Tattle: Madonna sued for $10 million over 'moral damage' from concert
The suit contends that residents of St. Petersburg suffered "moral damage" during Madonna's recent concert there. So says Reuters and Ria Novosti, Russia's state news agency. The story was also reported by London's Daily Mail and huffingtonpost.com. The issue, says lawyer Alexander Pochuyev, is that attendees of Madonna's concert and those who saw videos of the concert have suffered "psychological stress and emotional shock" due to the Material Middle-Aged Woman's "promotion of homosexuality."
(Yes, in Madonna's corporate structure, homosexuality once pushed a coffee cart but now has a corner office. And we all know who homosexuality slept with to get ahead.)
At her concert, Madonna also reportedly "trampled down" an Orthodox cross, Pochuyev said.
Hey, as Kelly Osbourne likes to say on "Fashion Police," Madonna was just being Madonna.
And she was letting her feelings be known about a law passed a few months ago in St. Pete banning "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism, and pedophilia." In March, she said the law was a "ridiculous atrocity."
At her concert, Madonna said that everyone deserved "to be treated with dignity, respect, tolerance, compassion and love." And in Russia, that's the radical position.
*As for Pussy Riot, with whom Madonna may soon be sharing a cell, Madonna called their sentence "harsh" and "inhumane," and asked the court to change its mind.
"I call on all those who love freedom to condemn this unjust punishment," she said. "I urge artists around the world to speak up in protest against this travesty. They've spent enough time! in jail.. I call on all of Russia to let Pussy Riot go free."
TATTBITS
*Joseph Mitchell, the late nephew of the late author Margaret Mitchell, has left the Archdiocese of Atlanta a 50-percent stake in the literary rights to her best-selling novel, Gone With the Wind.Joseph, who died in October, was a longtime member of the Cathedral of Christ the King.
Steve Swope, a deacon in the archdiocese who is overseeing the gift, says that royalties could be in the "hundreds of thousands" of dollars annually.
*Wynonna Judd announced Sunday that she is postponing concerts in Canada next week after her husband, Michael "Cactus" Moser, was hurt in a motorcycle accident in South Dakota.
Wynonna and her hubby were riding separate bikes north on U.S. Highway 16 in the Black Hills on Saturday when Moser crossed the center line and hit a car. He was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Moser was cited for crossing the center line and . . . not having a motorcycle license.
*Nicki Minaj canceled her appearance at the weekend's V Festival, in the U.K., because of damage to her vocal cords.
Nicki performed with Drake, Lil Wayne and Foxy Brown at a free concert in New York City on Wednesday, though she had been advised by her doctor to rest.
Her rep now says that her voice is "worse," and she must "rest her voice for a few days."
*Los Angeles police are investigating a minor traffic accident on Aug. 4 involving Amanda Bynes, after a person reported that she left without providing her information.
Police Lt. Andy Neiman said Sunday that Bynes, 26, stopped after the accident and looked at the other vehicle and determined that there wasn't any damage. Police said that she drove away without giving her information, which is require! d by law.
Neiman said that police will turn over the case to the city attorney's office for review.
No one was injured, and even though Bynes thought that the other car had no damage, fixing that non-damage cost more than $800.
In April, Bynes was arrested for grazing a sheriff's patrol car.
*"The Tonight Show" has laid off about two dozen workers, prompting Jay Leno to accept a pay cut to spare other staffers as NBC clamps down on expenses.
Leno had been making between $25 million to $30 million annually as the host of "The Tonight Show." His salary will be reduced to about $20 million - about one-fourth of the show's budget.
NBC Universal imposed the cuts Friday, according to a person familiar with the moves. The person asked not to be identified because NBC Universal hadn't officially disclosed the cost-cutting.