Discovery sues 'Deadliest Catch' stars for $3 million

By Eriq Gardner

Most reality TV producers follow a simple format: Capture what actually happens, then have cast-members fill in story gaps with voice-overs and cutaways. But what about when reality TV stars jump ship before sitting down for the required interviews?

They get sued, of course.

Discovery is now seeking $3 million in damages after two stars of "Deadliest Catch," Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, allegedly failed to live up to an agreement to complete a spin-off project.

Q&A: Nancy Grace prepares to deliver 'Swift Justice' (video)

By Matthew Belloni

It’s been five years since former Atlanta prosecutor Nancy Grace channeled her anger over her fiance's murder into a popular victims rights-themed talk show on HLN. Now Grace, 50, is launching a CBS-distributed syndicated court series “Swift Justice with Nancy Grace,” which premieres Monday as perhaps the fall season’s most anticipated new daytime show.

THR, Esq.: This is a judge show but there’s no robe and gavel. Why?
Nancy Grace: I got to tell you, when they first approached me, I really could not understand what they were talking about when they said “the next generation of courtrooms.” I grew up in a courtroom kind of like the one you saw in “To Kill a Mockingbird”—big, big courtroom, sometimes it didn’t even have air conditioning. But this is a no-holds-barred thing. I’m not a pretend judge, with a pretend robe and a pretend gavel and a pretend sheriff and a pretend backdrop. That’s not what it is.

'Survivor' contestants owe $5 million if they spill secrets

By Eriq Gardner

CBS is having trouble keeping a lid on the contract that contestants must sign to appear on "Survivor," and the content of the deal is pretty interesting.

The form contract was published a few months ago as a Scribd document by the Reality Blurred website. According to an update by the site yesterday, a CBS lawyer in New York sent a takedown notice to Scribd in July, claiming that "[s]uch copying and use of this material constitutes clear infringement of the Rights Owner's copyrights under the Copyright Act, including the DMCA, and its counterpart laws around the world."

Scribd initially took down the document but Reality Blurred challenged the copyright claim. Scribd then asked CBS for more information. The network allegedly never responded, so the contract is back online.

So what does the 32-page contract actually say?

Conan O'Brien picks 'Conan' as new show title (video)

By Eriq Gardner

Conan O'Brien and his team must feel pretty confident that he holds the rights to call his show "Conan."

The late night comedian announced via a video message (seen below) that his new TBS show will simply be called "Conan." 

That's what we speculated it would probably be about a week ago, although we noted that a European company called Conan Properties International owned the "Conan" mark in connection with the Conan the Barbarian films. We hear O'Brien's team did indeed negotiate with CPI to secure rights to the name. 

Not only is the pick "Conan," but in the announcement, Conan O'Brien goes so far as to claim copyright on it. (He should have talked to his lawyers, it's primarily a trademark issue.)

We can always count on him for some good legal humor. On his Twitter feed yesterday, he joked that he was going to call his show "The Return of Nanny McPhee" before his lawyers told him that it was already taken.

Here's the video:

BBC trying to muzzle the big 'Top Gear' secret

By Eriq Gardner

The BBC is attempting to stop HarperCollins from publishing a book that will unmask the identity of the costumed stunt driver in the successful series "Top Gear."

"Top Gear" is the biggest BBC hit and an international sensation that features a stunt driver known as The Stig alongside famous guests. For years, many have speculated on the identity of The Stig, with British newspapers guessing it might be former Formula Three driver Ben Collins.

A new autobiography by The Stig himself will settle this once and for all -- but not if the BBC has its way.

Lawsuit says Food Network stole recipe for 'Private Chefs'

By Eriq Gardner

EXCLUSIVE: The Food Network has been served a hot steaming lawsuit over its show "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills" from an outfit that bills itself as the leading private chef placement company in the world.

Private Chefs Inc. claims it owns the trademark over its name and tried to pitch the Food Network on its own show called "Celebrity Dish," which would have featured chefs who worked with celebrities explain recipes and food preparation, often alongside the celebrities for whom they cooked.

The plaintiff believes it is owed money for "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills," a docu-soap following chefs from a private chef placement company preparing lavish parties for exclusive clientele. 

The Private Chefs case is the latest example a legal trend: dressing up idea theft claims as breaches of contract. (Here's why.) But this latest one has a little twist.

Sex harassment suit hits Spike's 'Surviving Disaster'

By Eriq Gardner

Updated: Sexual Harassment lawsuit naming the host of Spike TV's "Surviving Disaster" is dismissed.

The host of Spike TV's "Surviving Disaster" has been targeted in a sexual harassment lawsuit. 

Cade Courtley, the former Navy Seal and host of the real-life-disaster series, was sued by the show's former costume designer, who alleges, among other things, that he refused to wear underwear — something we imagine would make a costume designer furious.

Here's the complaint, filed by Chantel Thomas against Shed Media, producer of "Disaster" and reality programs like "Real Housewives of New York," "Marriage Ref" and "Basketball Wives." The complaint alleges that Courtley made inappropriate comments to Thomas and had an affair with her assistant. Thomas says she was terminated in order to promote this other woman. 

Shed Media, which is in the process of being acquired by Warner Bros., did not respond to a request for comment.

Clarification: Courtley was not a defendant, but merely mentioned in the lawsuit grounded on workplace discrimination based on sex and a hostile environment.

Update: In December, 2010, the lawsuit against Shed Media was dismissed with prejudice.

 

Which 'Jersey Shore' star could actually trademark their name?

By Eriq Gardner

Snooki isn't the only "Jersey Shore" cast member suffering heartbreak at the hands of the U.S. Trademark Office. It turns out that many of the MTV "guidos" have tried — and failed — to get their monikers protected in certain areas. But there's one whose trademark application may ultimately succeed.

Read on to see who that might be:

Jimmy Fallon show hit with sex discrimination claim

By Eriq Gardner

It's getting downright steamy in Hollywood these days. Charges of sexual harassment have recently been levied against Casey Affleck, Viacom's Sumner Redstone and former ABC exec Stephen McPherson.

Now a veteran stage hand says he lost his job at NBC because "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon "just prefers to take direction from a woman."

Judge orders TLC to stop using 'Cake Boss' title

By Eriq Gardner

A federal judge has ordered TLC to stop using "Cake Boss" as the title of its popular reality TV show.

Seattle District Court judge Richard Jones has found that the title causes too much confusion with a software program called "CakeBoss," which assists professional cake bakers with business management.

The software has been sold since 2007 by a company called Masters Software, which sued Discovery Communications alleging trademark infringement. The software company maintains the cakeboss.com website, which Judge Jones notes would have been discovered by Discovery with a "rudimentary search." The judge says there's no evidence that Discovery searched for any prior use of the mark before picking the title of its show.