Charlie Sheen settles lawsuit over "Men" firing (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Charlie Sheen has settled a lawsuit with the makers and creators of "Two and A Half Men" over the actor's dismissal from the top-rated U.S. television comedy earlier this year, Warner Bros. said on Monday.

Sheen had filed a $100 million lawsuit against the studio behind the CBS comedy and its creator Chuck Lorre after he was fired from the show in March.

Warner Bros. did not put a figure on the settlement. The case had been settled through arbitration.

"Warner Bros. Television, Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen have resolved their dispute to the parties' mutual satisfaction. The pending lawsuit and arbitration will be dismissed as to all parties. The parties have agreed to maintain confidentiality over the terms of the settlement," Warner Bros said in a statement.

Sheen, the highest-paid actor on U.S. television, was fired from "Two and A Half Men" after publicly insulting Lorre in a series of bizarre interviews. His remarks followed a series of trips to rehab that had forced production on the TV comedy to be suspended in early 2011.

Monday's settlement announcement followed months of acrimonious exchanges, tempered by contrite appearances by Sheen on TV talk shows and at The Emmys in the last two weeks.

Sheen was replaced on "Two and A Half Men" by Ashton Kutcher. The new season debuted last week to a record 28.7 million U.S. viewers -- a bigger audience than any episodes in the comedy's first eight seasons with Sheen in the starring role as a womanizing bachelor.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Sheen, studio settle lawsuit over 'Men' firing (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Tue Sep 27, 7:05 am ET

LOS ANGELES – The studio that fired former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen said Monday it has struck a deal with the actor to end their legal dispute.

Warner Bros. Television released a statement saying that Sheen's lawsuit against the studio and series executive producer Chuck Lorre has been settled "to the parties' satisfaction." The statement said terms of the settlement are confidential.

Sheen had filed a $100 million lawsuit for wrongful termination against Warner after his firing last March. His attorney, Marty Singer, had said much of that amount was the actor's share of DVD, syndication and other profits that the studio was withholding.

Singer said he could not discuss specifics of the settlement, but he said all parties were satisfied with the resolution.

The Los Angeles Times reported Sheen's settlement would be $25 million, although celebrity website TMZ reported the deal would be worth roughly $100 million over the next several years. Both outlets cited unnamed sources in reports about the settlement amounts.

Sheen was fired at a time when he was the highest-paid actor in television, with a per-episode salary reported to be between $1.2 million and $2 million. His exit cut short the CBS comedy's season.

By then, Sheen had been on a media blitz for weeks, using catchphrases such as "Tiger Blood" and "winning" and describing himself as a warlock.

The case never became the forum for Sheen's grievances that the actor said he was seeking — most of the court proceedings centered on whether the dispute should be heard through private arbitration, as called for in the actor's contract. A judge determined that the case should be moved to arbitration in June and attorneys had been working through that process.

Sheen has distanced himself from his previous outlandish behavior in recent weeks and has acknowledged he was at least partly responsible for his ouster from television's top-rated comedy.

"It was bad," Sheen told Jay Leno, "and I own my part in that, and I just want to make everything right."

Appearing last week at the Emmy Awards as a presenter, he addressed the "Two and a Half Men" cast and crew, saying, "I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season."

"Men" returned to the air last week with Ashton Kutcher joining the cast as a new character. He plays an Internet billionaire who decides to buy the house that had been owned by Sheen's now-deceased character.

A phone message for Lorre's attorney Howard Weitzman was not immediately returned.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

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Judge: Prince should pay $4M in NY perfume lawsuit (AP)

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Rapper Lil Wayne slapped with $15 million lawsuit (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rapper Lil Wayne has been slapped with a $15 million lawsuit by a Georgia company that claims he stole the song "BedRock," according to a lawsuit filed in New York.

Georgia-based production company Done Deal Enterprises accuses the rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, of copyright infringement for the song that Done Deal claims it created in 2009.

The lawsuit, filed in District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 29, also names Universal Music Group, Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment as defendants.

"BedRock" also features singers Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lloyd, and it reached No. 2 on Billboard's charts in 2010.

Lil Wayne, who was released from jail in November last year after serving time on a gun possession charge, has been ordered to appear in court on October12.

(Reporting and writing by Carly Mayberry; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Franklin criticizes songwriter over rights lawsuit (AP)

DETROIT – Aretha Franklin says she's "extremely disappointed" over a lawsuit filed by her longtime songwriting partner over song royalties from her latest CD and copyright infringement.

Norman West of Lansing filed the suit July 15 against the Queen of Soul's publishing company in Detroit federal court.

The suit claims Springtime Publishing Inc. failed to sign a royalty agreement for "Put It Back Together Again." The song is on Franklin's "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love" CD, released in May.

The suit also claims copyright infringement over an earlier song, "Watch My Back."

Franklin didn't immediately respond when news of the suit broke. But she issued a statement Tuesday saying West has "unmitigated gall" considering how she's "personally assisted and advised him over the past 15 years."

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Sheen withdraws lawsuit over NY hotel incident (AP)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Court records show a judge has granted Charlie Sheen's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed against a woman who locked herself in the bathroom of an upscale New York hotel room that the actor left in tatters.

Sheen claimed Capri Anderson locked herself in the bathroom of the Plaza Hotel because she had taken one of his watches valued at $165,000. His lawsuit sought reimbursement.

Anderson told police the actor put his hands around her throat during the raucous evening in late October, but she managed to slip away.

Sheen sued Anderson for attempted extortion in November after she recounted her version of events on "Good Morning America."

Court records show Sheen's attorney were granted a dismissal of the case without prejudice on Friday, which means the actor could re-file.

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Cash-strapped Lohan hit with $1 million lawsuit (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Lindsay Lohan on Thursday added financial woes to four years of legal problems when she was slapped with a $1 million assault lawsuit and a court heard she was having problems paying for private counseling.

Lohan, 25, whose Hollywood career has been derailed since 2007 by drug and alcohol problems and repeated trips to jail, was ordered to undergo psychological counseling earlier this year as part of her sentence for stealing a gold necklace in January.

But her lawyer told a court hearing on Thursday that the "Mean Girls" actress had not yet enrolled in therapy because finding low-cost, individual treatment was proving a challenge.

"I find it hard to believe that she can't afford counseling," responded Melanie Chavira, the prosecutor at the Los Angeles City Attorney's office who is overseeing Lohan's case.

Judge Stephanie Sautner replied that she did not wish to speculate on Lohan's finances, but added:

"She needs to get into counseling. I am going to give her 21 days (to enroll).

"I don't know whether she is working or what she is doing to get an income...If she doesn't have the means, maybe she knows someone who can help out."

Lohan's lawyer Shawn Holley said Lohan indicated that finding financial aid would not be necessary.

Thursday's hearing came the same day that a former employee of a California rehab center filed a $1 million lawsuit against Lohan.

Dawn Bradley claimed in the civil lawsuit that Lohan yelled at her, threw a phone, grabbed her wrist and twisted it when asked to submit to a breathalyzer test in December at the Betty Ford Center near Palm Springs.

Bradley claimed she suffered "significant injury" to her wrist as well as "post-traumatic stress syndrome requiring several therapy sessions." Bradley is seeking damages of $1 million as well as medical expenses.

Prosecutors in Riverside County decided earlier this year not to file criminal charges against Lohan over Bradley's allegations, citing insufficient evidence.

Lohan has been to rehab and jail multiple times since a 2007 drunk driving and cocaine possession case. She also served 35 days house arrest in Los Angeles earlier this summer for stealing the gold necklace from a jewelry store.

The child star of "The Parent Trap" and later "Freaky Friday", "Herbie Fully Loaded" and "Bobby", has not made a feature film since the 2010 low-budget action thriller "Machete".

However, she is due to start work in the fall on a major movie about New York crime boss John Gotti with co-stars John Travolta and Al Pacino.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Record label responds to Joan Jett lawsuit (AP)

NEW YORK – A record label that singer-guitarist Joan Jett and 1970s bandmate Cherie Currie are suing to stop the release of a tribute album in homage to their early punk band says the recording was made "with the best of intentions" to raise funds for cancer research.

Main Man Records said Friday it had not received a copy of the lawsuit filed in Manhattan, but said it would vigorously defend itself.

The two-disc album, "Take It or Leave It: A Tribute to the Queens of Noise," features covers of songs by the Runaways, which launched the careers of Jett and Currie. It's supposed to be released June 28.

Jett and Currie say in their lawsuit that the Easton, N.J.-based record label used their names to promote the album without their permission.

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Dr. Dre settles lawsuit over 'Chronic' sales (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Mon Jun 6, 8:20 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Dr. Dre won't be behind the microphone at a federal courthouse after all — the rapper settled a lawsuit over damages from unauthorized online sales of his album "The Chronic" a day before trial.

Attorneys for the rap superstar, whose real name is Andre Young, filed a notice of settlement in a Los Angeles federal court late Monday afternoon. He had been expected to testify during the weeklong trial, which would have decided whether Young was entitled to 100 percent of the profits from online sales of the rap album, which also helped launch the career of Snoop Dogg.

No details of the settlement, which is not yet finalized, were filed with the court.

In April a judge ruled that WIDEawake Death Row Records didn't have the proper permission to sell Young's music online or repackage it on new CD releases. The label purchased the holdings of original Death Row Records, which launched the careers of several rappers, out of bankruptcy.

He sued WIDEawake Death Row in 2010 for breach of contract, trademark infringement and misappropriation of his likeness.

Young was a co-founder of the label, but negotiated a deal to leave the company that required Death Row to obtain his permission before selling his music digitally. On Monday, "The Chronic" was no longer available for download on Apple's popular music service iTunes.

There was no immediate comment from attorneys for either Young or WIDEawake Death Row.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/celebritydocket

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