Roman Polanski's House Arrest Includes Helpful Party-Throwing Clause

It looks like Roman Polanski was finally able to cobble together that $4.5 million bail, as Swiss authorities announced today that he will be released on Friday, to be put under house arrest at his Alpine chalet. (Whether or not he will eventually extradited to Los Angeles to face sentencing is yet to be determined.) So, how bad will confined life at the chalet get? Let the LAT fill you in:

Swiss justice officials were quoted by AFP and Swiss news media as saying Polanski would be allowed to make unlimited phone calls and have full access to the Internet. Although he cannot leave his home, he can invite friends over and throw parties at the tony chalet in the ski resort of Gstaad.

"He will have no prison regime," Justice Ministry spokesman Falco Galli told AFP. "He is completely free to determine his daily schedule. It's also up to him to get in food and other supplies."

Under the terms of the bail, Polanski, 76, will have his phone calls monitored as well. Gstaad, a village of 2,500 with mountain views, has long been known as a celebrity hangout, having been home to Elizabeth Taylor, Roger Moore and David Niven, among others.

So basically, Polanski will live the life of a shut-in blogger, only he'll have a fireplace, beautiful Alpine views, and dinner parties with Carla Bruni, Ewan McGregor, and Wes Anderson. Who knew the Swiss could be so pernicious?

Polanski to be released on bail Friday for return to his Alpine chalet, Swiss officials say [LAT]