Kimmel Show Pulled Over Remarks
Even though late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel apologized for joking that Detroit Pistons fans would burn down the city if their basketball team beats the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Final, ABC’s yanked Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday night, Reuters reports. “We made the decision that we felt was in the best interest of the show,” ABC said in a terse statement. Network officials declined further comment, except to say that Kimmel returned to the airwaves as scheduled on Thursday. Issuing an apology on Wednesday, Kimmel said, “What I said about Pistons fans during halftime last night was a joke, nothing more. If I offended anyone I am sorry. Clearly over the past 10 years, we in L.A. have taken a commanding lead in post-game riots. If the Lakers win, I hope to overturn my own car,” he quipped, referring to the riot in downtown Los Angeles four years ago following the Lakers’ 2000 NBA championship. Detroit, too, has had a history of riotous celebrations following victories by its local sports teams, including the 1984 World Series victory by the Detroit Tigers.
Paris To Make Letterman Appearance
He finally got her. After months and months of asking, David Letterman finally got Paris Hilton to agree to come on his show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Associated Press reports. Hilton is scheduled to make her first guest appearance Monday. The hotel heiress and star of Fox’s reality show A Simple Life and its sequel A Simple Life 2: Road Trip was to appear on the late-night show last November, but scrapped all planned media appearances after the ubiquitous video showing Hilton and her then boyfriend Rick Salomon having sex hit the Internet. At the time, Hilton’s spokesman said no slight to Letterman was intended; she just wanted to keep a lower profile.
Secrecy Continues in Jackson Case
The judge in Michael Jackson‘s child-molestation case drew a curtain of secrecy tighter around the allegations Thursday, continuing to seal not only grand jury materials but also the media’s requests for release of unspecified evidence, AP reports. Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville expressed concern that “in the extraordinary, high-publicity environment of this proceeding, the integrity of the jury pool is threatened” by possible disclosure of evidence that may or may not be admissible at trial, AP reports. Attorneys representing media organizations including The Associated Press had recently petitioned the court to release names of co-conspirators as well as transcripts of the three-week grand jury hearings that led to Jackson‘s indictment.
Hip-Hop Mag Ordered To Pay Eminem’s Legal Fees
U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch ruled Wednesday that by publishing lyrics to two of rapper Eminem‘s early, racially charged songs, The Source had violated a December 2003 court ruling barring it from printing the full lyrics to the songs and ordered the hip-hop magazine to pay for the rapper’s legal fees, Reuters reports. The Source said the songs, which Eminem wrote before achieving mainstream success, were racist and made the lyrics and recordings available on its Web site, prompting the rapper to file a copyright infringement suit. Lynch said the controversy surrounding Eminem, “his music, and his relation to black culture helps explain the bitterness surrounding what would otherwise be a straightforward copyright case.” Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, is white.
TV Viewers Uptight Prior To Jackson’s Wardrobe Malfunction
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Thursday it was receiving tens of thousands of complaints about indecency on television and radio–months before Janet Jackson exposed her breast on the National Football League’s Super Bowl championship game earlier this year. Reuters reports the FCC received 146,268 complaints about indecency or obscenity during the last three months of 2003, well before Jackson‘s Feb. 1 “wardrobe malfunction.” After the incident, the agency said it received more than 500,000 e-mails alone, almost all complaining about it, while less than 1,000 urged the FCC not to take action against the singer.
Role Call: Elle Woods on B’Way
A writing team is set to bring the 2001 hit comedy Legally Blonde to life on the Broadway stage. Legally Blonde revolves around Elle Woods, Bel Air’s favorite pink-clad blonde, who gets into Harvard Law School to win her ex-boyfriend only to discovers she has far more legal savvy than she ever imagined. The book of the upcoming musical will be written by screenwriter Heather Hach, with music and lyrics by the husband-and-wife team of Larry O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin.
Guylaine Cadorette contributed to this report.
