Lady Gaga denies Japan charity bracelet scam (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Representatives of Lady Gaga on Tuesday denied claims of a scam over sales of the singer's wristbands for Japan's earthquake relief efforts.

They described a lawsuit targeting the pop star and other companies involved in the sale and marketing of the $5 white and red "We Pray for Japan" rubber bracelets as misguided and without merit.

"This misguided lawsuit is without merit and unfortunately takes attention away from the kind deeds of the fans around the world who are supporting the people of Japan," Gaga's representatives said in a statement.

Michigan legal network, 1800LAWFIRM, filed a lawsuit last week alleging that not all of the proceeds from the wristband sales were going to help victims of the March earthquake and tsunami, as Lady Gaga had pledged on her website. The federal class action also claimed that shipping costs were inflated.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday while the "Born This Way" singer was in Japan for a benefit concert.

"The entire $5 donation made with the purchase of each bracelet is going to support the disaster relief. No profit is being made on shipping costs. Sales tax charges were made in accordance with local legal requirements. Lady Gaga has personally pledged her own funds to this cause and continues to support the victims of the disaster," Tuesday's statement said.

Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, is reported to have donated about $3 million to Japan disaster relief through sales of the wristbands and other ventures.

Lady Gaga was last month named the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine, based on her earnings, media visibility and social media popularity.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Lohan gets ankle bracelet, starts home detention (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan was fitted with an ankle bracelet Thursday at the start of 35 days of home detention as part of a plea deal over her alleged theft of a $2,500 necklace, police said.

The 24-year-old was sentenced last month to 120 days in jail for violating probation and ordered to complete community service, but was allowed to serve her sentence at home after pleading no contest to the theft charge.

She was booked at 5:00 am Thursday at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, south of Los Angeles and fitted with the electronic monitoring device, the LA County Sheriff's Department said.

"Ms. Lohan will be under the supervision of the sheriff's department and her release date is expected to be around June 29," said spokesman Steve Whitmore, adding: "She will serve about 35 days on home detention."

Lohan had been ordered to surrender to jail authorities on or before June 17. She was also ordered to do 480 hours of community service last month, including 100 at the LA County morgue.

The actress must also stay at least 100 yards away from the jewelry store where the alleged theft took place, near her home in the upmarket Venice district, undergo counseling and complete a course for shoplifters.

Lohan spent a few hours in jail last month after Sautner ruled she had violated her probation for a 2007 drug and drunk driving offense when she allegedly stole the necklace on January 22.

It is the latest in a long list of legal tangles for the star -- once the promising child star of hit Disney movies "The Parent Trap" and "Freaky Friday" -- who has a reputation for hard partying.

In July last year Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail and another 90 days in rehab for violating her probation in a drunk-driving case, but served just 13 days due to prison overcrowding.

She was jailed again in September, but was granted bail after only 15 hours behind bars and subsequently checked into rehab for drug addiction, a course she completed in January.

In 2007, she spent just 84 minutes in jail after police arrested her twice for cocaine possession while driving -- in one instance crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a tree.

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