American Idol Reject Faces Legal Action

Legal woes hit American Idol, particularly American Idol reject Josiah Leming.

Leming, the homeless singer-former Idol contestant who got axed shortly before the top 24 round, is facing legal action, also from Idol, in the form of threats to block the release of his upcoming album due in January. The legal action against Leming cites violation to terms of agreement.

Like the other contestants, Leming signed a strict contract that only allowed him to sign with the Sony/BMG, the show's hand-picked label. Rather, he signed with Warner Bros. earlier this year. He cites his dream for his terminally-ill mother to hear his music while she is still alive, which is understandable.

While there are terms to agree to on a contract, I sincerely hope Leming gets to release his album while his mother is still alive to share the joy of it with him.

'Disturbia' Disturbed by a Lawsuit

According to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday, Stephen Spielberg and some major Hollywood players stole a plot from Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window to make last year's Disturbia. Film companies Dreamworks, parent company Viacom Inc., and Universal Studios, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal were named as defendants in the copyright-infringement/breach of contract suit.

Both films tell the story of a man who witnesses strange behavior in a neighbor's home while peering through a rear window.

Perhaps The New York Times's review of Disturbia as "a kind of adolescent Rear Window" could have foreshadowed the lawsuit?

Stephenie Meyer's World is Missing a Star

Twilight is missing a star: its fifth and final installment.

Courtesy of a Web leak, Twilight creator and mastermind Stephenie Meyer has decided to put Midnight Sun, the fifth and final installment of the series, on hold indefinitely after a partial draft of the story has found its way onto the Internet. The novel tells a story of a human teenager (Bella) and her vampire lover (Edward).

Although the vampire-human love story has been told before, it's sad that such an intriguing love story would be put on hold. It's especially sad for fans of the series. However, some lucky people did happen to get their hands on one-of-a-kind copies of the story.

Despite her belief that there was no malicious intent toward the story leak, Meyer felt as if her artistic rights as an author have been violated. As a fellow writer, I wouldn't blame her.

Hopefully all will work out in the end for Meyer and her fans.

Beyoncé Pale?

Accusations have rolled around L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetic maker, of lightening Beyoncé's skin for a recent ad. But L'Oreal denies the accusations, stating the value of the relationship the company has with its celebrity client, who has been a celebrity spokeswoman for the company since 2001.

But, perhaps it isn't L'Oreal who lightened her skin for its Feria hair color campaign. It could be the caramel hair color she's sporting in the ad, featured in a current issue of Elle magazine, that's making her skin look lighter. After all, the caramel hair color does wash her out. Or she could have been sick when the pictures were taken.

Heath Ledger Case Closed

Reporters decided to no longer look into the Heath Ledger case, which brought about concern on how the drugs that contributed to Ledger's drug overdose death were obtained. Apparently, the decision to close the case came after former child star Mary Kate Olsen requested immunity toward questions about the death of her "close friend and his drug use" (OMG! Yahoo). According to authorities, she was the first to discover his lifeless body lying in his Manhattan apartment.

One theory that seems to be running about is that Mary Kate could have helped to obtain the drugs that contributed to his overdose, but that has yet to be proven. After all, didn't Mary Kate use drugs at one point? Or at least experiment with them? Not saying she did. Just a possibility/rumor I heard.

Closing the case has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages: Heath can rest in peace, and Mary Kate can go about her own business. Disadvantages: Slim to zero chance of closure for the Ledger family and friends unless they find another way to obtain it or move on (both of which could be difficult to do), not to mention the impact the news of Daddy's drug use could have on little Matilda's life and the fact that the only tangible memories she will have of her daddy would be photographs, news stories, and films. I feel bad for the little tyke.