<span class="label"> Month </span> <h1 class="pate-title">April 2011</h1>

Celebrity Scandal: Mike Tyson tattoo artist suing over Hangover 2 satire

Celebrity Scandal!

Mike Tyson tattoo artist suing Hangover 2 producers?

[Apr. 30]

Artist S. Victor Whitmill, the creator and designer of former heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson’s facial tattoo, is suing Warner Bros. over a similar tattoo design planted on actor Ed Helms’ face in the upcoming movie Hangover 2. In the suit, Whitmill seeks an unspecified amount in damages and seeks also an injunction to block the opening of Hangover 2 over Memorial Day weekend.

Whitmill calls the tattoo design “one of the most distinctive tattoos in the nation,” according to Reuters:

“When Mr. Whitmill created the Original Tattoo, Mr Tyson agreed that Mr. Whitmill would own the artwork and thus, the copyright in the Original Tattoo,” argues the complaint, filed Thursday in federal court in Missouri.

But there is a catch. Mike Tyson appeared in the original Hangover film, and it remains to be seen if the tattoo design (which is not exact) is fair use as a parody, given Tyson’s multiple appearances in the first film. Whitmill has sent pictures of him doing the work on Tyson’s face along with documentation with Tyson’s signature that show Whitmill does in fact own the copyright to the tattoo. But Whitmill didn’t ask for compensation when Tyson appeared in the first Hangover film, so what’s the difference now, even if he owns the copyright?

Warner Bros. has declined to comment, although Warner Bros. did in the past pay out a hefty sum to release The Dukes of Hazzard, when a judge issued an injunction just weeks before, regarding the authorship of the source material involved. Will the same thing happen to Hangover 2?

Current Events Latest News Latest Rumors and Celeb Gossip

Royal Wedding Trivia: Threat of rain on parade did not dampen spirits?

Royal Wedding Trivia!

What was the weather like for the parade on Kate and William’s special day?

[Apr. 29]

Londoners are well familiar with rainy days, and the threat of rain looming did not stop the royal wedding revelries at all. Historically, the forecasts showed only a 30% chance of scattered showers the evening before and on the day of the wedding. Rain or shine, people are prepared to handle wet weather in London any day of the years, as were Kate Middleton and Prince William. According to The Royal Forums, the couple was prepared to lead the procession to Buckingham Palace in the Glass Coach, should the weather have turned foul. Bystanders would not have been so lucky if it had rained (of course), but they seemed stoked about the royal wedding parade even if they were worried about a downpour.

Latest News Latest Rumors and Celeb Gossip Music Trivia

American Idol: Crystal Bowersox sings new debut single as guest on Idol?

American Idol!

Crystal Bowersox sings new debut single as guest on Idol?

[Apr. 29]

Crystal Bowersox returned to the stage of American Idol Thursday, April 28, 2011 to sing what may become her newest single, Ridin’ on the Radio too much applause. Bowersox was the runner-up on season 9 of American Idol.

It was a great performance, better than the live VH-1 performance, with a full back-up band, harmonica, and lap steel. She seemed really to open up, now that she’s on her own and has released her debut album, Farmer’s Daughter. Of course, she had every reason to be relaxed, since she returned to the Idol stage without a chance of being voted off.

Now Crystal Bowersox just has to survive the real world of music, and she still needs a real breakthrough hit. Is it possible that Ridin’ on the Radio will become that hit? Nobody knows. But speculation contends that it may be the next debut single to be released, and this writer wouldn’t be surprised if it is. She sings it with power and grace. You can practically see her thoughts as she slips into that dreamy moment of just riding away to nowhere in particular, singing out loud, enjoying creation.

Current Events Famous Couples Latest News Latest Rumors and Celeb Gossip Royal Family

Royal Wedding Trivia: Did Prince William have a secret bachelor party?

Royal Wedding Trivia! Rumors swirled the night before the Royal Wedding that Prince William and his wild younger brother might have snuck out to party in downtown London, but most of the gossip about their revelry proved to be historically false. How do we know? Because the night before the nuptials the boys were actually hanging out at a very private dinner party with their father Prince Charles. The men, who are known to have a pretty raunchy sense of humor in private, were likely having a quiet bachelor send off of their own. Keep reading…

Current Events Latest News Latest Rumors and Celeb Gossip Royal Family

Royal Wedding Trivia: Kate and William rank higher than God in searches?

Royal Wedding Trivia!

Kate and William rank higher than God in searches on Google during Royal Wedding week?

[Apr. 28]

You might ask yourself what’s more important in your life: a good job, fair health, the love of family and friends. Or the Royal Wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William. You may like to think that, in the United States, people would be paying more attention to the economy, the state of our government, or the decline of health care and education. But Google is showing that searches about the royal wedding have surpassed even God, according to a report by the Huffington Post.

Of course, it doesn’t take much to type in a few keywords to Google and turn up a result. Doing searches doesn’t necessarily mean that people are more interested in the royal wedding than they are interested in, say, a home loan. Nevertheless, the searches themselves are telling. If nothing else, they suggest there is enough media attention on the royal wedding to pique curiosity enough to do a cursory search for the terms. Not even Justin Bieber is as popular this week.

Certainly there is a whole army of media ready to cover the internationally recognized event. The major U.S. networks will be there, including ABC, Fox, CNN, NBC, CBS, and more. “An estimated two billion TV viewers will see all or part of the coverage of Prince William and his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton exchanging vows at Westminster Abbey,” says The Wall Street Journal.

Latest News Latest Rumors and Celeb Gossip Music Trivia

American Idol 2011: Why did singer Casey Abrams get sent home, really?

American Idol 2011!

Why did singer Casey Abrams get sent home, really?

Casey Abrams was voted off American Idol on April 28th, 2011 with judges saying that he was great but fans feeling like he might have been just a little bit too funky to win the title of American Idol. But do they have any questions about his talent? Nosiree. They think he’s a musician of note and believe that he’ll go far, possibly bringing jazz back into modern pop music culture. Just not THIS season.

This author would welcome the change. Casey Abrams himself has said that he wants to make jazz cool again, with influences like James Taylor, Ray Charles, and even Frank Sinatra, one of the hippest cats to ever grace a stage. But that just wasn’t enough for the judges or the audience, and so it’s goodbye to Casey Abrams.

But if being voted off American Idol, broke Abrams’ spirit at all, he certainly didn’t let it show. He sang “I Put a Spell on You” as his departure song, almost as if he had known he’d be voted off sooner or later but also knew he’d already hooked America on his style and presentation. He hugged the judges over the desk on his way out, singing as he went, and kissed and hugged ladies in the audience while he left.

Funny enough, he looked relieved and actually for the first time singing relaxed.

Even though he didn’t win — surely as disappointing a departure as that of former contestant and a judges favorite, Pia Toscano — the judges have no doubt that Casey Abrams is a rising star, and Casey, for all it’s worth seems to be just as certain, with a cool confidence that harbors no pretense about his abilities.