Hot New Hollywood Trend: Crazy Defamation Lawsuits

Is it just us or are defamation lawsuits getting more insane by the month?Celebrities have long sued tabloids over things written that nobody believes anyway, but these days, lawsuits stretch from the outrageous to the plain ridiculous. The idea that public figures will have a tough time proving the required "actual malice" and therefore shouldn't bring defamation lawsuits almost seems like an antiquated notion now.Just this past week, defamation suits were filed involving Lindsay Lohan vs. a rapper, insurance executives vs. Eliot Spitzer, a record executive vs. former New Edition singer Johnny Gill, and last but not least, Oasis singer Liam Gallagher vs. brother Noel Gallagher. Is there some sort of thread that connects these wild lawsuits?Gallagher v. Gallagher involves comments made to the press about why Oasis was forced to cancel a 2009 concert. It had us scrambling to put together a list of the best all-time defamation lawsuits. Where to begin? Even if we restricted ourselves to claims filed just in the past few months, we'd be sorting through these doozies:Lindsay Lohan is suing rapper Pitbull over a rap lyric,"locked up like Lindsay Lohan." According to the lawsuit: "By virtue of [the song's] wide appeal, condemnation, excoriation, disparaging or defamatory statements by the defendants about [Lohan] are destined to do irreparable harm."A woman is suing A&E Television Networks for supposedly using tricky editing to imply she smuggled drugs in her vagina for her incarcerated husband."Dr. Luke" Gottwald, one of the most successful contemporary pop music producers, is suing the Bellamy Brothers for defaming him by suggesting his song for Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me," was plagiarized. Apparently, allegations of copyright theft can rise to libelous statements now.So too are allegations of song leaking.Notifi RecordsCEOIra DeWittis suing former New Edition singerJohnny Gillfor making such a suggestion on Twitter.Speaking of Twitter, let's not forget those lawyers suing Courtney Love over comments made on the social platform -- the second time the singer has been sued for alleged tweet defamation.Broadway singer Marty Thomas brought a defamation action against an anonymous person in order to compel Twitter to reveal the identity of the person who accused him of contracting an STD.A newspaper lost a defamation lawsuit, wrote an editorial about what happened, and then got sued for defamation (again) by the judge in the case.These are just some examples of the moreout-there cases. There are also the ones that make news because of huge dollar figures, as well as big personalities, includingthe $10 million defamation claim against Gawker Media over itsArnold Schwarzeneggerlove child post, the $50 million defamation lawsuit against MSNBC and host Rachel Maddow over comments made on-air about heavy-metal rocker turned radio host and conservative preacherBradlee Dean, the $50 million lawsuit against Star Magazine over claims made about an allegedKatie Holmes drug addiction, and now, the $60 million lawsuit against Elliot Spitzer for writing about allegedly corrupt insurance execs in a Slate column.We don't mean to suggest that these lawsuits have no merit -- some might -- merely that there seems to be more big and bold libel lawsuits than ever before. The traditional technical obstacles presented to "public figures" no longer seem like impediments to a court filing.This raises a question: Do these plaintiffs get anything for their trouble besides a hefty legal bill and bad headlines?According to a report last year put out by the Media Law Research Center, the percentage of plaintiff wins is down significantly. In the 1980s, plaintiffs were winning nearly 63% of the time. These days, it's under 48%.Then, there's this: According to the MLRC, punitive damages have dramatically dropped while compensatory awards have risen significantly. This could explain why plaintiffs seem to pull their damage estimates from thin air. There's nothing more nebulous than recompensating someone for emotional suffering.Put everything together, and we see a digital environment where people have a microphone to shout whatever they'd like. Comments travel further and seemingly hang around nearly forever. And now, sensitive folks rush to courts with defamation claims. The lawsuits may not be winning, but perhaps a settlement can be extracted.Is there a better way?Some folks are looking for solutions. For example, David Ardia ofUniversity of North Carolina School of Law and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, suggested in a recent paper for the "Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review"that the law be reformed so as to deemphasize monetary remedies for defamation. Instead, he suggested alternative approaches such as ways to encourage the correcting of inaccurate information, opportunities for contextualization, and harnessing the power of online communities to deter and mitigate reputational harm.Ardia's ideas may sound somewhat utopian, but clearly there needs to be more thought about revising defamation constructs in the digital age. Until then, enjoy the crazy headlines. The Hollywood Reporter

An Extensive Help guide to 'Indiana Jones' in Map Form

Call your large 'Indiana Jones' fan? Well, you've practically nothing on Matt Busch, who spent 3 years creating the Indiana Johnson World Map. What's the World Map? Why, it is simply a drawing that represents each and every historical artifact that Indiana Johnson ever found. The project initially began using the four Indianapolis films, but eventually spread to any or all Indiana Johnson novel, comic and gaming. Additionally to every piece into the spotlight, Busch produced a listing that names the artifact, the town and country it had been present in, the entire year it had been discovered and also the title from the story it initially made an appearance in (and just in case you had been wondering, Lucasfilms gave him permission to get this done. We all know George Lucas' stickiness if this involves fans using his material). Busch is presently selling a restricted quantity of posters around the globe Map. So when you are saying Indiana Johnson lines every day, this is actually the perfect gift for you personally. [via /Film]

Dominic Chianese to Stroll on Boardwalk

Dominic Chianese The last time many viewers saw Dominic Chianese, his legendary Sopranos alter ego, Corrado "Junior" Soprano, was languishing with senile dementia in a rest home. This fall will find him substantially more compos mentis in the second season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire, which premieres September 25. According to the show's creator/executive producer (and fellow Sopranos alum) Terrence Winter, Chianese will guest in six of the season's 12 episodes as one Leander Whitlock, whom Winter describes as a contemporary of Dabney Coleman's Commodore. "He's almost unrecognizable," says Winter of Chianese's appearance. C'mon, we'd know that mug anywhere! Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Three Meters Over The Sky

also known as Tres metros sobre el cielo Story of two youthful individuals who fit in with different mobile phone industry's. It's the chronicle of the love improbable, nearly impossible but inevitable dragging inside a frantic journey they uncover the very first great love. Babi (Maria Valverde) is really a girl from upper-middle-class that's educated in goodness and innocence . Hache (Mario Casas) is really a edgy boy, impulsive, unconscious, includes a appetite for risk and danger embodied in endless fights and illegal motorbike races, the limit of good sense.

Third Bridget Jones Movie Potentially On the Way, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Also in this Friday edition of The Broadsheet: Jonathan Demme grabs latest Stephen King book… Justin Lin decapitates Highlander… Bert & Ernie are not married… and more ahead. · Back in early July, it was rumored that Paul Feig would potentially direct a planned third installment of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Now, at least one of those things are happening: EW reports that Working Title Films is going ahead with another Bridget Jones film, though no principle cast members have signed up as of yet, no director is on board and no script is finished. Presumably, Renee Zellweger would return to her most famous role, with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth hopefully back as well. Let’s agree to check back here in a year and see if this one is any closer to the big screen than it is right now. [EW] · It’s not The Stand, but Jonathan Demme has found a Stephen King project to adapt. Variety reports that Demme will write, direct and produce a film version of King’s upcoming novel 11/22/63, about a 35-year-old teacher who travels back in time to potentially stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The project has no studio or financing yet, but Demme is looking to shoot it in the fall of 2012; 11/22/63 arrives in bookstores on Nov. 8. [Variety] · Hope you weren’t too excited about the idea of Justin Lin directing the planned remake of Highlander. Lin has bowed out of the project, likely due to potential scheduling conflicts with the Fast Five sequel and perhaps Terminator. He will stay on as a producer. [THR/Heat Vision] · Scott Glenn is busy. The actor (or “Sucker Punch star,” per Variety; lolz) has signed up for a small part in Lee Daniels’s Precious follow-up The Paperboy, as well as a reprisal of his role in The Bourne Legacy. [Variety] · DreamWorks has dropped Southpaw, the boxing drama they picked up late last year with Eminem attached in a lead role and Antoine Fuqua directing a script by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter. The studio will allow the filmmakers a chance to shop it elsewhere. [Deadline] · As it turns out, Bert and Ernie are not gay. “Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves,” said PBS in a statement. “Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.” And now you know. [Deadline]

Playboy Club Producer: Its Not Mad Men and It's Not So Racy

The Playboy Club Comparisons between NBC's The Playboy Club, the new 1960s-set series that takes place at the first Playboy Club in Chicago, and Mad Men were perhaps inevitable, but the producers and cast of the period drama were on hand at the fall TV previews on Monday to downplay any similarities. "The comparison to Mad Men ends at the era," executive producer Ian Biederman said. "This is a much different show with a much different energy." Parents Television Council calls for NBC affiliates to drop The Playboy Club Before the series has even premiered, the show has drawn attention for its name alone, causing the Parents Television Council to question whether a show based on one of the largest adult entertainment industries would be suitable on primetime television. At least one NBC affiliate, Salt Lake City's KSL, has opted to not carry the program, which will be shown in that market by KMYU, the local My Network TV affiliate. But the producers say it's practically family-friendly. "In terms of content and anything racy, it's mild compared to a lot of stuff on TV," Biderman said. "The intent of this show is to show characters at a certain time and a certain place trying to become something... It's not based on magazines, it's based on the Playboy Club." Further, several members of the cast point out that becoming a Playboy Bunny was empowering for women of this time. "This is about choice, ultimately, it's a different generation with different opportunities and different expectations for women," said Amber Heard, who plays new new Bunny Maureen. "It's just as chauvinistic to deny a woman her sexuality. Every woman up here is an independent, self-sufficient intelligent woman... representing a group of women who were doing the same in a time where options were completely different." NBC Boss: SVU's Hargitay will remain in "every episode," Voice returns post-Super Bowl The look-but-don't-touch atmosphere of the Club is exactly what makes this era so rich in storytelling. "The show is about fantasy; it's about what Hugh Hefner built... and at the end of the day, it's about these women," Biederman said. "The first thing Hugh Hefner said when we made this show is, 'It's about the bunnies; it's about the girls. None of the other stuff matters. These aren't Playmates; these are Bunnies... these were great, bright women who wanted to become something and I helped give them an opportunity, but really they did it themselves.'" But let's not be too altruistic. "Look, yeah, people were having sex in the bathroom," star Jenifer Lewis exclaimed. "The sex will be there as it is everywhere in every show, but it's about these women. It's character-driven." Still, Heard stressed: "I've yet to meet an ex-Bunny who is disgruntled about her experience." The Playboy Club premieres Monday, Sept. 19 at 10/9c on NBC.

Mou gaan dou III Jung gik mou gaan

Because Chan was being expelled from the school in 1991, SP Yeung Kam Wing graduated, with all police reports distinctions, being the first in whole class. Twelve year later, he was being sent, working to Lau. Ten months after Chan dies, Yeung's spy had blew a case and the spy wish to kill Yeung, but Yeung took his gun and shot him to conclude this failure. Lau gave Yeung car park seat B3A6 when Yeung met Lau. Yeung asked Chan who he is, but Chan didn't remember him. Sam works with Yeung and Lau is recording Yeung's words so that he can sue Yeung. Yeung is a police SP, which is being sent to Sam as the spy from police. Lau doesn't really know Yeung's Police SP position and wish to catch Yeung to the police head. Yeung work with another inspector who is a good friend of Yeung himself. Lau sneaked into Yeung's office, stealing the cassette, and ask the head to tell him that Yeung is the spy of the triad, Sam's triad. The inspector friend of Yeung, without found by Lau, changed Lau's own cassette back to Lau's own player. When Yeung was talking with his staff about the event, Lau brought the head to meet Yeung, and played the tape, because it's changed back with Lau's tape, so Lau ashamed himself instead of able to prove that Yeung is the spy. Lau said why are the police people playing him with this. Yeung, spoke like Chan, Sorry Lau, I am a policeman. Lau said that he is also a police, and shot Yeung's heart. Yeung and the inspector shot Lau back, but Lau succeeded to shoot Yeung's forehead. Yeung was proved deceased with lots of blood. Lau was sent to hospital and met his girl. Sammi told him that her baby is his, and she is able to call Lau as daddy. Ten months ago, when Chan dies, the inspector and Yeung were talking together, Yeung told the inspector that there are still things that need both Yeung and inspector to tackle after Chan die. Inspector cried when he watched Yeung's past. Ten months after, now, Psychologist talked with the inspector after she paid her tribute to Chan, and the inspector paid his tribute to Yeung. Psychologist said that it may be the destiny. Inspector told her that it is chance not destiny. It's always things change human, human can't change things. But Chan, Yeung, Lau had changed some things themselves. Inspector ask Psychologist to let the things to past off, tomorrow still have to face.