Reports indicate Mariah Yeater has dropped her paternity claim. By Gil Kaufman Justin Bieber Photo: WireImage Justin Bieber won’t have to take a paternity test after all. Less than two weeks after a California woman claimed that the “Baby” singer had fathered a child with her last year following a brief backstage tryst, TMZ is reporting that lawyers for accuser Mariah Yeater quietly dropped the suit last week. In fact, the gossip site is adding that not only has the paternity case been withdrawn, but lawyers Lance Rogers and Matt Pare have quit representing Yeater entirely. Bieber’s camp had vigorously denied the claim from the moment Yeater launched the paternity action earlier this month. Yeater claimed in a signed affidavit in the suit that she had unprotected sex with Bieber last October in a backstage area at one of the singer’s concerts at Los Angeles’ Staples Center and that her four-month-old baby is his. Last week, Bieber’s camp confirmed that the 17-year-old singer would take a paternity test as soon as he returns from a European promotional jaunt in celebration of his just-released Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe . “I can confirm that the team has proactively made arrangements for Justin to be tested upon his return and we’re going to hold everyone who is involved responsible,” Bieber spokesperson Matthew Hiltzik said in a statement. “It’s sad that someone would fabricate malicious, defamatory, and demonstrably false claims,” Hiltzik added. “We’ll vigorously pursue all available legal remedies to protect Justin and to hold those involved with bringing this suit accountable for their actions.” It is unclear if Bieber’s camp will still pursue a lawsuit over the bogus claims. Hiltzik could not be reached for confirmation at press time; MTV News also could not reach Yeater’s lawyers at press time. Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
Simons Cowell and Fuller have been in the legal trenches for years over ‘Idol’ and ‘Factor.’ By Gil Kaufman Simon Fuller of “American Idol” and Simon Cowell of “X Factor” Photo: Slaven Vlasic and Dimitrios Kambouris/ Getty Image In one of life’s bizarre coincidences, the two men most instantly associated with the global phenomenon that is “American Idol” are both named Simon. Unfortunately, that’s where their similarities end, as, once again, “Idol” creator Simon Fuller and breakout star Simon Cowell find themselves locked into a legal battle for control, credit and what is likely a massive pile of cash. “It’s this horrible fate for both of them that they’re both incredibly ambitious people who very much like to and need to be the powers of their world, but their fate has been inextricably bound since they rose together on the strength of what was Simon Fuller’s creation, ‘American Idol,’ ” Richard Rushfield, author of “American Idol: The Untold Story,” told MTV News. And though Fuller was the brains behind launching “Idol” in England in 2001 (where it was called “Pop Idol”), the show quickly rose to immense popularity, thanks to the breakout stardom of then-little-known music executive Simon Cowell. “This fight has gone through several permutations, but because both have had a hand in the creation of [‘Idol’], they have been locked in this combat over it.” That latest twist comes courtesy of a recent lawsuit Fuller filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in which he claimed that he had negotiated an executive-producer fee and producer credit on “X Factor” as part of a settlement in the 2004 copyright-infringement suit against Cowell when “X Factor” launched in the U.K. Eager to have his own talent show, Cowell launched “X Factor” in the U.K. through his own production company, Syco, putting a twist on the singing-competition genre by adding a rotating cast of celebrity mentors. Cowell saw it as an eventual successor to “Pop Idol,” which went on indefinite hiatus after its second season because of Cowell’s eagerness to launch “Factor.” Fuller filed suit against Cowell, Syco and the producer of both shows, FremantleMedia, and a lengthy trial was avoided after the two sides came to an out-of-court settlement in 2005 that granted Fuller a “minority interest” in the show and kept Cowell on “American Idol” for five more years, as well as giving him a bigger stake in “Idol.” The deal also required Cowell to not launch “Factor” in the U.S. until 2011, at which point Fuller agreed to pull “Pop Idol” off the air in England. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fuller is now claiming that Fox and producer Fremantle North America — which produces both “Idol” and “Factor” — are refusing to honor that deal as they plan to unleash the heavily hyped “Factor” on American audiences in September. “Fox and Fremantle made hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the creative efforts of Fuller,” the suit claims. “Now, when it is time to finally perform on these unequivocal promises, Fox and Fremantle refuse to provide Fuller his executive producer credit for Defendants’ new television show, ‘The X Factor,’ and refuse to pay Fuller an executive producer fee ‘commensurate with his duties and stature in the entertainment industry.’ Defendants refusal to honor their promises made to Fuller is particularly malicious given that but for Fuller’s agreement, the ‘X Factor’ show would not be able to broadcast in the United States at all.” The timing of the suit is curious, according to Shirley Halperin, music editor at The Reporter and founder of its Idol Worship blog . “I think that promo Cowell made where he was making fun of ‘Idol’ really stung and it propelled this action,” she speculated. “It was obnoxious and it made Fox compulsory, since it had to approve the ad. The lawsuit came seven days after that.” She also noted that the suit does not name Cowell as a defendant, but does take aim at Fox and Fremantle. “They came up together and have had this symbiotic relationship for a long time, but over the years, their interests have diverged,” she said, with Fuller taking on more management and TV production duties, while Cowell has mostly stayed the course as a TV presenter with the occasional foray into TV producer. “That’s divided them over time.” But, curiously, Halperin said when she was compiling her book on the show, “American Idol: Celebrating 10 Years,” she looked at the photo archive of every image taken of the two over the years, and even as recently as 2009, the pair looked “incredibly” friendly, even chummy, in the photos. “The relationship is a lot more complex than we know, and it’s easy to say it’s a love/hate thing, but I think there’s a deep friendship and mutual respect, but at the same time they are very competitive and have become adversaries at times.” Rushfield said the battle comes down to “two tremendous personalities” who are used to controlling things at a very high level. ” ‘Idol’ is probably the most valuable entertainment franchise in the world now that ‘Harry Potter’ is gone,” he said. “The stakes are in the billions of dollars … and [based on] a relationship that came together very quickly and that they’re locked into. If they could do it over, I’m sure they would all give themselves a bigger piece.” Fox and Fremantle responded to the suit with a comment to The Reporter, in which they said, “Mr. Fuller has not been hired, nor performed any duties, on the U.S. version of ‘The X Factor.’ His suit seeks payment and credit as an executive producer despite his neither having been approved by the required parties, nor hired, as such. We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we expect to prevail.” Fuller’s attorneys threw water on that claim, saying Fox was “contractually obligated” to approve Fuller as an executive producer on the show and that it has breached that obligation. “They both want the honor and the credit,” Halperin said. “Fuller has always had the credit and no one is taking that away, but Cowell wants more than just to be the guy that judges. He wants people to look at him as a real force.” Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
The Hollywood Gossip utilizes social media to spread the word about celebrity and entertainment news, but this is actually an important situation. Indiana University student Lauren Spierer went missing in the early morning hours Friday. A Facebook campaign has been launched to find her. The first few days are the most critical with missing persons, as is the rapid sharing of any information that may exist about their whereabouts. It’s an example of the power of social media. We just hope it works in this case. Follow the link to do what you can to Find Lauren on Facebook or join this Facebook event .
This small Warbler loves to dress up like the Glee group by that name. Wearing his suit day and night, he also likes to perform all the songs that the Fox show’s singers croon to every Tuesday night. It’s really quite cute. Here’s him doing the Warblers’ cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” … Mini Warbler Singing Teenage Dream
Cage was arrested on Saturday in New Orleans after violent argument with his wife. By Gil Kaufman Nicolas Cage (file) Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images When he isn’t chasing down his purloined Superman comic books, actor Nicolas Cage has kept busy cranking out a steady combination of box-office fluff and embarrassing mug shots. The latest addition to that canon came on Saturday, when a scruffy-looking Cage was arrested in New Orleans on charges of domestic abuse battery and disturbing the peace. According to ABC News , the heavily intoxicated actor engaged in a violent argument with his wife, Alice Kim, in a tattoo parlor and then on the street, during which he allegedly pushed her, punched a few cars and dared police to arrest him in a scene that could have come from his Oscar-winning 1995 film “Leaving Las Vegas.” It’s just the latest legal problem to face the actor, who has weathered a string of financial and legal setbacks — not to mention a series of box-office duds — over the past few years. Cage was caught on tape getting into a violent altercation at a Romanian nightclub while filming the “Ghost Rider” sequel last year. And though he was not charged in the incident, he also allegedly got into a drunken verbal brawl at a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras in March. He’s also faced a series of financial problems, despite being one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. In late 2009, the IRS put a tax lien on Cage’s real-estate holdings, including properties he owns in New Orleans, over failure to pay federal taxes. He is also alleged to have failed to pay more than $6.2 million in taxes in 2007 and more than $350,000 from 2002 to 2004. Cage has admitted that he owes the IRS $14 million and is in the midst of repaying it after changing business managers. While he’s blamed his handlers, they’ve said his outrageous spending on items ranging from lavish homes, castles and Caribbean islands to gothic curios, dozens of cars, jewelry and dinosaur skulls have done him in. Cage has sued his former business manager, Samuel Levin, for $20 million for mismanagement, a claim Levin denies. In addition to the scuffle with his third wife, mother of his young son Kal-El, he’s also been sued by an ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, mother of his oldest child, 20-year-old Weston. Fulton hit Cage with a fraud and breach of contract action in 2009. She claimed in the suit that Cage inflicted “mental, physical and emotional abuse” on her during their relationship. She further claimed that he bought her a house in 2001, but that when she tried to sell it in 2009 she learned the title was not in her name. Cage’s spokespeople called the suit “absurd.”
Filed under: Ian Benardo , American Idol , Celebrity Justice Former ” American Idol ” contestant Ian Benardo is trying his luck again … suing the show for discrimination for the third time — but this time, he’s asking for a lot less money. Benardo has filed this suit twice before — claiming “Idol” producers… Read more
Attention Mel Gibson fan: You’ll want to book tickets to Austin immediately. The SXSW film festival just announced that the world premiere of The Beaver will occur as part of the fest on March 16. Also having their world premieres: The Conan O’B rien “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour” documentary Conan O’B rien Can’t Stop and Ti West’s The Innkeepers ; Greg Mottola’s comedy road trip Paul will have its North American premiere at the festival, too. The four films join Duncan Jones’ Source Code on the SXSW schedule.
The first still of Andrew Garfield in his slick Spider-Man suit is an intense and/or melancholic one; so far he’s staying just on this side of Spider-Man 3 -level sads . What’s he thinking about? His 28-inch waist? How annoying it is to fit a ragamuffin haircut through the neck hole? At any rate, the suit fits. I’m on board. Click ahead for the full image.
Filed under: Nancy Cartwright , Celebrity Justice Nancy Cartwright — the voice of Bart Simpson — is a defendant in a lawsuit involving her fiance’s suicide, a failed construction project, and the Church of Scientology … this according to documents obtained by TMZ. In the suit, the American Safety… Read more
Filed under: Martha Stewart , Celebrity Justice Martha Stewart is engaging in a smear campaign against Vampire Vineyards to bolster the sales of a Gallo wine label bearing her name … this according to a new federal lawsuit obtained by TMZ. According to the suit, Stewart’s Gallo wine sales are less… Read more
