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AKON’s former booking agents have fired back at the R&B star after he accused them of failing to pay performance fees, breach of contract and trademark infringement in a new lawsuit, insisting they’re the ones who are owed cash.
The singer/producer and bosses at his Kon Live Touring, Inc. company filed a complaint against American Talent Agency, Inc. on Thursday (03Mar11) in New York, claiming ATA officials failed to pay "earned performance fees" and booked "unapproved appearances and performances for Akon".
Akon’s company terminated its relationship with ATA last year (10) and instructed bosses there to immediately stop providing any further booking services on the star’s behalf or exploiting Akon’s name, picture or likeness for commercial purposes.
But they allege ATA bosses have secretly booked appearances for Akon in Dubai and India, and pocketed "substantial deposits" from promoters hoping to secure Akon’s appearance at events.
Now American Talent Agency bosses are hitting back, stating they’ve done nothing wrong.
A spokeswoman tells WENN, "American Talent Agency was instrumental in building Akon’s international brand over their four-year-long relationship with him, including lucrative cellular company launches in Uganda and Guinea, the MTV Africa Music Awards in Kenya and a performance in Dubai, which was Akon’s highest paid performance to date.
"Akon’s accusations of failure to pay earned performance fees and bookings of unapproved appearances and performances are untrue… In actuality, there are many performances for which Akon and Kon Live Touring Inc. owe American Talent Agency several thousands of dollars in fees for dates booked by American Talent Agency and also several thousands of dollars for costs in connection with performances booked by American Talent Agency for which Akon unilaterally cancelled or failed to appear, which American Talent Agency has had to absorb on behalf of Akon and Kon Live Touring Inc.
"American Talent Agency will vigorously defend the allegations made against them and will be bringing claims against Kon Live Touring Inc. and Akon individually."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

RYAN REYNOLDS has reassured fans his role as the GREEN LANTERN won’t interfere with a movie about his X-MEN anti-hero DEADPOOL, insisting the mutant spin-off is "still in the works".
Reynolds is set to take over the big screen as the Green Lantern this summer (Jun11), and devotees have expressed fears that plans for a Deadpool film will be shelved.
But the hunky actor is confident he will eventually be able to reprise his role as Deadpool, the sword-wielding mercenary he played in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
He tells Britain’s Empire magazine, "That’s still in the works. I’m not sure how logistically it works in terms of scheduling, but yeah, I want it to happen." And Reynolds admits he has no qualms about starring in two superhero franchises, adding: "Those two universes are completely different.
"Superhero movies are so pervasive now in pop culture, I don’t look at them as superhero roles as much as just roles. They’re such different people. Deadpool is about a guy in a highly militarised shame spiral, Green Lantern is more universally themed."

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VANESSA HUDGENS has explained the personal reasons behind her first tattoo and revealed she feels like a "bada**" for going under the needle.
The former High School Musical star headed to a tattoo parlour in New York last month (Feb11) and left with a large butterfly inked on the back of her neck.
The actress has now opened up about her first piece of body art during an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, insisting the butterfly comes from a story her mother told her.
She says, "A butterfly landed on my mom’s stomach a week before I was born and that’s how I got my name, because Vanessa means butterfly - it’s a Latin derivative." She adds, "It’s my very first tattoo. I kind of feel like a bada** now."

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Veteran actor FRANK ALESIA has died at the age of 65.
The star passed away on 27 February (11) at his home in Carlsbad, California. His death has been attributed to natural causes, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Alesia rose to fame in the 1960s with roles in movies including Riot on the Sunset Strip (1967), Bikini Beach (1964), Pajama Party (1964) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965).
He also enjoyed appearances on TV shows such as Laverne & Shirley, Bewitched, The Odd Couple and The Flying Nun. Alesia stepped behind the camera in the 1970s to direct kids show Captain Kangaroo, which was nominated for a daytime Emmy award in 1979.
In later years he quit showbusiness and concentrated on breeding horses. He is survived by his wife Sharon and children Dore and Eden Alpert.

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TYLER PERRY was the toast of the NAACP Image Awards on Friday (04Mar11), winning the night’s top honours for his movie FOR COLORED GIRLS and TV show TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE.
The Los Angeles awards show, organised by officials at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), saw big wins for Denzel Washington, who was named Outstanding Actor for The Book of Eli, and Halle Berry, Outstanding Actress for Frankie & Alice. Another big star, Samuel L. Jackson, received the Outstanding Supporting actor prize for Mother and Child.
But it was Perry’s film, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Janet Jackson, which took the top honours, winning Best Film of 2010 as well as the best supporting actress trophy for Kimberly Elise.
The actor/writer/director said of his win, "I wanted to take this iconic work and introduce it to people who had never heard of it… There is nothing like having nine strong black women holding you up." Perry also triumphed in the TV categories, with Tyler Perry’s House of Payne named Outstanding Comedy Series, and the show’s star, David Mann, earning the award for Outstanding Actor in a comedy.
Other prizes went to Vanessa Williams, who was named Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her turn in Desperate Housewives, and Sofia Vergara was honoured for her performance in Modern Family, while Grey’s Anatomy took the Outstanding Drama Series prize.
The winners also included Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Regina King, Terrence Howard, Idris Elba and Will Smith’s 10-year-old daughter Willow, who won the best new music artist award ahead of Bruno Mars and rapper Nicki Minaj.

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Actor DAVID BIRNEY has broken his silence to vehemently deny ex-wife MEREDITH BAXTER’s allegations he was violent towards her during their 15-year marriage.
Baxter shocked fans this week (beg28Feb11) by lifting the lid on her relationship with her Bridget Loves Birney co-star in her new memoir, Untied. She alleges the marriage was blighted by domestic violence and accuses Birney of being abusive.
Birney has now spoken out for the first time about his former partner’s allegations, calling her claims "mean spirited" and "absurd" and insisting Baxter concocted tales of marital woes to aid her in the custody battle over the former couple’s three children.
The actor says in a statement to People.com, "(She) conducted a relentless and brutal assault (against the shared custody in an attempt) to destroy that arrangement and replace it with herself as sole custodian.
"During that time she arrived in court repeatedly with various lawyers and several therapists, ‘recovered memories,’ accusations of abuse - a common charge in custody disputes - and tales of our life together that bore little resemblance to truth - a mean spirited process that battered us all, especially the children. The court denied her suit on every occasion.
"This current recycled version of our family story is no more credible now than it was then." And Birney insists he is shocked Baxter has painted such a bleak story of their marriage in her book, adding, "(It is) immensely sad and truly absurd (that she) is unable to reclaim a single instance of joy or pleasure in all that time, not one occasion of love or delight or accomplishment in our entire life together as we built a family. Not one.
"Nothing from our first meeting to divorce. Nothing, in sixteen years. Really? This blanket omission, this unrelieved denial of even a single instance of joy or pleasure in the creation of a family, the substance and amazing joy of raising children together, of simply being together with them during that time, is incomprehensible. And sad. Meredith’s own account of these years is its own rebuke to her credibility."

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DAVID ARQUETTE refused to take any pain medication following his car crash in Los Angeles over fears the pills would hamper his battle to stay sober.
The actor was left bruised and bleeding after he swerved his Cadillac into oncoming traffic in West Hollywood and collided with another vehicle on Friday (04Mar11). He was taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries, but took to his Twitter.com page to assure fans he wasn’t seriously hurt.
The Scream star, who spent much of January (11) in rehab in a bid to kick his alcohol addiction, has now admitted he wouldn’t let doctors prescribe him any pain pills as he doesn’t want anything to interfere with his quest to quit drinking.
He has also told fans he was on the way to the airport at the time of the crash to fly to Las Vegas to attend a restaurant opening - but has now cancelled the trip.
In a series of posts on his Twitter.com page, he writes, "I was on my way to catch a plane to Vegas to help my buddy Stevie D open his restaurant The Sugar Factory. So sad I’m going to miss it but glad to be alive for a rain check. Refused all pain medication - may the record state - still sober! It was a miracle the woman I hit was uninjured - thank God!" Arquette has also admitted he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident, and urged other road users to always buckle up. He adds, "Remember to wear your seatbelt - wish I was."

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Actor DAVID ARQUETTE has assured fans he’s fine following a head-on car crash in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon (04Mar11).
The Scream star has taken to his Twitter.com account to let followers know he’s alright after driving his Cadillac into oncoming traffic in West Hollywood and colliding with another car.
Arquette swerved to avoid hitting a vehicle that had stopped suddenly in front of him.
There were concerns shortly after the crash when photos of Arquette lying on the ground by the side of his smashed car, awaiting emergency services, were posted online.
But he has assured fans he’s OK, and made light of the drama.
In his Twitter post he writes, "I got into a car accident but I’m fine. Luckily I have dragon’s blood running through my veins. Haha Thank you for all your concern." The actor was reportedly on his way to catch a plane to Las Vegas for a Kim Kardashian party when the accident occurred.
It’s the latest in a long line of setbacks for Arquette, who separated from his wife Courteney Arquette last year (10) and then hit the headlines after confirming he’d romanced a Los Angeles waitress.
The star spent much of January (11) in rehab for an alcohol problem and appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show last week (ends25Feb11) to discuss his efforts to stay sober and be a "better man".

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Actor DAVID ARQUETTE has been hospitalised in Los Angeles following a car crash.
Reports suggest the Scream star’s Cadillac veered into oncoming traffic in West Hollywood and collided with another car.
Witnesses tell HollyScoop.com, Arquette swerved to avoid hitting a car that had stopped suddenly in front of him.
The actor’s publicist says, "He’s OK." Photos of Arquette lying on the ground by the side of his smashed car, awaiting emergency services, have already been posted online.

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Representatives for OPRAH WINFREY have shot down reports the talk show queen is taping a future episode of her show in Egypt.
The country’s new tourism minister Munir Fakhri Abdelnur reportedly told a local news station in Cairo that Winfrey was planning to broadcast a live show from Tahrir Square on "a Friday in March".
Tahrir Square became famous earlier this year (11) when it turned into a meeting place for activists protesting the dictatorship of Egypt’s now-ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
But Oprah’s aides insist the talk show queen is not planning a trip to the Middle East.
A spokesperson for Winfrey’s Harpo Studios tells WENN, "Reports about The Oprah Winfrey Show taping a future episode in Egypt are untrue. There are no plans for Ms. Winfrey or the show to broadcast from an international location before the programme’s finale in May."

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ALICE COOPER has warned young stars to behave themselves or risk ruining their career with drink and drugs.
The music veteran enjoyed the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle to the full throughout his early years in the spotlight, but has been sober since kicking his addictions in the 1980s.
Cooper fears young stars of today will still fall victim to the same problems that blighted his career, but he’s convinced they won’t be able to bounce back as easily - and he’s urging them to take more care or risk losing everything they have worked for.
He tells Fox News, "It was fun in the ’60s and ’70s but those days are gone, if you are living in this day and age there are way too many things to stop your career and not enough things to keep it going. In this business… you have to be totally professional, always be there half an hour early not half an hour late. Be ready to work and do what you are supposed to do.
"If you’re doing a movie, know your lines, if you’re doing an album then don’t show up and not know what you’re doing because that’s the stereotypical thing people think rock stars are… it’s not really true. We get in the studio and know exactly what we’re doing…. If you wanted to stick around you really had to be professional.
"Our band really believed in that. We were over-rehearsed, we never dared come in late. What that says to me is that my time is more important than yours, and that is insulting. You don’t need enemies in this business, you need friends."

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British rocker IAN BROWN has blasted his former STONE ROSES bandmate JOHN SQUIRE for edging him out of songwriting duties as the group disintegrated.
The Fools Gold hitmakers split in 1996, less than 18 months after the release of their second album, and Brown has now taken a swipe at guitarist Squire for driving a wedge between them in the studio.
He tells Clash magazine, "If I went back and did anything differently, I wouldn’t have sung Squire’s songs for him. I wouldn’t have sung the songs that John had written. He took my fun off me there. My fun was doing the lyrics and the melody. He’d come to the recording sessions and he was writing songs on his own.
"He didn’t want to work with no one (sic); he didn’t want to work with me. He had to do it on his own… He knew that I wasn’t happy that we weren’t writing songs together like we used to. And I think I’ve read interviews since where he says he now realises the strength of our partnership. But he didn’t realise it at that time."

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Rocker SAMMY HAGAR is convinced he’ll return as VAN HALEN’s singer, despite waging a war of words with his former bandmates since they reformed with original vocalist DAVID LEE ROTH and blasting band leader EDDIE VAN HALEN in his new memoirs.
The singer fronted the band after Lee Roth left in the mid-1980s and hit the charts with songs including Why Can’t This Be Love and When It’s Love. He parted company with Van Halen in 1996, and has never been invited back for subsequent reunions.
Van Halen are now back in the studio with Lee Roth, recording new material, but Hagar isn’t giving up hope he’ll one day reteam with Eddie Van Halen and his brother Alex.
He tells Rolling Stone magazine, "I’d say it’s up there around 90 per cent. I would love to make another record with Van Halen.
"If Eddie was totally cool and was back to the guy I used to know, or a new guy, not the guy I knew the last time… I wouldn’t do it if he was like that. It’s below zero, minus zero. But if Eddie really got his life together, which it seems he has judging by the pictures I’ve seen, then definitely." But he accepts it won’t be soon: "Right now (there’s) zero chance. When my book comes out, zero for a while. But someday, before we all die, f**k yeah."

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Singer HAYLEY WESTENRA has postponed an upcoming tour of her native New Zealand and will instead stage a huge benefit concert to help the survivors of the Christchurch earthquake.
The soprano, who hails from Christchurch, was in London when the 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook her hometown last month (Feb11), killing more than 160 people.
Westenra was unable to contact her family for hours after the tragedy and the devastation is weighing so heavily on her she has been forced to scrap a series of appearances and commitments and head home.
And now she is working on a huge fundraising show in Auckland with all proceeds going to earthquake relief.
She also plans to stage a free show for Christchurch locals in a bid to boost morale.
Westenra says, "As a Christchurch girl I am still in shock about what has happened to my beautiful home town. My heart breaks just thinking about those who have lost their lives and the families and friends that are now suffering.
"Putting on these concerts is the best way I know to help - it’s my way of giving back to the city that means so much to me."

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R&B star AKON is suing his former booking agent for breach of contract and trademark infringement.
The singer/producer and bosses at his Kon Live Touring, Inc. company filed a complaint against American Talent Agency, Inc. on Thursday (03Mar11) in New York.
The plaintiffs accuse ATA’s officials of failing to pay "earned performance fees" and "booking unapproved appearances and performances for Akon".
Akon’s company terminated its relationship with ATA last year (10) and instructed bosses there to immediately stop providing any further booking services on the star’s behalf or exploiting Akon’s name, picture or likeness for commercial purposes.
But a spokesman for the star says, "Despite terminating the booking agreement, ATA has secretly booked appearances for Akon in, among other places, Dubai, India, Nigeria and Singapore. ATA has wrongly received substantial deposits from promoters hoping to secure Akon’s appearance at events.
"ATA has yet to pay Kon Live Touring at least $750,000 in performance fees for live shows Akon already performed and it continues to falsely advertise itself as Akon’s booking agent on the ATA website. Creative Artists Agency, LLC is Akon’s exclusive booking agent."

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The voice actors who played BAMBI and THUMPER in the beloved 1942 Disney movie met for the first time on TV in America on Friday (04Mar11).
Peter Behn and Donnie Dunagan, who were kids when they recorded the iconic characters’ voices, had never met until they were booked to appear on magazine show The View to promote the Bambi re-release.
Behn, who played Thumper, says, "I just don’t think we were in the same place at the same time." Dunagan, who was six when he gave voice to Disney’s beloved deer, reveals animators even used his facial features to create Bambi.
He explains, "Mr. Disney was looking for a facial model to put a voice face on the deer and he had seen a couple of films that I was in and he called my mom… I couldn’t wait to go.
"I sat on a stool in a semi-circle of men I called the drawing men… They had more pencils than anybody on the planet, and they’d say, ‘Look left, look right…’" Dunagan recalled not being to pull a face for one scene in which Bambi was kissed by another deer, called Faline, so one animator asked him to think of taking medicine.
He adds, "I thought of castor oil. Two weeks before, my mother had given me a dose of castor oil. There it is."

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The Mumbai, India slum where the young stars of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE once lived has been destroyed by fire.
No major casualties have been reported but 15 of the Gareeb Nagar shanty houses, where impoverished Indians lived, have burned to the ground.
According to local reports, the blaze began on Friday evening.
Young stars Azharuddin and Rubina, who played the main characters in the Danny Boyle film as kids, lived in the slum until the success of the film allowed them to move out with their families.

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Actress ZSA ZSA GABOR has returned home after refusing a second leg amputation.
The ailing movie veteran, 94, was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday (02Mar11) after her personal physician detected a bloodflow problem.
Doctors subsequently told Gabor she would need to have her left leg amputated - but she refused the surgery after having had part of her right leg amputated to stop the spread of gangrene in January (11).

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