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Brown's Got a Brand New Visa
It looks like James Brown will be movin' and groovin' in the land of Middle Earth.
New Zealand, the place better known these days as the travel destination of choice for fans of Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, has granted James Brown a special visa to play there despite its policy barring convicted felons from entering the country.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the 70-year-old Sex Machine's past criminal record and legal woes--including a charge of criminal domestic violence in January for allegedly shoving his wife in a dispute--would normally have prohibited him from being allowed in.
But lucky for him, the government's Associate Immigration Minister Damien O'Connor felt good enough about Brown's situation to okay a special event work visa so he can get up and do his thing in a one-time only gig in Auckland on Wednesday night.
A spokesperson for O'Connor said such exceptions are not unusual, just so long as the convicted criminals aren't superbad and present no problems.
(Of course, it helps if you're the Godfather of Soul too.)
"In deciding to approve a special visa for Mr. Brown, the minister felt that the benefits of allowing Mr. Brown to visit New Zealand outweighed any conflicting concerns associated with his visit," Immigration Service spokesman Brett Solvander told the Herald.
A rep for the music legend was unavailable to comment on the visa. Brown will bring the funk to New Zealand after performing in Australia.
Following that jaunt, the entertainer will high-tail it back to the United States where he's due in a Georgia court to face trial in the domestic violence case against his 33-year-old estranged missus, Tomi Rae Brown.
Last month, Brown filed papers seeking an annulment from Rae, accusing her of still being legally hitched to another man. That was six months after the singer took out a bizarre ad in the Hollywood trade, Daily Variety, announcing their split next to a photo of the couple with Disney's famed cartoon character, Goofy.
Brown, who was honored last year by the Kennedy Center for such hits as "Sex Machine (Get On Up), "Night Train," "I Feel Good" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," has a laundry list of criminal convictions dating back to the '80s.
Last May, officials in South Carolina pardoned Mr. Hot Pants for a lengthy rap sheet, including numerous drug and weapon offenses, a highly-publicized car chase, and a 1988 conviction on drug and assault charges that saw him do two and a half years in prison, half of which was in a work release program.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was also sentenced to 90 days in a drug rehab facility in 1998 to kick a painkiller habit he acquired after dinging his back doing one of his trademark splits.
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