Month: May 2023

A Manhattan jury found Ed Sheeran not guilty of copyright infringement of Mavin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud,” after nearly three hours of deliberation. Sheeran hugged his legal team on Thursday after the verdict was reached.  He told reporters outside the courtroom: “I’m obviously very happy with the outcome of the case. And it looks like I’m not having to retire from my day job after all,  But at the same time, I’m unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.”

Sheeran had been accused of copying the sheet music for Gaye’s 1973 soul classic by the family of the song’s late co-writer, Ed Tonwshend.  The lawsuit, seeking $100 million in damages, claimed Sheeran used the rhythm, chord progression and other elements for his 2014 Grammy-wining song without permission.

Opening testimony last week by the plaintiffs lawyer, Ben Crump, said the case is “about giving credit where credit is due” and that Sheeran “recognized the magic of ‘Let’s Get It On’” and used the song without permission. Sheeran’s attorney Ilene Farkas said that the singer/songwriter and his co-writer, Amy Wadge, was “born from an emotional conversation” and was the duo’s “original creation.” According to ABC News, Farkas said in court: “We all benefit from artists being free to create and to build on what came before them,” warning the jury that a verdict against Sheeran would mean “creativity will be stifled for fear of being sued.”

Sheeran performed a portion of both songs in court with his guitar, and testified last week that he writes most of his songs within a day, stating he did not stop think about copying elements from Gaye’s song. Sheeran said while on the stand: “If I had done what you’re accusing me of doing I’d be quite an idiot to stand on stage in front of 25,000 people.”

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Kevin Costner and wife Christine Baumgartner are divorcing after 18 years of marriage. Baumgartner filed for divorce on Monday, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split and asking for joint custody of the kids. Costner also requested joint custody in the response he filed Tuesday through his attorney Laura Wasser, which read: “Spousal support to be payable to petitioner pursuant to the terms of the parties’ Premarital Agreement.”

Costner’s rep said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action. We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”

The 68-year-old Costner tied the knot with handbag designer Baumgartner, 49, in September 2004 at Costner’s ranch near Aspen, Colorado. The couple share three children together — Cayden, 15, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 12. This is Costner’s second marriage; he and first wife Cindy Silva divorced in 1994. Costner has three adult children with his ex-wife Silva, as well as another adult son with his former girlfriend, Bridget Rooney.

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Dancing With the Stars is returning to ABC for Season 32, after Season 31 of the reality competition show aired exclusively on Disney+. According to Vulture (who broke the news), Disney executives decided it makes more sense to ‘meet audiences needs wherever they are.’  DWTS will air live on both ABC and Disney+, and be available on Hulu the following day.

DWTS’ move back to network television appears to be part of CEO Bob Iger’s new organizational structure outlined in an earnings call earlier this year, which included a layoff of 7,000 staffers and a dismantling of the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division (which oversaw I move to Disney+ last season).

As previously announced, former DWTS pro Julianne Hough will be returning to the show to co-host alongside Alfonso Ribeiro (following Tyra Banks’ departure after season 31). Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough will also be back as judges.

‘Dancing With The Stars’ Returns to ABC After 1 Season on Disney+: Details

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Hollywood writers went on strike on Tuesday after negotiations between the writers union and the studios fell through. The union said in a statement that the board of directors for the Writers Guild of America (“WGA”) voted unanimously to call for a walkout effective just after midnight; picketing began Tuesday afternoon. The strike will bring an end to television production until an agreement is reached, bringing major impacts to the entertainment industry.

WGA said the decision to strike came after it failed to reach an agreement after six weeks of negotiations with studios and streaming services including Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The union’s statement read: “The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing.” 

As a result of the strike, scripted television series may be forced to shorten their seasons, while the production of television shows and films may be delayed. Nightly network talk shows including The Late Show with Steven Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers will immediately stop running new episodes, and in most cases will instead air re-runs.  Additionally, NBC’s Saturday Night Live has shut down production, with the May 6th episode with Pete Davidson returning as host now cancelled.

Union members are seeking pay increases to offset higher living costs. According to WGA statistics, median writer-producer pay has declined 4%, or 23% when adjusted for inflation.  The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (the association that represents studios, television networks and streaming platforms), said that it had offered compensation agreements for the writers. However, one of the biggest disputes was regarding union proposals that would require companies to staff television shows with a certain number of writers for a specific period of time, “whether needed or not.”

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During a livestream on Tuesday, actors Lea Michele and Myles Frost announced the nominations for the 2023 Tony Awards, which recognize excellence in live Broadway theatre.

Some Like It Hot (a musical adaptation of the comedy film starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) leads the nominations this year with 13, including Best Musical. The show follows two friends/musicians who disguise themselves as women to join an all-girl band, after fleeing from Chicago after witnessing a mob hit. The musical, starring Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee with songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, has been turned into an embrace of trans rights. Borle and Ghee also both earned acting nominations.

& Juliet, New York, New York and Shucked followed with nine nominations each, while Kimberly Akimbo and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street both earned eight nods; and Ain’t No Mo’, A Doll’s House, Into the Woods, Leopoldstadt and Parade are each up for six awards.

The 76th annual ceremony, hosted by Ariana DeBose for the second straight year, will take place June 11 at United Palace in New York City and air on CBS. The show will also be available to stream on Paramount+.

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