November 2011 Archives

Thousands of viewers tuned in to watch sisterly antics and the rapid disintegration of Kim Kardashian's marriage on the reality show Kourtney and Kim Take New York. Now, reports are surfacing that Kris Humphries wants an annulment - not a divorce - from Kim and their 72-day marriage.

Humphries is said to be going forward with filing the necessary legal papers within a few days.

Kardashian fans might be wondering why Humphries wants an annulment rather than divorce. The short answer? That annulments mean the marriage was never valid to begin with. Getting an annulment will make the marriage nonexistent, as if it'd never happened.

It seems that this star is under huge Waterfalls of debt. Tionne Watkins, better known as TLC’s T-Boz, has filed for bankruptcy for the second time. She and the rest of TLC previously filed for bankruptcy in 1995 during the success of their CrazySexyCool album which sold millions of copies nationwide.

In her new filing, T-Boz is hoping to get rid of around $768,643 in debt to creditors. Most of her debt stems from mortgage payments on her million-dollar home.

The bankruptcy filing details that she has a monthly income of around $11,700 and monthly expenses of $8,821. Despite TLC’s many hits, The Hollywood Reporter reports that T-Boz’s filing says she only receives $1,200 a month in royalty payments.

Tameka Raymond, Usher's ex-wife, is somewhat unhappy with her former husband and father of her children. She's so unhappy that she's reportedly filed court documents in Georgia asking a judge to give her full custody of her sons.

According to the complaint, Usher has done the following acts, which are not permitted under their custody agreement:

For the second year in a row, teen pop star Miley Cyrus' salvia smoking habit is sparking controversy over a substance that's illegal in many states.

Cyrus celebrated her 19th birthday last week, at a bash captured on camera. Video posted online at TheDaily.com shows the former Hannah Montana star laughing at her birthday cake -- adorned with an edible image of reggae star Bob Marley -- and apparently admitting to an illegal drug habit.

"You know you're a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake," Cyrus says on the video. "You know you smoke way too much f---in' weed."

Then Cyrus' friend Kelly Osbourne chimes in, "I thought salvia was your problem Miley?"

Everybody who earns a salary typically needs to pay taxes. That's just the way it is. Yet, it seems that for some hip hop artists, paying their tax bill is something that simply slips their mind. Case in point: 24-year-old rapper Bow Wow reportedly owes the IRS around $91,105.61 for unpaid taxes from the year 2006.

Reports are that the artist formerly known as "Lil' Bow Wow" even has a lien on his property in the state of Florida.

If the reports are true, it seems Bow Wow is simply the latest artist who has run afoul of the tax codes. Just a few months ago, rapper Ja Rule was sentenced to 28 months in prison for tax evasion.

The case against an alleged Selena Gomez stalker has been dismissed, but Gomez's pursuit of a permanent restraining order against the man continues.

A judge Wednesday reissued a temporary restraining order against Thomas Broadnicki, 46. A hearing on whether to make the order permanent was pushed back to Jan. 6.

The temporary order, first issued in October, requires Broadnicki to stay at least 100 yards away from Gomez, her parents, and her assistant.

"Fierce" reality show winner and fashion designer Christian Siriano has been sued by his talent agency. The Project Runway star turned Payless ShoeSource designer allegedly stopped paying his agency.

Siriano, known for his flair and his "hot tranny mess" catchphrase he often uttered on Runway, landed a deal with Payless in 2008 to create footwear for the company's 4,500 stores.

His agency, Designer's Management Agency, says that they negotiated the deal and was orally promised a 20% commission. The agency says that Siriano received $35,000 from Payless as a design fee, and gets a 2.5% royalty for total sales. His contract with Payless also nets him $50,000 each for the Fall and Spring collections, and $30,000 each for the Summer and Holiday collections.

Police are looking for actor Jeremy London over allegations he assaulted his girlfriend in Pam Beach, California last Friday.

London formerly starred in family-friendly shows like 7th Heaven and Party of Five. He also starred in somewhat less family-friendly shows like Celebrity Rehab where he spent time dealing with his drug addiction.

Police say that London injured his girlfriend after an argument over child custody issues turned violent. She is said to have suffered minor injuries. London's representatives have denied the allegations, stating that no abuse occurred. They say that an investigation will show that the actor was not at fault.

A man has sued MTV, claiming in a new Jersey Shore lawsuit that the network stole the show idea from him. Bruce Hulse filed the case in Los Angeles. He said he met up with the network in 2006 and pitched an idea called Jersey Shore.

To make matters more interesting, Hulse said he even showed a video of what his show idea would be like - he screened a clip to MTV execs that showed "stereotypical young men and women from New Jersey who were spending their summer in and around the New Jersey shore and cities."

Stop us if this sounds familiar.

Robert Wagner is responsible for Hollywood actress Natalie Wood's drowning death off Catalina Island near Los Angeles in 1981, according Dennis Davern. Davern was the captain of the boat on which Wood was sailing when she drowned.

Now, three decades after investigators concluded that her death was a tragic accident, her case has been reopened.

It's a new development in a case that has long been shrouded in mystery. Wood, the star of such iconic movies as Miracle on 34th Street and Rebel Without a Cause, died at the age of 43. Her body was found floating in the water. The actress was wearing a nightgown, socks, and a down jacket.

Divorce bells (or whatever the opposite of wedding bells are) are ringing for former lovebirds Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. Moore released a statement on Thursday announcing the demise of their marriage. This comes after months of speculation that Kutcher cheated on his wife.

In a released statement, Moore says that there are “certain values and vows” that she holds dear, and that she’s chosen to “move forward” with her life. Apparently to move forward, she needs to do so without Ashton and their six-year-marriage.

Ashton also joined in with a Twitter post that read: “I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail.”

It's time for Beliebers to rejoice: it turns out it probably wasn't his baby. Justin Bieber's paternity suit has been dropped by would-be baby mama, Mariah Yeater. Alleged text messages sent by Yeater about the real father may also be landing the 20-year-old in some legal trouble.

Yeater's suit was quietly dropped on November 9. Her previous attorneys withdrew from representing her.

Her new attorneys, however, are still negotiating with Bieber's attorneys out of court in an effort to get him to take the paternity test. They also probably want to get Yeater a cut of Bieber's ample paycheck.

But some of Yeater's reported text messages seem to unravel her entire claim.

Jersey Shore fans can tell you that "GTL" stands for "gym, tan, laundry." But, maybe it should really stand for "gym, tan, lawsuit." Reality star "The Situation" has sued clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch for $4 million for infringing on his trademarks and falsely affiliating him with the brand.

The Situation, real name Mike Sorrentino, says that last August A&F went off on a worldwide campaign using his name and likeness.

No, the company didn't use The Situation as a celebrity endorsement. Instead, they offered to pay The Situation to stop wearing A&F clothes.

Guess which diva is being sued for her diva-like behavior? Patti LaBelle is accused of throwing water and shouting obscenities at Roseanna Monk and her 18-month-old toddler.

The incident allegedly occurred last November in the New York building where Monk lives. LaBelle was allegedly staying there when she was performing on Broadway.

Monk says that LaBelle became irritated when she let her toddler wander around the lobby. Monk was busy sorting her luggage at the time.

That's when LaBelle stepped in.

Now, I ain't saying she's a gold digger. But look, your newest girl is sporting the most expensive Louis Vuitton bag, a $500 haircut, and designer jeans that cost more than your weekly salary.

Sure, you think she loves you for your winning personality. Then again, maybe her eyes aren't on your heart but on your checking account.

Are even thinking about saying "We Want Prenup?" "Yeah!?!"

Then our man Kanye West has some words of wisdom for you.

Everyone's favorite reality TV starlet wants people to know that her 72-day marriage was based on love, not financial motivation. Kim Kardashian has sued Jonathan Jaxson, her ex-publicist who claims that her marriage to Kris Humphries was a "sham."

Kim has hired attorney Marty Singer to go after the publicist.

Jaxson knows Kim well -- he worked with Kim from 2007 to 2009. During that time he says he helped Kim stage multiple publicity stunts.

Picture this: a cross-dressing, booze-filled, cocaine-fueled sex party. If you combine all of these elements you get the Oscar de la Hoya sex lawsuit filed by New York model Angelica Marie Cecora.

Cecora is claiming that the former boxing champ assaulted and falsely imprisoned her in March. She's seeking damages over the rendezvous, which took place at the upscale Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Manhattan.

She wants $5 million in damages. And odds are, the facts alleged in the case will be racy enough to make an entire jury panel blush.

The Lindsay Lohan-Pitbull defamation battle is heating up, and the rapper is taking no prisoners.

Lohan sued Pitbull back in August over his song, "Give Me Everything." In it, he cheekily raps that he's "got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan." He apparently hurt her Ms. Lohan's feelings.

But chances are his just-filed court response will hurt her even more. It includes a very long list of her legal troubles, which the rapper says justify his lyrics.

And Pitbull makes a pretty solid legal argument.

Maybe it was just about time for him to face the music - and legal action. Adam Lambert is battling a new lawsuit: a company is alleging that the American Idol runner-up was ineligible for the Fox talent competition because he was already under an operating agreement with a recording company at the time.

This would violate American Idol's rules. The suit originates from a music company called Colwel Platinum Entertainment. They are in the process of releasing a new Lambert CD - which Lambert's attorney's pulled the plug on - dubbed "Beg For Mercy."

You might be wondering why a third-party music company is bringing a suit against Lambert alleging he wasn't eligible or the competition.

After all, if anybody's going to complain wouldn't it be Fox?

Newsflash for all parents out there: Real Housewives may set a bad example for your kids. It seems that since many episodes of reality TV programs display bullying at its finest, some kids might accidentally learn life lessons on how to be unkind to others.

A recent survey of teenage girls by the Girl Scouts Research Institute underscored this conclusion.

What exactly did the survey find?

Conrad Murray is guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The Michael Jackson death trial ended when Conrad Murray's verdict was announced this afternoon.

Seven men and five women took 6 hours on Friday and three hours Monday to find Conrad Murray guilty in the much-publicized manslaughter trial. Michael Jackson's fans had been following every movement of the trial for weeks.

Murray was accused of administering a fatal dose of propofol, a powerful anesthetic, to Jackson. The singer was said to have difficulty sleeping without the drug. The guilty verdict means Dr. Murray could face up to four years in jail.

So, America, we know what you are wondering now: 

What exactly goes into a jury verdict?

NBC now needs to dig deep and use some legal resources to defend against inadvertent reality star Anurag Tiwari. Tiwari claims that the network's "To Catch a Predator" program was defamatory, invaded his privacy, and caused emotional distress.

Tiwari was a former engineer at Sun Microsystems. He fell into the "To Catch a Predator" trap in 2006.

For those unfamiliar with the show, the basic premise is that law enforcement officials lure pedophiles to a house using fake identities. When the suspect appears, they are confronted by news cameras and host Chris Hanson who grills them about their actions. It can make for fairly entertaining television. Except, it can also be violating Tiwari's rights.

"Baby, baby, baby... noooooo!" That seems to be the response from the pop star's lawyers after rumors of Justin Bieber's baby-making spread like wildfire Wednesday.

In response, Bieber borrows a line from Shaggy -- "It wasn't me." His attorneys tell Star magazine that there's no way he was ever alone with anyone backstage at a concert.

But that kind of denial probably won't help the mop-haired heartthrob fight this allegation in court.

Another day, another Real Housewives-related lawsuit. Maybe the network should consider retaining an attorney to tend to their reality TV stars' legal woes. Next up to face a lawsuit is Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jacqueline Laurita.

Laurita and her husband are being sued for $7.8 million.

The suit alleges that the couple misused company funds from the clothing line, Signature Apparel. Signature Apparel was founded by Laurita's husband and her brother-in-law. 

Where did the funds go? To support some extravagant lifestyles, it seems.

Kim Kardashian's prenup leaves soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries without any extra Kardashian bling in his bank account.

Reports are that the prenuptial agreement keeps all of their property separate.

The financially sound prenup shouldn't be much of a surprise. After all, Kim's father is an attorney. And, in Kim's own words, she's a "smart girl."

Smart enough to insist on an airtight prenup, anyway.

You're driving down the street when you're pulled over by a cop. You didn't do anything wrong, so what could he want? Do you answer his questions and do as he says?

You may be surprised, but Jay-Z is the one to ask. He "ain't pass the bar but [he] knows a little bit."

About the Fourth Amendment, that is.

Let's cue up Jay-Z's 2004 hit, 99 Problems. You'll see what we're talking about.