The Times has a delightful story in this morning's paper on the ruses various celebrities use to evade reporters outside the main criminal courthouse in Manhattan. Actor Rip Torn, for example, once led paparazzi through a park and past a gaggle of chanting construction workers before jumping into the cab of an occupied 18-wheeler, jumping out again, and rolling underneath the truck. Kirk Jones snuck in a side entrance while his driver successfully impersonated the rapper to photographers, sultry actress Uma Thurman enlisted the help of court officers and producer Sean Combs has a mini secret-service brigade. But the most fascinating courthouse celebrity by far is criminally insane singer Courtney Love, who sashays in and out of the building as though surrounded by adoring fans:

Courtney Love used the sidewalk like a red carpet, chatting and joking with reporters...

Sometimes celebrities do what they do best: bask in the attention. Ms. Love latched onto her lawyer, Scott B. Tulman, as they left the courthouse and gushed as if they were an item:

"Isn't he handsome? Isn't he beautiful?" Ms. Love then suggested she was pregnant with Mr. Tulman's child.

"Are you out of your mind?" Mr. Tulman recalled telling her. "What are you doing?"

Another day outside the courthouse she finished off a partially smoked cigarette that she bummed from a passer-by.

"It's like having a wild kid," Mr. Tulman said. "After a while, you just shake your head."

PR consultant Eric Dezenhall told the Times Love's antics are fine, since "anything that extends the half-life of her career is probably a net positive." Uh, sure. Maybe even get charged with more crimes like disorderly conduct and so forth and get spotted outside the glamorous criminal courthouse even more often, maybe!

[Times]