Lawyers for Wesley Snipes are asking a Florida judge to let the 45-year-old actor leave the country while they appeal his three federal tax convictions.

Snipes wants to work on two films, "Gallowwalker" and "Chasing the Dragon," in London and in Bangkok, Thailand, according to documents filed Wednesday in federal court.

The documents say post-production editing of "Gallowwalker" is set to begin July 14th, and filming of "Chasing the Dragon" will start in September.

Snipes was sentenced in April to three years in prison on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file his income tax returns.

The government alleged that Snipes, star of the "Blade" trilogy, "White Men Can't Jump," "Jungle Fever" and other films, hasn't filed a tax return since 1998.

Britney Spears and a parenting coach were questioned Tuesday by the court commissioner overseeing the singer's custody dispute, resulting in an unspecified change in visitation status. Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline appeared before Commissioner Scott Gordon, who took the one-hour proceeding behind closed doors.

Court spokesman Allan Parachini stressed afterward that the answers given by Spears and parenting coach Lisa Hacker were not considered testimony.

Spears' behavior was "very businesslike," Parachini said.

The 26-year-old pop princess, wearing a white short-sleeve top and capri pants with pockets down the sides, left court without comment. Federline, in a gray suit, also did not comment as he left.

Months of bizarre behavior by Spears culminated early this year with two hospitalizations. Federline was given full custody of their two little boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James, and Spears' visitation rights were suspended.

But Spears has appeared stable recently, and her visitation rights have been gradually restored. She remains under the conservatorship of her father, James Spears, and her estate is under the conservatorship of her father and an attorney.

A status conference in the custody case is set for July 15.

It will be a bit longer before the court begins to sort out Britney Spears' finances, but she may be getting a new zip code soon.

A Los Angeles court commissioner on Tuesday agreed to allow Spears' representatives to sell her home, the same paparazzi hotspot from which authorities have twice escorted the singer in protective custody.

The decision required a court's approval because the 26-year-old's finances and personal affairs remain under the control of her father.

James Spears became conservator of his daughter's affairs in February after several highly publicized mishaps. A trial about whether he will maintain that role was also delayed on Tuesday.

One of the main reasons: Britney Spears remains on vacation and won't be back in time to participate in crucial meetings about her finances and mental health. The pop star and her father weren't in court Tuesday.

The former attorney for Jose Canseco said Tuesday that he has sued the retired baseball star for not paying him. Attorney Robert Saunooke said the former slugger didn't pay him for five years of work.

He said Canseco owes him between $350,000 and $500,000 for representing him in civil and criminal matters, contract negotiations, plane trips and book deals. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel first reported the lawsuit.

Saunooke represented Canseco from 2003 until this past April. He filed the lawsuit in Broward County Circuit Court on May 30.

Canseco said he's confident that he will win any challenge if it goes to court. He said his former attorney is only one of many people who have attacked him since he began revealing his use of steroids — and alleging that of other players — in baseball several years ago.

Barry Bonds has arrived at the federal courthouse in San Francisco to face 15 felony charges that he lied to a federal grand jury about his performance-enhancing drug use.

Baseball's home run king pleaded not guilty to similar accusations in December, but a judge ordered prosecutors to rewrite the indictment. The new indictment includes no new allegations.

Bonds is expected to plead not guilty again Friday during his arraignment. He is then to appear at a conference where a trial date may be set.

Prosecutors say Bonds lied when he told a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in 2003 that he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.

Lindsay Lohan wants to make the bodyguard she says she never knew go away. The starlet's legal camp is looking to settle a lawsuit brought against her by David Kim, who claims Lohan owes him more than $55,000 for his time spent as part of her security detail, according to court documents filed by both parties.

Detailing all sorts of thankless little extras he says he provided while on the job, Kim sued Lohan and her Crossheart Productions on April 7 for fraud, breach of oral contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress and various California Labor Code violations.

Meanwhile, the Mean Girls star maintains she doesn't know Kim and, subsequently, never employed him, either.

But in his complaint, Kim says Crossheart hired him in October 2006 to protect Lohan for either $4,000 per week for 24/7 security or $2,800 for p.m. policing only. Aside from going unpaid for his services, he claims that, during the six months he worked for the actress, he incurred about $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for mileage, valet tips and other chauffeur-related expenses while ferrying Lohan between home and...wherever.

He also personally arranged for extra security and VIP tables at clubs and events to shield Lohan from the madding crowd and sustained $1,470 in damages that November when Lohan's driver rammed into his car while making an illegal right turn to avoid paparazzi.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ernest Hiroshige has given Lohan and Crossheart until June 30 to file a response to the suit, but her team seems eager to wipe this case from the docket as soon as possible.

The dueling parties are "presently continuing to exchange settlement proposals...to attempt to resolve [the case]," lawyers for both sides wrote in their latest court filing.

Ellen DeGeneres is putting the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage into action — she and Portia de Rossi plan to wed, DeGeneres announced during a taping of her talk show.

DeGeneres was taping the episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday, the day the state's high court struck down California laws against gay marriage, and it was to air Friday, a person close to the production said.

The person, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

Citing the court's ruling, DeGeneres said she and girlfriend de Rossi ("Ally McBeal," "Nip/Tuck") would be getting married.

De Rossi, 35, who was in the studio, and DeGeneres, 50, were applauded by audience members, the person close to the production said.

Calls and e-mails late Thursday to DeGeneres' publicist were not immediately returned.

The court ruling means same-sex couples could tie the knot in as little as a month. However, religious and social conservatives are seeking to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.