andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

After a rocky relationship complete with arrests, accusations of drug abuse and public disputes, singer Amy Winehouse has officially split from Blake Fielder-Civil.

According to The Associated Press, neither Winehouse nor Fielder-Civil were present at the family Court hearing where a judge granted the divorce petition. After six weeks and a day the divorce of Winehouse, 25, and Fielder-Civil, 27, becomes final.

The British couple met at a bar in London, England, back in 2005. They wed at a simple ceremony in Miami in 2007, but spent most of their seemingly-troubled married life apart after Fielder-Civil was arrested on an assault charge that sent him to jail.

The Singer’s father, Mitch Winehouse, has constantly accused Fielder-Civil — a music video production assistant — of introducing his daughter to heavy drugs.

The couple’s troubled relationship spawned numerous tabloid headlines around the world.

Amy Winehouse appeared at a London court Tuesday to plead not guilty to assaulting a fan at a party last fall.

The 25-year-old soul singer was accompanied by her dad Mitch as she arrived at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court for a brief hearing.

She was charged with common assault in early March over allegations she attacked a fan who tried to take her picture at a charity ball in London on Sept. 26.

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Lily Allen has won a major victory in her ongoing battle against the paparazzi.

Following an incident Thursday in which she was allegedly rear-ended by a photog in London, the British pop singer secured a court injunction banning further harassment from paparazzi photographers.

“My client has faced constant harassment over the last few months from the paparazzi,” Allen’s lawyer Mark Thomson said in a statement released on Friday. “As a result of this and various incidents of harassment that took place yesterday my client has now been forced to take legal action.

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Dane Cook has been evicted from his apartment for not cleaning up after his dog.

The comedian is fighting the eviction in court, stating that he must stay in the apartment because his heroes, Steve Martin and John Belushi, once lived in the same building.

Cook claims that if he is forced to leave, he would lose his comedic inspiration and his career would be ruined.

As a peace offering, he has also offered the owner of the building $40,000 for the inconvenience his dog has caused.

The Hulk has won another battle against his opponent. Except this time, the pro wrestler’s victory took place in court against his estranged wife Linda Bollea.

According to E! News, a Florida judge has ruled that Hulk Hogan does not have to go through with the purchase of a $4.2 million Las Vegas condo, a property he agreed to buy with Bollea back in 2005.

“We are thrilled that the judge did not require us to continue to engage in the folly of purchasing a $4.2 million condo at a time when we should be considering other matters,” Hogan’s attorney, David Houston, told E! News.

“We believe the court injected a dose of reality into a contested litigation and feel that we have started down the road to resolution.”

Bollea’s attorneys have yet to comment on the ruling.

The Los Angeles court commissioner overseeing Britney Spears’ conservatorship case said the star’s condition is “too tenuous” and believes it’s still too early to allow the pop star to take care of her own business.

After a 90 minute meeting with the lawyers in commissioner’s Reva Goetz’s chambers, Goetz said, “It’s my understanding that her condition is somewhat tenuous. Her medical condition remains the same.”

Spears’ court-appointed probate attorney, Samuel Ingham, agreed. “It could be harmful to her to participate,” he said.

Both Britney and her father Jaime did not attend the hearing.

Goetz is expected to make a final decision about the future of Spears’ conservatorship at the end of July.

Elton John is in the news again, but not for the reason you think

John received 100,000 pounds in libel damages from a British newspaper which said he acted like a “tinpot dictator” when he ordered guests at a charity function not to approach him.

“The articles falsely alleged that Sir Elton had issued a bizarre and absurd edict to guests … ordering them not to approach him … thereby acting like old-fashioned royalty or some tinpot dictator and exhibiting self-important, arrogant and rude behavior bordering on paranoia,” Nigel Tait, John’s attorney, said in court.

John donated the funds to the Elton John AIDS foundation. It was the second time this year the singer has won a libel suit against a British newspaper.

Michael Jackson was denied an appeal request to forbid ex-wife Debbie Rowe parental rights regarding the two children she had with Jackson, E! Online reports.

The original appeal case, held in February, agreed with Rowe that she had motherly rights over Prince, 9, and Paris, 7.

Jackson’s next step if he wishes to appeal this court decision would be the U.S. Supreme Court, but many do not think he will pursue that option.

“I would find it inconceivable that Mr. Jackson would seek an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on that issue,” Eric M. George, Rowe’s attorney, said.

Jackson’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.

Victoria Principal of “Dallas” fame has filed for divorce from her husband of 21 years, E! Online reports.

According to filed court papers, Principal is citing irreconcilable differences from her husband, Harry A. Glassman.

“We have no further comment at this time, other than what is in the court file,” Principal’s publicist, Alan Nierob, told People magazine.

The papers were filed in Los Angeles District Court on Tuesday of this week, but Principal has cited the date of separation as March 25.

It is unclear if the divorce is due to the domestic violence issues that the couple has in 2003, when Glassman was arrested for the crime, but the charges were later dropped.

The couple has no children.

A US Supreme Court has ruled file sharing networks are liable for copyright infringement performed by those using their services.

Monday’s court decision in the MGM vs. Grokster case states file sharing software encourages users to illegally distribute copyrighted material on the internet.

“We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties,” said Justice David Souter.

As a result, services such as Grokster and Limewire can be sued for copyright infringement.

In earlier cases, programs such as Grokster were compared to VCRs, something that provides a medium of exchange.

The entertainment industry sees this announcement as a major win in its fight against illegal music and movie downloaders.

However, the ruling comes as a blow to groups who support peer-to-peer file sharing.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Parliament is working on its own law to address digital copyright issues – Bill C-60. If passed, the law calls for users, not service providers, to be liable for copyright infringement.

Look for more news on Bill C-60 after the Parliament’s summer recess in the fall.