October 2011 Archives

Can you copyright costumes? And do people still dress up as Power Rangers?

Apparently they do, which is why we're even contemplating the first question. SCG Power Rangers LLC, owner of all intellectual property rights associated with the Power Rangers franchise, has sued MyPartyShirt.com on these grounds.

It believes that the website's unofficial Power Rangers costumes constitute both copyright and trademark infringement.

Kim Kardashian's divorce from Kris Humphries probably won't be as lavish as the $10 million wedding. The reality TV starlet is splitting from her NBA beau just 72 days after they were married in front of friends, loved ones, and E! cameras.

The divorce has been confirmed by Ryan Seacrest, the executive producer of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Reports indicate that Kardashian will file for divorce, not an annulment, citing the ever-vague "irreconcilable differences."

Country music star Taylor Swift's "topless photo" caused waves with the star - and her attorneys. Swift's lawyers allege that the risqué photo, posted on gossip site Celebrity Jihad, is not her.

Despite this, the website still hasn't taken down the offending images.

Naturally, Swift's attorneys threatened legal action. In a letter to Celebrity Jihad, they wrote that unless the false pornographic images and news about the starlet is taken down, they will sue for trademark infringement.

In what situations would celebrities consider trademarking their names?

The Conrad Murray trial is winding down, with closing arguments scheduled for sometime in the next few days.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys will spend countless hours perfecting their final arguments, as they can make or break the case.

Why are closing arguments so important? And how are they different from opening statements? What rules must the attorneys follow?

Conrad Murray's trial has taken a strange turn. Defense witness and medical expert Dr. Paul White reportedly called one of his former colleagues a "scumbag." Dr. Steven Shafer, the prosecution witness who was insulted, used to be one of White's colleagues.

White and Shafer worked on books together in the past. Shafer even nominated him for an award in 2009.

The two formerly amicable colleagues are now on opposite sides of the courtroom. Shafer is considered a key prosecution witness. He is an expert on propofol, the anesthesia that killed Michael Jackson. White is a vital defense witness. He prepared a report stating it was possible Jackson could have taken the deadly dose of propofol when Dr. Murray wasn't looking.

Michael Lohan was arrested for the second time just hours after his release on domestic violence charges. The man, who's biggest claim to fame is being Lindsay Lohan's father, tried to elude police in a rather clever way.

He jumped out of a third story balcony. Maybe the reality TV star thought he was auditioning for the role of "fugitive" on Cops.

Some reports have Lohan falling into a tree. Others say that he simply fell onto some wooden high chairs. Though it seems these facts don't really matter. What matters is that generally, running from the police is not a good idea. 

This after reports that he previously tried to get away from police by skipping out of a hospital in his ER gown.

A Connecticut man has sued Sylvester Stallone, accusing him of copyright infringement with respect to the 2010 military film The Expendables.

The Expendables lawsuit claims that plaintiff Marcus Webb wrote and registered The Cordoba Caper in 2006. Both scripts allegedly tell the story of a team of mercenaries sent to dethrone a dictator named General Garza.

Webb has asked for unspecified damages, and seeks to stop production of The Expendables 2, which is due for release in August 2012.

Former MTV's Real World reality star Puck was sentenced to parenting classes over his recent domestic violence charge. Puck, otherwise known as David Rainey, will spend 4 years on probation.

He will also attend 52 weeks of a domestic violence counseling program and 52 parenting classes in Los Angeles. Puck will also need to serve 30 days on a highway cleanup patrol.

Puck's sentence stems from his domestic violence arrest in June. It's unclear what he was doing at the time, though he was charged with child endangerment, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, domestic battery, and corporal injury on a spouse.

if you were something of a problem child, driving your parents and possibly the law crazy, buck up. You're not alone. Even famous people get arrested. In fact, some celebrities' rap sheets extend into their juvenile years.

This buys into the whole idea that celebrities are just like us. They buy coffee, do laundry, and get arrested as teenagers.

Here are some of these famous former juvenile delinquents:

Jenny Lyons' divorce from her husband Vincent Mazeau has probably captured the attention of budding fashionistas everywhere. For those not familiar with the exec, Jenna Lyons is the millionaire head of J. Crew. She's also known for her chic style.

She once even gave Oprah a tour of her closet, which contained many goodies that most girls would only dare dream of owning.

As it turns out, the drama in the fashion biz isn't just contained to the catwalk. Lyons divorce from Mazeau is a far from pretty.

She's rumored to be in a lesbian relationship with another woman. He claims he gave up his career. She claims she supported him financially. And at the center: a custody battle for their five-year-old son Beckett.

Is Ashton Kutcher the father of January Jones' baby boy? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. But rumors about Ashton Kutcher's paternity are swirling because of a recent blind item gossip tidbit.

BlindGossip.com ran a story on October 17 that speculated about a "married actor" who had a "one-night stand with one of his exes." It went on to specify that the actress is on an "acclaimed television show."

The story went on, explaining that the married actor's wife found out about the baby, and both husband and wife tried every tactic including "money, lawyers, threats to ruin her career" to get the ex to terminate her pregnancy. Then an online gossip blogger posted another item that succinctly read: "all signs point to January Jones."

Ben Affleck's flick The Town and series of NYC robberies have a few things in common.

Well, more than few things. The robberies were inspired by the film.

The series of thefts in New York targeted corner stores, discount stores and pizzerias. The robbers took off with a total of around $217,000. The crimes were dubbed the "splash and dash" robberies because the culprits doused cash registers and drawers with bleach. They hoped to erase their DNA evidence.

David Paul Miramontes, better known as David Paul, was Heather Mills' hairdresser. That is, until she reportedly stiffed him $80,000 for his services.

Los Angeles-based Paul is a celebrity stylist. He charges thousands of dollars for his cuts. In fact, he claims he styled the ex-Mrs. Paul McCartney's hair 20 times between 2005 and 2008. He even cut her hair for her appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

Except, Mills never paid. It's not like she doesn't have the funds.She received a hefty $50 million sum (around £24.3 million pounds) from McCartney after their divorce.

Jimmy Flynt, Larry Flynt's brother, has sued the Hustler magazine publisher. Jimmy is accusing Larry of wrongfully terminating him from his $250,000 position at Flynt Management Group LLC.

Jimmy is now seeking more than $20 million in damages.

Just goes to show there is big bucks to be made in porn.

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan was handcuffed and taken away from a courtroom in Los Angeles this morning. After a scathing dress down from the judge, the impeccably dressed Lohan's probation was revoked.

Lohan fans, fear not. The actress won't be spending any time behind bars (yet). Though her bail was set at a hefty $100,000, a bondsman was ready at the court to post the amount. She is due back in court on November 2 for a probation violation hearing.

The Mean Girls starlet got herself into legal trouble again by allegedly blowing off her community service obligations at the Downtown Women's Shelter.

How many second chances can one Hollywood has been get?

An anonymous actress has sued Amazon, claiming that the company's Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) published her age without her consent.

In Hollywood, age matters. Most people consider it common knowledge that the older the actress, the less likely she will be able to become a breakout star.

That's exactly what Jane Doe, the anonymous Texan actress, alleges. She said she signed up for a paid version of the listing website, called IMDb Pro, in 2008. After signing up for the service, her birthday was published onto the site and her 40-year-old age was revealed.

Rapper Soulja Boy was arrested in Georgia on Tuesday after a traffic stop turned into a drug, cash, and gun bust.

An officer stopped Soulja Boy's rented Cadillac Escalade early in the morning.

Inside his vehicle, officers found a "substantial amount" of marijuana, guns and some cash. Authorities did not indicate the exact amount of drugs found in the car, or if the guns had the proper paperwork.

Miami rapper Rick Ross had a seizure on a flight departing from Fort Lauderdale today. In fact, the seizure was serious enough that pilots turned around and landed Rick Ross' plane.

After the abrupt landing, Ross was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Seems all of the Teflon Don's Hustlin' finally caught up to him. Make no mistake, Rick Ross' seizure was no small occurrence: CPR was reportedly performed as he was rushed to the hospital.

After today's Delta flight from Fort Lauderdale to Memphis made the emergency landing, EMTs performed CPR on the rapper who had lost consciousness.

Chris Tucker's foreclosure is probably unsurprising to his fans: he owes upwards of $11 million to the IRS in back taxes.

Why shouldn't Rush Hour fans be surprised? The comedian has even worked his financial woes into his routine. "That's the last time I let Wesley Snipes help me out with my taxes," Tucker recently joked during an act.

For those that haven't heard, Snipes is in prison serving time for evading taxes.

But losing a home is usually no laughing matter. And in Tucker's case, it seems that he's about to lose his $6 million mansion in Florida.

This is especially sad because Tucker's house comes complete with a pirate ship-themed basement.

OutKast rapper Big Boi will avoid jail. The star, whose real name is Antwan Patton, has struck a deal with prosecutors.

The rapper was busted earlier this year disembarking a cruise ship in Florida with drugs on him. He was carrying ecstasy, a cigarette with marijuana residue, and MDMA.

What exactly does Big Boi have to do to avoid the big house?

Guess which Harry Potter actor was caught with a bomb? If you guessed the guy who plays Vincert Crabbe: "Jamie Waylett," you'd be right.

Though, most Potter fans likely won't recognize Waylett's real name. The 22-year-old actor played Vincent Crabbe, the bully sidekick to Draco Malfoy.

Perhaps Waylett is just trying to live up to his character's reputation.

He was arrested and charged this week for possessing a homemade petrol bomb. The charges stem from his participation in the London riots earlier in August.

Country music star Tim McGraw's court battle with Curb Records has gotten ugly.

A court hearing will be held on November 29 to determine whether or not McGraw can record new songs while his contract dispute with the recording label remains unsettled.

The contract dispute started when McGraw recorded a new album shortly after his 2009 CD "Southern Voice." Curb filed suit in May, saying that the country music star had violated his contract.

They said that he'd turned out the new tracks too soon after his previous album was released. McGraw counter-sued, hoping to be released from his contract entirely.

The man who nabbed stars Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson's nude photos has been caught. The "hackerazzi" was arrested by the FBI earlier this week.

The man allegedly lives in Florida but will be charged for his crimes in California. Authorities say that he acted alone and not for financial gain.

The FBI arrest comes after what was dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi." Federal investigators became involved in the case when multiple Hollywood stars had their computers and mobile phones hacked. Johansson was one of the stars who had private nude photos leaked.

You've heard the rumors. You know, the ones about celebrities who insure body parts for millions of dollars. Some deny it (JLo), while others, like Girl Next Door Holly Madison, embrace the publicity it brings.

No matter how the celebrity handled the gossip, you were probably laughing and rolling your eyes. But you know you have questions.

Does body part insurance really exist? How does it work? What's the point? And is it available to the masses?

Guess who got married this weekend: Beatles star Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell. The question on many inquiring minds is, of course, whether or not Nancy Shevell signed a prenup.

Well, Nancy Shevell may not be a well-known celebrity. But let's make one thing clear: she doesn't really need McCartney's cash. In fact, she comes from money herself.

Shevell's family owns a truck hauling company that makes more than $400 million in revenue a year. Maybe this is why the reports are that the two lovebirds took the plunge without a prenup.

For American Pie star Jason Biggs, a prostitute has brought him and his wife Jenny Mollen closer together. You read that right, a prostitute that didn't harm, but helped, a marriage.

How? The two ordered a prostitute together while on a trip to Las Vegas.

Mollen blogged about the experience in an article for The Smoking Jacket, a website that is affiliated with Playboy. The couple has been married for three years: hence the need to spice up their marriage, it seems.

Mollen's post about the experience was both graphic and humorous. But many may wonder - how is this legal?

MTV reality-less star John Devenanzio has launched an official attack on season seven of HBO's hit show Entourage.

Devenanzio filed a lawsuit this week accusing the show's producers of improperly using his nickname, Johnny Bananas. The final season of Entourage features a fake cartoon named Johnny's Bananas.

The similarities have apparently caused him "tremendous emotional distress" and "great mental anguish and pain."

Have you not heard of the other Johnny Bananas? You're not alone.

Country music star Sara Evans' restraining order against her ex-husband Craig Schelske is not your typical restraining order.

Evans' restraining order doesn't forbid her ex from coming near her. Instead, it forbids him from doing one thing: it blocks him from making public statements about their divorce proceedings.

Evans obtained the court order after Schelske appeared on Anderson Cooper's new TV show on September 20. Schelske discussed his recent divorce on air. He said he lost custody of his children because Evans lied and accused him of being obsessed with porn. He also said she claimed that he was an adulterer.