DES'REE FILES SUIT AGAINST BEYONCE

BEYONCE KNOWLES insists there was a "misunderstanding" over her album bonus track I’m Kissing You, which has been withdrawn from sale in a copyright dispute. English singer Des’ree and co-writer Timothy Atack filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in New York District Court against Knowles last week , claiming the former Destiny’s Child singer did not obtain proper clearance to cover the 1996 song, which appeared as the love theme in William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet movie. Knowles’ cover of the song, Still In Love (Kissing You) appeared on a special Deluxe Edition of her B’Day album, which has now been withdrawn from sale following the legal dispute. A statement from Knowles’ management firm Music World Entertainment, reads, "Unfortunately, there were some misunderstandings regarding whether Des’ree’s song (I’m) Kissing You was cleared for release in the United States." Des’ree is seeking $150,000 in damages.

Beyonce and Des'ree lawsuit drama !

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SLUT PARIS HILTON MAY SUE MTV

Paris Hilton is threatening to sue MTV unless they pull a sketch where she parodies her drunk-driving incident.The hotel heiress filmed the skit for the debut episode of 'Short Circuitz'in January, but she is now seemingly failing to see the funny side.The sketch - due to air today- features Paris promoting her 'What Would Paris Do' bracelets in a fake infomercial. In one clip, a blonde is pulled over by a police officer for drunk-driving and, after consulting her bracelet, starts grinding against the cop.The blushing officer says: "I can't arrest you, you're too fabulous." Paris, 26, shot the sketch before she was arrested for driving with a suspended licence on February 27. The arrest violated the 36-month probation order she received after pleading no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving in January. Last week, Paris' lawyers demanded the US music TV network delete the sketch from the comedy show or face legal action.

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BEYONCE KNOWLES LAWSUIT DROPPED !

Beyonce Knowles has won a legal battle against a former business associate, after his $1.5 million lawsuit accusing the singer of short changing him was thrown out of court. Greg Walker of Icon Entertainment was suing the "Irreplaceable" star for reportedly cutting him out of a $15 million fashion deal he had arranged with Knowles and her mother, Tina, in 2003. Walker claimed Knowles failed to pay him the $25,000 for his services, which led to the creation of the singer's clothing line, House of Dereon, in 2004, reports the New York Daily News. But Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Herman Kahn ruled that Walker never had a signed contract with Knowles, and therefore lacked a valid argument.

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PAPARAZZI LAWSUIT AGAINST PAMELA ANDERSON AND GAL-PAL DENISE RICHARDS

Pamela Anderson

Celebrity pals Denise Richards (left) and Pamela Anderson have been named in a lawsuit filed by two photographers, who claim the actresses verbally and physically abused them. In a lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles, photographers Scott Cosman and Rik Fedyck allege Richards raged when she spotted them taking snapshots of her on the set of her upcoming movie "Blonde & Blonder" last year. According to the lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZ.com , Richards spent 20 minutes hurling abuse at the two men and physically assaulted them at the River Rock Casino Resort in Vancouver, Canada. The plaintiffs claim Richards then "snatched their laptop computers from their hands, and threw them over the (hotel) balcony," adding one of the computers allegedly struck "an elderly woman in a wheelchair." Canadian police investigated the incident and decided it "wasn't in the best public interest to bring criminal charges" against the actress. In the lawsuit, Cosman and Fedyck claim Richards and Anderson, her "Blonde & Blonder" co-star, then falsely told the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that the photographers "had engaged in criminal activity." As a result, they were arrested and held by authorities for "approximately three days." Cosman and Fedyck are suing both women for assault, battery, defamation, false arrest and other charges.

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COMIC CAROL BURNETT SUES 'FAMILY GUY'

The Fox TV Hit Family Guy Is Going To Court

Comedian Carol Burnett has filed a copyright infringement suit against the makers of Fox TV's cartoon sitcom "Family Guy" over an episode poking fun at the performer and her variety show from the 1960s and '70s. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims "Family Guy" violated Burnett's exclusive rights to her name and likeness by depicting her signature cleaning-woman (right) character in a segment last April without her consent. The suit, which seeks at least $2 million in damages, also says the cartoon episode used a "slightly altered version" of the copyrighted musical theme to "The Carol Burnett Show" without permission from the 73-year-old entertainer. A spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television, which produces "Family Guy," said on Friday the suit was without merit and that references to Burnett and her show in an 18-second sequence of the cartoon amounted to parody. "'Family Guy,' like the 'Carol Burnett Show,' is famous for its pop culture parodies and satirical jabs at celebrities," the studio said in a statement. "We are surprised that Ms. Burnett, who has made a career of spoofing others on television, would go so far as to sue 'Family Guy' for a simple bit of comedy." The episode in question refers to Burnett by name as working as a part-time janitor, and depicts her "charwoman" character -- complete with trademark blue bonnet and mop bucket -- cleaning the floor of a pornography shop, the suit says. Another character then makes a vulgar reference to the signature ear tug used by Burnett at the close of her variety show each week, according to the lawsuit. Burnett and her company have urged Fox to reedit the "Family Guy" episode to remove any reference her, but the studio has so far refused, the suit said. "The Carol Burnett Show," combining comedy sketches and musical performances, aired on CBS from 1967 to 1978 and was one of the most popular shows on U.S. television in that era.

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MORE AMERICAN IDOL SCANDAL AS MARIO VASQUEZ SUED FOR MASTURBATING

Give American Idol's Mario Vasquez A Hand !

Former "American Idol" finalist Mario Vasquez is facing accusations that he tried to masturbate in front of a male employee in a bathroom on the set of the hit show in February 2005. Shortly thereafter, Vasquez mysteriously dropped out of "Idol," citing personal reasons.The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Vazquez allegedly "sexually harassed" Magdaleno Olmos, assistant accountant for Fremantle Media, the company that produces American Idol. In the lawsuit, Olmos claims "Vazquez stared lasciviously, smiled lasciviously ... and on one occasion followed him into a bathroom ... knocked on the door of the plaintiff's stall and made eye contact through the space in the stall door."The lawsuit alleges that Vazquez "started to rub his genitals over his pants. Attempting to leave the bathroom, Olmos opened the door of the stall and saw Vazquez standing in front of him with his pants down masturbating."According to the documents, Vazquez pushed Olmos "further into the stall and continued masturbating with one hand and trying to pull down Olmos' pants with another hand." Olmos claims that he tried to "cover his body with his hands" but Vazquez touched his "chest and stomach underneath his shirt, and Olmos' "genitals" as Vazquez "attempted to unzip" Olmos' pants. Vazquez then allegedly asked Olmos "if he wanted oral sex."In the lawsuit, Olmos claims that as he "managed to get out of the stall, and attempted to leave the bathroom," Vazquez, grabbed his arm "in an effort to stop him." Vazquez continued to call Olmos to come back as Vazquez "stood in the bathroom with his pants still down."In the suit, Olmos claims that he tried to report the incident to a superior named Eric LaPointe, who allegedly responded by telling Olmos that "he was crazy" and "repeatedly threatening to fire" him. A few months after the incident, Olmos claims he was "terminated."In addition to suing Vazquez, Olmos has named FOX Entertainment and Fremantle Media as defendants in his lawsuit for wrongful termination.

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PEREZ HILTON WINS ROUND TWO !

Perez Hilton Gossip's 24-7

Mario Lavandeira, aka Perez Hilton, has won round two in his court battle with a major Hollywood photo agency that wanted his website PerezHilton.com closed, when a judge ruled that the 'Gossip Gangstar' can continue to run his website while the $7.5 million case is being decided.Last month, a judge denied Perez's attempt to have the case dismissed.Hilton, who runs the popular gossip website PerezHilton.com, was sued back in December after the agency claims he ignored warnings to stop using its images without permission. Hilton is known for taking celebrity pictures and making amusingly crude drawings on them. "The court's ruling is further validation of our client's position in this dispute," Hilton's lawyer, Bryan J. Freedman, tells TMZ, "We continue to believe that Mr. Lavandeira ultimately will prevail on the legal merits at the time of trial in this matter." Since I am no stranger to being a photographer, I can see both sides to this battle. I had to take people to court before and it's not fun at all. The best way for this to end is for the photo agency x17 to make a agreement with Perez to give them photo credit and a link to their site. I have spoken to many photographers who do this with Perez and they say sales increase as well as traffic to their website. He is reaching millions a day and photo editors watch www.perezhilton.com for the latest snaps. I know Perez and he is a really nice guy as well as quite entertaining to hang out with. I never heard of half these agencies till I saw them on Perez's site. It's better to just drop this lawsuit and come to a agreement.

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CAMERON DIAZ SETTLES WITH ENQUIRER

Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz has settled for substantial libel damages from an American tabloid the other day, after the publication falsely claimed she was cheating on then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake with a married man. The "Charlie's Angels" star, 34, filed a lawsuit against publishers American Media Inc. over the offending article which appeared on the National Enquirer Web site in May 2005, with accompanying photos accusing Diaz of having an affair with MTV producer Shane Nickerson -- the man behind her adventure TV show "Trippin'".
Lawyers for the National Enquirer told London's High Court today the publication accepted the allegations were unfounded and "ought never to have been published." They agreed to pay the actress an undisclosed amount, and issued a public apology to Diaz, Timberlake, Nickerson and his wife for any distress their article may have caused. Diaz previously settled a similar libel claim with British newspaper The Sun in July 2005, after it printed the same story.

Apology to Cameron Diaz from National Enquirer

On May, 23, 2005 we published an article in our magazine and on our website entitled “Cameron Caught Cheating.” That article was accompanied by photographs which purported to show Ms. Diaz, who at the time was dating Justin Timberlake, kissing Shane Nickerson, a married man. We have subsequently been informed, and accept that, the relevant incident involved nothing more than Ms. Diaz giving a friend a good bye hug and accept that there is no question of a romantic relationship between Ms. Diaz and Mr. Nickerson. We are happy to set the record straight and apologize to Ms. Diaz and to Mr. Nickerson and his family for any distress caused.

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NICOLE KIDMAN WANTS ROMANCE

Nicole Kidman has had Australian bees wax candles shipped to her Tennessee home for Valentine's Day.The 'Cold Mountain' star will romance her country singer husband Keith Urban with the organic Northern Lights candles, designed to maintain inner-balance and harmony. Nicole has bought a dozen of the $20 candles which are made from organic Australian beeswax and cosmetic grade macadamia nut oil with chemical-free cotton wicks. Keith, a former cocaine addict and alcoholic, was recently released from the Betty Ford clinic where he was being treated for alcoholism. Nicole is recovering after being involved in a car crash while filming 'The Invasion'.The 39-year-old actress was hospitalised when her camera-rigged stunt car crashed into a light pole on the Los Angeles' set. Meanwhile, Keith is suing a New Jersey artist, also named Keith Urban, for selling paintings online under the pretence they were created by the singer.The painter sold his artwork using the website www.keithurban.com , which he registered in May 1999, the same year Keith's self-titled debut album entered the US charts.The lawsuit, filed on Friday, states the New Jersey-based painter"registered an internet domain name and has structured a related website with the intent of producing confusion as to the sponsorship of the website and the source of the goods advertised for sale there on."The homepage opens with the message: "You have reached the site of Keith Urban. To those who don't know, oil painting is one of my hobbies. To view some of my work, please enter my virtual gallery."

Country Singer Keith Urban

THE BEATLES SETTLE WITH APPLE

The Beatles are set to dominate the British charts again after settling their Apple trademark dispute. Fab Four fans were thrilled to hear iPod manufacturer Apple Inc had settled their almost 30-year battle with The Beatles' record company Apple Corps over who owned the legal rights to the Apple name. Apple Inc will now own all trademarks relating to Apple and will license certain ones back to Apple Corps - meaning The Beatles' music, which has never been officially sold online, could soon be released via iTunes. One music source said: "Making these songs available could spark a whole new outbreak of Beatlemania."Apple Inc boss Steve Jobs said he was delighted to have settled the legal battle. He added: "We love The Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner."A recent change in how the British singles chart is compiled - which now considers downloads sales of any track ever released - means The Beatles could dominate the pop charts almost 45 years since their first release.The change even includes album tracks, meaning classic hits such as 'Blackbird' and 'Across The Universe' could hit the top spot. 'Hey Jude', which originally topped the charts in September 1968, is the bookmakers' favourite to be the first number one single, followed by 'Yesterday'.