Landis sues Jacko over ‘Thriller’
We’ve already reported that a deal is under way to convert the Michael Jackson video “Thriller” into a Broadway show.
Now comes word that filmmaker John Landis, who directed the 14-minute 1983 video, wants what he considers to be his share of the action.
The Broadway producer James L. Nederlander announced on Monday that it had purchased the stage rights to “Thriller” from Jackson.
Landis, director of such films as “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers” comedies, has been doing mostly television and straight-to-video work in recent years.
According to the New York Post, Landis had already filed a civil suit against Jackson, claiming he’s owed half the profits made from “Thriller” over the past four years.
Landis filed another suit in Santa Monica, Calif., on Wednesday to target any future Broadway money.
Landis’ attorney, Miles J. Feldman, told the Associated Press that Landis would seek to stop the show “if it becomes necessary.”
Nederlander officials told the Post that they’re “not worried” about Landis’ lawsuits.
Jackson’s people, meanwhile, have remained mum regarding the whole mess.
Say it ain’t so, Post!
Responding to the news that The Washington Post is going to shut down its stand-alone Sunday Book World section, more than 100 writers signed a letter asking Post editors to change their mind. Among the signers: historians Robert Dallek, Sean Wilentz, David Greenberg, David Garrow and Douglas Brinkley, author Barbara Ehrenreich and fiction writers Roxana Robinson and Peter Straub.
Come again? Barack who?
Michelle Obama’s brother is writing a book, part family tribute, part inspirational guide. Craig Robinson, men’s basketball coach at Oregon State University, expects to see publication of “A Game of Character” next year.
“I’ve watched as my sister Michelle, a rock of a mother, became a leader in her own right,” Robinson says. “My brother-in law, President Barack Obama, who I knew from the first time I met him had something special, continues to inspire all of us.”
Baby Ledger earns a payday
The insurance company that was balking on paying out on a $10 million life insurance policy in the name of Heath Ledger has settled with attorneys representing the late actor’s 3-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, the policy’s beneficiary. A coroner ruled Ledger’s death last January was from an accidental prescription drug overdose.
He still leaves them breathless
French movie star Jean-Paul Belmondo may be 75, but he’s still got it. The New York Post reports that Belmondo’s new girlfriend, Barbara Gandolfi, is 33. Belmondo remains partially paralyzed following a 2001 stroke, but Gandolfi says she finds him “delicious.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Carol Channing is 88. Actress Jessica Walter is 68. Actor Glynn Turman is 63. Singer Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols is 53. Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 50. Actress Kelly Lynch is 50. Actress Minnie Driver is 39. Actress Portia de Rossi is 36. Actress Kerry Washington is 32. Singer Justin Timberlake is 28.