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Better safe than sorry!
Thankfully, the crazies " target="_blank">who triggered an assassination investigation did not pose a 'true threat' to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
A U.S. Attorney named Troy Eid describes the men as "meth heads" who weren't capable of such an attack.
We think they def have a "meth head" look to them!
The idiots HAVE been charged with drug and weapons offenses.
Have fun in jail!
Well, it could have been worse!
Mattel, the makers of Barbie, sued the makers of the Bratz dolls because their creator was working at Mattel when he came up with the concept for the Bratz hos.
Well, Mattel won the case and they wanted upwards of $2 billion!!!!
Thankfully for them, a California jury only awarded Mattel $40 million on Tuesday.
The Bratz dolls bring in around $500 million annually.
A year ago, extras working on the Berlin set of Tom Cruise’s Nazi film Valkyrie were injured when they fell off a truck during shooting. The truck was going 15 miles per hour according to United Artist’s account and they claimed nine people sustained minor injuries, including cuts and bruises. One person was kept overnight in the hospital. The workers’ account differs from United Artists’ side, and they say some of them suffered concussions and head lacerations.
The 11 extras on the truck threatened legal action at the time, and hired a lawyer. They have since come closer to following through, according to German reports, and say they will sue United Artists for $11 million USD (link is to a German-language article), or $1 million per person plus penalties if they don’t pay up now.
Back when the accident first happened, they released a statement through their lawyer saying “(They will sue) unless producers unbureaucratically and rapidly compensated [sic] the injured. Those responsible on the set displayed inhuman indifference in playing with the health and the lives of the extras.”
It sounds like UA was unwilling to settle for an amount the injured workers considered reasonable and that’s why they’re threatening to file suit. I’m all for workers’ rights and for preventing injuries, but are scrapes and bruises worth 11 million dollars? Were any of the extras unable to work afterwards or did they miss opportunities due to their injuries? It’s not like anyone lost a limb or anything, but head injuries can be serious and it’s possible we didn’t get the full story.
While the film has negative advance buzz with its release date pushed back several times, the latest news is that it will be released around Christmas instead of next February as previously planned. Cruise’s partner in United Artists, Paula Wagner, just stepped down as CEO. MGM also has part ownership of UA and it is thought that Cruise will take the helm now that Wagner is gone. It looks like one of his first things to worry about will be a lawsuit.
Valkyrie photos from All Movie Photo
Ed McMahon’s house has been bought, but as it turned out it wasn’t ‘white knight’ Donald Trump to the rescue. McMahon has found a private buyer for his hilltop home, according to Howard Bragman, the former “Tonight” show sidekick’s spokesman. McMahon’s property is located in a hilltop gated community that is also home to Britney Spears.
Bragman declined to name the buyer or the selling price to the AP. But he said it isn’t real estate mogul Donald Trump, who recently offered to buy McMahon’s home and act as a landlord. This sounds like a better situation for McMahon who was facing foreclosure on his home after he defaulted on a $4.8 million loan.
Bragman said McMahon and his wife, Pamela, will move out of the home when the sale is complete.
McMahon has said he was experiencing financial troubles because he was unable to work after falling and breaking his neck in March 2007. It’s also been speculated that his wife’s spending habits are the reason for the financial woes. TMZ ‘reported’ that Pamela McMahon is “oblivious” to the late night legend’s cash troubles, and shops like their life depended on it. The 85-year-old has for years worked as a pitchman and recently resumed that role, appearing with comedian Jimmy Kimmel to advertise Pontiac vehicles.
McMahon has faced money woes for months, with debtors filing lawsuits against him for everything from unpaid prescription medicines to loans.
One lawsuit is seeking more than $750,000 from McMahon for unpaid loans and fees attorneys say McMahon agreed to pay to handle his daughter’s divorce in New York.
McMahon also has his own lawsuit going against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and two doctors filed in July, accusing them of discharging him with a broken neck after his fall in 2007. He also alleged the hospital botched two neck surgeries.
The hospital responded in court filings on Wednesday by asking a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to throw out many of McMahon’s claims.
Attorneys for Cedars-Sinai wrote that McMahon’s lawsuit failed to prove allegations of fraud, battery, elder abuse and emotional distress. They also want to prevent McMahon from seeking punitive damages.
A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for Sept. 18.
Finally, someone got cited in the much talked about crash involving Shia LaBeouf and some chick Adrian Grenier was dating.
The owner of the car that crashed with LaBeouf and the girl has been cited.
It all happened when the other car failed to stop at a red light.
The accident caused the drunk LaBeouf to flip over his truck in West Hollywood.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the car is owned by 21 year-old Simon Herbert.
Thankfully everyone made it out alive.
[Image via WENN.]
Some people take their music seriously.
So seriously, they're willing to take the potential next President of the United States to court!
Jackson Browne doesn't want Presidential hopeful John McCain using his lyrics and music for any promotional ads.
The 59 year-old singer and songwriter has sued McCain and the Ohio and national Republican committees in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Browne accused them of using his song Running on Empty without his permission.
His lawsuit goes on to claim that the use of his song is an infringement of his copyright. Furthermore, he's worried it'll lead people to believe he's endorsing McCain, something he openly doesn't do as he's know for being a lifelong liberal.
Robert Bennett, who's the chairman of the Ohio party, has confirmed that the ad was pulled when Browne objected and called the lawsuit a "big to-do about nothing."
The suit also claims that other musicians have asked McCain to stop using their work, such as ABBA and John Mellencamp.
And, according to Browne, his reputation has already been damaged, so in return he's seeking $75,000 in damages.
Ha!
[Image via WENN.]
Batman star Christian Bale will not face charges over claims he assaulted his mother and sister, according to reports. Bale was arrested in London last month over accusations he pushed his estranged mother and sister at the city’s Dorchester Hotel before the British premiere of The Dark Knight.The 34-year-old actor was questioned by U.K. police over the incident and was subsequently released on bail.
Prosecutors suggested their decision on Thursday to drop the case was based in part on the family members’ wishes.
Bale, who denies the allegation, said through his spokeswoman, Jennifer Allen, that he was relieved the issue had been settled.
The actor “hopes to put the matter firmly behind him” and will be providing no further comment, Allen said in a statement released by Bale’s lawyers.
This sounds crazy!!!!!!!!!!
The Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Michael Misick, and his estranged wife, American actress LisaRaye McCoy-Misick, are said to have been involved in a very violent confrontation Wednesday night at the Premier's mansion.
These two put the Panettieres to shame!
The fight apparently took place in front of several government officials and resulted in the couple seeking emergency medical attention for bites! Yes, bites!
Each of them has filed a police report against the other.
This comes just a day after Michael released a brief statement saying, “I am announcing that I am separated from LisaRaye McCoy-Misick.”
Ouch.
Apparently, LisaRaye returned to the Islands this week to negotiate a divorce settlement, but her soon to be ex-hubby refused to let her stay at the mansion.
So, after checking into a hotel, she decided to go to the house last night, for unknown reasons, to confront him.
The couple have been married only since 2006.
Then in April of this year, Michael was accused of sexually assaulting a US citizen on a visit to his mansion. It's said the lady is a friend of LisaRaye who was in town visiting. And of course he then shortly after issued a televised statement denying the accusations.
Then reports started to surface about Michael and another lady, and about LisaRaye and another man.
In a statement Tuesday, Michael said, “I am committed to dissolving the marriage amicably. I believe that this is a private matter and will have no further comments.”
I guess he forgot about that while the two of them were busy biting each other!
[Image via WENN.]
Hope the jeweler has a new store policy!
On Wednesday, rapper Lil' Wayne was ordered by a Miami judge to pay New Orleans jeweler Jack Sutton $146K.
The Lollipop man reportedly purchased a $138,000 diamond ring and $32,000 gold-and-diamond necklace from the jeweler in October 2006. They did the deal by phone, with Carter promising to make monthly payments, Sutton says.
The rapper sent one $24,000 installment, Sutton sent him the jewelry, but then Wayne quit paying.
That's a load of money! Why didn't he demand full payment before releasing the jewels?!
The jeweler filed suit last October, but it took eight months to serve Lil' Wayne with a copy of the complaint.
A source says Wayne may return the $138,000 ring — rather than pay the cash.
He should've returned the ring earlier!
[Image via WENN.]
Worldwide Entertainment Group Inc. reportedly filed a lawsuit in Miami last week against Paris Hilton for not fully promoting a movie she starred in. According to the lawsuit, Paris was paid $1 million to star in and promote “National Lampoon’s Pledge This!.” The suit alleges the socialite owes Worldwide $75,000 for not fulfilling promotional obligations. The hotel heiress is said to have entered into an agreement in 2004 for the movie, which was released in 2006 and featured Hilton as the president of an exclusive sorority. According to IMDB the movie made $1.5 million worldwide. I am sure a $75,000 suit would hardly make Paris even blink, especially after they stupidly paid her $1 million. Hilton’s acting career is till going strong though (somehow), next up she’ll appear in the movie musical “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and the tentatively titled MTV reality series “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF.”
There's always drama around The Donald!
Donald Trump is suing his old attorneys at the firm of Morrison Cohen for $5 million, saying the firm's use of his name on its website and in interviews violated his privacy.
Donald's suit claims the attorneys have unjustly made money by using his name and image without his consent "for advertising purposes".
His suit says: "Defendants, without Trump's written consent, have used — really commercially exploited — Mr. Trump's name and reputation, and continue to do so, on Morrison Cohen's website…"
On Monday, the law firm dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt by Trump to avoid paying $600,000 in overdue legal fees.
"We are pursuing our collections claim, we are adamant that we get paid for the services rendered, and we view this claim by the Trump organization as completely frivolous," said the firm's chairman.
Isn't there a client-attorney confidentiality rule or something out there?
Are lawyers allowed to say who they're representing without their client's permission?
Wonder who'll win this battle!
[Image via WENN.]
It's nice to hear that even murders get treated well in jail!
In fact, John Lennon's crazy killer has been enjoying conjugal visits with his wife for the past 16 years.
Mark David Chapman killed Lennon back in December of 1980 and has since been serving time in the Attica Correctional Facility.
Chapman is up for parole this week for the fifth time. He's been denied four times since he became eligible back in 2000.
Since at least 1992, he's been part of the prison's "family reunion" program.
Thanks to the program, Chapman gets to spend up to 44 hours straight with his crazy ass wife in a special "private homelike setting" location.
We still can't figure out why someone would stay married to a killer.
Inside the unit, which is surrounded by a fence, there are no cameras or guards.
His wife, Gloria Hiroko Chapman, was married to Chapman when he committed the murder. She still lives in Hawaii though she visits Chapman once a year or more.
A rep for the prison facility says the goal of the program is to "preserve and strengthen family ties that have been disrupted as a result of incarceration." Adding that it is designed to "foster positive and responsible conduct" and "facilitate postrelease reintegration into the family and community, thereby reducing the likelihood of recidivism."
Yoko Ono had submitted an emotional letter in 2000 stating she feared for her safety, for the safety of Lennon's kids, and even for Chapman's safety if he was released.
She has since again sent word that her position has not changed.
As we mentioned last month, Akon was due in court Wednesday to face criminal charges.
However, he was a no-show.
Naughty. Naughty!
The judge has ordered him to appear in court on September 3rd for a possible deposition.
If no deposition is needed, then Akon's case will be put on the trial calendar.
The case stems from last year's incident when a crazed Akon threw a 15 year-old fan off stage at the 2007 KFEST concert in June.
Akon was last in court in December of 2007, when he pleaded not guilty to the charges of second-degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
As for today's outcome, Patricia Smith, the mother of the boy tossed, says, “I’m glad because it either goes to trial next time, or he fesses up to something.”
No need to fess up - just pay up!
Mini Me's ex, wannabe actress Ranae Shrider, has come out swinging.
She's not happy that Verne Troyer accused her of abuse in a new lawsuit.
Her rep said:
This lawsuit is ridiculous and riddled with lie upon lie from Verne Troyer and his camp. It is in our opinion a transparent attempt to secure as much publicity as he can from his less than average career in the wake of his most recent failure in The Love Guru…the only abuse that ever occurred in their household was that of emotional abuse inflicted upon Ranae and her dog Lacy on the occasions when he hit Ranae and her dog with his 'reaching sticks' or kicked them when having one of his drunken rages. This alleged abuse certainly has not seemed to affect his recent round of interviews or his golf swing over the weekend. Is this not the same man who is renown as a professional stuntman in all his movies?
You know what we find funny about her rep's statement?
Mini Me was called the attention-seeker when it was Man Face who admittedly leaked the infamous sex tape.
What a joke!
Mini-Me recently opened up to mag Us Weekly about the humiliation he experienced after the sexy time footage surfaced.
He said, "I put all the trust in her. She kept the tape in her camera on top of the closet where I couldn't even reach it!"
When asked how he feels about his ex, he responded, "Hate is a good word."
Can't blame him!
[Image via WENN.]
We haven't heard much from Verne Troyer lately or his man-faced sex tape partner, Ranae Shrider.
Well, that's all changed today. Mini Me's dropping bombs!
Verne is suing his famewhore ex for "intentional infliction of emotional distress and battery."
Ouch.
Shrider beat up poor little Verne?
That's what his side is saying at least.
The lawsuit mentions how crazy Shrider one day picked the lock to his bedroom door, pushed away his 100 pound scooter that he used to block the door, and then threw him to the floor.
Verne's attorney, Ed McPherson, says "When you pick up a 2'8" human being and throw him to the floor, it hurts."
Poor little Mini-me.
And the lawsuit will be targeting others as well, including a sleazy attorney who allegedly tried to broker a deal for the sale of the sex tape.
As for Verne, he's suing his ex for $20 million.
He'll be lucky if she can even pay him $20!
[Image via WENN.]
As we mentioned yesterday, LA Councilman Dennis Zine is behind a proposal to put stricter laws on the ways the paparazzi operate.
And, today when the meeting took place as to what should be done, it turned more into a showdown between Zine and LAPD Chief William Bratton, who openly opposes the new legislation.
According to Chief Bratton, he decided to leave his morning workout and show up at 6am to be near reporters since apparently Zine's last live interview about the paparazzi aggravated him so much.
He decided to go and "set the record straight."
Bratton said, "I figured I'd come over and straighten out — we have no intention of participating in today's hearing. It's a total waste of time. We have sufficient laws on the books that we enforce to deal with this issue."
Well obviously the laws aren't working or your cops aren't enforcing them properly.
Is Batton getting paid off by the paps????
Bratton continued on by saying that he puts the blame on celebrities, such as Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, for the constant issues with the paparazzi.
He adds, "If you notice, since Britney started wearing clothes and behaving; Paris is out of town not bothering anybody, thank God; and, evidently, Lindsay Lohan has gone gay, we don't seem to have much of an issue."
Ouch. Outted by the Chief!
Bratton adds, "If the ones that attract the paparazzi behave in the first place, like we expect of anybody, that solves about 90 percent of the problem. The rest of it we can deal with. So as far as all this grandstanding and foolishness, waste of city time on this issue — and the fact that I felt aggravated enough about it to interrupt my workout to come over and set the record straight, LAPD has no intention of participating in this farce."
Ok, and what about the celebs that are avoiding the paparazzi and staying at home and have the paps trespass onto their private property? Such as what happened with Halle Berry?
What do you say to that?
[Image via WENN.]
Access Hollywood reports that someone at the scene of the Shia LaBeouf drunk driving incident told the actor to flee!
The TV show's source is some guy named Brian Perrulli, who came across the accident, and pulled over to try and help out.
Perrulli said he overheard a man, who had been in the vehicle LaBeouf hit, telling the actor to flee the accident scene.
“Shia was tending to the other people in the car, signing over information, like insurance and stuff and basically, I overheard the guy tell him, ‘You should just get out of here and go,’ and Shia said, ‘Nah man. I gotta deal with this. My license plate, it’s my car. I don’t wanna go, I gotta deal with this.’”
Perrulli claims he heard the man from the other vehicle, who has not yet been identified, say he would cover for the star.
“The guy Shia hit told him, ‘You should get outta here,’ and ‘I never saw you.’ He said, ‘I never saw you,’ and Shia said, ‘No, man, I gotta stay here and deal with this. It’s my problem,” Perrulli said.
The snitch went on to say Shia did not seem intoxicated, “He looked more disoriented and shocked more than drunk. I wouldn’t have thought he was drunk."
Shia would've been effed if he peaced out!
As you've no doubt heard, Shia LaBeouf was arrested over the weekend for drunk driving.
So, who better to give him advice than the best role model, Khloe Kardashian????
That shim's one to talk!
Yes, he's same Kardashian sister that was arrested for driving drunk in 2007 and only served 173 minutes in jail!!!!
When she was asked what advice she'd give LaBeouf, Khloe responded with these words of wisdom.
She says, "Just be smarter. Think about your actions and get a driver! It's so much cheaper in the long run!"
Yes Shia, you better listen to Khloe now, ok.
[Image via WENN.]
Redlasso is a popular service that provides access to US television about an hour or two after it’s aired and allows invited bloggers to “clip” segments of no more than 10 minutes each. The clips are then available to be shared on websites in an embeddable format similar to YouTube. The aim of Redlasso is to help bloggers comment on noteworthy events, and they maintain that short clips of television content fall under the “fair use” doctrine, which is protected under the first amendment.
The television networks have brought a legal injunction against Redlasso to ensure that their content is not distributed online. Redlasso has had to shut down access to all bloggers, but they have business customers and will hopefully be able to continue in some capacity while they work to establish relationships with the networks:
In light of recent legal actions by two networks, Redlasso (www.redlasso.com) announced today that it has no alternative but to suspend blogger access to its video search and clipping Beta site for the immediate future. The company will continue to operate and provide services to its business and Radio To Web clients such as Greater Media and XM Satellite Radio.
The now-suspended Beta site provides bloggers with online broadcast content tools that enables them to exercise their first amendment rights to comment on newsworthy events, by searching blogger-selected TV and radio segments and creating limited duration clips for usage in blog posts. In addition to the Beta site, Redlasso also offers two other services which will continue. The first is a solution for businesses that allows them to track and clip content for internal use. The second service, Radio To Web, is an on-line platform that allows each radio station client to search, clip, and upload its content to its own web site and share that content online.
“We are very disappointed in the actions of select networks. We believe we have always acted within the law and have been respectful of the networks’ rights. Unfortunately, they have forced our hand and are denying the blogging community access to the Redlasso platform that beneficially tracks the usage of newsworthy clips across the Web,” said Ken Hayward, CEO of Redlasso. “Redlasso’s goal is to develop a platform that provides content owners and bloggers a viable solution to tracking and monetizing content online, not to engage in lawsuits. In the eight months the Beta site has been in operation, we have built wide brand awareness and equity amongst the blogger and media communities. The wide spread use of our tools and platform demonstrates that the Redlasso model is a simple and elegant solution for all content owners to track and monetize content usage on the Web; content that would otherwise be untraceably spread across the Internet and used for free.”
Hayward added, “We plan to continue our conversations with all content providers during this usage suspension, with the goal of establishing formal partnerships that will be beneficial to the content owners and blogging community.”
Redlasso’s suspended Beta site is simply a tool that permits the blogging community to search blogger selected content via keywords, enabling them to find and clip the limited duration vignettes on which they wish to comment and play on their blogs. Clip usage by bloggers is an exercise of first amendment rights to provide social commentary on newsworthy events. Other uses of the clips by bloggers are prohibited contractually by Redlasso. The company also employs sophisticated technology to make inappropriate practices difficult.
[From Corp.Redlasso.com]
I’m an American and am married to a German guy and have lived in Europe for nearly three years. Redlasso provided me access to US television that I would otherwise have no way of viewing at all - and believe me, I tried. (I wanted to install something called a “Slingbox” on my parents television, but due to various logistical issues this wasn’t possible.) With Redlasso I was able to view shows and report firsthand on celebrity interviews and news. It’s been a valuable tool for our site in the last six months and Celebitchy will most definitely have less coverage of television-based celebrity interviews and news due to this ruling.
I’ve communicated with several different people at Redlasso and they’ve all been extremely friendly, nice and helpful. The service is free and they had no reason to help me out, but they always went above and beyond in making sure I was able to use their service.
This has wide sweeping ramifications not only for arguably frivolous entertainment coverage, but especially for political bloggers in light of the upcoming US election. Sports bloggers, fashion bloggers, tech bloggers, and just about anyone who writes about current news could use Redlasso to view and cover television content. It is extremely short sighted of the networks to bring legal measures against Redlasso instead of working with them. They want their content stuck on a box in the living room where it’s more difficult for people to talk about it online, share parts of it with others and give their opinions. If they do put it online, they want to control exactly how its distributed.
The educated and high-earning viewers advertisers seek are all online and they’re impatient with the limitations of television. Redlasso was pretty classy in their press release and didn’t mention the networks that are fighting their service, but they are NBC, CBS, and Fox. NBC is an advertiser of ours and they’ve been decent about making clips available online. They can’t hold a candle to Redlasso, though. Look for Redlasso to be replaced by offshore equivalents that don’t even try to work with the networks. We’ll see how well television fares in the future when they try and control the Internet. You can already view just about any show you want to streaming online, and those sites are easy to find and impossible for the networks to stop.
Here are some good articles about Redlasso and their service along with the legal issues:
- Shutting down Redlasso will lead to the same media chaos that’s affecting the music industry [Always On]
- Redlasso President talks about their position in regards to fair use [Philebrity.com
- Is Redlasso the new Napster? [Jetlaw Blog]
- How Redlasso works [Download Squad]
[All links via Redlasso]
A Georgia woman was awarded $150,000 by a jury after she sued her ex-fiancé for breach of contract. RoseMary Shell’s former love called off their wedding three days before the big event – and did it by leaving her a note in the bathroom. What a classy guy.
Shell says she left a job which paid $81,000 a year along with friends and family in Florida to move to Georgia to be with Wayne Gibbs. Gibbs claims that he called off the wedding because Shell was drowning in debt – which she and her lawyer refute.
Shell argued her fiance’s promise of marital bliss amounted to a binding contract. She said she left a high-paying job in Florida to be with Gibbs and she said she has suffered financial losses since their break-up. She also said she has suffered emotionally.
Gibbs testified that he had taken Shell on trips and paid $30,000 of her debt while they were engaged. He said when he found out she had even more debt, he canceled the wedding by leaving Shell a note in their bathroom.
Closing arguments were heard Wednesday morning and the jury awarded Shell $150,000 by Wednesday afternoon. “People shouldn’t be allowed to do that and hopefully he’ll think twice before he does it to someone else,” said Shell.
[From ABC affiliate WSBT]
RoseMary Shell and her lawyer appeared on the Today show this morning to discuss the judgment. Wayne Gibbs chose not to appear, but his lawyer did.
Speaking to Meredith Vieira on Friday’s Today show, where she appeared with her attorney Lydia J. Sartain, Shell refuted Gibbs’s claim that she was swimming in debt. The allegation, she said, is “simply not true.”
While Gibbs did not appear on Today, his attorney, Hammond Law, reportedly told jurors in his closing arguments for the breach-of-contract suit: “You would be sending the message that if you have a dispute with somebody and you think they have been a scoundrel, go get a lawyer and hope the Brink’s truck backs up to the jury room.” He added, “If you award one penny, you’re saying, ‘File frivolous lawsuits.’ “
[From People]
This is one of those cases that garners a lot of publicity and heated arguments. I can really understand both sides of the issue. On the one hand, no one should be forced to marry someone they don’t want to marry. An engagement in and of itself isn’t generally considered a legal contract; the marriage is the legal contract. But you could argue that the engagement is the agreement to enter into the contract, and that was broken. But the alternative seems pretty unfair: marry someone you don’t want to be with?
All that said, RoseMary Shell gave up a high paying job to be with Wayne Gibbs, and he knew that. However it doesn’t seem like he gave up much to be with her. I’ve read several articles, and it doesn’t seem true that Shell had a great deal of debt. It sounds more like a legal excuse Gibbs or his attorneys were using.
I could understand if Shell wanted to recoup the wedding costs, but obviously this judgment was punitive. It makes for some interesting discussions because both sides have a point.
Guess when you have a lot of daddy's money to spend, it's easier to waste it.
Rudy Giuliani's son is suing Duke Univeristy and the men's golf coach.
Why?
Turns out Andrew Giuliani was kicked off the team.
Really!
And he's suing because of that!!!!!!!
Andrew, a senior at Duke, claims in the lawsuit that he was illegally terminated from the team this past February without any warning.
Uhmmm, who says you need a reason to be terminated from a college sports team????
It's not like you signed a contract!
According to the lawsuit, the men's golf coach, O.D. Vincent "announced to the team that he was unilaterally canceling Andrew's eligibility to participate in the University's Athletics Program immediately and indefinitely. Andrew and his teammates were shocked. Andrew had no prior notice of what was about to happen. At no time was Andrew ever given an opportunity to defend himself; instead he was summarily dismissed."
Poor Andrew.
Did he suck at golf or was it just his attitude?????
Well, according to the coach's rules, the only way Giuliani can get back on the team is to have written letters of support submitted by each team member.
But obviously that isn't happening!
So instead, he's going to sue.
We're guessing maybe the whole team doesn't like him?
The claim continues, "Andrew's suspension would become a permanent cancellation of his athletic eligibility at Duke unless every single one of his twelve teammates wrote a letter to O.D. Vincent that O.D. Vincent deemed 'satisfactory' supporting Andrew's reinstatement to the team and explaining the reasons why."
The document also alleges that coach Vincent "strong armed other team members to not support Giuliani's return by threatening to kick them off the team."
The suit continues, "It was plainly obvious to each team member that their own personal interests were directly in conflict with Andrew's reinstatement to the team. They feared that O.D. Vincent could unilaterally dismiss them from the team without warning or notice."
Riiiiight.
As for daddy's help, Andrew said he's asked not to receive any.
He says, "I love my father very much. I just decided not to ask him to get involved in the situation."
What do U think about Andrew suing the university?
Every day hour we're learning a bit more about the "incident" between Christian Bale and his mother and sister.
As we mentioned yesterday, there might be some bitterness between Bale and his mother, a former clown.
When Bale's parent's divorced years ago, his mom forced him to choose which parent he wanted to live with.
Christian moved to L.A. and chose his dad, who later became his manager.
And as for the police charges, Bale's camp believes it is most likely motivated by money.
Apparently his mother was "extremely jealous of both his and his dad's success."
As for the "assault" that took place last Sunday at his hotel room, it's been reported there was some physical contact, but nothing violent. It's being described as either a push or a brush, though no one was hurt or even fell.
However, his people still believe the main reason behind filing the charges is purely financial reasons.
As of today, some magazines have already been offering large amounts of money for the mom and sister's story.
We say, forget the mom! If she wants to offer the story for free, then let her. But if not, don't pay her a nickel.
If she really wants to tell her story and isn't motivated by money, she'll do it for free.
[Image via WENN.]
This is stunning news, but Batman star Christian Bale has been apparently accused of assaulting his mother and sister. The actor’s mother Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, claim Bale lashed out at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Sunday night July 20th, and they reportedly filed a police report in Hampshire, England on Monday (21Jul08).
Th authorities were reluctant to speak to Bale on Monday, because he was promoting his new movie, The Dark Knight, in London, for the first European screening . A source tells The UK Sun, “It was a very difficult situation but it would have been wrong to have wrecked the premiere over a complaint which we don’t yet know is founded in truth. A mother filed a report against their son and they have serious doubts?
“But Mr Bale will be contacted at the earliest opportunity and be asked to provide an account of anything that happened.” A police spokesman says, “We can confirm we have received allegation from another force in relation to an alleged incident in central London.”
Police are expected to make attempts to question the Wales-born actor today. But one expects with the way authorities tip-toe around celebrities that this will likely all get swept under the rug quickly, unless Christian’s mom talks with the press. Interesting side note, Christian’s father who is now deceased divorced his mother (jenny) and married Gloria Steinem.
Update: Christian Bale has turned himself into police voluntarily in response to the domestic assault charge.He went to Belgravia police station in central London earlier today and is still there, being held in custody.
When asked if Bale had been arrested, a police spokesman said “A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment and was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault. He currently remains in custody.”
His family is not talking, which is a good thing right now.
Joe Francis was back in court Monday trying to defend himself.
The Girls Gone Wild founder pleaded not guilty today to federal tax evasion charges.
His case is scheduled for trial on September 16th.
He's probably praying everyday he doesn't get convicted. If he does, he could possibly face 10 years in jail.
Francis reportedly deducted more than $20 million in fake business expenses on his companies' corporate income tax returns for the years 2002 and 2003.
Prosecutors are also alleging that he transferred over $15 million from an offshore bank to a California brokerage account in the name of a Cayman Islands company under his control.
He also allegedly charged over $10.4 million in fake consulting services and spent almost $4 million to build a home in Mexico as a business expense.
Francis' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, says that Francis's certified public accountant had filed the returns and signed them.
Then, coincidentally two years later, the accountant demanded a bounty for supposedly exposing Francis as a tax cheat.
Bernhoft said Francis never saw or signed the tax returns.
He added, "The CPA's mistakes have already cost Joe Francis millions in tax penalties and interest. It's time for this persecution to stop."
Bernhoft also said there would be "nuclear bomb-type developments" filed this week regarding the case.
Is ignorance a legal excuse???
[Image via WENN.]
Rapper DMX was arrested again for the 6th time in almost 3 months. Maybe he just hasn’t found a mug shot he is satisfied with yet? That’s his new one on the right. He was reportedly collared this time at a mall in Phoenix yesterday for allegedly giving a fake name and Social Security number to a hospital in order to get out of paying medical bills.
DMX, real name Earl Simmons, used the name “Troy Jones” to try to allegedly get out of paying a $7,500 bill.
He was arrested and booked. Bond has not been set.
The sheriff of Maricopa County said, “He’s back in jail again. I don’t know why judges keep letting this guy out. Every time he goes in there, he gets out on bond. I’m hoping this is the one time he’s going to pay the penalty for his offense”
The sheriff also noted that if DMX should remain in jailed, he would be isolated from the rest of the inmates for his own safety. “They may not like his music,” he said.
Sadly Ed McMahon filed suit Friday against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a billionaire homeowner over a broken neck the TV personality suffered when he fell at a dinner party.
McMahon, 85, Johnny Carson’s sidekick on The Tonight Show and a longtime product pitchman, says the injury has prevented him from working and has contributed to his financial crisis. This comes when his house in Beverly Hills, California is in foreclosure, $644,000 in arrears on a $4.8 million loan!
It’s alleged that his wife’s spending habits are the reason Ed McMahon is losing his house. TMZ says Pamela McMahon is “oblivious” to the late night legend’s cash troubles, and shops like their life depended on it. That’s causing an issue for Ed’s friends, who are conflicted about bailing him out. They don’t want to see their 85-year-old friend foreclosed on and homeless, but they also don’t want to encourage Pamela’s passion for Prada. Well if Ed’s friends aren’t going to help him, it appears he is going to help himself to their money.
According to the L.A. Superior Court suit, McMahon tumbled on “unsafe entry stairs” at a March 2007 dinner party at the home of Robert Day, the founder of the Los Angeles investment management firm TCW Group. He slips and falls at a “friends” house and now he’s going to sue him!
The suit also claims McMahon was rushed to Cedars, but a doctor failed to diagnose his broken neck and then discharged him, the suit alleges. Only weeks later was the injury discovered, but treatment – including spinal surgery – “fell below the applicable standard of care.
“We had hoped to avoid a lawsuit, but our discussions were not fruitful and we were left with no other option,” says McMahon’s spokesman, Howard Bragman. “That being said, we believe our suit has great merit and we expect a favorable resolution.”
Well that’s one way to get out of debt but watch out for Karma!
Actor Dennis Farina was sentenced to two years probation today (July 17th) after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors for carrying a loaded handgun into Los Angeles International Airport.
Security guards stopped Farina at the airport on May 11 after they discovered he was carrying a .22 caliber, semi-automatic pistol in his briefcase.
Farina was scheduled to catch a flight home to Chicago. He told police that he brought the gun with him on a drive from Arizona to Los Angeles and forgot he had it.
It was an embarrassing situation for Farina, 64, a former cop who played a New York detective on the television crime series “Law & Order.” The next day he issued a statement blaming the incident on his “own stupidity.”
The actor pleaded no contest, which is roughly equivalent to a guilty plea, to carrying a weapon into a secure area of an airport. Other charges of possessing a concealed weapon and carrying a loaded weapon in a public place were dismissed. In addition to the probation sentence Farina was also ordered to pay $1,991 in fines and penalties, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
Almost 12 years after the death of 6 year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, new findings have finally cleared the family's name!
Prosecutors were able to clear JonBenet's parents and older brother Wednesday for the unexplained killing.
According to the district attorney Mary Lacy, new DNA tests point to an unidentified outsider.
Lacy wrote in a letter to JonBenet's father, John, "To the extent that we may have contributed in any way to the public perception that you might have been involved in this crime, I am deeply sorry. No innocent person should have to endure such an extensive trial in the court of public opinion."
Yea, it's a little TOO late for sorries from her.
Why did it take this long to clear their name?!?!
According to Lacy, it was the new "touch DNA" tests that were done on skin cells left behind on JonBenet's long underwear that point to a third party and not a family member.
As for John Ramsey, he remains hopeful that the killer will now be found thanks to the new DNA evidence.
He says, "I think the people that are in charge of the investigation are focused on that, and that gives me a lot of comfort. Certainly we are grateful that they acknowledged that we, based on that, certainly could not have been involved."
Unfortunately for JonBenet's mother, Patsy, she never lived to be cleared of her name. Patsy passed away in 2006 at the age of 49 due to ovarian cancer.
An attorney for the Ramsey's said, "My first thought was obviously I wish Patsy Ramsey was here with us to be able to at least share vindication of her family. There are many people in this country, if not around the world, that also owe John and Patsy Ramsey and Burke Ramsey an apology."
Despite the fact that police found a drop of blood on JonBenet's underwear that matched it to the DNA of a male not belonging to the family, prosecutors argued that they were unable to determine where that blood came from or that it was even the killer's.
But now the new touch DNA tests taken from the sides of JonBenet's long underwear matched that of the original blood DNA found years ago.
Hopes are that one day they can find a DNA match in the expanding national DNA databank.
Let's hope they find the killer as soon as possible.
The family deserves some rest and millions of apologies.
Remember Eminem????
While the rapper has been missing in action from the music scene for the last several years, he's been keeping himself busy frequenting strip clubs and getting into trouble.
Fem was sued on Thursday by a man that claims the rapper punched him at Cheetah's on the Strip Gentlemen's Club in Detroit while both of them were in the bathroom.
Hmmm….
A lover's brawl in the bathroom?
The man is seeking $25,000 in damages.
[Image via WENN.]
Actor Paul Hogan known for his CROCODILE DUNDEE movies is being investigated by authorities in his native Australia over alleged tax liabilities.
Aussie officials probing the actor have brought in the The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to help - by ordering three American banks to hand over nine years’ worth of his personal banking records.
Four companies related to the 68-year-old are also under investigation, court documents in Los Angeles reveal.
According to newspaper The Australian, Hogan is fighting the move, accusing the Australian Taxation Office of being on a “long-distance fishing expedition” to unlawfully obtain “irrelevant” information.
Hogan is the most high-profile target of a AUS$300 million ($290 million/£145 million) operation into tax fraud and evasion. It is thought attention turned to Hogan after details of a number of offshore trusts and companies holding AUS$40 million ($38.8 million/£19.4 million) was leaked to the press in 2005.
Hogan though speaking outside his mansion in Santa Barbara California, said: “They should build a statue of me up there at the tax office.”
“Come and get me,” Hogan said with a grin, in an obscenity-laced statement addressed to the Australian Taxation Office.
Wesley Snipes has been granted permission to leave the U.S. to work overseas.
The action hero actor got his passport back, so he can work to earn money “to satisfy his civil tax liabilities.”
Snipes us now being allowed to fly to London for three days later this month to finish work on Gallowwalker, and then spend a further eight weeks in Bangkok, Thailand to shoot Chasing The Dragon.
This new ruling seems to quash the US Attorney’s Office’s motion asking that Snipes be incarcerated while his appeal is pending. The troubled Blade star, was handed a three-year prison sentence in April (08) after officials found him guilty of failing to file taxes for five years.
We all know that Verne Troyer (aka Austin Powers’ “Mini-Me”) is suing TMZ.com, Kevin Blatt (the man responsible for Paris Hilton’s sex tape), and a few others for $20 million over the sex tape that Troyer claims was stolen from him and posted online.
A commenter here on our site backed up this claim.
“I think this is so sad! This girl [Troyer’s sex tape partner Ranae Shrider] is a sad little girl from Kentuky [sic] that called me the night the video went missing. [Troyer’s] new manager was badgering this poor girl. She left for work came back and he was there and it was missing. I think its a sick publicity stunt that will ruin what little reputation she has left to ‘make it’ in Hollywood. She really thought she was in love. And now what she thought was real is become dirty and grotesque.”
[From Celebitchy comments]
Oh, please. Call the WAAAAHHHHbulance.
WELL! It turns out that the 39-year-old, 2 foot 8 inch actor’s girlfriend Ranae Shrider signed a declaration filed in federal court stating the tape was created with her video camera and she gave permission to TMZ to air it, thus prompting the judge to allow TMZ to reinstate the post featuring mini-scenes of the tape.
We would post it here but we received a cease and desist order from “his people” stating it’s a violation of his privacy and attached a copy of a temporary restraining order which prohibits us, et al from the exhibition, display or broadcast of any portion of the video on the internet, television, or any other medium. Click here to see it directly.
Now then; Mini-Me has been going around bragging that his “me” isn’t so “mini.” When the Tampa, Florida MJ Morning Show spoke with Ranae, she said:
“This is all I’m going to say: As previously reported on interviews made by him, it is definitely not a tripod.”
[From Stuff.co.nz]
After the radio show host asked Ranae if Troyer is “proportionate for a man of 2ft 8in?” Ranae responded with a resounding “Yes.”
Okay, first, I didn’t need that visual to be supported or denied, thanks for that to both the MJ Morning Show and Ranae. Secondly, I guess we’ll see what “powers” the Austin star has after TMZ Productions, Inc., Sugar DVD, and Kevin Blatt appear in court on July 7th.
Here’s Verne Troyer and Ranae Shrider at the MTV Movie Awards June 1st. Header of Verne at the Palms Place Hotel and Spa Grand Opening in Vegas on May 31st. Photographer: Judy Eddy. Images thanks to WENN.
DMX was arrested in Arizona on Wednesday for violating the terms of his bond.
His arrest in Miami last week (for attempting to buy pot and coke) violated a bond issued after his Arizona arrest a few weeks back.
So, basically, DMX was arrested for being arrested!
This is all getting too crazy.
Seems like DMX's friends and family need to step in and encourage him to get some counseling!
Everyone is after your money, even when you're dead.
With the passing of famed opera singer Luciano Pavarotti many questions arose regarding his estate.
According to Italian Law, half of the estate is given to the deceased's widow and the other half to the children.
But, Pavarotti had two wills drafted while dealing with his yearlong battle with cancer.
The first will divided it up according to Italian law, with half the money going to his second wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, and the other half to his four daughters.
Three of the daughters are adults from his 35 yearlong marriage to his first wife, and the fourth is his daughter with Mantovani born in 2003.
Mantovani's lawyer is now saying the family has come to a "friendly" agreement on how to divide up his estate. Though he declined to provide any details about their agreement with Pavarotti's three eldest daughters.
A judge is expected to confirm this new deal by the end of July.
Let's hope his three eldest daughters don't get ripped off from what belongs to them.
[Image via WENN.]
Give him a microphone or a platform and he won't stop yapping!
Michael Lohan released the following statement to TV's Extra, after news broke today, Friday, that he most likely fathered a child while married to Lindsay's drama momma, Dina:
"I met Christie (mother of bastard child) in 1982 in Houston. In 1995, when I was separated from Dina, she contacted me that she was moving to Long Island. She was going through a divorce at the time. I was with her for a week. Years later, while I was in prison, she contacted to me to say she had a paternity test done that revealed the child's father was not her husband. She said I was the only other man she had been with. My lawyers are dealing with this. When we find out the truth we will deal with it in the appropriate manner."
We're told that Lindsay found out about the news of her new sister by reading about it on our website.
Michael didn't even have the decency to tell his kids first.
Ewwwwww!
[Image via WENN.]
Back in April Boston Legal aired an episode called The Court Supreme where Alan Shore and Denny Crane went in front of the Supreme Court of the United States and he argued that his client not be put to the death because he allegedly rape a child.
Today the real life Supreme Court of the United States voted on the matter of whether or not someone should be executed and here is what they decided according to Fox News.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child.
In a 5-4 vote, the court said the Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in such cases violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
“The death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion. His four liberal colleagues joined him, while the four more conservative justices dissented.
As soon as I saw the news I wondered if SCOTUS saw this episode and based their decision on Alan Shore’s (James Spader’s) Emmy worthy speech. If he doesn’t win the Emmy for the second year in the row for this speech there is something wrong with the Emmy voters. I mean crap it swayed (don’t you think they saw the epsiode) the Supreme Court of the United States, what more proof do you need that it is Emmy worthy!!!
addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fseriouslyomg.com%2F%3Fp%3D8534'; addthis_title = 'Did+the+Supreme+Court+watch+Boston+Legal%3F'; addthis_pub = 'seriously';
This is WAY serious!
We mentioned earlier that Anne Hathaway's shady ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri was just arrested for fraud.
Among many crazy things, he claimed to be the CFO of the Vatican!
Well, according to a new U.S. Attorney's Office press release, Follieri could go to prison for life.
Here's a full run down of the charges against Follieri:
- Six counts of wire fraud and each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
- Five counts of money laundering and each count also carries a max of 20 years in jail.
- One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years behind bars.
We hope Anne won't get dragged into any of the court drama!
But, we're hearing she already HAS!
An insider tells us it's 99% likely that Hathaway's already been interviewed by the FBI.
Dramz!
[Image via WENN.]
Jacob the Jeweler (aka Jacob Arabov), who's been name checked in songs by everyone from Jay Z to Kanye, has been sentenced to 2.5 years in the slammer, according to reports.
Jacob pleaded guilty last fall to falsifying records and lying to Feds who were investigating a Detroit drug ring. Authorities accused him (and others) of conspiring to launder about $270 million in drug profits!
The judge who sentenced Jacob also ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine and to make a $2 million forfeiture payment to the government.
Jacob said, "I feel ashamed that I broke the laws of this country, a country that has been so good for me. I will carry this shame for the rest of my life."
Shame! Shame! Shame!
His jail sentence is scheduled to start January 15, 2009.
Looks like someone is slowly losing their mind.
And that someone is Linda Hogan!
According to police reports, Linda called the cops to report that Hulk Hogan was driving toward her house, and when she noticed him, she decided to follow him around town.
WTF?
Linda proceeded to call 911 and when she mentioned she was following her ex, which she supposedly has a retraining order against, the operator says, "Ma'am, ma'am, stop following him!"
According to the report, Linda now owns both house. One on the beach, and the other larger one near Clearwater, FL.
When police arrived at her house to question her, she told them she was at home near Clearwater during the early morning of May 22nd while boat repairmen were working outside to fix her boat.
She then left to meet up with her daughter Brooke for breakfast, but after waiting 45 minutes, Brooke never showed up.
Burn!
Your own daughter stands you up for breakfast, without so much as a call to cancel?
It was during that time that one of the employees called Linda saying Brooke was at the house and kicked out all the workers.
Linda then told cops that she believed Hulk is using Brooke to spy on her. It seems Brooke has been living with dad in a Penthouse nearby.
This shit is like a soap opera!!!
Then, while Linda was returning home after locking up the beach house, she noticed Hulk's yellow Dodge Charger on the street and proceeded to follow him. They drove for a while, with Hulk occasionally stopping.
He then drove and stopped outside Linda's house for about 5 minutes and then drove off.
Linda also proceeded to tell officers, without being asked, that she feared for her life - that Hulk had been very physically abusive with her.
She even mentions one time when Hulk held her down on the bed forcibly by her throat, causing her not to be able to breathe. She did state all of these incidents were in the past.
The case has since been closed and no charges have been filed.
Poor Linda.
Linda La Loca!
[Image via WENN.]
Sometimes the paparazzi do get a little too aggressive. However, that is never an excuse for violence!
Academy Award-winner Woody Harrelson has just been sued by a videographer.
The lensman claims that the Cheers alum broke his camera AND assaulted him.
Tisk! Tisk!
Unfortunately for Woody, it seems like the altercation was caught on tape.
Expect for this lawsuit to be filed out of court and Harrelson to pay a hefty sum!
[Image via WENN.]
A judge ruled on Friday that all court proceedings in the Christie Brinkley divorce trial will be made public!
Her soon-to-be ex,