And they thought Spike Lee was a problem.
Just days after settling its name-game war with the director, Spike TV and coporate parent Viacom are facing another legal hassle--this one brought by a former Florida stripper who is suing the newly re-monikered cable network, Pamela Anderson and Marvel Comics mastermind Stan Lee over Stripperella, the racy new 'toon about an exotic dancer-turned-superhero.
The animated series, produced by Lee and featuring a cartoon version of Anderson voiced by the ex-Baywatch babe, debuted last Thursday.
Janet Clover launched the suit in a Daytona Beach courtroom without the aid of an attorney. In her court papers, she claims she's the "true creator" of Stripperella and is asking a judge to knock the show off the air for good, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
Clover, a former adult entertainer who's now unemployed and refers to herself in the complaint as "Sensual Entertainer's Home Studio Founder," says she first suggested Stripperella to Lee after a private encounter with the comic book legend more than a year ago at Tanga's Jazz, an adult nightclub in Tampa.
"This office challenges Lee to produce proof of his creative work, as true authorship belongs to Tanga's Jazz," the suit says. "Evidence to support is available upon request."
The 37-year-old Clover alleges she's the brains behind the 'toon's "Secret Agent 69," a shapely stripper named Erotica Jones who, when she's not wrapping herself around poles, spends her time fighting bad guys as a masked superhero known as Stripperella.
"I'm just trying to get this off TV because it's not his idea," Clover tells the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "She was supposed to be a nurse, which is what I'm studying for. I can't remember much about Mr. Lee, little bits and pieces come back. You know, I meet a lot of men."
Anderson's manager declined to comment on the suit, as did reps for Lee and Viacom.
Lee has said he modeled his sexy crime fighter on Anderson's real self, right down the actress' tattoos. The character Stripperella uses a combination of sex appeal and gadgetry--including stiletto heels that help her scale walls and a lipstick laser--as well as a leg maneuver dubbed the "scissor-ella," where she subdues her enemies by choking them with her high-powered gams. Her breasts also perk up whenever they detect the lies of men.
But Lee and Anderson made sure the 'toon was PG-13, and no nudity is shown, as the 35-year-old actress pointed out while making the publicity rounds recently. "It's harmless. It's only a cartoon," she told Reuters. "We came up with a concept and we just kind of made it really, really silly, and we both can't believe it's going to be on the air."
Her ex-fiancé Kid Rock wrote and performed Stripperella's theme song and also voices a recurring character, as does Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill (who has done quite a bit of cartoon voice work in recent years, including playing the Joker in the animated Batman series).
Stripperella's premiere episode featured our heroine facing off against maniacal plastic surgeon Dr. Cesarian and his dastardly plot to wipe out supermodels with exploding breast implants.