"Randy Jackson isn't used to stealing the show -- but according to a new lawsuit, that's exactly what he did with 'America's Best Dance Crew.'"
By Gina Serpe
The state of Rob Schneider's latest comedy is no laughing matter. Per usual. But this time around, the lack of yuks doesn't have to do with bawdy humor. Instead, the Saturday Night Live alum and his producing partner and older brother, John, are being accused of cheaping out on longtime collaborator Bob Rubin, who filed suit against the brothers Schneider in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday.
Rubin alleges breach of contract and fiduciary duty as well as unjust enrichment from the siblings, claiming they failed to make good on a promised finder's fee after he helped them secure financing for a completed but as yet unreleased Schneider vehicle titled The Chosen One. He is seeking at least $350,000 in damages.
Per the lawsuit, Rubin claims that in early 2007 he helped the Schneiders obtain $9.5 million for the film and that John (who produced both Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo and The Hot Chick) had agreed to pony up a 3 percent take for raising the money.
Citing his long history of working without incident with the brothers, Rubin said in court documents that he did not get the proposed deal in writing, something he came to regret soon after, when he was informed by John that his cut would have to be reduced to 1 percent of the film's roughly $8 million budget, making for a payment of just $80,000.
"Having known John Schneider and Robert Schneider for over 23 years, [Rubin] trusted John Schneider's word," the suit states.
While Rubin claims he begrudgingly agreed to the lower payout, further insult to the financial injury wasn't far off. The financier claims that after months of failed attempts to collect the pay day, the Schneiders still owed him $60,000 as of last October.
In addition to the assurances of financial compensation, Rubin's suit also claims that the Schneiders made empty promises to get Rubin parts in movies as well as the opportunity to direct and produce his own TV show.
While neither Schneider brother has yet commented on the suit, court documents quote Rob as seemingly defending his actions, saying that "the Schneider brothers have done pretty well for Bob Rubin over the years." The movie at the crux of the claims, meanwhile, is due out later this year. In addition to Schneider, The Chosen One stars Holland Taylor, George Dzundza and Marcus "brother of Paul" Giamatti and revolves around a particularly down on his luck everyman who discovers he may be, as the film's title suggests, the messiah.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b57661_Rob_Schneiders_Chosen_Lawsuit.html
By Eriq Gardner
Somebody thinks there's money in being friends with actor Rob Schneider.
Los Angeles resident Bob Rubin is suing Schneider and his brother for failing to give him a "finder's fee" for hooking them up with another friend who financed Schneider's film, "The Chosen One."
According to this complaint, filed yesterday in LA Superior Court, a friend named Joe Bretz asked Rubin to "hook him up" with some of Rubin's celebrity friends. Afterwards, Rubin introduced Bretz to Rob and John Schneider at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd., and the group worked out a deal to finance "The Chosen One," said to be Schneider's dream project.
Rubin then told John Schneider he wanted a 3 percent finder's fee, and Schneider allegedly responded, "Sure, no problem man. I'm going to take care of you."
You can probably finish this post yourself. Over subsequent months, Rubin was paid small amounts of cash but claims he never got the full fee he believes he was entitled. He found a lawyer, Steven Lowe in LA, and is now hoping to collect at least $270,000 in damages.
http://reporter.blogs.com/thresq/2008/03/friend-of-rob-s.html
LOS ANGELES (CN) - Mark Gable claims NBC based its show, "My Name Is Earl," on his screenplay, "Karma." Gable claims he sent his work in 1995 to several agents and production companies, some of which have relationships with one of the show's producers. In his federal claim, Gable says the TV series, which began in 2005, is based on "the same, somewhat unusual literary theme as the screenplay: i.e. turning bad karma into good karma by righting past wrong/making amends." He is represented by Girardi & Keese.
By Kevin Herrera
Daily Press Staff Writer
COLORADO AVE. Members of the 1970s female soul and disco group The Jackson Sisters have filed a $1 million suit against Santa Monica-based Universal Music Group for alleged nonpayment of record royalties, an attorney for the singers said Thursday.
The suit filed Dec. 21 in Los Angeles Superior Court also names as defendants Polydor Inc. and Mums Records. A representative for Universal Music was not available for comment.
The Jackson Sisters — who are not affiliated with Michael Jackson’s family — formed in 1971 with members Rachell Jackson, Olivia Smith, Lynetta Coleman and Gennine Francis. All were minors at the time, according to the suit.
In August 1975, Mums Records and Polydor, a subsidiary of Universal Music, signed a distribution agreement for the release of a Jackson Sisters album, the suit states. At the same time, a second agreement was purported to have been entered between Polydor and the singers, but the quartet did not sign either of the contracts, their suit states.
After Polydor released the self-titled Jackson Sisters album in 1976 — which included the previously recorded singles “Why Can’t We be More Than Just Friends?” “I Believe in Miracles” and “Miracles” -— the singers were told the record lost money and they were not entitled to royalties, the suit states.
However, the Jackson Sisters found out in the mid-1990s — through a search of the Internet — that their albums were being sold internationally, and then learned in June 2003 that sales overseas were brisk, the suit states.
“In fact, they had established a cult-like following for their music, (particularly in Japan and Europe),” said their attorney, Natasha L. Hill. “This has all been a big surprise to them because they were originally told that the album never made any money.”
Universal Music, the successor-in-interest to the Mums-Polydor contract, told the singers in December 2003 that they had relinquished all rights to royalties and showed them their signatures on one of the two contracts, the suit states.
However, the singers had never seen the contract before, and their signatures had been forged, according to their suit.
Universal and the other defendants have 30 days from the date of the filing to respond to the suit, Hill said.
The Jackson Sisters hailed from Compton, but were based in Detroit. They recorded material for the Tiger Lily label, obtaining some modest success in the ’70s, however the group really came into their own nearly a decade later following the emergence of the “rare groove” scene in the UK.
Rare groove is a term coined by English DJ Norman Jay in 1985, and originally referred to relatively obscure funk tracks from the ’70s. Those songs have influenced electronica, techno, house, breakbeat, jungle and other genres.
kevinh@smdp.com
By Kevin Wolfe
allhiphop.com
A former member of Snoop Dogg's female rap group Doggy's Angels has settled a $100 thousand dollar breach of contract lawsuit against the rapper, claiming unpaid royalties.
Chan Gains, along with Kola Marion and Kim Proby signed an exclusive agreement with Snoop's label Doggystyle Records in 2000. The imprint was distributed by New York- based label TVT Records.
The group hit it big with the single "Baby If You're Ready," but just before Doggy's Angels' debut, Columbia Pictures filed a copyright infringement suit against TVT and Doggystyle, claiming the group was appropriating the studio's Charlie's Angels trademark.
The lawsuit forced the group to rename themselves Tha Angels and interrupted the marketing and promotion of their debut album, Snoop Dogg Presents: Doggy's Angels — Pleezbaleevit.
The group was also forced to pull all artwork originally used to promote the album, due to similarities between the Charlie's Angels artwork and the materials used to market Doggy's Angels.
"It was going to be Snoop Dogg's girl group, but all the girls kind of had their hopes of success in the music industry pretty much dashed at that point," Gaines' attorney Lowe told CourtTV.com. "You get your one shot in the music business ... There are a lot of sad stories."
Gaines said she was homeless for a period of time. "There were times I slept in my car. I would just pray to God I would make it to the next day and I'm still here because I know he has a bigger plan for me," Gaines said. "I wouldn't trade my experience because it allowed me to see the heartless actions of people I was involved with."
The group broke up in 2002, and in 2005 Gaines sued TVT and Snoop's Doggystyle imprint for unpaid royalties. The lawsuit was recently settled but due to a confidentiality agreement, Gaines cannot reveal the settlement amount.
By Lisa Sweetingham
Court TV
LOS ANGELES — Doggystyle Records is finally throwing a bone to former "Doggy's Angel" Chan Gaines, who went from Snoop Dogg protégé to homeless plaintiff when she hit the "Doggfather" with a $100,000 breach of contract suit last year for unpaid royalties.
"The matter has been amicably settled to the parties' mutual satisfaction and everything else is confidential," Gaines' attorney Steven Lowe told Courttv.com.
Lowe refused to disclose any financial terms of the settlement agreement.
Snoop Dogg is currently on tour in New Zealand. An attorney for defendants Doggystyle Records and TVT Records also declined to comment, citing the confidentiality agreement.
Gaines says she's done with the dog days of her rapping career.
"I'm over the music business because of the pimp mentality it has and its partiality against women," Gaines told - Courttv.com.
Gaines and her Angels counterparts Kim Proby and Kola Marion entered into an exclusive recording artist agreement with Doggystyle, a subsidiary of TVT Records, on Jan. 1, 2000, after an impressive audition for Calvin Broadus, the 34-year-old music, film, and merchandising entrepreneur better known as Snoop Dogg.
In her first year as an Angel, 26-year-old Gaines toured with Broadus, had a role in his film "Tha Eastsidaz," recorded a debut album, "Snoop Dogg Presents: Doggy's Angels — Pleezbaleevit!," which spawned a No. 1 hip-hop single, "Baby If You're Ready," and posed for a photo spread in Vibe magazine.
"The best part of that whole ordeal is when I was in the studio, and you hear that music and you start a creative process and these lyrics come to mind and before you know it a certain type of magic happens," Gaines told Courttv.com. "When you hit that stage and feel the energy of your fans — that's priceless."
Gaines said she knew the fairy tale was ending when TVT Records got served in a separate legal matter by the studio that owns those other "Angels."
"Pleezbaleevit!," set for release in November 2000, featured the faces of rap beauties Chan, Proby and Marion framed in the same sort of fiery rolling flames reminiscent of the "Charlie's Angels" TV and film series.
Columbia Pictures immediately filed a copyright infringement suit against TVT and Doggystyle, forcing them to pull the cover image and other artwork used to promote the album. The rap trio was eventually renamed "Tha Angels."
"It was going to be Snoop Dogg's girl group, but all the girls kind of had their hopes of success in the music industry pretty much dashed at that point," Gaines' attorney Lowe said. "You get your one shot in the music business ... There are a lot of sad stories."
Tha Angels officially disbanded in 2002, according to Gaines.
"Things got really rough. There were times I slept in my car. I would just pray to God I would make it to the next day and I'm still here because I know he has a bigger plan for me," Gaines said. "I wouldn't trade my experience because it allowed me to see the heartless actions of people I was involved with."
In June 2005, Gaines sued TVT and Doggystyle for owed and future royalties on more than a dozen songs she recorded as a member of Doggy's Angels. After months of waiting, her suit was finally settled, and a dismissal order was entered in Los Angeles Superior Court March 24.
"I can't be the label whore anymore," Gaines told Courttv.com.
With her hard-knock rapper's tale behind her, Gaines is focusing on a clothing line she's been developing and a book that's 10 years in the writing, which she hopes will "encourage young girls to aspire to their dreams."
"Hopefully my truth can redirect the paths of the misled," Gaines said. "I've been through so much, maybe it can be a blessing to someone else."
But this rap tale isn't a wrap yet.
A source close to the case says the other Angels are reportedly seeking legal counsel to investigate their financial claims.
Will attorney Lowe take them on?
"Possibly, possibly," he says.
