Entertainer Quickie: John Galliano found guilty of racism, Reese Witherspoon hit by a car, Neil Diamond engaged

Designer John Galliano found guilty in anti-semitism case

A Paris court found ex-Christian Dior designer John Galliano guilty of racism on Thursday after he was accused of making anti-Semitic insults at a bar in Paris last March.

The court showed leniency, giving the 50-year-old designer only a suspended fine of $8,400, which he won’t have to pay but will remain on his record.  The court found him guilty of “public insults based on origin, religious afiliation, race or ethnicity,” a crime that can mean up to six months in prison and up to $32,175 in fines.  Presiding Judge Anne-Marie Sauteraud claimed that the court’s clemency was in part due to the fact that the designer had apologized to the court and the plaintiffs.

The British designer, known for his often anticipated over-the-top and theatrical runway collections, lost his job earlier this year when a video of a visibly drunk Galliano slurring “I love Hitler” went viral.  He had been designing for Dior for 14 years.

Reese Witherspoon struck by car while jogging

Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon suffered minor injuries after she was struck by a car while jogging in a Santa Monica residential neighborhood Wednesday morning.

The driver of the car, an 84-year-old woman who had been traveling about 20 mph, was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

“The driver seemed to have not seen her because of a large tree at the intersection,” a witness told US Weekly, adding, “it could have been much more serious.”

Witherspoon, 35, was immediately taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment.  She was not seriously injured and was resting comfortably at her Brentwood-area home by the afternoon, her rep said in a statement.

The actress received the Generation Award earlier this year at the MTV Movie Awards.

Neil Diamond announces engagement via Twitter

The 70-year-old singer and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee announced his engagement to girlfriend and manager Katie McNeil on his Twitter page yesterday.  He wrote:

“Good news coming from sunny LA / and you’re the first I want to tell / Katie and I just got engaged / and I hope you wish us well.”

He attached a picture of his new fiance, adding: “I’d like you to meet Katie.  I’m lovestruck.  I took this photo in London last month. Neil.”

This will be Diamond’s third marriage.  He was previously married to Jayne Posner, with whom he has two daughters, and Marcia Murphey, with whom he has two sons.

Images by maiabee, MingleMediaTVNetwork, and whiper via Flickr.