Update
Suite Brenda Song Sweeps Away Escort Service Suit
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
UPDATE: Defendant Vanessa Sena agreed to pay Song $16,000 in damages for using the actress' photo in an escort service ad. The judgment must be paid out by Dec. 1 or Sena, who also penned a letter of apology, risks owing Song $100,000.
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Disney starlet Brenda Song has reached a tentative settlement in her libel suit against a company who allegedly used her image in a newspaper ad for an escort service without her permission.
Needless to say, the Mouser never would have agreed to have her photo appear alongside the slogan, "Hawaiin [sic] beauty. Come get lei'd." Yet, the ads for Cityvibe.com appeared in several April 2008 editions of the L.A. Weekly.
The 20-year-old The Suite Life of Zack & Cody actress filed her complaint against Vibe Media Inc. and its owner, Ali Askari, in Los Angeles Superior Court on April 25, 2008, seeking more than $100,000 in damages for libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress and commercial misappropriation of her photo and likeness. The suit was amended a month later, naming Vanessa Sena of San Bernardino County as the defendant accused of taking the photo of Song from the Internet and using it in the ad.
According to Song's attorney, Laurence B. Steinberg, terms of the settlement agreement are still being finalized. He would not discuss the case outside the courtroom to maintain confidentiality.
A hearing is set for Feb. 25.
(Originally published Jan. 26, 2009 at 11:58 a.m. PT)
Rob Pattinson and a Bevy of Beautiful Vampires
Summit Entertainment
Robert Pattinson will be back, and so will Kristen Stewart.
And we're happy to report that it was just announced this afternoon that Taylor Lautner will be coming back, too.
We're talking, of course, about New Moon, the OMG-cannot-wait-for-it sequel to Twilight. And we just got some fresh info on the new blood that director Chris Weitz is on the prowl for...
What Did Twilight and Madonna Teach Us in 2008?
Summit Entertainment
Hey Queen B! Do you ever learn anything new? Did you learn anything this year?
—Scott, Chicago
Yes. Given that this is December, let's put what I learned in 2008 into handy list-slash-survey form. I'll let you share your own learning experiences at the end of the column. Here goes:
Can Brenda Song Answer Your Questions? Yes!
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
How can I send Brenda Song fan mail? Do celebrities actually read fan mail?
—Hammer
Unlike other stars who shall remain nameless and ignored in this space (COUGHJolieCOUGH), Brenda Song actually wants to hear from fans. She really does. She just can't right now, her folks tell me, because her new, official website is not up yet. But as soon as it launches, or drops, or whatever, I will hand you that info.
Meantime, I've received so many Q's about Brenda that have I punted my column over to her. Seriously, she agreed to tackle everything you throw at her.
So here are the answers, straight from Miss Adorable herself. Or, more accurately, her iPhone:
Does Brenda Song have a boyfriend?
—L.S.
Election's Over—What Should I Obsess About Now?
Paul Fenton/ZumaPress.com, AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
So Obama won (yay), but the craziest election ever is over (boo). So what am I going to think about now? Leighton Meester?
—Taylor, Norfolk, Va.
Need some new obsessions, eh? What happened, did Brenda Song quit the business? Or did you just tire of waiting for her to dissolve into a four-rock-a-day crack habit? Fine, fine. Here are some things I'm keeping an eye on for you:
A-List Secrets: How to Make a Shiny New Miley
Paul Fenton/ZumaPress.com, AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Is The Suite Life's Brenda Song Disney's next billion-dollar cash cow?
—Lizzie
Knock it off. You're making Selena Gomez cry.
See, Disney is trying awfully hard to make us like Brenda Song. First she appeared in two Disney shows—Phil of the Future and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Then came her Disney movie, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, which showcased Song's martial arts skills and singing chops. Next up is The Suite Life on Deck.
"Next she might do records, fashion and online entertainment," says Darrell Miller, a branding expert and lawyer now negotiating offers for Idol contestant Syesha Mercado.
But Song isn't Big Media's only new walking ATM. Another rising star has just been signed—and if Song and Gomez are the next Miley Cyruses, then Nickelodeon is replacing Jamie Lynn Spears with...
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