Cole Ford

A Las Vegas criminal court judge has set a competency hearing for Cole Ford charged with shooting a shotgun at the home of Siegfried & Roy.  The former NFL place kicker could face up to 27 years in prison if he is convicted of all charges.

Judge James Bixler previously assigned a public defender to represent Mr. Cole in the upcoming criminal trial.  Judge Bixler urged Mr. Cole to cooperate fully with a psychological evaluation and then bound the case over for a December 28^th competency hearing.

Mr. Ford?s attorney said he will likely present an insanity defense.

Mr. Ford told the court he would like to get the case resolved and waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the probable cause giving rise to his arrest and criminal charges. 

Judge Bixler advised Mr. Ford, “If you want to get your case resolved, talk to the doctor.”

Mr. Ford played for the Oakland Raiders after being drafted from USC in 1995 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

You can read the full story by clicking here.

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Richard De Vere in Mystique

Supporters of presidential candidate John Kerry know Richard De Vere as the magician who helped the Democrat win the New Hampshire primary.  Mr. De Vere served as the candidate’s warm-up act for about ten days leading up to the vote in New Hampshire.  He worked television and live rallies to get out the vote for his client before returning to Blackpool and his very successful show.

Mr. Kerry, did not have as great a run as Mr. De Vere.

The Liverpool Internet News has a well-written feature about Mr. De Vere and his rise from interested child to icon in the resort town of Blackpool, England. 

He decided against a career in the family business ? thermal underwear ? after seeing shows in Blackpool, Liverpool or Manchester.  He also found his magic talents helped his popularity in school, “It turned me from the most unpopular boy in the class into someone mildly interesting.”

Mr. De Vere was originally booked for 22 weeks in Blackpool.  He went from the limited engagement to a long-run and new shows.  In fact, Mr. De Vere and his dog Schnorbitz, were cast in bronze and displayed at the Pleasure Beach. 

Mr. De Vere recalled for the newspaper how he tried to show off the bronze statute to his grandmother: “As we neared the statue I had to tell the cab driver to keep going, past the statue. I had seen that there were cigarette ends sticking out of every orifice and a traffic cone on my head. My granny has still never seen it.”

Mr. De Vere will appear in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Royal Court in Liverpool on December 22^nd through January 16^th. 

You can read the full article here.

You can also see a Quick Time promotional video of Mr. De Vere’s show, Mystique, by clicking here.

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