Suing for a piece of Britney and “Piece of Me”
A lawsuit filed by Kirk Rothrum, owner of “banging-beats.com,” claims Britney Spears and Sony Music used the sounds of woman seductively moaning “uhh” and “oh yeah” in her hit song “Piece of Me,” and didn’t pay for it.
The polite word for this kind of musical interlude is “sampling,” but those who own the bits and pieces being sampled have another word for it: “stealing.” Now, Rothrum 
wants Spears and Sony to pay up. While normally some might pooh-pooh the notion of Rothrum having a big payday, the recent jury verdict against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke may give those deep-pocketed defendants pause. Sometimes it’s better to control your destiny with a well-structured settlement. We’ll have to see how this one plays out.
Chris Brown Battery Bounced
The person who accused Chris Brown of punching him during a basketball game early Monday morning in Las Vegas now says he does not want to pursue the case. He didn’t say why, but with no complaint Las Vegas cops say there’s no case.
Initially Las Vegas cops said Brown got in an argument during a basketball game at the Palms Casino Resort and punched another player. I guess now it was nothing more than a hard foul.
In March Brown ended his probation from the Rihanna case, so he dodged another possible charge.
And, ironically, all this comes after Brown was presented with a Key to the Strip.
Floyd Mayweather Defamation Lawsuit
Floyd Mayweather’s former girlfriend (and the mother to three of his children) is suing the boxer for $20,000,000.00. Josie Harris claims Floyd lied about her in an interview with Yahoo’s Katie Couric before the big “Fight of the Century.”
The suit says Mayweather lied when he claimed Harris was in a drug-fueled rage and that he had to “restrain” her during their infamous 2010 domestic violence incident. Mayweather spent two months in jail for domestic violence following the incident.
In order to prevail, Harris is going to have to prove Mayweather knowingly made false statements about her. Either they’ll reach a mutually-agreeable settlement, or they’ll get the legal equivalent of “going to the judge’s scorecards,” and letting a jury decide.
Bail for Suge?
In other Mayweather related news, rap mogul Suge Knight is waiting to see if he’s also a winner after the so-called “Fight of the Century.” Before the bout, Knight’s attorney said if Mayweather won, the boxer’s camp had indicated Mayweather would put up the $10,000,000.00 bail to get Suge out of the LA County Jail.
So far there’s been no bail and no word from Mayweather on whether he’s going to bail Suge out.
If he does, he’s on the hook for the whole $10 million – meaning if Suge doesn’t show or violates the terms of the bail, Mayweather will be out $10 million. Right now that looks more like pre-fight hype and hope, and not a promise to pay.
Sentencing for the Burglar who ripped off Miley
Rusty Edward Sellner
A judge sentenced the man busted for breaking into Miley Cyrus’ home to two years in prison. The break-in at the pop star’s Toluca Lake mansion happened last December. 22-year-old Rusty Edward Sellner of Newbury Park pleaded guilty to one felony count of first-degree residential burglary.
Sellner was previously convicted of burglary and evading arrest in Ventura County. He’s likely to serve about half the time.
- #JourneyAcrossAmerica Update - May 10, 2017
- CNN Interview for my #RunAcrossAmerica - April 21, 2017
- #WhatsMyWin Training and Interview for my #RunAcrossAmerica - April 21, 2017
Darren is an accomplished TV personality, attorney, interventionist, keynote speaker, and 'misbehavior expert' who appears constantly on countless TV and radio shows.