Wet Seal to Pay $7.5 Million in Discrimination Case

By// Mariah Craddick

Wet Seal has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a class action discrimination lawsuit filed against them stemming from claims brought by three African-American employees who accused the store of firing them because they “didn’t fit the store’s image.” According to the Denver Post, at least $5.58 million of the damages will go to current and former African-American managers.

The suit, filed by Nicole Cogdell, Kai Hawkins and Myriam Saint-Hilaire, claimed that former Wet Seal executives denied equal pay and promotion opportunities or terminated African-American store managers nationwide.

“Being targeted for termination from a job I loved because of my race was a nightmare,” Cogdell said in a statement issued through the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “It was important for me to be a force for change, but I could not have done it without the support of other employees who spoke out against discrimination. Wet Seal has now committed to strong, fair policies because we took a stand. I hope these changes will create opportunities for all deserving employees, regardless of their race.”

According to Clutch Magazine, the settlement agreement outlines a series of different initiatives to ensure diversity. The settlement still has to be approved in federal court.

PHOTO OF DIDDY'S $500,000 CAR, BODYGUARD HANDCUFFED AT GUNPOINT REVEALED

A day after Diddy's bodyguard had to exit his Mercedes Maybach at gunpoint by Los Angeles police, a photo from the incident has emerged online.

In the photo, Puff Daddy's security is shown surrendering to policejust feet away from the whip.

Cops were all over Diddy's $500,000 Maybach yesterday like WHITE ON RICE ... guns at the ready ... suspect handcuffed on his knees ... and we've got a photo of the incredible scene. As we reported, a fleet of squad cars roared to L.A.'s Soho House yesterday following a 911 call about a suspicious black car with a weapon inside. When they arrived to the scene, cops pulled over Diddy's Maybach. The car -- driven by Diddy's bodyguard -- had just dropped off the hip-hop mogul at the exclusive West Hollywood club and was driving away ... but it barely left the driveway before cops got to it. (TMZ)

Despite the seriousness, Diddy was not in the car when the cops arrived.

The drama unfolded Wednesday in Los Angeles, prompted by a 911 call. At least five police cruisers responded and police pulled two people out of the vehicle, creating quite a sight. Lucky for Diddy he wasn't in the car. Unlucky for his bodyguard, he WAS in the car and ended up cuffed in the middle of the street, on his knees. (RadarOnline)

Back in early April, police surrounded the rap mogul's Los Angeles crib as a result of a prank.

Sean Combs is the latest celebrity to be targeted by the wave of "swatting" pranks that are sweeping Hollywood. More than a dozen police cars and two helicopters raced to the Bad Boymogul's L.A. home yesterday after a 911 caller claimed that someone was shot inside the residence. After securing both Diddy's house and his neighbor's, actor Steve Carell, the cops determined that the call was a prank and dispersed. (BET)

When not dodging law enforcement, Puff is showing off his senseof humor with clips like the new "Downton Diddy" FunnyorDie.com skit.

Diddy will not be starring in Downton Abbey, in spite of apparently claiming he would be taking a recurring role in the hit costume drama. The US rapper turned out to have been promoting a skit on Will Ferrell's Funny Or Die website. The prospect of Lord and Lady Grantham being overshadowed by glittering bling, and Cristal served to a disapproving dowager countess was raised on 15 May when Diddy announced via his Twitter feed he would be joining the cast of Julian Fellowes's ITV drama. (The Guardian)

MTV's O Music Awards Announces Nominees, Set for June 19

MTV and Viacom today announced the nominees for the fourth iteration of its O Music Awards, which include Frank Ocean, PSY, Baauer, Bon Iver, internet meme Lil B, and more. The O Music Awards are digitally focused and targeted towards millennials, with categories like "Favorite Music Cat" (cats that have become famous on the web) and "Too Much Ass for TV" (music videos banned on broadcast television due to content concerns), along with a voting structure that relies heavily on digital and social media interaction.

The 2013 version of the O Awards isn't a show proper, but rather will take place over a full day, which MTV is calling "Live Music Day." 50 different performancestaking place at various locations in the U.S. will be streamable at the property's website. These performances will include the nominees for the O Awards' new concept, "Make a Band Famous," wherein votes will be tallied via the website, Facebook and Twitter, with the five bands who received the most votes performing during the "show" and the winner being determined following a final tally.

The O Music Awards are scheduled for June 19th, beginning at 7PM ET. A list of the nominees:

Digital Genius Award
Psy
Yoko Ono
Will.i.am
Trent Reznor
Pussy Riot

Best Web-Born Artist
Kitty
Baauer
FIDLAR
Macklemore
Angel Haze

Best Music App
Scape
Vjay
Timbre
CrowdSYNC
Jukely

Best Interactive Music Video
Linkin Park, “Lost in the Echo”
Beck & Chris Milk, “Sound and Vision”
Tanlines, “Not The Same”
Miranda Lambert, “Fastest Girl in Town”
Yung Jake, “e.m.-bed.de/d”

Fan Army FTW
Tokio Hotel’s “Aliens”
Adam Lambert’s “Glamberts”
Ed Sheeran’s “Sheerios”
Justin Bieber’s “Beliebers”
Beyonce’s “Beyhive”
Demi Lovato’s “Lovatics”
Thirty Seconds to Mars’ “Echelon”
Selena Gomez’s “Selenators”
All Time Low’s “Hustlers”
Lil B’s “Task Force”

Best Music Hack
Bonhamizer
Leap Orchestra
Maebe
Tweet Concrete
Boil the Frog

Must Follow Artist on Twitter
Bruno Mars
?uestlove
Frank Ocean
Andrew W.K.
Erykah Badu
Grimes
Carrie Brownstein
Solange
Ryan Adams
Richard Marx

Best Artist Instagram
Pictureplane
Tyler the Creator
Bon Iver
Mariah Carey
Riff Raff

Our Favorite Musical Cat
Lil Bub
Keyboard Cat
Skifcha The Hipster Dubstep Cat
Collective Soul Cat
CatCERTO

Too Much Ass for TV (NSFW Music Videos)
David Bowie, “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
Sigur Ros, “Valtari”
DIIV, “Wait”
Frank Ocean, “Pyramids”
Robin Thicke, “Blurred Lines”

Make a Band Famous
The So So Glos
Chill Moody
Syd Arthur
Striking Matches
Tatiana Owens
John & Jacob
Shy Glizzy
Fallulah
The Future
Darling Parade

Next Big Scene
PostDubStep
CloudRap
Beats
#Seapunk
Vaporwave

Analog Genius Award
Jack White
Beck
Neil Young
Shone

Most Inspiring Fan Outreach
Dan Deacon
Avicii x You
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
Alicia Keys

The “Friday, Friday” Vanguard Award
Harlem Shake (the faux dance)
Flash Mobs
Goats yelling like humans in music videos
Twerking
Lip Dubs

Suspect??? “Unidentified Sources” Make Outrageous Claim That Kim K Is Worried That Kanye Has A Secret Gay Boo!

Kim Kardashian just can’t catch a break. She’s been routinely slammed for filing for divorceafter just 72 days of marriage, her maternity wardrobe fashion choices are ridiculed across the globe, and now she’s being attacked with haters making the ridiculous claim that her baby daddy Kanye West is gay.

The 32-year-old reality super star is two months away from giving birth to her first child, and while she’s always been a target of criticism, the personal critiques seem to be crossing the line.

Kim’s Givenchy flowered dress was universally slammed at the Met Gala, and then on-line commenters began to harass her saying that Kanye was in a romantic relationship with a man she knows, according to In Touch magazine.

“Kim freaked out,” a source told the magazine.

The man named in the report allegedly recently purchased an apartment near Kanye’s luxurious Soho pad. He also calls Paris home, and Kanye has been living there for the last few months working on his album.

That apparently adds up to a gay relationship, according to some haters.

The super star rapper has been plagued by gay rumors for years, and the report says Kanye and the man bonded in Paris.

“They’re super close,” Kim’s supposed friend said. “They spend a lot of time together at Kanye’s apartment.”

According to the rumor, Kanye’s secret down-low lover is Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, the same man that stitched Kim’s slandered Met Gala “sofa” dress. In addition, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that Kanye was “furious” for some unknown reason:

“Kanye West was playing and he was all furious and he threw his microphone down and it was all drama. I don’t know why [he was mad].”

Tthese “sources” claim the reason Yeezy was pissed off is because Riccardo was going Instagram ham with photos of Frank Ocean all night long.

People have always said that ‘Ye is gay because of his left-of-center fashion choices, but there is no way he has been chopping down all these bangin’ bawwwwdies AND been a closet homosexual…right??

Wade Robson WILL have his day in court... allegations of molestation.

Wade Robson 
WILL have his day in court in his attempt to prove he was molested by Michael Jackson ... even if he's shut down by the Michael Jackson Estate.

TMZ has learned ... Robson has filed a civil lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court ... and it has nothing to do with his creditor's claim against the Estate. We broke the story ... Robson belatedly filed his creditor's claim, alleging MJ molested him between the ages of 7 and 14.

Robson may get shut down by the probate judge because he waited too long to file his claim.  But the civil lawsuit we found will NOT go away that easily.

The allegations in the civil lawsuit are sealed, but TMZ has obtained the face page of the complaint, which shows Robson is suing DOE 1, an individual, DOE 2, a California corporation, and DOE 3, a California corporation.  As for who these anonymous DOES are ... TMZ has done some digging, and it's clear.  Robson is targeting MJJ Productions -- Michael's record label (owned by Sony) which hired Wade when he was 11 -- and MJJ Ventures ... which produced Michael's music videos.

The two corporations may have been involved in bringing Wade to the U.S. from his home in Australia, and it's clear Wade will argue they had some responsibility for protecting him -- kind of like the relationship between priests who molest and the Catholic Church.

As for the individual DOES (Wade names 50 DOES) ... it's very clear from our research that Robson is targeting the two executors of the MJ Estate -- John Branca and John McClain.

Short story -- even if Wade loses in probate court, he can probably have his day in civil court and put Michael Jackson and allegations of molestation before a jury.

[source] http://www.tmz.com/2013/05/15/wade-robson-sue-michael-jackson-estate-to-prove-molestation/#ixzz2TOzELqtG 

Manatt Launches Digital Media Investment Fund

Entertainment law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips on Wednesday announced it is launching a digital media practice and an investment fund aimed at early stage start-ups.

Manatt, whose legal clients include Sugarland, the Eagles, INgrooves and BMI Rights Management, also appointed Peter Csathy to head up the investment arm of Manatt Digital Media Ventures.

Csathy (pronounced chah-tee) was previously chief executive of Sorenson Media and, before that, SightSpeed. He was also president and chief operating officer of Musicmatch, a digital jukebox and streaming music service that Yahoo! Acquired in 2004 for $160 million. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Csathy began his career as an entertainment attorney for New Line Cinema and Universal Studios.

The Los Angeles-based firm’s digital media practice will be headed up by T. Hale Boggs, a Manatt partner who specializes in corporate, finance and venture capital issues. The practice is looking to differentiate itself from other boutiquelaw firms by selling a suite of soup-to-nuts services, from business consulting, partner negotiations and mergers and acquisitions.

Manatt, whose partners have invested in Pinterest and Etsy, declined to disclose how much money is in the investment fund, which is financed by the firm’s partners. Csathy said Manatt plans to invest in 10 to 15 startups a year, with individual investments ranging anywhere between $15,000 and $600,000.

"There’s been a groundswell of new digital business models, particularly in Los Angeles and New York," Csathy said. "There’s also an optimism among media companies about what this can mean for them."

Jordan Bromley, a Manatt partner who is part of the 30-person Digital Media Ventures unit, said the firm will look to invest in companies that help deliver content, particularly live content. (The law firm overall has 400 attorneys and consultants in eight cities.)

"We’re interested in companies that facilitate access," Bromley said.

DR. DRE & JIMMY IOVINE SHELL OUT $70 MILLION

Aftermath Records head Dr. Dre and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine proved they are worthy of making Forbes' list on a yearly basis by throwing down a combined $70 million for a good cause this week.

According to reports, the music moguls' enormous donation is to help create a new institute at the University of Southern California.

The huge gift from the two who have been music business partners in the past will be used to create the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. The academy will provide a special four-year program for undergraduates whose interests span several fields from marketing to computer science to visual design and other arts. It will include one-on-one faculty mentoring with professors from programs around the university and interaction with entertainment industry luminaries. (Fox News)

The university's president has released an official statement on receiving their unexpected gift.

"The vision and generosity of Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young will profoundly influence the way all of us perceive and experience artistic media," USC President C. L. Max Nikias said in a statement. "We are committed to encouraging our students to use their intellectual and creative resources to effect change in all segments of society. Our goal is to ensure that the academy is the most collaborative educational program in the world." (Statement)

Over the spring, Doc landed a Top 3 spot on Forbes' Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists list.

1: Diddy, $580 M 2: Jay-Z $475M 3: Dr Dre $350M 4: Birdman $150M 5: 50 Cent $125M Birdman: The New Orleans native cofounded Cash Money Records two decades ago with his brother Ronald "Slim" Williams (Birdman's net worth would be well over $200 million if his ownership in the label wasn't shared). 50 Cent: Now he's trying to replicate the latter feat with companies like SMS Audio, his answer to Dr. Dre's Beats, and SK Energy, which has its sights set on category leader 5-Hour Energy. (Forbes)

No strangers to working together, Dre and Iovine have partnered up on numerous accounts to help enhance sound quality.

"We have to fix the entire chain," Iovine explained. "Our position is to go to all the sources and try to improve sound and educate people...We can't put anything weak in the line. Whoever puts out things that sound bad shouldn't be as cool as something that sounds great...I just want our product to sound better. The record business committed many, many mistakes in the last ten years, and I'm right in there. One of them was letting its product get degraded. It's one thing to let it get stolen, it's another to allow it to be degraded because then you really don't have a chance...video games and TV quality are getting better and the quality of our work is getting lower. If that happens, then music will become disposable. That's something we can fix." (CNET)