Uma Thurman's alleged stalker describes crush as harmless

People

Twisted humor?

Uma Thurman's alleged stalker, Jackson William Leslie Jordan, who is being tried in New York Supreme Court on charges of stalking and aggravated harassment, testified Friday that his crush on the actress is harmless. On Thursday, Thurman told the court she was "completely freaked out" about a card Jordan once gave her with a drawing of an open grave and a man standing on the edge of a razor blade. "My hands should be on your body at all times," read the card. Jordan said Friday that the card had "an ironic, kind-of-twisted sense of humor." If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail.

Crime & punishment

Prison vocabulary lesson

He's known as Vinny Gorgeous, but convicted mob boss Vincent Basciano might want to trade up to Vinny Photogenic or Vinny Pulchritudinous. Some of his letters from a New York federal prison, which are being intercepted by authorities, are full of such words as "thespian," "flippant" and "sagacious," his lawyer said Thursday. A new form of gangland slang, or a coded message to fellow wise guys? No, attorney Ephraim Savitt said, just vocabulary Basciano wants the recipient — his 7-year-old son — to learn. "He wants the kid to go to college and be a success," Savitt said.

Worth a try

That's some check

Charles Ray Fuller must have been planning one big record company. The 21-year-old North Texas man was arrested last week for trying to cash a $360 billion check, saying he wanted to start a record business, authorities said. Tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious — perhaps the 10 zeros on a personal check tipped them off, according to investigators. Fuller, of suburban Crowley, was arrested on a forgery charge, police said. He was released after posting $3,750 bail. Fuller said his girlfriend's mother gave him the check to start a record business, but bank employees who contacted the account's owner said the woman told them she did not give him permission to take or cash the check, according to police.

Today in History

1933: Nellie T. Ross became the first female director of the U.S. Mint.

1945: During World War II, Allied forces captured Rangoon, Burma, now also known as Myanmar, from the Japanese.

1948: The Supreme Court, in Shelley v. Kraemer, ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks or members of other racial groups were legally unenforceable.

1948: Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to playwright Tennessee Williams for "A Streetcar Named Desire" and to novelist James Michener for "Tales of the South Pacific."

Today's Birthdays

Folk singer Pete Seeger, 89. Actress Ann B. Davis, 82. Singer Frankie Valli, 74. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel, 62. Actor Bobby Cannavale, 38. Actor Dule Hill, 33. Dancer Cheryl Burke ("Dancing With the Stars"), 24.

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