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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2002
Blake denied bail for now
Actor Robert Blake, accused of murdering his wife, was denied bail Wednesday after pleading to the judge to release him, saying, "This is my right to fight for my life."
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash said he was not ruling out bail later but he wants to see the evidence at a preliminary hearing before he makes such a decision.
Blake's attorney, Harland Braun, was arguing when Blake asked if he could speak. "I'd like to be out and see Rosie (his daughter with Bonny Lee Bakley, whom is accused of killing) and the sunshine of the world. But this is my right to fight for my life . . . and I can't do it from that cement room with thousands of pages I can't read," he said.
Blake said he is so severely dyslexic that he would have to have legal documents read to him.
Prosecutors opposed bail. Braun hoped to have Blake released on $1-million bail.
The judge scheduled another hearing for May 21.
Blake, 68, was jailed without bail April 18 on charges of murder, solicitation of murder and conspiracy in the May 4, 2001, shooting of Bakley, 44.
Early Show host Bryant Gumbel will do his final show May 17, Newsday reported. A CBS News spokeswoman said Wednesday the network could neither confirm or deny the date. However, Newsday said, Early Show stand-in Tom Bergeron will host the show the week of May 20, and Gumbel's contract ends this month. . . . NBC declined to comment on a TV Guide story reporting that Today co-anchor Matt Lauer signed a new three-year contract worth an estimated $24-million in December. . . . PBS has ordered nine more episodes of its new Hispanic drama, American Family. HBO has renewed Six Feet Under. Fox is bringing back Boston Public. . . . CBS confirmed that the next edition of Survivor will be shot in Thailand.
Riding the wave of Spider-Man excitement, the comic book industry is trying to reinvigorate its relationship with readers who haven't picked up a comic book in years. Saturday, the day after Spider-Man hits the theaters, comic book shops throughout the Suncoast and the nation will give out free comic books.
"Comics are cool, so there's no reason why you can't come in and try it and see what you're missing," said Eddie Riordan, who manages the Wonder Water comic store in Palm Harbor. "It may have been a while since you've read as comic, but now you can come back."
For more information, check www.freecomicbookday.com.
Pax affiliate WXPX-Ch. 66 has dropped the newscast it airs at 10 p.m., a broadcast developed by NBC powerhouse WFLA-Ch. 8.
Officials at West Palm Beach-based Pax said the newscast was an experiment in developing a concept that could be exported to their 65 other stations. They decided they wouldn't use such a program elsewhere.
"A 10 p.m. newscast was really playing havoc with our fall lineup," said Douglas Barker, Pax senior vice president of affiliate relations, noting the network likely will feature a two-hour program at 8 p.m. weekdays, which would made a live 10 p.m. newscast difficult.
Instead, WXPX will "repurpose" WFLA's 11 p.m. news, reairing the weekday newscasts at 11:30.
WFLA news director Forrest Carr said the station would try to find new roles for those who worked on the WXPX newscast, including anchor Nerissa Prest.
-- Eric Deggans, wire, staff reports