Toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment is suing singer Lady Gaga for $10 million, claiming the "You and I" singer and her crew backed out of a Gaga doll deal that had been in the works, according to Entertainment Weekly. MGA had planned on releasing the doll around Christmas; however, it claims that at the last minute Gaga, as well as her management and licensing companies, asked for the doll's voice chip to be removed, delaying the release date.
Speaking of Gaga, Amy Winehouse's father said he'd consider letting her play his daughter in a movie—if Gaga paid him 10 million British pounds (approximately $16 million U.S.), according to NDTV.com . Gaga had expressed interest in portraying Amy; however, father Mitch has not warmed to the idea, saying, "If Gaga gives me 10 million [pounds], I will consider it. I think it might be advisable to get an English actress, although Gaga has got the look about her. It is something which we might think about."
Lastly, in another Gaga-related item, she will make her acting debut in Machete Kills, the 2013 sequel to Robert Rodriguez's 2010 action-exploitation film that starred Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan, among others, EW.com reported. This time around, co-stars will include Sofia Vergara, Mel Gibson, bisexual actress Amber Heard and Charlie Sheen, with Alba, Michelle Rodriguez and Danny Trejo (as Machete) returning.
Sir Elton John has said that rapper Jay Z's public show of support for marriage equality is a pivotal moment, Advocate.com reported. John told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, "Jay-Z, who's probably the most respected African-American artist, came out and said not only is it wrong to not have gay marriage, but any discrimination in life is wrong. It was an incredibly moving statement. I phoned him up in England and said, 'You have no idea what you've just said, how powerful this is.'"
Actor Jeremy Renner (The Avengers; the upcoming Bourne Legacy) accidentally took Viagra instead of Ambien before a flight from Los Angeles to London, according to People.com . "Not only did I not sleep the entire flight," he added of his trip (which takes 10-12 hours), but he also had to deal with his pants "camping."
Bravo Media has greenlit a second season of Kathy, Kathy Griffin's weekly prime-time talk show that a press release said Jane Fonda deemed "…the weirdest show I've ever done in my life," and had Anderson Cooper asking, "Bitch, what the f— are you doing?" Each episode features Griffin and a panel of civilians and celebrities commenting on the week's most talked-about moments. Other first-season guests included Sharon Osbourne, Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings and Jimmy Kimmel.
Hunky actor Eric Dane, known as "McSteamy" on Grey's Anatomy, is leaving the show, according to EW.com . He will return for a few episodes next season—the show's ninth—to close out his character's arc. "After much consideration and conversations, he and I have decided that this is the right time for his storyline to end," creator Shonda Rhimes told TVLine.
At the end of August, Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts is planning to take a medical leave for her bone-marrow transplant, EW.com noted. However, she has listed Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric among her "wonderful, wonderful friends at ABC News" who will be subbing for her. Others mentioned include talk-show host Kelly Ripa and panelists from the ABC's The View. Roberts announced recently that she has a blood and bone-marrow disease once known as pre-leukemia.
Jenna Dewan, the wife of actor Channing Tatum, will act opposite Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine in the second season of out creator Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story, according to EW.comm. Very few details have escaped about season two aside from the fact that the cast will include out actress Sarah Paulson, Chloe Sevigny, Jessica Lange and out actor Zachary Quinto. The first season recently garnered 17 Emmy nominations.
Pamela Anderson and Bristol Palin are among those returning for the first-ever "All-Stars" season for the ABC show Dancing with the Stars, according to CNN.com . Some of the others return to try to (re)capture the mirror-ball trophy include Kirstie Alley, former champ/football player Emmitt Smith, actor Gilles Marini and several former champs, including retired gymnast Shawn Johnson, speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno and race-car driver Helio Castroneves. The season will premiere Monday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. ET.
Christina Aguilera talked with Extra TV about the new Voice mentor, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. She said, "I like to switch it up. This one was very intriguing because he comes from a completely different genre of music than I do." Armstrong said that he had a choice between Aguilera and another judge on the show, jokingly adding, "You know I like singers, not drummers"—a jab at The Voice judge Adam Levine, who plays the drums.
The cast of ABC's Modern Family has struck a new deal that will keep the ensemble well-paid as it starts its fourth season, according to EW.com . All six adult actors—Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson—were looking to boost their pay before the show returned to air. Negotiations ended earlier when the cast refused to show up for a table read; the actors then filed a lawsuit seeking to void their seven-year contracts.
Talk-show and Emmy host Jimmy Kimmel does not think that out creator Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story should be allowed to compete in the miniseries category, according to EW.com . Kimmel told a roomfull of critics, "It's not a miniseries—let's be honest." However, Bruce Rosenblum, chairman and CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, defended the board's decision, which followed creator Murphy's appeal to let "Horror Story" compete as a miniseries.
Kirk Cameron has turned down an invitation to meet with LGBT teenagers, suggesting they "listen online to the interviews and comments" where the Growing Pains actor has communicated his "heart and thoughts," according to Advocate.com . Corey Bernstein, the co-chair for Garden State Equality's Youth Caucus, had sent an invitation to Mark Craig, Cameron's manager. Craig said that Cameron wouldn't be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts but that Bernstein could listen to and read the actor's online interviews and comments.
When R&B singer Chris Brown was recently asked about out musician Frank Ocean when leaving a nightclub, Brown responded, "Man, no homo," according to PRLog.org . In hip-hop culture, the phrase "no homo" means that ther person rejects anything that could be seen as gay. The two have an unsavory past; last year, the two exchanged tweets that resulted in Brown sending family members to attack Ocean. Later, Brown tweeted that he wants people to "love who u wanna love," Advocate.com reported.
Universal Television has signed a talent holding deal with out singer-actor Ricky Martin to develop and star in his first network television series as well as TV specials, Deadline.com reported. "Ricky is an iconic superstar who is as talented as he is popular," said Universal TV EVP Bajaria. "Whether he's performing before sold-out concert crowds, or starring on Broadway, where he is currently playing to SRO in Evita, Ricky connects with his audience in a very palpable way—and we are thrilled that he will be adding TV star to his incredible resume."
Cher has announced that her new full-length album, which will include a duet with Lady Gaga, will be released by Christmas, according to Advocate.com . In addition, the next single will be released in October. Both the album and "The Greatest Thing," the duet written by Gaga, were originally expected to be released last fall.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the cult sci-fi-horror musical starring Neil Patrick Harris and directed by The Avengers' Joss Whedon, will make its network television debut four years after it was filmed, Advocate.com noted. Harris stars as Billy—whose alter ego, Dr. Horrible—is a budding super villain with plans for world domination. The musical will air on the CW on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
The director of The Matrix and the highly anticipated film "Cloud Atlas" has become the first major Hollywood director to publicly come out as transgender, the Huffington Post reported. Lana Wachowski has revealed her transition to the New York Post; the publication claims she has undergone gender-reassignment surgery, but this appears to be unverified. Lana was previously known as Larry; her brother is co-writer, -producer and -director Andy.
Add Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck—the brother-in-law of The View panelist Elizabeth Hasselbeck—to the NFL players who would welcome a gay teammate, according to Outsports.com . He said that sexual orientation is "kind of irrelevant to the discussion in terms of how we would view that person as a teammate or how we would view that person as a friend, or how we would trust that person." Former Titan Wade Davis publicly came out recently.
CBS is developing a reboot of the classic comedy The Brady Bunch that Vince Vaughn is co-developing and executive-producing, according to Deadline.com . The original sitcom, starring Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as Mike and Carol, ran on ABC during the years 1969-1974. In the new version, a divorced Bobby Brady, with children of his own, is remarried to a woman who also has kids, and together they also share a child.
