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Settlement reached in Eddie Long case

Bishop Eddie Long, the Atlanta-based megachurch leader, has reached an out-of-court settlement with four young men who accused him of sexual coercion, representatives for both sides said Thursday. B.J. Bernstein, the attorney representing the men, said in a statement that the lawsuits against Long and his church have “been resolved.” They reportedly settled for $15 million dollars. Bernstein's two-paragraph statement said that neither she nor the accusers would talk about the lawsuits “now or in the future.” Art Franklin, a Long spokesman, said Thursday that the pastor settled because it “is the most reasonable road for everyone to travel.” “This decision was made to bring closure to this matter and to allow us to move forward with the plans God has for this ministry,” Franklin said in a statement. Long is an internationally known televangelist who crusaded against gay marriage, and the lawsuits against him drew national attention. The settlement comes eight months after Long, the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Church in Lithonia, Georgia, said from the pulpit of his 25,000 member megachurch that he vowed to fight the accusations against him, with the congregation cheering in response. Long vowed to "vigorously" defend himself against the charges. "This thing I'm gonna fight," he said just days after the lawsuits surfaced. Long entered into mediation talks in February. According to news reports, the sessions between Long and his four accusers -Anthony Flagg,  Maurice Robinson, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande - were tense. The suits accused Long of using his position to coerce the men into having sexual relationships with him while they were teenage members of his congregation. The lawsuits say Long engaged in intimate sexual acts with the young men, such as massages, masturbation and oral sex. Long took the young men on trips including to Kenya, according to the suits. He allegedly enticed the young men with gifts including cars, clothes, jewelry and electronic items. Long's attorneys deny those allegations and maintain that the pastor was attempting to be a father figure to the youths by providing them with financial assistance and encouragement.

Amy Winehouse Is Back in Rehab

The singer's rep confirmed that the 27-year-old singer checked into a rehab clinic on Wednesday as part of an ongoing battle with alcohol addiction. She "has embarked on a treatment program at the Priory Clinic. She wants to be ready for performances in Europe this summer and decided to seek an assessment. She will remain at the Priory on doctors' advice," the rep said in a statement. According to a source close to the singer, it was a move initiated by her father Mitch Winehouse. "Her dad sat her down and said 'I think you're drinking too much again.' So she agreed to go an assessment to stop it becoming a bigger problem." The singer downed a miniature bottle of Smirnoff vodka on her way to the clinic on Wednesday, "in typical Amy style," said the friend. Fortunately the singer, who has a series of summer gigs planned in Europe kicking off June 18, took heed to her father's words and checked herself into the clinic. "She's determined, and this is all off her own back," said the source. "It's just a lapse. There are ups and downs on the road, and there have been mostly ups recently. But this is a down and she's done the right thing and gone to rehab."

Arnold’s Other Mistress Speaks

Gigi Goyette, a former child actress who appeared on Little House on the Prairie, claims that she had an affair with Arnold Schwarzenegger while he was married to Maria Shriver. In an interview, she apologizes to Shriver.  Gigi said, “I am very sorry for the mistakes I made in the past and for being intimate with your husband, and I would hope that you would forgive me for that.” Schwarzenegger’s attorney Marty Singer fired back, saying: “This woman recently sold at least four stories to the tabloids relating to my client. She’s just a person who wants to make money selling stories. Her actions speak for themselves.” Goyette’s lawyer, Glorid Allred, says the reason her client is coming forward now “is to set the record straight about the nature of her relationship with Arnold.”  According to Allred, Goyette’s relationship with Schwarzenegger began when the actress was 17 years old and continued, on and off, until 2000 or 2001.

Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” Expected To Sell Over 800,000 Copies In First Week

Lady Gaga’s Born This Way is expected to sell between 800,000 and 850,000 copies in its first week according to early estimates. The sales week runs through Sunday, and the official number won’t be announced until next Wednesday.  But the numbers could be better than that.  Some people say it’s possible that it could hit the one million mark, which would make it only the third album in the past three years to pull that off.  The other two were Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now,” which did it in October of last year and Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter 3,” which did it in June of 2008.



Sarah Palin 'furious' at Bristol's new Disney Show star boyfriend
Mounting evidence that Sarah Palin may have bought a $1.7million home in Arizona has sparked speculation she will run for president next year. But it seems the real reason for the move could be more personal - to keep tabs on her daughter, Bristol. The Tea Party politician is reportedly furious at the 20-year-old's new relationship with Disney's Kyle Massey, who she met on Dancing with the Stars last year. Bristol and Kyle are soon to appear in a new reality show for the BIO Channel, which will follow them as they set up a charity alongside Kyle's elder brother, Chris. The couple's growing relationship sparked the idea for the show - and Mrs Palin isn't happy about it.

Coalition battles Grammys over category cuts

A coalition of musicians is demanding the Recording Academy restore more than 30 categories cut from the Grammy Awards, alleging the reductions unfairly target ethnic music and were done without the input of its thousands of members. A protest was held Thursday in Beverly Hills, Calif., at an academy board meeting. A modest turnout of musicians hoisted signs above their heads with such slogans as "Grammys Honor All Music" and "It's Not Just About Rap, Rock or Country." Some Latin jazz protesters brought instruments and turned the rally into a spontaneous jam session. It was part of a campaign by those upset by last month's decision to reduce the Grammy fields, which this year totaled 109, to 78.  In a letter delivered to the Recording Academy Thursday afternoon, musicians ranging from Carlos Santana to Paul Simon and Herbie Hancock demanded the reinstatement of the categories. "We will not be disenfranchised," the letter warned.
Grammy President and CEO Neil Portnow said changes would be in effect for the 2012 Grammys. He urged dissenters to work with the academy, which would examine the effect of the changes for the 2013 awards.  Santana and his musician wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, wrote their own letter to the academy, saying: "To remove Latin Jazz and many other ethnic categories is doing a huge disservice to the brilliant musicians who keep the music vibrant for their fans — new and old. ... We strongly protest this decision and we ask you to represent all of the colors of the rainbow when it comes to music and give ethnic music a place in the heart of music lovers everywhere." Sanabria, who is working with musicians including Eddie Palmieri and Arturo O'Farrill, said ethnic music was unfairly targeted, and called it a "subtle form of racism."

Silverchair Break Up

Silverchair have announced they are calling it quits, at least for the foreseeable future. In a lengthy statement posted on their Facebook page this morning, the veteran Australian three-piece said that "after much soul-searching … [we're] putting Silverchair into 'indefinite hibernation'." "Back in 2009 we went into the studio to start work on a record," the statement reads. "Initially things were going well and as a result we did some shows in 2010 to maintain creative momentum. However, over the months that followed in the studio it became clear to us that we were moving in different directions. Despite our best efforts over the last year or so, it's become increasingly clear that the spark simply isn't there between the three of us at the moment." Silverchair, which includes singer/guitarist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou and drummer Ben Gillies, released their last album, Young Modern, in 2007. In their statement, the band said the parting is amicable, and that they remain friends. "The three of us still truly care about each other," the statement goes on to say. "At the moment Ben's busy in the studio recording his own music, Chris is working on various business, musical and charitable ventures while Daniel is creating a film soundtrack and working on other musical projects. We hope you'll continue to take an interest in our individual work over the years ahead."



Nighy, Beckinsale, Biel Join Total Recall
Bill Nighy, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel are all confirmed to be joining the cast of Columbia Pictures’ Total Recall remake. They will be joining Colin Farrell and Bryan Cranston in the remake, directed by Len Wiseman

'The Lion King' to return to theaters in 3-D

Disney's "The Lion King" will be back in movie theaters on Sept. 16 -- this time in 3-D -- the studio announced.  By converting and re-releasing the movie, Disney joins a trend. Earlier this week, Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment announced they are converting the 1997 masterpiece "Titanic" and will have it in movie theaters on April 6, 2012. "The Lion King" was first released in 1994. It grossed more money -- $783.8 million -- than any other hand-drawn animated movie.


TV NEWS
Oprah doesn’t do mediocre — and neither do her ratings. The Queen of Daytime took her final bow on Wednesday, raking in her largest at-home audience in 17 years. The Oprah Winfrey Show‘s series finale posted a 13.3 household rating, the talker’s highest number since a February 1994 installment titled “People Shed Their Disguises.”


Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm just got the kind of promotion that I dare say would impress even Don Draper: The actor will step behind the camera to direct the Emmy winning drama’s fifth season premiere. “The wheels have officially been set in motion to make that happen,” Hamm tells says. “It’s a very exciting challenge that I’m looking forward to with a mixture of utter fear and excitement.”



Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) and Alexandra Breckenridge (Life Unexpected) have joined the cast of Ryan Murphy’s buzzy FX pilot, American Horror Story, as — get this — the same character. The actresses will play a housekeeper, albeit at different stages in her life, who haunts the residence at the cold, black heart of the drama.



Remember when Entourage creator Doug Ellin announced plans to get Charlie Sheen on the HBO comedy’s final season? Well, it’s a done deal — meaning he’s done trying to secure a deal for the embattled star. “I never heard back. Looks like it will not be happening,” Ellin said.