Suit blames Bieber for loss of hearing

An Oregon woman has filed a $9.2 million lawsuit against pop star Justin Bieber, alleging she suffered permanent hearing loss at his Portland concert two years ago.

Stacey Wilson Betts, of Wilsonville, filed the suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court. It states that the mother of five sustained the injury after Bieber climbed into a heart-shaped gondola and was pulled over the crowd.

The lawsuit alleges Bieber enticed the fans into a “frenzy of screams” by waving his arms, and the sound exceeded safe decibel levels.

The gondola “acted as a sound conductor, creating a sound blast that permanently damaged both my ears,” Betts wrote in the lawsuit.

Betts, who attended the concert with one of her daughters, is seeking money for medical expenses, pain and suffering and loss of quality of life. The lawsuit lists Bieber as a defendant, as well as Island Def Jam Records and Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, which owns the arena in which the July 2010 concert took place.

Swift No. 1 on celeb earnings chart

A poison pen proved to be a fine business model for Taylor Swift, the 22-year-old country-pop artist who topped Forbes’ annual list of the highest paid celebrities under 30.

Swift, who reportedly raked in around $57 million between May 2011 and May 2012, leads a top 10 packed with female pop singers. Rihanna came in third at an estimated $53 million for the same period, while Lady Gaga was fourth at $52 million (though a significant drop from her No. 1 slot last year at $90 million, due to a gap in touring) and Katy Perry rounded out the top five with $45 million.

Only Justin Bieber, whose album “Believe” earned strong sales and reviews but who remains under the cloud of a variety of recent scuffles and traffic incidents, represented the dudes in the top five, landing at No. 2.

Rounding out the musicians in the top 10 are Adele at No. 6 with $35 million and the 29-year-old Lil Wayne at No. 8 with $27 million. The only nonmusicians on the list were a trio of “Twilight” stars: Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson.

The birthday bunch

Actor Harry Dean Stanton is 86. Actress-singer Polly Bergen is 82. Actor Vincent Pastore (“The Sopranos”) is 66. Singer-comedian Kyle Gass (Tenacious D) is 52. Actress Jane Lynch is 52. Actor Jackie Earle Haley is 51. Actor Matthew Fox (“Lost,” “Party of Five”) is 46. Keyboardist Ellen Reid (Crash Test Dummies) is 46. Singer-guitarist Tanya Donelly (Belly) is 46. Actress Missy Gold (“Benson”) is 42. Country singer Jamey Johnson is 37. Musician taboo (Black Eyed Peas) is 37.