Supermodel Tyra Banks' signature reality show, 'America's Next Top Model,' was marred by a contestant melee outside a New York hotel Saturday
NYPD arrests three at Saturday audition
By Matthew B. Zeidman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 3/15/09 – “America’s Next Top Model” and creator Tyra Banks are known for stirring up the occasional bit of controversy, but it usually doesn’t end with the reality show’s participants being hauled off in handcuffs, as it did during a Saturday audition.
According to the Associated Press, police were forced to intervene during a street-level melee in front of New York’s Hotel Park Central, yesterday, involving hundreds waiting to try out for the amateur modeling program.
It was unclear what caused the disturbance, which left six people injured, including two hospitalizations, and led to the arrests of two women and one man on charges of disorderly conduct. Police were also forced to close down the casting session.
A statement released by The CW later in the day did not speculate what caused the problem, but promised the television network’s cooperation with investigators.
The show is currently in its ninth season, or cycle, and began airing on The CW after its original network, UPN, merged with The WB. Saturday’s audition was for the 10th season, which will, for the first time, only feature women 5’7” tall and shorter.
“America’s Next Top Model” has been a ratings boon for The CW, which pulled episodes of its flagship drama, “Gossip Girl,” off its Web site last season in an effort to boost traditional viewership and lure more advertising dollars to the struggling network.
Lindsay Lohan, seen here with younger sister Ali Lohan, is due in court Monday to address charges she violated her probation
Court issues warrant for tabloid-friendly actress
By Matthew B. Zeidman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 3/14/09 – Lindsay Lohan isn’t likely looking forward to a relaxing weekend following the news the city of Beverly Hills wants to slap the cuffs on her. The Associated Press reported an arrest warrant had been issued for the “Georgia Rule” star Friday, which was later confirmed in a statement by her lawyer.
In the press release issued Saturday, Lohan’s attorney revealed the warrant had to do with an alleged probation violation related to her 2007 DUI conviction and promised the “misunderstanding” would be cleared up during a Monday court appearance.
“Since her case was resolved, Ms. Lohan has been in compliance with all the terms and conditions of her probation and all orders of the court,” said attorney Shawn Chapman Holley. “The warrant issued on Friday was, in our view, born out of a misunderstanding which I am confident I can clear up next week.”
According to People magazine, Lohan spent Friday evening partying with friends in West Hollywood, before stopping at Jack Nicholson’s Mulholland Drive home early Saturday morning and demanding to be let in by the film heavyweight.
The publication claimed Lohan was allowed inside the Nicholson compound, where her own bodyguard retrieved her and drove her to girlfriend Samantha Ronson’s home at 4:30 a.m. Later Saturday, police responded to a disturbance there.
It is unknown if Friday night’s events have any relation to the alleged probation violation or if Lohan was at Ronson’s home when police arrived.
During a Saturday press conference, Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen stated there were no plans to pursue the “Freaky Friday” actress before the court hearing, but Lohan would be subject to arrest if she were to encounter law enforcement officials before then.
Ambitious pull-out schedule for area long torn by war By Jeffrey Jolson
Omaba backs his pledge to end Iraq War
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today/RushPRnews) 2/27/09 — President Barack Obama appears to be making good on his claims to end the costly U.S. presence in Iraq - and in no short order. His officials say next summer will be the end of our foray into Iraq, which many critics has claimed to be a disaster, others necessary. Yet most Americans agreed, and voted for Obama as he said he would end our side of the conflict.
While there has been — and will be competing factions there for decades — America will no longer play it’s present role.
“Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” Obama will say, according to the officials.
Congressional officials Thursday said the president told congressional leaders of his plan.
Under this plan, all combat troops will be withdrawn within 19 months of Obama’s January inauguration, three months longer than his promise on the campaign trail.
In a meeting at the White House on Thursday evening, Obama also told lawmakers that he plans to keep a range of 35,000 to 50,000 support troops on the ground in Iraq after combat troops are out, the officials said.
Two senior administration officials said the remaining troops would advise in training and equipping Iraqi forces; supporting civilian operations; and conducting targeted counterterrorism missions.
There are 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
Expect ground troops in Afghanistan to increase, although it is unclear how many at this point.
And in the words of the Vegetable-growers consortium and John Lennon, is “All we are saying is, is give peas a chance.”
TMZ released what appeared to be an official police photo of Rihanna's injuries Thursday, but did not specify how they obtained the image
Statement mentions Brown, but does not elaborate
By Matthew B. Zeidman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 2/21/09 – Singer Rihanna broke her silence Friday regarding the alleged beating she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, pop star Chris Brown, by releasing a statement about the Feb. 8 incident.
“At the request of the authorities, Rihanna is not commenting about the incident involving Chris Brown,” reps from Rubenstein Associates said in a statement. “She wants to assure her fans that she remains strong, is doing well, and deeply appreciates the outpouring of support she has received during this difficult time.”
The statement was released one day after celebrity tabloid TMZ leaked an apparently official police photo taken of Rihanna after the incident to document her injuries, which included several bruises and cuts to the face. The origin of the image was not revealed.
Brown, 19, has been largely silent after turning himself in to police the night of the purported altercation, saying in a statement Sunday that he was “sorry and saddened,” but not addressing blame or discussing the details of the case. He is currently free on bail, but has not been formally charged with any crime.
Rihanna, 21, whose legal name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, is known for dance-friendly hits, such as “Umbrella” and “Shut Up and Drive.” In February 2008, she worked with international donor network DKMS to find a bone marrow donor for a New York mother of two who was fighting leukemia.
Actress Miley Cyrus (third from left) is being sued for appearing in this allegedly anti-Asian photo with her boyfriend, Justin Gaston (fourth from left)
Class action lawsuit seeks $4 billion for ‘racist’ photo
By Matthew B. Zeidman
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 2/12/09 – ‘Tween idol Miley Cyrus undoubtedly hoped the photo in which she allegedly made a racist expression would be quickly forgotten, but those hopes were dashed by a high-profile class-action suit brought against the Disney star Thursday.
Lucie J. Kim, a Los Angeles attorney of Asian-Pacific-Islander descent, has petitioned the Los Angeles County Superior Court for an award of $4 billion ($4,000 for each of approximately 1 million Asian Pacific Islanders in the Los Angeles area). Neither Cyrus nor her reps have commented on the legal action against the legacy entertainer.
In the court papers, Kim claimed that Cyrus had discriminated against those in her community by posing for the photo, in which the actress, her boyfriend and other associates squinted and appeared to widen their eyes with their fingers, while sitting next to a man of Asian descent.
The lawsuit accused Cyrus of “racism, prejudice and mockery” and claimed she was negligent in either not caring or failing to realize the photo would likely be made public due to her fame and constant public scrutiny.
Cyrus, 16, has twice denied any racist intent over the past week, claiming that the media at large was simply on the lookout for the next “bad girl” and profusely apologizing to anyone who was offended by the image in two statements posted to MileyWorld.com.
Asian-American comedian Margaret Cho also criticized Cyrus on her Web site Thursday in a scathing rhyme, calling the teen “a disgrace” and lamenting her own belief that anti-Asian racism was more socially acceptable in the United States than other forms of discrimination.
Cyrus is best known as the star of Disney sitcom “Hannah Montana,” which began in 2006 and follows the life of a teenage rock star who attends public school and hides her true identity from all but her closest friends and family.
The series has spawned a 3D concert movie, an upcoming story-based feature and a number of complementary soundtracks. Cyrus released her first solo album not associated with the show in 2008 and will star in the sequel to the Elisabeth Shue classic comedy “Adventures in Babysitting” in 2010.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Rihanna (left) has accused boyfriend Chris Brown (right) of threatening and attacking her in Los Angeles Sunday before the two were expected to attend the Grammy Awards
‘Umbrella’ singer assisting police in investigation
By Matthew B. Zeidman
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 2/10/09 – Things went from bad to worse for R&B singer Chris Brown on Monday, when the woman he was accused of beating before his scheduled appearance at Sunday’s Grammy Awards turned out to be his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.
According to an anonymous police source quoted by the Los Angeles Times, 20-year-old Robyn Rihanna Fenty, who is known professionally by only her middle name, is assisting police in the investigation.
According to the source, the entertainer was left bruised and scratched after an on-the-street confrontation in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles, where she and Brown, 19, had been driving.
Brown, who surrendered to police Sunday on the charge of making a criminal threat, has not commented, but is free on $50,000 bail. Neither he nor Rihanna attended the Grammy Awards as originally planned.
Noted gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. Company compounded Brown’s woes on Monday, by announcing it would suspend the singer’s popular Doublemint gum advertising campaign until all legal matters surrounding the case were resolved.
Brown is known for his string of hit singles, including 2008’s duet with “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, “No Air.”
Rihanna, who was born in Barbados, has garnered significant radio airplay since her 2005 professional debut with danceable selections, such as “Pon de Replay,” “Umbrella” (for which she won a Grammy in 2008) and “Disturbia.” She also made a brief appearance as herself alongside “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere in 2006’s “Bring It On: All or Nothing,” the second direct-to-video sequel to the popular Kirsten Dunst feature, “Bring It On.”
The DTV transition is the first time in history consumer televisions will need an adapter to process a new over-the-air signal format
President Obama promises to sign bill into law
By Matthew B. Zeidman
WASHINGTON (Hollywood Today) 2/5/09 – Despite months of public service announcements and $1.34 billion in government-issued subsidies to consumers, Congress delayed the much-hyped switch to digital TV broadcasting Wednesday out of concern for low-income and elderly viewers.
The House of Representatives passed the bill already approved by the Senate, changing the date over-the-air TV broadcasters must shut off their analog signals from Feb. 17 to June 12. Once President Barack Obama signs the bill, which he has pledged to do, the new date will be official.
The legislation was drafted in response to a report by Nielson Co., which estimated several million consumers were still not ready in whole or in part for the changeover. Once analog signals are discontinued, viewers with non-digital televisions will need adapters, unless they subscribe to cable or satellite services.
Late Wednesday, most broadcasters were still airing public service announcements stressing the now-defunct Feb. 17 deadline.
Opponents to the legislation, including a large number of House and Senate Republicans, claimed that delaying the switch would be costly to broadcasters and that a new deadline would confuse viewers already keenly aware of the ubiquitous February deadline. They also stressed the importance of signing over some of the old frequencies to local emergency responders as soon as possible.
Supporters claimed a minor delay in implementation would give the estimated millions of unprepared viewers time to upgrade their equipment and would allow the government, which had already issued all available upgrade vouchers, to issue more once unused vouchers expired.
Britney Spears (left) and her parents have been accused of libel and defamation by Osama 'Sam' Lutfi (right), who once claimed to be the pop star's manager
Spears’ former associate levels lawsuit against singer and parents
By Matthew B. Zeidman
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 2/3/09 – He’s had all he can stands and he can’t stands no more. Osama “Sam” Lutfi, the Hollywood producer who lived with Britney Spears before her father took over her affairs and was accused by her mother of drugging and manipulating the pop star, has filed a libel and defamation lawsuit against the Spears family.
Lutfi filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday. In it, he claimed Spears and her parents sullied his reputation by spreading false statements and that rather than trying to separate Spears from her mother and father, he had actually been encouraging the “Toxic” singer to reconcile with them.
Last week, Spears’ legal team was successful in securing temporary restraining orders against Lutfi, as well as her former boyfriend, paparazzo Adnan Ghalib, and a man who once unsuccessfully claimed to be her attorney, lawyer Jon Eardley. The trio was ordered not to see or attempt to contact any member of the Spears family.
Spears’ camp claimed the three men had conspired to disrupt her conservatorship by trying to wrest control of Spears’ affairs from her father before an important legal deadline, harassing Spears’ father and his legal team and working to keep in direct contact with Spears over the objections of her parents.
An earlier restraining order had been approved by the court against Lutfi in April 2008, but expired over the summer and was not renewed by the mutual agreement of Lutfi and Spears’ father, James.
James Spears was temporarily appointed co-conservator of his daughter’s estate on Jan. 31, 2008, following her two highly publicized hospitalizations for psychiatric evaluation. In the following months, the court consistently renewed the conservatorship and, in October, gave James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallete indefinite control of Spears’ legal and financial affairs.
Michael Phelps walking the red carpet at New York's Golden Goggle Awards in November (photo by Matthew B. Zeidman)
Olympic gold medalist faces prospect of losing lucrative contracts
By Matthew B. Zeidman
NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 2/2/09 – No one expected 14-time gold medalist Michael Phelps to be at the center of a drug scandal, but now America’s Olympic hero is struggling to make amends in light of an incriminating, marijuana-related photo released Sunday by a British tabloid.
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps stated in a public apology issued yesterday. “I’m 23 years old, and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me.”
“News of the World” published the photo in question on its Web site, which pictured Phelps taking a hit of marijuana from a bong at a Nov. 6 college party at the University of South Carolina at Columbia. The high-profile swimmer promised that lapse in judgment would not happen again.
So far, none of Phelps’ current corporate sponsors have terminated his promotional or advertising contracts, including Omega, Speedo and Hilton Hotels Corp., which all expressed their continued support of Phelps. However, not all sponsors have commented on the situation, and former sponsor Rosetta Stone issued a statement condemning Phelps’ decision to use drugs.
Hollywood Today spoke with Phelps at the Golden Goggle Awards ceremony in New York just days after the alleged event, where he spoke of taking time out from swimming after the Beijing summer Olympics and his plans to get back into competitive shape.
“I’m traveling around, seeing some friends, having some of my own time to do what I want to do,” Phelps told red carpet reporters at the time. “It’s gonna be hard [to get back into shape], but it’s gonna be something that I know I have to do and I want to do. There are so many things that I still want to accomplish.”
Britney Spears' legal reps claim she is at the center of a three-man conspiracy that includes former associate Sam Lutfi and ex-beau Adnan Ghalib
Singer’s attorneys obtain restraining orders
By Matthew B. Zeidman
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 1/31/09 – Apparently, Britney Spears is under attack by her ex-Svengali, ex-boyfriend and would-be attorney. According to allegations made by her actual legal reps, producer Sam Lutfi, paparazzo Adnan Ghalib and lawyer Jon Eardley have been conspiring in recent weeks to gain control of her legal affairs.
A request for a temporary restraining order against the three men filed Friday (approved against Lutfi and Ghalib) claimed Lutfi had frequently attempted to contact Spears’ father/co-conservator, James, as well as his legal counsel, in an attempt to reinsert himself into Spears’ life.
Lutfi lived with Spears prior to her hospitalizations for psychiatric observation and subsequent conservatorship and, according to a previous statement by her mother, drugged the pop star. Another temporary restraining order against him expired over the summer, but was not renewed by mutual agreement.
The documents also claimed Lutfi admitted to having discussed Spears’ legal situation with Ghalib and that both men had been in direct contact with the vulnerable singer during the month of January. Additionally, the papers pointed out Eardley’s past association with Lutfi’s publicist and his alleged attempts to contact Spears’ legal team.
Eardley had previously claimed in court papers relating to Spears’ conservatorship that he was her attorney and wanted the proceedings moved to federal court. In the request for the restraining orders, Spears’ legal team flatly accused Eardley of doing so in an attempt to keep her conservatorship from being renewed on the eve of a legal deadline and take control of her affairs.
After several months of court appearances last year, Spears’ legal and financial affairs were put under the indefinite control of her father and another co-conservator. She released her latest album, “Circus,” in November and will embark on a world tour to support the record in March.
Only low-power broadcasters will be permitted to ignore the nationwide digital deadline, which will likely move to June 12
If passed in House, deadline may move to late spring By Matthew B. Zeidman
WASHINGTON (Hollywood Today) 1/27/09 – If Congress has its way, TV viewers may have four more months of ubiquitous public service announcements to look forward to. The U.S. Senate passed a bill Monday, which would move the deadline for broadcast networks to switch to all-digital broadcasting from Feb. 17 to June 12.
The piece of legislation still must be approved by the House of Representatives and signed by President Barack Obama, who has been a vocal supporter of a deadline extension.
For several months, federal, state and local governments have spearheaded community outreach programs, including TV and radio ads, encouraging users of older TVs to buy inexpensive converter boxes. However, the floundering economy and a staggering backlog of requests for government-issued coupons have led to public pressure in favor of a deadline extension.
The switch was mandated so that analog wavelengths could be sold off by the government and used to improve commercial wireless networks and communications by emergency responders. Cable and satellite subscribers will not be affected by the changeover, but those receiving over-the-air programming on older sets will lose most broadcast signals, unless they buy converter boxes.
U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand beat out several more senior New York politicians for the expected Senate appointment
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy critical of Senate pick’s gun stance By Matthew B. Zeidman
ALBANY, N.Y. (Hollywood Today) 1/23/09 – New York Gov. David Paterson has made his choice to fill Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s vacant U.S. Senate seat, and the move does not come without controversy.
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, 42, will be named Clinton’s successor later today, an unidentified Paterson aide told the Associated Press. Her pro-gun legislative positions have drawn criticism from gun control advocates, such as Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who has vowed to formally challenge the appointment.
McCarthy, 65, successfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives on a firm gun control platform in 1996, three years after her husband was killed and her son seriously injured in an unmotivated shooting on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). She has won re-election in every cycle since.
The gunman in the LIRR incident, Colin Ferguson, was given an approximate sentence of 315 years to life for six counts of murder and 19 counts of attempted murder.
