Amy Winehouse was “scared” as she was asked to pose for a photograph backstage at a charity event last September, she told a court in her assault trial Thursday.

The singer – who asked to be addressed by her married name Amy Civil – was happy to pose with dancer Sherene Flash, but said that when she asked for a minute to see a friend off, Flash refused. “She lent down all over me. She had her face down by me,” Winehouse told City of Westminster magistrate’s court, London.

Describing herself as an undemanding, low-maintenance celebrity, Winehouse said on the stand, “I’m not a Jennifer Lopez, paint the room white before I get there, and I want five bunches of lilies.”

By the same measure, said Winehouse, Flash “was pretty much leaning on me. She’s a big girl. She was being overly presumptuous. I’m not Mickey Mouse. I’m a human being.”

Dressed in a somber gray suit, trademark black eye make-up and a demure string of pearls, Winehouse, who in March pleaded not guilty to the assault charge, further described the scene of the alleged skirmish.

‘People Are Rude’
In the dressing room area backstage, the singer, 25, said that as she moved her left hand across her face, she pushed her right hand upwards, towards Flash. “She’s there, she’s tall. I wanted her away from me,” she told the court. “I thought: ‘Do I get a choice in this? Hello?’ People are mad, people are rude.”

As if to emphasize the height differences, the 5′, 2½” Winehouse moved away from the evidence box and showed chief Magistrate Timothy Workman her flat pink ballet pumps. “And my hair does make a difference,” the often-beehived singer added.

Winehouse had been at the event – the Berkeley Square summer ball – to support and sing backing vocals for her goddaughter Dionne Bloomfield. It was her goddaughter’s first gig, Winehouse told the court, smiling.

Alleged Direct Blow
Earlier, prosecuting lawyer Lyall Thompson told the court that there was “nothing accidental about Miss Winehouse’s actions. It may be that well-known figures find such requests tiresome, but they need to develop strategies” to deal with them. “She acted with deliberate and unjustifiable violence,” he said of Winehouse allegedly landing a “direct blow” to Flash’s face with her right hand.

Flash called the cops and later saw a doctor. She said she was left with a “slightly swollen” right eye after the incident. Flash told the court that she had been dancing at the event and then, later, went backstage with a friend to see if they could meet the Grammy-winner.

She said that she had not touched Winehouse. Asked by Winehouse’s lawyer Patrick Gibbs if she had “misread” the situation, Flash answered, “Even if I did, it doesn’t give someone the right to punch me in the face.”

Flash, who admitted she was “tipsy,” described Winehouse as seeming “drunk.” Other witnesses concurred, with Jack Jefferson saying of her performance earlier: “Her speech was slurred and she didn’t appear to be in control of her physical actions.”

Dealing with Fame
When prosecutor Thompson asked Winehouse how she dealt with fame, she said that the positives included: “Getting to meet nice people and help people.” And the drawbacks? “I just deal with it. It’s life.”

Yet she was quick to add, “It’s not necessarily unwanted. It’s nice to meet nice people. It’s not a demand on my time.” And if it gets too irksome, “I just say. ‘I’m sorry, I have got to go and see my dad.’ ”

Source, Bauer-Griffin

Jude Law smacks a pap? – DListed

Angelina Jolie stops off in Baghdad – Pop Sugar

Solange Knowles shaves her head? – Pop Eater

Ashlee Simpson is a huge star – IDLYITW

Tim McGraw & Faith Hill have great pants – Lainey Gossip

LeBron James’ forbidden dunk video – Hollywire

Erin Andrews video outed by ESPN – The Superficial

M.I.A.’s son steals her style! – Celebrity Baby Scoop

Taylor Lautner is in need of a little adjustment – ASL

The Dr. Conrad Murray raid – Pop Squire

Who rocked it? Rosario Dawson vs. Jennifer Lopez – Allie Is Wired

Jon Stewart is America’s most trusted newsman – Celebitchy

T.R. Knight talks about Grey’s Anatomy – I’m Not Obsessed

Guess who forgot to button up! – Popbytes

Lauren Conrad: Over The Hills – Make Her Up

The Inglourious Basterds trailer gets the Lego treatment – SOW

EW – who would want to smell like her!?

Answer here!

Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart shoot scenes for “The Runaways” in The San Fernando Valley Area of Los Angeles, California on July 22, 2009.

Fame, PCN

Bauer Griffin

Fame

Rupert Everett says he wasn’t surprised Michael Jackson died at the young age of 50.

He adds that the King of Pop is probably better off dead.

“He was a freak,” Everett, 50, tells U.K.’s The Mirror. “He looked like a character from Shrek. He was a black to white minstrel. He was crucified by that court case when he was accused of child molestation – that killed him.”

Jackson “personified the pain and anxiety of a black man in a slave country,” Everett continues. “We all watched as he changed from black to white. He was living performance art. I think it was fortuitous that he died.”

Of Jackson’s 50 London comeback performances, Everett says, “It wouldn’t have mattered how good or bad he was. He wouldn’t have managed to do all of them and the press would have destroyed him.”

In light of Jackson’s death, Everett says, “We’re living in very strange times.

“We have Michael Jackson, a black man who has gone white, and we have President Barack Obama, who is a half-white man gone black,” he explains. “It’s absolutely fascinating to watch.”

Everett’s shocking remarks don’t end there.

He says he “fell out of love with America after 9/11.”

“Straight afterwards, this cruel and nasty city was hit with a sudden wave of compassion,” he explains. “Everyone looked out for everyone. I thought that could be the beginning of something amazing.”

“It felt like it was a new beginning but then the rain started and President Bush came in and began the war,” he continues. “The whole country just changed and became completely alien to me. We came to America as kids because England was stuffy and constipated. The U.S. used to be a breath of fresh air but Bush changed all that.”

America “is a weird place now,” Everett says, adding that “cartoons are more realistic than real-life. Family Guy, The Simpsons and Shrek are much more believable than action films. People react to cartoons rather than life. That is a tragedy.”

Everett, a one-time pal of Madonna, also pulls out the cat claws on Gwyneth Paltrow.

“If I had the choice of being on a desert island with [cheesy British reality star] Jordan or Gwyneth Paltrow, I would choose Jordan,” he says.

“With Jordan you get the truth. She’s treated like a quasi-hooker, whereas Gwyneth is seen as the patron saint of good living,” he adds. “Which one has more integrity? I would much rather have Jordan any day.”

Source