By Joel Hanek and Adam Murphy, with spiritual guidance from Jim Cantiello
In spite of being one of the biggest acts in the world today, Coldplay continues to take flak for releasing songs that are, er, evocative of other songs. The band is being sued by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani for alleged similarities between his song "If I Could Fly" and Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" — and Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) is now saying that "Viva la Vida" sounds remarkably similar to his song "Foreigner Suite." (Note: In 2003, Islam and the Flaming Lips agreed to share royalties after similarities were noticed between their "Fight Test" and his "Father and Son.")
Whether you agree with those accusations, we thought it might be fun to make a lighthearted list of artists and individuals who could be suing Coldplay on general principle ...
1) U2. Ask any scientist — heck, anyone: If it weren't for U2, there would be no Coldplay. Exhibit A: Chris Martin's Bono posturing in the "Speed of Sound" video. Bono has been belting out plaintive falsetto croons since Martin was in short pants. If U2 really wanted to stick it to Coldplay, they'd simply go back in time and not make The Joshua Tree. However, that would leave Coldplay seeking inspiration in albums like U2's subpar Pop LP — a lose-lose situation!
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Former Death Row boss Suge Knight has a well-established reputation as a tough guy. From his supposed over-the-balcony, by-the-ankles dangling of Vanilla Ice to a beatdown he allegedly dealt in a hotel lobby the night Tupac Shakur was gunned down, the former UNLV defensive end always gave off a manly vibe. Why, then, is the gangsta-rap guru suing Kanye West over the "loss of use and enjoyment" of a 15-carat diamond stud earring?
Read the whole story of Suge Knight's lawsuit against Kanye West here.
Dr. Dre is suing the author of the book "Rollin' With Dre: The Unauthorized Account: An Insider's Tale of the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of West Coast Hip Hop" over an alleged loan the rapper gave him, according to TMZ.
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Three young men who claimed Lindsay Lohan commandeered their vehicle and took them on a white-knuckle high-speed chase on Santa Monica-area highways that ended with the actress' arrest on DUI charges last July have filed suit over the bizarre incident, The Associated Press reports.
Dante Nigro, Jakon Sutter and Ronnie Blake sued Lohan last week for battery, false imprisonment, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, slander and negligence, seeking damages in excess of $25,000. Two months after the incident, the actress pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine that night and an earlier drunken-driving arrest, serving 84 minutes in jail before entering rehab.
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You've got to love Lil' Kim's lawyer, Londell McMillan. A suit filed Tuesday by Brookland Media, an upstart label that claims it inked a deal with Kim earlier this year and planned to release her LP as its debut offering, contends that the MC has made "outlandish" demands not covered under the terms of her contract. One such demand calls for Akon and Wyclef Jean to be hired on as additional producers for the project.
In trying to demonstrate why that demand fit their definition of "outlandish," Brookland's suit charges Kim is "known in the music industry for her extravagant and costly excesses."
McMillan's response, which he gave to the New York Daily News, was honest. "Surprise, surprise — an artist of superstar stature wants to protect her image," he said.
The suit also claims that the rapper refuses to record another note until her contract is renegotiated. The label is seeking $2.5 million dollars for the undelivered album, and recently was awarded a ruling that bars Kim from taking her rhymes elsewhere.
According to McMillan, it's unlikely the case will make it to court: "We'll work it out around a conference table, in front of a judge or over some martinis," he told the News.
Read more about Lil' Kim's latest legal woes here.
Ne-Yo has won $700,000 in a lawsuit against promoter Rowe Entertainment after he claimed he was dropped from R.Kelly's tour late last year. Although Ne-Yo had no formal contract, he still won the case. Do you think that he should have won the case considering he didn't have a written agreement? And did Ne-Yo really upstage R. Kelly?
Read the complete story of Ne-Yo's lawsuit and let us know what you think.
By John Ochoa
Jacob "The Jeweler" Arabov, New York diamond and jewelry merchant known for supplying an all-star clientele of rappers with blindingly flashy bling, is suing Wyclef Jean, claiming the rapper owes him money for watches and jewelry he purchased between March 2002 and January 2006, according to The Associated Press.
Jacob and Company Inc. claims in papers filed Tuesday that the former Fugee bought $765,100 worth of goods and still owes close to $320,000, according to the report.
Last month, Arabov was sentenced to federal prison for two and a half years after lying to investigators about his role in a multistate drug ring.
A New York federal judge approved a class-action suit against the 40/40 Club in Manhattan on Tuesday, after a lawyer for a group of waiters at the restaurant argued that the nightclub, which is co-owned by Jay-Z, had violated federal minimum-wage laws by withholding paychecks from the workers.
According to the suit, some former and current 40/40 employees claim they were not paid for overtime, were forced to pay for bottle breakages out of their own pockets and were told they had to pick up the tab on patrons who walked out without paying.
There are currently 20 workers involved in the suit, but their lawyer, Maimon Kirschenbaum, told MTV News that Manhattan Federal Judge Loretta Preska's ruling on Tuesday could open the door for potentially "hundreds" of others to join the suit.
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