Entertaining Posts

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Kim Kardashian sues Old Navy over look-alike ads

LOS ANGELES | Wed Aug 10, 2011 10:26pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Reality TV star Kim Kardashian sued retailer Old Navy on Wednesday to force the clothing store chain to quit using a look-alike model in advertisements the celebrity claims hijack her fame.

Attorneys for the star of TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on the E! cable network said in the lawsuit that Old Navy knew what it was doing when it launched the sales blitz in February using a woman with a striking resemblance to the fashion trendsetter.

"The infringing ads are likely to cause confusion, and have caused actual confusion, in the minds of the consuming public as to an association of Kim Kardashian with defendants' products and services," the lawsuit states.

Kardashian's suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Delaware-based Gap Inc, the parent company of Old Navy, which also was named. A representative for Gap could not be reached on Wednesday night.

Canadian-born entertainer Melissa Molinaro, who was featured in the Old Navy advertising campaign and has been singled out in some media reports for her resemblance to Kardashian, was not named in the lawsuit.

Advertisements for Old Navy starring Molinaro show her getting her nails done, walking her dog and dancing on a supermarket's checkout counter.

Kardashian, 30, is known for living her life in front of cameras, mixing celebrity glamour and her daily routine with her sisters on the TV show, as well as in magazines and other media. She first gained fame for appearing in a private sex tape that famously went public, but has transcended that notoriety to become a bona fide celebrity.

The lawsuit alleges unfair competition and violation of both the California common law right of publicity and the state's statutory right of publicity.

Kardashian is seeking a permanent injunction barring Gap and Old Navy from using her likeness in advertising, and an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

"American Idol" producer says Jennifer Lopez coming back

LOS ANGELES | Wed Aug 10, 2011 2:49pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It is not quite official, but it is pretty close. Singing star Jennifer Lopez will return as a judge on top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol," the program's lead producer said on Wednesday.

Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe, in an interview on "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's radio show, was asked whether Lopez would return for an 11th season, and he said yes.

"I believe we're still waiting for the official announcements, but I'm delighted to say that all three judges, along with the brilliant host of 'American Idol,' is back for the next season," Lythgoe told Seacrest.

Lopez returns to join longtime "Idol" judge Randy Jackson and rocker Steven Tyler, the Aerosmith frontman.

Her decision to rejoin the No. 1-rated U.S. TV show has been the source of much speculation in Hollywood since the singer said earlier this summer that she was undecided.

Indeed, just last week at a meeting of television critics in Los Angeles, top programing executives for the Fox network, which airs "Idol," were tight-lipped on the subject.

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly told reporters that he had no headline-making announcements -- "maybe like confirm Jennifer Lopez or something. No luck there."

Showbiz news web site TheWrap.com has reported that Lopez had already closed a deal that would pay her just over $20 million to return for the upcoming season, which will begin in January.

(Editing by Christine Kearney)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Music stars campaign to end hunger crisis in Africa

NEW YORK | Tue Aug 9, 2011 3:47pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A global social media campaign featuring a Bob Marley song was launched by some of the music industry's top stars on Tuesday to help stem the hunger crisis that is increasing in the Horn of Africa.

More than 150 stars from Lady Gaga, U2, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney are among the well-known figures using their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds to urge fans to donate money to help the numerous families starving in the region.

The campaign, called "I'm Gonna Be Your Friend," can be found at www.imgonnabeyourfriend.org. It shows a video of Bob Marley & The Wailers' 1973 song, 'High Tide or Low Tide," accompanied by footage of malnourished children created by award-winning film director Kevin Macdonald.

About 3.6 million people are at risk of starvation in Somalia and 12 million people across the Horn of Africa, including in Ethiopia and Kenya, the United Nations says.

The campaign estimated it would reach over a billion people with partners such as Universal Music Group, Yahoo, Facebook, AOL, MSN, YouTube and Twitter and the power of celebrities' reach. The combined power of using Facebook and Twitter pages alone will reach 730 million, the campaign said.

Donations or downloads of "High Tide or Low Tide," for $1.29 will go to the Save the Children appeal for east Africa and used for food, water and medicine,

Other stars participating include Sting, David Beckham, Eminem, Rihanna, Annie Lennox, Bruno Mars, Madonna, Ricky Martin and Lily Allen.

"High Tide or Low Tide" was chosen by the Marley family for the resonance of the single's lyrics, "I'm Gonna Be Your Friend" and can also be found on www.facebook.com/bobmarley.

The video starts with the slogan "The Worst Drought in Decades" and after showing images of starving and thirsty children, ends with a black-and-white image of Marley behind the message, "Millions of children are facing starvation."

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Gavin DeGraw suffers concussion in New York assault

NEW YORK | Tue Aug 9, 2011 12:26pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Gavin DeGraw was recovering in a New York hospital on Tuesday with concussion and a broken nose after apparently being attacked by three men and hit by a taxi cab.

Police said they were investigating an assault by three males in the city's East Village in the early morning hours on Monday, but said it was unclear what led to the attack.

"The victim claims to have been struck by these individuals and taken to hospital," a police spokesman said. Police would not comment on whether DeGraw had been drinking.

The 34-year-old singer also reported having been struck by a taxi soon after the assault. He had just left a group of friends when the attack took place. No arrests have been made and no motive has emerged for the assault.

The New York singer, whose hits include "I Don't Want to Be" and "Chariot," was suffering from "a concussion, broken nose, black eyes, cuts and bruises," and is in stable condition his publicist said.

DeGraw has been the opening act for the first leg of rock bands Train and Maroon 5's U.S. tour and was next due to perform on Tuesday.

"We have no information yet regarding his upcoming concert dates and promotion for his new album," said his publicist. "Gavin and his family appreciate everyone's concern at this time."

DeGraw got his start playing in nightclubs in and around Manhattan and hit it big when "I Don't Want to Be" was chosen as the theme song for television drama, "One Tree Hill.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Jill Serjeant)

Monday, August 8, 2011

Jay-Z, Kanye West earn high praise for "Throne"

By Sabrina Ford

NEW YORK | Mon Aug 8, 2011 8:45pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - No need for Kanye West and Jay-Z to simply watch a throne. Judging by Monday's reviews and Web response to their new album, "Watch the Throne," they should just sit atop it to reign over the realm of hip hop.

The highly anticipated album from the pair of music masters was met with high praise across the Web only hours after being released exclusively on iTunes at midnight, Monday.

The album received glowing early reviews. Allhiphop.com gave it 9 out of 10 stars, calling it "a creative victory at worse and at its very best, a paradigm shift for Hip-Hop."

Musician and producer Questlove of Grammy-winning band The Roots took to Twitter in the wee hours of the morning, enthralled by Jay-Z's performances on an emerging fan favorite. He tweeted: "Hov's verse on 'Who Gone Stop Me' is gettin a 4th listen at 2am."

Hip-hop historian and deejay Davey D was so impressed he tweeted that "Watch the Throne" "is better than illmatic, 36 chambers, Aquemini, Sgt Pepper & Joshua Tree combined," referring to albums from Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, the Beatles, and U2.

Davey D was accused of getting carried away by journalist and author Toure, who tweeted, "friends don't let friends overhype." But even Toure was impressed, calling the album "great," and lauding the "substantive" lyrics on tracks like "New Day" on which Kanye and Jay-Z address their future sons.

Only a few comments steered toward negative. The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot gave the album two out of four stars and called Kanye "desperate, transparent, awkward, vulnerable." He also said Jay-Z lost his steam,

"He no longer needs to surprise us, he simply needs to file annual updates reminding us that, after all, he's Jay-Z and you're not," Kot said.

IMPATIENCE PAYS OFF?

Hip-hop fans have been waiting impatiently for "Watch the Throne" since Kanye West first mentioned it on Twitter almost a year ago. The two have a storied history, dating back to more than a decade ago when Kanye West got his big break producing for artists signed to Roc-a-Fella records, the label co-founded by Jay-Z.

But a lot of the buzz surrounding the album has nothing to Jay-Z or West, Singer-songwriter Frank Ocean's two guest appearances on the tracks "No Church" and "New America," made him a popular topic online Monday. The album also features guest appearances by Beyonce and Mr. Hudson, as well as vocal work from late soul singers Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield.

Mixtape DJ Mick Boogie tweeted, "I feel like Frank Ocean is channeling his inner mos def on "no church" - not a bad thing."

West might want to take note of all the positive buzz. Over the weekend, he went on a rant during a show in England in which he said people look at him like he's Adolf Hitler.

The 34-year-old who has earned a reputation for outlandish behavior, broke into the middle of his set during the Big Chill music festival on Saturday night to talk about how much he was misunderstood and underappreciated.

"I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street, and people look at me like I'm...insane, like I'm Hitler," he said to boos from the crowd. "One day the light will shine through and one day people will understand everything I ever did."

West is known for public outbursts. He grabbed the microphone away from Taylor Swift while she was being honored for best female video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and said Beyonce should have won the award.

In 2005, West said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a Hurricane Katrina telethon.

(Additional reporting by Jason Kandel in Los Angeles; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)