Diana Ross Blows Off Court

Last week Ross’ legal team filed a "notice of appearance" with the court in which Ross pleaded innocent to three drinking and driving charges. Ross and her legal team need not appear in the Arizona courthouse until a hearing on January 31.

While in Tucson visiting a spa, Ross was pulled over in the late night hours of December 30 after police spotted her driving erratically through the city streets. When pulled over at 1 a.m. Ross declared she was on her way to the local Blockbuster. Police were not convinced and subjected the singer-actress to a battery of field sobriety tests, which she failed. Apparently, Ross could not count to 30, could not recite her ABC’s, did not remember the date, fell flat on her face when asked to balance on one leg and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 percent, more than double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Ross was ticketed for three misdemeanors; driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol content over 0.08 percent; and extreme DUI for having a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.15 percent. Also, officers at the scene videotaped the entire thing. Ross’ lawyers are battling to keep the tape out of the press’s grubby little hands. For now, a judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the police department. Give it a few weeks and maybe the tape will get lost and end up splattered all over the news. No comment from Ross’ camp, but this has become an embarrassing time in the singer’s life. In May, she checked into Promises, a Malibu-based drug and alcohol center for "undisclosed personal issues." Maybe a trip back to Promises might do her some good after this latest incident.