – Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss was arrested Thursday on charges of illegal possession of prescription drugs and driving under the influence, authorities said.

Fleiss was pulled over about 9:30 a.m. by sheriff’s deputies responding to a report of a possible drunken driver, the Nye County sheriff’s office said.

Fleiss, 42, and a passenger in the car, John Owen, were found to be under the influence of a controlled substance, the sheriff’s office said. Fleiss had prescription medication but could not produce a valid prescription, the sheriff’s office said.

Fleiss was arrested on four counts, including possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription and driving under the influence. Owen, 53, was arrested on charges of being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.

A call seeking comment to a cell phone believed to be Fleiss’ went unanswered Thursday, and there was no number for Owen listed in the Pahrump directory.

She posted bail of $1,376, while Owen posted bail of $1,264 and both were released.