Whitney Houston FBI files reveal singer was target of extortion

Whitney Houston's FBI files have been released as a result of the Freedom of Information Act. The information revealed shows that Houston was the target of extortion a number of times. Of the threatening letters Houston received during her career, one in 1992 was marked "extortion" by the FBI because it demanded that the singer pay $100,000 to prevent "details" of her "private life" from being released. A later letter from the same person demanded $250,000 instead. Houston reportedly considered the woman who sent the letters a "friend" and had discussed "personal things" with her. Houston's father, John Houston, sent the woman a confidentiality agreement with an undisclosed amount of money that seemingly was meant to quiet her. The FBI closed that extortion case not long after. In another instance, an unnamed fan sent Houston more than 79 letters and even threatened to "hurt someone" if he could not meet her. He claimed he would tell the National Enquirer his story to try to get Houston to at least recognize him publicly. Though labeled "extortion" in the FBI files, this situation was deemed not to have any evidence of criminal threats. "He believed this 'crazy idea' would have hurt Houston's reputation so he did not follow through on it," the FBI report reads.

Jordan wants suit dismissed

Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan asked a Georgia court on Monday to dismiss a paternity suit against him, calling it a ''shameless, bad faith attempt to abuse the legal system.'' Jordan's lawyer John Mayoue said in a document filed in Fulton County Superior Court that the six-time NBA champion is not the father of Pamela Y. Smith's 16-year-old son. The paternity of the teen was ''conclusively established'' in divorce filings between Smith and her ex-husband, Jordan's attorney wrote. Jordan, 50, is the majority owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. His spokeswoman Estee Portnoy released a statement to The Associated Press. ''Public records show that the paternity of the child was established in a prior case in this same court many years ago and that Michael Jordan is not the father. He also filed a counterclaim seeking sanctions for the false claims made against him. It is unfortunate that well-known figures are the target of these kind of claims. Michael Jordan will vigorously defend himself and his reputation.'' In response to Smith's lawsuit, Jordan's lawyer attached a 2003 divorce court filing between Smith and her then-husband Glenville G. Reynolds. The document said the marriage produced one child and listed the boy's birth date and name. At the end of the document, there is a statement signed by Smith saying everything is ''true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.'' The filing said Smith will have legal and physical custody of the child and Reynolds can have visitation. Reynolds was expected to pay child support for the child. Smith's lawsuit requests Jordan take a paternity test, pay child support and share medical, dental and hospital costs not covered by insurance. She also requested the boy's last name be changed to Jordan, and asked a judge to order the Georgia Department of Vital Records to issue him a new birth certificate. The lawsuit requests that any hearing or trial be conducted in closed court to protect the teen's privacy.

Oprah Winfrey to deliver commencement address at Harvard

Talk-show host, entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will deliver this year's graduation address at Harvard University, the Ivy League school said on Monday. "Oprah's journey from her grandmother's Mississippi farm to becoming one of the world's most admired women is one of the great American success stories," Harvard President Drew Faust said in announcing her selection. Winfrey will join a long list of politicians, policy makers, captains of industry and authors -- including George Marshall, Bill Gates and J.K. Rowling -- who have offered their wisdom and advice to Harvard's graduating classes. She will speak at the school's 362nd graduation exercises on May 30.
 Dogged by rumors a body double was used, during a sit-down on Thursday with the French TV show "Le Grand Journal" the soccer star reiterated that all the important bits shown in the spot belong to him. "No, I can say the crotch is mine and the backside is mine as well," he insisted. "I heard this the other day. Someone said that I had a stand-in for my bum, but no, I can confirm that's my bum." 

Halle Berry returns to 'X-Men,' will play Storm in 'Days of Future Past'

In the most inevitable piece of casting news since the last time Guillermo Del Toro decided to cast Ron Perlman in a movie, producer-director-pitchman Bryan Singer has officially announced that Halle Berry will once again play mutant weather goddess Storm in the upcoming X-Men sequel/prequel/alterna-quel Days of Future Past. “Couldn’t be more excited that #HalleBerry has joined the cast of #XMen #DaysofFuturePast,” tweeted Singer, confirming the long-expected return of the actress. Berry joins a gang of original-trilogy castmates that already includes Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, and Anna Paquin, plus Peter Dinklage and Omar Sy.


Almost Famous
Chris Rock's third feature outing as actor/writer/director will reportedly be "Finally Famous". The story centers on a comedian turned film star who, despite the expectations of his fans, is determined to reinvent himself as a ‘serious’ actor. The problem is, that attempt is failing, while his marriage to a popular reality star is expected to be the biggest media event of the year. His interview by a woman for the New Yorker proves to be an interaction that could change the course of both their lives.
 Jaden Smith has been keeping up with Kylie Jenner! The 14-year-old "Karate Kid" actor recently began romancing the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star.  "They're dating," says a source close to Jenner, 15. "It's new, but they've been friends forever." The young stars were most recently spotted together on a lunch date at Cafe Nero in London's famous Piccadilly Square on Sunday. Jaden -- who next appears in the movie "After Earth," opposite his famous dad, Will Smith -- was in town to celebrate his pal Justin Bieber's 19th birthday. The March 1 bash at Cirque du Soir was cut short, however, after Bieber's posse got into a scuffle with club security; underage Jaden's presence "caused problems," a source said, though Bieber denied those claims via his official Twitter account.

Wachowski siblings sued over 'The Matrix' sequels

Filmmaking siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski are facing a $300 million lawsuit over allegations they stole the premise for their two "The Matrix" sequels. The directing duo has been accused by Thomas Althouse of copying the ideas for "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" from a script he claims to have submitted to executives at Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the franchise, in 1993. Althouse, whose work was titled "The Immortals," never heard back from Warner Bros. bosses, and alleges he didn't realize the similarities between the work of the Wachowskis and his own script until he checked out the Keanu Reeves films in 2010, seven years after the two sequels were released. In his legal papers, Althouse suggests the plugs in the back of the characters' necks and robotic agents dressed in suits were among the ideas lifted from his screenplay. Warner Bros. heads and producer Joel Silver have also been named as defendants in the copyright infringement battle, alongside Andy and Lana Wachowski, formerly known as Larry. In addition to his $300 million demand, Althouse is requesting a share of the $1.63 billion the trilogy grossed at the global box office.

 Michael Jackson spent years keeping his three kids literally under wraps, covering them up in scarves and masks whenever they ventured out in public. But since the King of Pop's 2009 death and last year's custody drama involving family matriarch Katherine Jackson, the trio has grown more comfortable in the spotlight: Prince, 16, just started a correspondent gig on "Entertainment Tonight" and landed a role on "90210," while Paris, 14, happily shares her day-to-day life on Twitter and is launching a movie career. But have they come out their shell only to become part of a moneymaking scheme plotted by one of their late father's siblings?  Their aunt, erstwhile psychic and Playboy poser La Toya Jackson, "moved in" on the kids during last summer's family feud and set herself up as a confidant.  She also signed them to her "talent agency" JaTail Enterprises, where the kids are the only clients. She has them pitching for an energy drink and La Toya is close to locking down a reality show that would feature her with the siblings and their grandma, Katherine. Oprah's OWN is reportedly interested in the series, and bidding is said to have reached the $10 million range. Paris isn't too keen to go the reality route, but that may not slow down La Toya's purported plans, especially with a 15 percent commission on the line. "Prince wasn’t exactly eager to do 'ET,' but could you tell?" says a source. "When the money is on the line, Toya is going to cash in. I wouldn't bet against her."


TV NEWS
FOX has announced its early pick-ups for the Fall 2013 season, and they're bringing good news for fans of "The Following" and three Tuesday comedies. Kevin Williamson's controversial serial killer drama, "The Following," starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy, has been renewed for Season 2 -- no surprise, seeing as it's the only bona fide midseason hit from any of the major networks. Also returning are comedy mainstays "New Girl" and "Raising Hope," and the freshman "Mindy Project."


The History Channel scored a double shot of big ratings Sunday night (March 3) with the premieres of "The Bible" and "Vikings," the latter of which is the show's first scripted drama series. "The Bible" scored the night's biggest audience -- broadcast or cable -- with 13.1 million viewers for its two-hour premiere. "Vikings" followed with 6.2 million viewers and a healthy 2.5 million people in the adults 18-49 demographic. Encore airings of the two shows increased their audiences to 14.8 million for "The Bible" and 8.3 million for "Vikings." Both shows continue History's streak of ratings success, both with events (a la last year's "Hatfields & McCoys") and ongoing shows like "Pawn Stars." The cable channel had never attempted a scripted series, however, prior to "Vikings."

 
ABC's Russian mob in San Francisco thriller "Red Widow" scored 6.9 million viewers overall for its premiere and a 1.4/4 rating. Those numbers tie with the already cancelled "Zero Hour" as the lowest-rated ABC series premiere on record among adults 18-49.


"Downton Abbey" lost a few cast members last season, but is adding six news ones, including opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The show will also bring back Shirley MacLaine for its Season 4 finale. The New Zealand-born soprano will play a guest who sings at the Crawley household.


It's not official yet, but fans can expect the upcoming "Dexter" Season 8 to be the last installment of Showtime's popular serial-killer series. Les Moonves, the president and CEO of CBS Corp. has indicated that the show is set to end. Until recently, it was simply expected that "Dexter" would soon be coming to an end. In Season 7, however, the darkly comedic series experienced record ratings for an energizing and popular storyline. It was exactly the kind of reaction that often keeps a show on the air longer than expected.