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October 16th, 2009
03:29 PM ET
Jon Gosselin responds to lawsuit!BREAKING NEWS! Showbiz Tonight just received this statement from Jon Gosselin’s attorney, Mark Jay Heller, Esq. regarding the lawsuit that TLC filed against Jon. “Apparently, TLC has elected to initially litigate this case In the Court of Public Opinion, rather than the Circuit Court for Montgomery County Maryland because neither Jon nor I have been served with legal pleadings or informed by TLC of the instant litigation. Remarkably, instead, I read the alleged Complaint on the internet, since it would appear that Discovery and TLC chose to pander and publicize their weak feeble and baseless claim to the media rather than providing the Defendant with appropriate notice through the traditional judicial process. Jon will vigorously defend against this baseless action, assuming Discovery and TLC choose to go forward with their claim by legally serving him with notice, and we are confident that through the course, of litigation it will clearly be evident that Discovery and TLC exploited, manipulated and abused the Gosselins’ vulnerability and financial hardship. We believe that the contract will be unenforceable in light of the fact that Discovery and TLC initially had Jon execute a complicated, complex and sophisticated agreement at a time when he had no legal representative. In any event, when TLC and Discovery ended the program “Jon & Kate plus eight” they also effectively terminated the purported contract and accordingly, any rights or obligations they perceived existed concerning Jon’s conduct or actions, rights or privileges from that point forward were also terminated. The contract was against Public Policy because we believe Discovery and TLC violated Pennsylvania Child Labor Laws, failed to seek appropriate State and Municipal Permits, failed to pay the Gosselins fair consideration, and intentionally circumvented their responsibility to specifically designate legal and lawful compensation to the eight infant children, which Is now the subject of an investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and could result In summary Criminal Proceedings. The purported Contract was also grossly overreaching and restrictive attempting to abridge the most basic Constitutional Right that all American citizens have of Freedom of Speech. Discovery and TLC has treated Jon Gosselin like a dog by attempting to keep him on a leash and muzzle him and deny the father of eight the opportunity to earn a livelihood to support his family. All of the aforesaid, clearly, in our opinion, renders the alleged contract as null and void, unenforceable and unconscionable. Clearly, this litigation has heralded in the battle of “David” against “Goliath” and Jon Gosselin fully intends to stand firm, protect his family and defend against TLC and Discovery who have been rumored to have enjoyed over $106 million dollars in revenue for one quarter, purportedly attributed to the success of the program “Jon & Kate plus eight’ This litigation is clearly a tactic that Discovery and TLC have initiated in furtherance of their hunger to jump back on the gravy train, but Jon Gosselin has decided to put the breaks on the Discovery and TLC trainwreck.” Be sure to tune in to Showbiz Tonight for all of the latest developments in this breaking story-11pm ET/PT- don’t miss it!
October 16th, 2009
12:34 PM ET
Your pop culture cheat sheetHere's what's happening in the world of entertainment today:
October 16th, 2009
11:12 AM ET
TLC sues Jon Gosselin!This just in to the Showbiz Tonight newsroom- we just received this release from TLC regarding their lawsuit against Jon Gosselin: TLC announced today it has filed a lawsuit against Jon Gosselin for breaching the contract he signed for the production of “Jon & Kate Plus Eight.” The network has been trying privately and patiently for months to get Jon to honor the contract he signed and to comply with his obligations relating to public appearances and statements. Those efforts have been unsuccessful. The Washington, DC law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP has been retained to represent the network in the litigation. For more on this breaking story, tune in to Showbiz Tonight at 11pm ET/PT on HLN- don’t miss it!
October 16th, 2009
10:32 AM ET
Sad night for 'Real Housewives'While I was prepared to be uncomfortable watching Thursday night’s episode of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” for me it was worse than I had imagined. Kim and Sheree planned a surprise engagement party for Kandi and A.J. since their original party plans had been derailed due to a relative injured by a drunk driver. It is always strange to watch a deceased person alive and well in footage, but in this case it was all the sadder because what should have been a happy time was made so incredibly stressful by the bad blood between A. J. and Kandi’s mother, Joyce. When the three of them got together for a session with a Christian counselor, I felt torn between understanding Joyce’s desire to protect her child, and my wish that she had cut A.J. some slack – especially given the unhappy ending none of them knew was coming. The tension at the engagement party made the rest of the show seem even more superficial to me. Who cares about Sheree’s fashion line or Kim’s wig business when watching A.J. try and get his future mother-in-law to toast her daughter’s happiness highlighted how fleeting life can be? I hope NeNe, whose meeting with a man who may be her biological father also played out on the episode, takes a lesson from A.J. and Kandi’s situation on the importance of family ties and making peace. What did you think of the show?
October 16th, 2009
09:46 AM ET
'30 Rock' still brings the laughsHaving won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series every season that it has been on, you would think "30 Rock" could afford to coast on its reputation. But from the very first scene, where Jack appears to welcome the viewing audience to "Season Four," the show continued to deliver rapid-fire laughs in its traditional style.  The comedic pairing of Jack and Kenneth has always been a winner (even more so than Tracy and Kenneth), and the season premiere was no exception. When Kenneth got a glimpse of Jack's big bonus after being told that NBC was out of money ("Bonus means extra. I know that. From game shows."), the network page became a most unlikely strike leader. Being highly visible during the writer's strike of two years ago, Tina Fey seemed uniquely qualified to poke fun at them, as both Jenna and Tracy eventually joined the picketers: Tracy, after a hilarious search for his roots, which mostly consisted of him trying clumsily to connect with random passersby ("Hello, fellow human being. Would you like to ask me what time it is?"), and Jenna, after hearing of Liz and Pete's plan to hire a new cast member. Speaking of Liz and Pete's storyline, that one seemed the weakest of the episode, as their attempts to hide what they were doing seemed more cliched than what this show usually does. I did like the line about picking up her nutritionist and elderly son, though. Jenna's plan to appeal more to middle America by going country while promoting NBC's tennis coverage, on the other hand, was one of the show's highlights. I wasn't a fan of Steve Buscemi's first guest appearance as Len, but the character has grown on me since. His plan to infiltrate the striking pages led to some of the episode's funnier moments. All in all, it was a solid return for the show, though it probably won't be remembered as one of the best episodes ever. I'm happy to hear that there will be less reliance on big-name guest stars this season, too, as the show is usually best when it's just the main cast doing what they do best (with the exceptions of Jon Hamm and Salma Hayek). What did you think? Did the season premiere make you optimistic that this show's still got it? Or are its best days behind it?
October 16th, 2009
08:52 AM ET
Leona Lewis assault suspect chargedSinger Leona Lewis says she was shocked by the alleged attack. Also, what is director Roman Polanski up to these days in prison? He's still working on a film. Find out more in The Buzz:  |
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