Academy Award winning director Woody Allen filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan seeking $10 Million from American Apparel for use of his image without permission. The lawsuit states that the actor and director does not endorse commercial products or services in the United States.

Allen’s image (shown at right courtesy of Frillr.com), appeared on two billboards in New York and Los Angeles for one week in May 2007. Allen appears as a Hasidic Jew, a character from his movie “Annie Hall”. The lawsuit calls the billboards “especially egregious and damaging.”

In a statement, American Apparel defended their use of Allen’s image as “Social Parody” protected by the First Amendment. They also stated “We had no intention of selling garments through the use of Mr. Allen’s image … We will make every effort to resolve this with Mr. Allen in an amicable way.”

In addition to its clothing line, American Apparel, based in Los Angeles is known for its colorful CEO Dov Charney and its political efforts in favor of immigration reform.

Was this “Social Parody”, infringement or just an effort to generate publicity? While we may never know for sure, I predict it will go away quietly with a monetary settlement.

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R. Kelly was acquitted of all charges Friday following just hours of deliberations in his child pornography trial, ending a six-year ordeal for the R&B singer.

Kelly was seen wiping his face with a handkerchief then he hugged each of his four attorneys after the verdict of not guilty on all 14 counts - was read. The Grammy award-winning singer had potentially faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Following his aquittall Kelly, surrounded by bodyguards, he left the courthouse refusing to comment as fans screamed and cheered, he sped away in a waiting SUV.

Kelly’s attorney Sam Adam jr told the assembled press that during the reading of the not guilty verdicts his client kept repeating ‘Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus,”.

Prosecutors had argued that a video tape mailed to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2002 showed Kelly engaged in graphic sex acts with a girl as young as 13 at the time, but both Kelly, 41, and the now 23-year-old alleged victim had denied they were the ones on the tape. Neither were called to testify during the trial.

The prosecution’s main witness was a woman who said she engaged in three-way sex with Kelly and the alleged victim, the defence discredited this by showing that the man on the tape didn’t have a large mole on his back, Kelly has such a mole.

The procecusions case depended on whether Kelly was the man who appears on a sexually graphic, 27-minute videotape at the centre of the case, and whether a female who also appears on it was underage.

The prosecutions case lasted seven days during which they called 22 witnesses, including several childhood friends of the alleged victim and four of her relatives who identified her as the female on the video.

While in contrast the defence took just two days, calling 12 witnesses including three relatives of the alleged victim who testified they did not recognize her as the female on the tape.

Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Shauna Boliker said she believed the female on the tape was a victim, not a prostitute as the defence had contended.

Kelly won a Grammy in 1997 for “I Believe I Can Fly,” and is known for such raunchy hits as “Bump N’ Grind,” “Ignition,” and for “Trapped in the Closet,” a multipart saga about the sexual secrets of an ever-expanding cast of characters.

The jury was made up of nine men and three women; of which eight were white and four were black and included the wife of a Baptist preacher from Kelly’s Chicago-area hometown, a compliance officer for a Chicago investment firm and a man who emigrated from then-Communist Romania nearly 40 years ago.

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Well thank God for that mole!

Larry Birkhead has purchased a 10,000-sq.-ft., six-bedroom house in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., for himself and 21-month-old daughter Dannielynn, he tells PEOPLE.

Birkhead, 35, says the house, which has 40-ft. ceilings and is modeled after a Sicilian church, was never completed, needs a lot of work, and right now “looks like a haunted house,” but he loves it.

“When I walked in, I said to myself, ‘This is our home!’” says Birkhead.

He adds he might sell the Los Angeles house where he’s surrounded by memories of its former occupants – Dannielynn’s mother, Anna Nicole Smith, and half-brother Daniel, who both died from drug-related complications.

“At first, I couldn’t imagine parting with it,” says Birkhead. “Then I realized I was probably holding on to it for the wrong reasons, thinking to myself that would ease the pain of losing Anna and Daniel. I have always thought that it would be great for Dannielynn to grow up in her mother’s home; however, there is no yard as it is over a canyon.”

He adds: “There also isn’t any little friends for her to run around with – which makes the idea of Kentucky even more inviting.”
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Gary Dourdan, best known for his role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, pleaded guilty to counts of cocaine and Ecstasy possession during his arraignment Wednesday in Indio, Calif.

Dressed in a navy blue suit, light blue shirt and matching striped tie, Dourdan casually flashed the peace sign as he left court, got into the back of a waiting car and drove away.

He was charged with three counts of felony drug possession following his April 28 early-morning arrest in Palm Springs, Calif. The heroin count was dismissed.

“As a result of today’s proceedings, Gary has been given diversion (a drug treatment program),” his lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley said outside the Lawson Justice Center. “He very much regrets what happened and he’s very embarrassed by what occurred, but he’s looking forward to moving on and getting back to work.”

Dourdan had faced up to three years and eight months based on the charges filed against him. Instead, he faces no prison time, but must complete the 16-class drug program.

Holley added: “He is very grateful to the court for being understanding and giving him an opportunity to resolve the issue and move forward.”
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ORLANDO, Florida - Wesley Snipes was granted bail on Thursday pending an appeal of his conviction and sentencing last month to three years in prison for failing to file income tax returns for 1999 through 2001.

Snipes’ lawyers and court officials in Ocala, Florida, said a judge had granted a request by the star of the “Blade” movie series to remain free on bond while he tries to overturn his federal tax convictions.

Snipes had been set to surrender to federal prison authorities during the first week of June to begin serving his sentence, and prosecutors had earlier vowed to oppose any request to allow him to remain free pending an appeal.
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What a SHOCKER! I’m going out on a limb here, but I bet his tax convictions go out the window.

CHICAGO - Prosecutors played the sex tape at the center of R. Kelly’s child pornography trial in open court Tuesday, just hours after opening statements in which they accused the R&B singer of choreographing and starring in a video featuring “vile, disturbing and disgusting sex acts” with an underage girl.

The jurors, who took feverish notes during opening statements, sat motionless while the video played. Their eyes fixed on a 4-by-4-foot monitor just outside the jury box. In the courtroom, the lights were dimmed and blinds drawn across windows. There were several other monitors in the room, including one facing the crowded gallery.

A grim, intent Kelly watched the whole video on a small monitor placed on the defense table, only occasionally averting his eyes. At times, the 41-year-old rocked in his chair or rested his chin in his hand.
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Federline’s Lawyer Revels In Media Scrutiny Of Custody Case

Kevin Federline’s attorney is grateful for the intense media interest in his client’s ongoing custody case with Britney Spears, because having the pop star’s every move captured on camera has saved him the cost of hiring a private detective.

Lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan admits he has been spared at least $500,000 (£250,000) in the case, because every detail of Spears’ day-to-day life is documented on gossip websites and magazines - so he has no need to hire a private investigator to do the dirty work for him.

He says, “If I had to hire an investigator or investigators to provide me with the intelligence about what’s going on, where they are, how are they doing, it would be north of half a million to a million dollars… as opposed to buying People magazine for $3.95 on Thursday morning or going on (website) tmz.

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CSI star Gary Dourdan was arrested early Monday in Palm Springs, Calif., for alleged drug possession, according to local police.

Shortly after 5 a.m., a patrol officer spotted Dourdan parked on the wrong side of the street and he appeared to be sleeping, the Palm Springs Police Department said in a statement.

Dourdan was found in possession of suspected cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and prescription pills, the statement added.

The officer described Dourdan, 41, as “disoriented” and possibly under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Over the weekend, Dourdan had attended the Coachella Music Festival, which took place in nearby Indio, Calif.

After five hours in custody, the actor posted $5,000 bail and was released. A rep for the actor wasn’t immediately available for comment.

His arraignment is set for May 28.

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Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday.

The Hollywood actor - who owed $2.8 million in unreturned tax bills from 1999 to 2001 - was condemned by Judge William Terrell Hodges for exhibiting a “history of contempt over a period of time” for US tax laws.

Snipes, 45, apologised for his “costly mistakes” and blamed his failure to pay on his lack of education.

Speaking at the court in Ocala, Florida, Snipes said: “I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance.

“I am well-intentioned, but miseducated”.

During the hearing, Snipes’ lawyers offered letters from the star’s family members and friends - including Hollywood actors Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson - speaking about his good character.

They had recommended Snipes be given home detention because he had no previous criminal record.