Child Star-pocalypse! Nickelodeon’s Biggest Names Go to War with Each Other

Today in celebrity gossip: Sam Cat‘s Jennette McCurdy quit Nickelodeon’s #1 show, Drake Bell has strong words for Ariana Grande, and Miley Cyrus is very bummed right now.

If you’re like most people, your remote control’s “Last” button is worn to a nub from flipping back and forth between Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. Haha just kidding, you probably don’t watch those channels at all, but your kids certainly do. (The ones who haven’t run away yet.) But would it surprise you to know that some of those networks’ original programming could be classified as “good”? If you can get past the neon colors, brain-melting interstitials, and brazen attempts at launching pop music careers, some of these shows are actually funny! Disney’s Selena Gomez vehicle Wizards of Waverly Place had an unexpectedly strange sense of humor and deep roster of talented guest stars while Good Luck, Charlie is as clever and heartfelt as any network sitcom. It’s the same story over on Nickelodeon, where original sitcoms like iCarly and its spin-off Sam Cat have been getting insane ratings for years by respecting kids’ weird senses of humor. Anyway, Nickelodeon’s microcosm of in-house, on-brand entertainment took a big hit this week when Sam Cat, their #1 rated show and the current home of increasingly high-profile singer Ariana Grande, mysteriously halted production. According to TMZ, the troubles seem to surround co-star Jennette McCurdy, who was a mysterious no-show at the network’s Kids’ Choice Awards last weekend despite Sam Cat nearly sweeping all the TV categories. Taking to Twitter, the actress assured fans that her absence had nothing to do with the racy lingerie photo that had leaked online previously, but that it definitely had to do with “how Nickelodeon treated me.” TMZ reports that that McCurdy’s alleged mistreatment boils down to a too-small paycheck, particularly compared to Grande’s: “We’re told the pint-sized star is pissed that Grande makes WAY MORE money than her and she’s been trying to renegotiate her deal … so far to no avail.” Nickelodeon is apparently playing hardball, halting production entirely and declining to renew the show for another season. Which, by the way, did you know that on Nickelodeon each season is 40 episodes? 40! That sounds exhausting! I would demand a raise as well. Keep raging against that machine, Jennette McCurdy. [Page Six, TMZ]

Meanwhile, Drake Bell, former star of Nickelodeon’s Drake Josh, gave an interview to BuzzFeed in which he puts his peers on blast. Singling out Ariana Grande he said, “Ariana Grande is a billionaire before she’s been an artist. You have to work to be able to appreciate what you have, and what work did she ever have to do in her life?” Told! He also had strong words for Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, mostly about how they do or do not respect their fans. For one thing, he believes they turn a blind eye to their fans’ often ugly behavior, but he also questions whether Bieber even cares about Beliebers at all:

A lot of artists try to run away from that fan base so quickly, but I would rather have my audience grow with me than to suddenly turn my back on them because I’m an adult now, because I take my clothes off, smoke weed, and f—king drive fast cars.

This, of course, follows the time Drake Bell openly campaigned to have Justin Bieber deported, so yeah. Drake Bell is not a fan of Justin Bieber, in my opinion. [Page Six]

In a classic case of a celebrity denying a rumor you’d never heard in the first place thus generating completely unearned publicity, Miley Cyrus‘ reps have informed Us Weekly that she is NOT pregnant. Unless you meant ‘pregnant with grief,’ in which case Miley Cyrus is VERY pregnant. Earlier this week Cyrus experienced the heartbreaking loss of her dog and has been openly mourning the little guy on social media and even in concert. (One of the more memorable stage elements during her Bangerz Tour has been an enormous inflatable version of Floyd, the Alaskan Klee Kai she’d owned since 2011.) Tweeting “I am broken,” Cyrus has been sharing with fans her favorite pictures of Floyd:

I know I don’t mean it but I wish he would’ve taken me with him �� this is unbearable. What am I gonna do without him? pic.twitter.com/Jq9HEvBsw6

— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) April 2, 2014

And during soundcheck at the Boston leg of her tour, Cyrus sobbed her way through a cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide,” shaky video of which you can see here:

Aw. Truly heartbreaking. Goodbye, little fella. [Us Weekly, Page Six]

This is perfect: Former House star and current Chicago Fire hunk Jesse Spencer was recently touring the Illinois State Capitol with his parents when their elevator became stuck, trapping them and about 30 other tourists about two-feet below basement level. “People started to freak out. It was getting so hot. It’s claustrophobic. One poor girl had a fear of being trapped in elevators,” Spencer told the Chicago Sun-Times. At that point there was a bit of controversy when the building managers were reached over the emergency phone and opted to call an elevator repairman instead of the fire department. You’ll never believe what happened next. Okay, you will: Jesse Spencer used his fireman knowledge and brute fireman strength to pry open the doors and call the real Fire Department! “He also opened the elevator’s fire access panel to bring in more air.” Eventually the real Fire Department arrived and helped everybody out and Jesse Spencer tweeted a group photo with his heroes:

Thanks Springfield FD saved us from an elevator at the Capitol Building. Stuck for an hour, I muscled the doors open pic.twitter.com/I1BA9GtLm4

— Jesse Spencer (@Jesse_Spencer) April 1, 2014

Thank you, Jesse Spencer. Thank you, Chicago Fire. Thank you, Australia. [People]

Not since Richard Nixon shook hands with Mao Zedong has there been a meeting of such diametrically opposed titans: Justin Bieber is now hanging out with rising pop star Austin Mahone:

Continuing this column’s trend of celebrities you probably haven’t heard of (but your kids definitely have), the squeaky-clean Mahone is widely considered to be Bieber’s closest rival and successor to the pop-hunk throne. Add to that rumors that Mahone has possibly dated Bieber’ ex Selena Gomez and it’s been widely assumed the two were enemies. But now they are hanging out! It’s an inspiring story, really. If they can make a go of it, why can’t other world leaders? Widespread peace is truly on the horizon.

Almost nothing is better than a former child star seeking to dirty up his or her image, so please enjoy this photo of Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) hanging out with a scantily clad woman in the pages of Interview Magazine:

[SLIGHTLY NSFW] And for the sake of gender parity, here’s Game of Thrones‘ Natalie Dormer looking very chill and relaxed in the pages of GQ:

This concludes today’s edition of Cute Celebrities Taking Their Shirts Off in Magazines.

Share and Enjoy

In last ditch attempt, Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter may still inherit millions

A ruling in favor of awarding Anna Nicole’s Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn, tens of millions in court penalties is a step closer after a court hearing Monday in California.

A federal judge agreed with an argument to penalize the former Playboy model’s stepson for alleged lying and cheating in court during the decade long battle over his oil tycoon father’s fortune.

J. Howard Marshall died in 1994 at the age of 90, leaving behind an estimated $500 million to $1 billion.

His then 27-year-old wife of 14 months, Anna Nicole Smith, never saw a penny of his estate. Marshall’s son, E. Pierce Marshall, argued that no changes were ever made to his father’s will and no trust for Smith was ever put in place.

Smith died of a drug overdose in 2007.

E. Pierce Marshall died a year before Smith, but his estate may now have to pay out up to $44 million to Smith’s daughter amid allegations that he destroyed evidence and lied in court, as well as deliberately depleting his father’s accounts to deny the model any money.

Disrespect for authority

In 2004, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of E. Pierce Marshall claim on his father’s money, but penalties for misconduct can be awarded years later.

A judge in California’s Central District said Monday that he believes Marshall’s estate does owe penalties as a result of “bad faith” actions. He also noted that he still had several “open questions” before any award is actually made.

Judge David Carter said in his original ruling last May that, “Pierce’s bad faith conduct was too pervasive and too egregious to be ignored, despite the fact that he has since passed away.”

Carter noted that acting on such misconduct is essential to the integrity of the legal system.

“It would promote disrespect for the authority of the federal courts to turn a blind eye to actions that so willfully and blatantly attempted to make a mockery of this justice system,” Carter wrote.

“Tortuous conduct”

Despite his eventual win in the case, the details of the younger Marshall’s misconduct have been well documented throughout the 20-year saga.

“Evidence of Pierce’s tortuous conduct is legion,” reads a court ruling dating back to 2002. “Acting in concert with (his lawyer), they backdated documents, altered documents, destroyed documents, suborned falsified notary statements, presented documents to J. Howard under false pretenses, and committed perjury.”

California’s Central District court also noted that it had been ruled that Marshall’s actions were specifically designed to ensure all of his father’s fortune remained in his own hands, away from his stepmother, referred to here by her real name, Vickie Lynn.

“(It was) all with the intent of denying Vickie the gift that J. Howard intended to make to her. Pierce was the primary beneficiary of these acts. Pierce had private investigators follow J. Howard when he left Texas to visit Vickie,” documents continued, alluding to the fact that Marshall spent two years trying to ensure that his young stepmother got nothing.

Legacy for Dannielynn?

Lawyers for the estate of Anna Nicole Smith, to which her 7-year-old daughter Dannielynn is the sole heiress, have demanded sanctions be set at just over $44 million, the exact amount the estate had lost in a previous judgment.

On the other side, lawyers for Elaine Marshall, the widow of younger Marshall, said that amount is beyond the scope of civil penalties for misconduct and is just an attempt to recoup money they have already defended fairly.

“It is … quite clear that Stern wishes this Court simply to re-impose the award he lost on the merits,” said attorney G. Eric Brunstad in court documents, referring to Smith’s former lawyer and partner, Howard K. Stern.

The question now is over just how much any sanction can be, the judge has already ruled it cannot be punitive, but civil. In other words, it must be based on real losses because of Marshall’s misconduct, like extra time spent in court.

Smith’s lawyers have said they don’t mind the delay in any award. Philip Boesch told the National Law Journal, “He’s dealing with pretty complex legal issues, and since this case has already been to the Supreme Court twice, we don’t have a problem at all with him being cautious and careful.”

A trial date has been tentatively set for April 29, according to the law journal.

Share and Enjoy