Bret Michaels sues cruise ship company (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Bret Michaels has entered some choppy legal waters.

The Poison frontman and "Rock of Love" star filed suit against Shoreline Tours on Monday, alleging that the cruise-ship company participated in "a fraudulent scheme" intended to get Michaels to drastically drop his agreed-upon fee for two performances on one of its cruises.

According to the suit, Michaels' was approached by promoter Willie Donwell to perform a two concerts on a "Super Cruise" this fall, with Donwell handling the promotion, as well as the collection of Michaels' fee.

However, the suit alleges, Donwell was "essentially a shill" for Shoreline in a "bait and switch" maneuver in order to get Michaels to cut his fee.

Michaels and Donwell, the suit says, initially agreed to a $750,000 fee for the two performances, to be paid through Donwell in installments. However, according to the suit, Donwell never had any intention of paying Michaels' fee, and shortly dropped out of the deal, citing health woes, after shifting promotion powers to Shoreline.

After an initial payment of $250,000 was made by Shoreline, Michaels alleges, the company, through its agent, Tim Towle, began complaining about poor advance ticket sales (claims that, the suit alleges, are fraudulent).

According to the suit, after the complaints, Shoreline sent a July 2011 offer to Michaels' camp, offering to continue promoting the cruise if the singer would agree to perform for just $100,000 more than $250,000 he'd already received -- or $400,000 less than $750,000 he'd initially agreed to.

Michaels is seeking damages to be determined, plus interest, court costs and attorney's fees. The suit also names Towle and Donwell individually.

Shoreline Tours did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

Yahoo! News

Franklin's publishing company sued over royalties (AP)

DETROIT – A longtime songwriting partner of Aretha Franklin has sued her publishing company, claiming it did not sign a royalty agreement for a song on her recently released album.

The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit by Norman D. West also accuses Springtime Publishing Inc., of copyright infringement over an earlier song and seeks unspecified damages to ensure future royalties.

West said no royalty agreement was signed for "Put It Back Together Again." That song and "New Day," which West said he co-wrote, appear on "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love." The CD was released this spring — her first studio album in about eight years.

West, 45, and Franklin have worked together on songs for more than 20 years. His lawsuit asks a judge to order Springtime Publishing to sign the royalty agreement.

"These are two parties that have a long-standing working collaboration," West's attorney, Jeffrey Thennisch, told The Detroit News. "Mr. West has the utmost respect for Springtime and everyone associated with it. Mr. West has told me that he owes much of his career to Aretha Franklin and that he views her as both a mentor and a guiding force in his career."

The lawsuit was filed, West claims, after private attempts to settle the dispute failed over the past year.

West's copyright infringement claim is over an earlier song, "Watch My Back."

The Associated Press left messages Saturday seeking comment from Franklin's attorney.

Franklin has had a busy and eventful past few months. The music legend underwent surgery in early December in Detroit for an undisclosed ailment. She attributed losing more than 80 pounds to a change in diet and exercise.

She fractured a toe on her left foot in June, but continues to perform.

___

Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/

Yahoo! News