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BLACK SABBATH rocker TONY IOMMI is suing bosses of concert promoter Live Nation, accusing the firm of selling band memorabilia without his permission.
Iommi’s lawsuit, filed on Tuesday (16Dec08) at Manhattan Federal Court, alleges he had a deal with Live Nation to sell Black Sabbath branded goods but it expired in 2006, and the company has continued to profit from the band since.
Iommi claims his former bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, signed over to him the rights to Black Sabbath and its likeness when they quit.
(IG/NYDN/ZN) WENN - FIFTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 17 DECEMBER 2008

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KATY PERRY has blasted reports she is engaged to her longterm boyfriend TRAVIS McCOY, insisting the GYM CLASS HEROES frontman did not propose in Paris, France.
McCoy, who has been dating the singer since last year (07), reportedly popped the question during a recent romantic break to the French capital by kissing the star with a diamond ring in his mouth.
But the I Kissed A Girl singer has chastised the New York newspaper that started the rumour.
In a posting entitled "From the horse’s mouth", written on her blog on Wednesday (17Dec08), she proclaims, "NOT engaged! But thanks for the free press, New York Daily News! "You should fact check with the source before you spread world-wide news like that." Perry received a yellow diamond promise ring from her partner this summer (08) and was subsequently forced to deny engagement rumours after she was spotted wearing the gem.

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R&B singer AKON has avoided time in jail after pleading guilty to second-degree harassment for tossing a fan off stage at a concert last summer (07).
The Senegalese-American singer - real name Aliaune Thiam - was accused of picking up a teenage boy and throwing him off the stage during a concert on 3 June 2007 near Poughkeepsie, New York.
Another concertgoer said she suffered concussion when the teen landed on her.
A plea deal with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office dropped a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, allowing him to plead guilty to a violation.
Akon will serve no jail time provided he performs 65 hours of anti-gang and anti-violence community service and pays a $250 (£165) fine.
A statement released by the singer’s attorney, Andrea Zellan, reads: "We are pleased that the case has been resolved and Akon looks forward to putting this unfortunate incident behind him."

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MADONNA was reportedly swayed into retracting a statement about her divorce settlement after GUY RITCHIE demanded she set the record straight.
The Material Girl’s spokeswoman issued a press release on Monday (15Dec08) confirming that the singer had agreed a payout to her estranged husband of between $76 million and $92 million (£50 million and £60 million).
The former couple then put out a joint statement on Wednesday (17Dec08) insisting the earlier press release was "misleading and inaccurate" and was "wrongly issued".
And a source now insists the retraction came about because Ritchie was livid that the figures in the original statement were too high.
British newspaper the Daily Telegraph reports the Snatch director was also "furious" Madonna’s aides had broken an agreement to keep the financial settlement private - and he "pressured" his ex-wife into retracting the statement.

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Rocker CHRIS CORNELL is celebrating the return of his beloved guitar collection following a long court battle with his ex-wife.
The former Audioslave singer divorced Susan Silver - who managed his former band Soundgarden - in 2004.
But the pair remained locked in a bitter dispute over his musical instruments, which was finally resolved through the courts this year (08).
And Cornell is delighted that the precious items have finally been returned to him, four years after his split from Silver.
He writes on his official website, "Speaking of guitars. I was just dusting off the 15 or so guitars that I recently had returned to me after the end of a very long lawsuit where someone had decided that maybe the tools of my trade and guitars I played on my entire catalogue should be in their possession forever.
"It seems to me that some strangely desperate people involved in the music business forget that they are not the ones that write these songs, spill their guts and expose themselves to the public on the most personal level. We invent this s**t and f**king own it and no matter what, nothing will change that."

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TOM CRUISE hated ADOLF HITLER so much he pretended to kill him during childhood war games.
The Top Gun star plays a World War II colonel leading a plot to assassinate the Nazi leader in new movie Valkyrie.
And he admits he was aware of Hitler from a young age - and was obsessed with executing him.
He tells MTV, "When I was a kid, I always wanted to kill Hitler. I didn’t care about religion or whatever. I hated that guy and everything he stood for.
We played war games. There’s something about that time period, even as a little kid, when you’re looking at these documentaries."

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Hollywood actor BEN AFFLECK has teamed up with ROLLING STONES frontman SIR MICK JAGGER to launch a short film highlighting the plight of families in the war-torn republic of Congo.
The stars have created Gimme Shelter - named after the band’s famous track a video which shows the suffering of people in the region, which has been devastated by fighting for more than 10 years.
Affleck, who has travelled to the central Africa area four times since 2007, directed the film and set it to the famous Rolling Stones tune, which was released at the time of the Vietnam War in the 1970s.
In a statement to launch the film, Affleck says: "Too much of the world is indifferent or looking the other way. I’m urging people not to look the other way, not to turn off their TV when news of the violence in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) comes on." While Jagger adds, "I hope this video will help highlight the plight of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people and also the thousands of innocent people who are needlessly losing their lives there." The legendary band have donated their Gimme Shelter track to the campaign in a bid to raise money for emergency humanitarian assistance kits to help needy Congolese families.

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TOM CRUISE was so desperate to see his Hollywood heroes on the silver screen as a kid he took a job bagging-up ice in a freezer.
The movie star idolised Clint Eastwood and late actor Paul Newman as a youngster - and went to work at just eight years old to scrape up enough cash to watch his heroes in action.
He told U.S. talkshow host David Letterman, "There was a store up the street that had this sign that said ‘Kid needed to bag ice’, so I went up there one day. I wanted money so I could go to the movies and (the store owner) put me in this machine.
"I was thinking beforehand, ‘He wouldn’t tell me to do this if it wasn’t safe’ - so I was in there, you got paid per bag, he closed the thing down and he dressed you in this plastic outfit and plastic gloves.
"I’m jamming the ice in there and after about 15 minutes my legs started to go numb. Every bag I’m thinking, ‘OK, I’ve got the ticket for the movie, now I need the popcorn… my hands and my leg were so numb I could barely open the door… I wanted my own cash at eight."

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TOM CRUISE has poked fun at himself on U.S
. TV by reading out a list of the 10 most crazy things written about him on the internet.
The star appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman on Tuesday (16Dec08) night and took a swipe at the internet gossips who constantly speculate about his personal life.
The star told host Letterman, "I’ve always wanted to do this
. I have done a lot of things in my life - and definitely this is on the bucket list." Cruise then read out the list in reverse order, collapsing in a fit of giggles when he got to number four which read: "I believe all emotional and psychological disorders can be cured with Vicks Vapo Rub." Cruise’s top ten of the craziest things written about him on the internet is as follows:
10. I sleep upside-down suspended in a special bat-like harness
9. During the filming of Days of Thunder, on a dare, I ate a tyre
8. I still wear those underpants from Risky Business
7. My real name is Tom Blagojevich
6. I once Heimliched a koala
5. Once a month, I take the Universal tour naked
4. I believe all emotional and psychological disorders can be cured with Vicks Vapo Rub
3. I’m a power-mad ego maniac who’s completely insulated from reality - oh wait, that’s Letterman.

2. After jumping on her couch, Oprah hammer-locked me until I coughed blood.

1. I keep a cell phone in my pants so I can tell friends to call my a**.

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LINDSAY LOHAN was left shaken when a man was arrested after reportedly trying to push past her minders to get to the star.
The Mean Girls actress was leaving a nightclub in Scottsdale, Arizona with her girlfriend Samantha Ronson in the early hours of Wednesday morning (17Dec08) when the man barged through a wall of security guards and lunged at her.
Onlookers said Lohan and Ronson were questioned by cops after the incident outside the Jackrabbit Supper Club & Lounge.
According to TMZ.com, a 38-year-old man was arrested for disorderly conduct and released without charge after several hours.
Lohan had been at the nightclub to support Ronson, who was hosting an event there.

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HARRY POTTER creator J.K. ROWLING’s latest book has made a staggering $6 million (£4 million) for charity.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard sold almost 370,000 copies in its first week of release - and Rowling is delighted the money will go to a good cause.
She says, "All royalties will be going to help children without families, many of them with disabilities, whose voices have been unheard for many years.
"I am absolutely delighted that so much money has been raised. I would like to thank everyone who has so far purchased a copy." Profits from the book will go to the Children’s High Level Group, a charity co-founded by Rowling to help vulnerable children across Central and Eastern Europe.

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A collection of Hollywood memorabilia has broken a world record by raising $7.8 million (£5.1 million) in a four-day auction marathon.
The Profiles in History sale began on Thursday (11Dec08), selling off 3,000,000 scripts, costumes and collectors items which were accumulated following the liquidation of the Collectors Book Store in Hollywood.
Items included a guitar strap used by Jimi Hendrix at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, the axe wielded by Jack Nicholson in 1980 movie The Shining and a model spacecraft from the first Star Wars film, which fetched $406,000 (£265,255) - more than double its expected price.
The auction broke the record previously held by a 2006 Star Trek memorabilia auction through Christie’s which took in $7.1 million (£4.6 million) in 2006.
The next Profiles in History auction is scheduled for Spring 2009.

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British rockers COLDPLAY want music mogul SIMON COWELL to make a guest appearance on their tour - as they would love him to appear at a show and criticise their performance.
The group are big fans of the American Idol judge, who is known for his scathing critique of contestants.
And frontman Chris Martin is hoping to persuade Cowell to record a video segment for their upcoming concerts.
He says, "I’ve never met Simon, but I keep wanting him to do a bit in our concert next year. At the end of one song I want him to come on screen and say, ‘That was absolutely terrible’. I think he’d be up for it. But now I’ve given away a surprise." (LR/WNTMI/ZN) WENN - FOURTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 17 DECEMBER 2008

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Vegetarian pop sensation LEONA LEWIS has been named Person of the Year by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The Bleeding Love singer, who gave up meat when she was 12 years old, is an avid anti-animal cruelty campaigner and refuses to wear fur or leather.
And her strict beliefs have not gone unnoticed with PETA - bosses of the organisation have made the star their top celebrity of 2008, taking over from fashion designer Stella McCartney.
PETA Europe Director Robbie LeBlanc says, "Leona Lewis is admired for her beautiful voice, but it’s her kindness to animals that makes her a superstar in our book." Earlier this year (08) the singer turned down $1.5 million (£1 million) from luxury London retailer Harrods to open its summer sale because it remains as the only U.K. department store to still stock fur.

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Legendary British folk musician DAVY GRAHAM has died just weeks after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
The influential guitarist, once described as "awesome" by The Kinks frontman Ray Davies, passed away on Monday (15Dec08) after suffering a seizure.
Graham, 68, was diagnosed with the deadly disease "just weeks ago", according to his manager Mark Pavey.
The star was an instrumental figure in British folk revival during the 1960s, and is best known for his instrumental track Anji, which was covered by Simon and Garfunkel on their Sound of Silence album.
A public memorial service is slated to take place in January (09).

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Rockers BLUE OYSTER CULT have been forced to cancel a string of shows after their guitarist fell down a flight of stairs.
Guitarist/vocalist Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser slipped in his Florida home on Sunday (14Dec08) and injured his shoulder, leaving him unable to play.
The Don’t Fear The Reaper hitmakers were due to play shows in Ohio, Illinois and Iowa on 18, 19 and 20 December (08), but have now scrapped the gigs to allow Roeser to recover from the accident, according to Blabbermouth.net..
A statement from the band reads: "In an unfortunate mishap, Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser slipped on a flight of stairs in his Florida home this past Sunday evening, while carrying some packages. The fall resulted in a shoulder injury, which has forced the cancellation of the band’s remaining shows for 2008. A complete and full recovery is expected."

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Classical singer KATHERINE JENKINS has called in police over fears she has become the target of a crazed fan.
The Welsh star, 28, has refused to discuss about the details of the case, not revealing the sex of her alleged stalker or any incidents which have occurred.
But Jenkins has confirmed she is currently co-operating with detectives over the matter and hopes it will be resolved soon.
She says, "I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say right now. It is worrying, but it is being dealt with at the moment."

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Director BAZ LUHRMANN will never work with NICOLE KIDMAN again - because too many life-changing events occur when they team up.
The pair first collaborated on 2001’s Moulin Rouge! as Kidman’s marriage to Tom Cruise was coming to an end. The Hollywood actor filed for divorce in February 2001 - just three months before the movie’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May (01).
Lurhmann’s father also died during the production.
And during their second project together - new movie Australia - Kidman found out she was pregnant with daughter Sunday Rose by husband Keith Urban after previously fearing she was unable to conceive.
And Lurhmann admits their time together is so emotional, they have agreed not to put themselves through the stress again.
He says, "On Moulin Rouge! she was breaking up with Tom Cruise, and my father died on the first day of filming. The six weeks before we finished filming Australia, we were doing a scene where her character has to say she can’t have children and she goes, ‘Bazzy, Bazzy I’ve got see you,’ and we sit down under a tree and she tells me she’s pregnant and she burst into tears and I did too, because I knew that was what she wanted more than anything else.
"We both said we can’t make another movie together because there are only so many life-transforming events we can go through."

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