Popsquire

They also seem to forget about motorcycle helmet laws while filming in Sevilla, Spain.  Safety first!

[Bauer Griffin Online]

Technorati Tags: cameron diaz, helmet laws, knight & day, motorcycle, spain, tom cruise

Like a typical lawyer, Popsquire loves a good feud.

[Bauer Griffin Online]

Today, it’s Brad Pitt vs. Tom Cruise! While doing press for Inglorious Basterds, a German reporter asked Brad about Tom’s nazi movie.  Brad’s response:  “It was a ridiculous movie.”

Your turn, Tom.  What’d you think of Troy?

UPDATE: Brad’s rep says the whole thing is false because he never even saw Valkyrie.  Um, not seeing Tom’s movie is kind of a diss, too, but it’s good to clear this up.

Technorati Tags: celebrity feud, inglorious basterd, pop culture law, tom cruise brad pitt, valkyrie

In celebration of Katie Holmes’ 30th birthday today, below is her October performance on the recently canceled legal drama, Eli Stone.  Happy Birthday, Katie!

Technorati Tags: dawson's creek, eli stone, happy birthday katie holmes, katie holmes turns 30, tom cruise

Wanna konw the Top Ten Craziest Things People Say About Tom Cruise on the Internet?  He’ll tell you…

Technorati Tags: tom cruise david letterman, top 10 craziest things about tom cruise on the internet

Following in the footsteps of Britney Spears, Tom Cruise presented a more sedated, controlled version of himself during this morning’s interview with Matt Lauer.

Technorati Tags: hitler assasination, pop culture law, today show, tom cruise matt lauer interview, valkyrie

Tom Cruise showed up on last night’s Tonight Show and gave Jay Leno his glib Elvis impersonation.  It’s all building up for Monday’s Matt Lauer face off!

Technorati Tags: elvis, matt lauer, pop culture law, tom cruise, tom cruise elvis impersonation, tonight show

Like a good lawyer, Popsquire likes to be prepared.  So, it’s time to review the infamous Matt Lauer interview of Tom Cruise in anticipation of Monday’s re-match.  Be glib and enjoy!

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Technorati Tags: celebrities and law, celebrity stalkers, edward van tassel, pop culture law, stalker, tom cruise

In a pop culture collision no one ever expected to see, Tom Cruise offers Spencer Pratt advice on marrying Heidi.  What’s next?  Will Katie Holmes give LC fashion tips?!

Technorati Tags: heidi montag, pop culture, spencer pratt, The Hills, tom cruise

Author John Duignan is blaming Cruise Control for lack of sales!

In “The Complex,” Duignan describes his “dramatic escape” from the Church of Scientology’s purported “elite para-military group,” the Sea Organization.  Now, he hopes to escape low book sales by dragging Tom Cruise into the mix, claiming that Tom influenced Amazon’s UK website to stop selling the book.

Amazon, however, released a statement explaining that “U.K. law gives us no choice but to remove the title from our catalogue” because someone mentioned in the book (not a celebrity) had alleged it defamed him with “false claims.” Amazon spokeswoman Patty Smith insists it was simply Britain’s tough libel laws that forced Amazon’s UK website to pull the book, and Cruise’s reps deny any involvement on his part.

Technorati Tags: amazon, church of scientology, defamation, john duignan, libel, patty smith, pop culture law, the complex, tom cruise

Katie Holmes, who is scheduled to appear on the legal drama Eli Stone later this month, officially debuted on Broadway last night in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons.

Despite having Tom’s support and the presence of high profile friend Jada Pinkett Smith, the critics say she appeared “painfully awkward” and was “strangely flat.”

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Extras are Cruising toward a settlement!

Because you are obsessed with Popsquire, you remember that 12 extras are demanding $11 million from Tom Cruise and his production company for physical injuries they allegedly suffered during the filming of Valkyrie last year in Germany.

The head of the German studio that was co-producing the film now confirms that the studio’s legal department has made a settlement offer and are awaiting a response from the extras’ attorney. The studio head also added: “You have a different system in Germany. If you lose an arm, it’s not worth a million dollars.”

Popsquire’s perspective…

Settlement negotiations can be tricky. If you want to settle a case, you have to convey a desire to compromise, while simultaneously demonstrating the willingness to litigate if the appropriate agreement cannot be reached. In short, this explains the German studio’s offer of settlement coupled with a statement about how little money an arm is worth.

Technorati Tags: extra, litigation, pop culture law, settlement, tom cruise, valkyrie

Extras may have been injured while Cruisin’!

Twelve movie extras are demanding $11 million in damages from Tom Cruise and his production company after allegedly suffering broken bones, cuts and bruises in the filming of World War Two picture “Valkyrie” in Berlin last year.  The extras allegedly were injured in August 2007, when the side panel of a period German army truck burst open while turning a corner in central Berlin.

The attorney for the extras, Ariane Bluttner, says she will file a suit in the U.S. if her clients do not receive a satisfactory settlement and claims that a U.S. judge could order punitive damages for negligence if the case went to court.

Popsquire’s perspective…

The extras’ attorney may be playing this wrong.  The most effective weapon against a high profile person often is the threat of bad publicity.  Once an attorney tells the public about a lawsuit, the leverage is gone and the celebrity is forced to fight back.

Moreover, claims for workplace injuries generally are covered by Workers’ Compensation laws and, therefore, damages are limited.  Indeed, threats about punitive damages in this case may have no sound basis in the law!

Popsquire trusts you’ve seen the Tom Cruise/Scientology videos all over the web, but are you aware of the controversy erupting on Gawker?  If not, here’s what you need to know…

1. Gawker posted videos of Tom Cruise discussing Scientology.
2. Attorneys for the Church of Scientology International (”CSI”) sent Gawker a letter accusing the site of infringing CSI’s copyright and requesting that Gawker take down the video.
3. Gawker responded to the letter, defending itself and refusing to take down the videos.

Popsquire’s perspective…

This may be the beginning of a serious collision between pop culture and law.  If Gawker doesn’t back down and CSI wants the videos removed, CSI may have no choice but to sue.  This has potential to be a very significant legal case.

Popsquire will be waiting, watching, and worrying.  He’ll also be singing along to this R.E.M. classic.

Technorati Tags: copyright infringement, gawker, lawsuit, scientology, tom cruise

Popsquire trusts you are aware of the unauthorized Tom Cruise autobiography being released today.  If not, here’s what you need to know.

“Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography,” by Andrew Morton, explores the Tom’s love life, rumors about his sexuality, his connections to Scientology and his family.

Tom’s attorney, Bert Fields, has called the book “a bunch of tired old lies about Tom and his religion.”

Popsquire’s perspective… 

Popsquire is setting the clock on the lawsuit countdown.  Realize, however, that defamation lawsuits brought by celebs can be difficult to win.  Unlike regular folk, celebs generally have to meet a higher standard. 

Celebs have to prove that the alleged defamatory statement is false and was made with malicious intent, meaning that it was published with either knowledge of falsity or in reckless disregard for the truth.

Popsquire’s prediction…

Although Tom is no stranger to litigation, he may not sue over this book.  Sometimes, it may be better to ignore the book or release a statement denying its veracity instead of providing publicity in the form of a lawsuit.

If Popsquire is wrong, he will gladly cover the lawsuit and trial.  Popsquire is here to serve!