Chip Lightman says he hopes for "amicable" resolution to his lawsuit against "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy" Donny Osmond

Amicable???!!!!!

Danny Gans' former manager Chip Lightman has made it very clear that Las Vegas blogger, New York Times stringer (who, interestingly did not pen the recent high-profile Times stories on the Vegas economic slump or Liberace Museum), Gay Vegas author, concert promoter and comp queen Steve Friess wasn't far off the mark when he wrote: "In Las Vegas, when left to our own devices, we do things a little differently.”

Lightman has filed a blistering lawsuit against Donny Osmond for firing him as producer of the Donny & Marie stage show at the Flamingo Hilton, accusing the squeaky-clean, caffeine-free, toothy, Mormon entertainer of being "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy," being out to "line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains to fund his lavish lifestyle of exotic cars, luxury hotel suites and private jets," and acting in a manner that's "contrary to the wholesome, all-American, good-natured image that he presents to the public."

Yet, Lightman now says he hopes the suit's resolution will be "amicable."


Amicable.

Amicable!

Lightman's publicist spread the 23-page complaint yesterday as an attachment to an email that read:

"At this time the claim will speak for itself.
I am hopeful and optimistic
that an amicable resolution
will come quickly
to this unfortunate situation
I never wanted to find myself in."

Lightman, who announced the lawsuit on his Twitter account, also deleted from his Twitter page a threatening "tweet" aimed Friday at Donny and his sister Marie.


This "tweet" remains this morning:


Marie Osmond's son committed suicide in February.

Chip Lightman's lawsuit calls Donny Osmond "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy"

Chip Lightman knows how to hit Donny Osmond where it hurts: smack in the middle of his squeaky-clean Mormon image.

Lightman, who made his reputation as manager and sidekick to the late local superstar Danny Gans, filed suit against the wholesome entertainer last week after Osmond announced he was dropping Lightman as producer of the Donny & Marie show at the Flamingo (Lightman and Gans-- who died suddenly in May 2009--brought the brother-sister act to the Flamingo, in effect reviving their careers, two years ago, producing the show under the Ganslight banner).


Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Lightman's suit claims Donny Osmond was "underhanded, devious, fraudulent and greedy," out to "line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains to fund his lavish lifestyle of exotic cars, luxury hotel suites and private jets," and acted in ways that are "contrary to the wholesome, all-American, good-natured image that he presents to the public."

"The lawsuit claims that Osmond conspired to cut Lightman and the William Morris Agency out of a Flamingo contract extension through 2012, and claims Donny threatened not to perform beyond next week if "the Flamingo did not terminate any and all agreements" with Lightman.

"The suit alleges that '(d)ue to the declining economy, poor investments and his extravagant lifestyle," Donny "lived paycheck to paycheck scraping by to cover his own expenses.' That, Lightman alleges, motivated him to try to cut costs and commissions.

"The Osmonds' attorney, Howard King, said Wednesday he had not seen the complaint to comment on specifics. But he wrote in an e-mail, 'Of course, we are surprised and disappointed that Mr. Lightman took such precipitous action, especially in light of the substantial sums he has been paid, despite the facts that he neither created, financed or owns the show, nor does he engage the 48 talented and dedicated people who produce and perform the show each night.'"

Weatherford reports that the lawsuit claims the Osmonds each had a base salary of $1.6 million, plus 40 percent of gross box office receipts over $250,000, and that the Flamingo obtained life insurance policies for both Donny and Marie in the amount of $5 million each.

He also points out that Gans stopped working with Lightman from 2004 through early 2008, but reconciled.

Donny Osmond spoke at Danny Gans' memorial service and is set to host the Danny Gans Memorial Champions Run for Life in nearby Henderson on Saturday.

(Mike Weatherford's also got a good joke buried in the story, so check it out here.)

Ron Nasty performs for Lennon's 70th

Neil Innes, star of the award-winning musical bio The Seventh Python, joins fellow stars of the Fests for Beatles Fans in New York City Saturday night for a 70th birthday tribute to John Lennon, whom he parodied wickedly in The Rutles.

The October 9th benefit concert at the Society for Ethical Culture takes place six blocks from the Dakota building where John Lennon lived and was murdered on December 8, 1980. Proceeds go to Amnesty International.


Other performers include pals Innes made at various Beatle fan fests throughout the years, including Mark Hudson, Earl Slick and Glenn Burtnick (and compère Martin Lewis), and a number of performers with tenuous Lennon connections like Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and Marshall Crenshaw. Headliners are The Quarrymen, which includes founding members of Lennon's original 1956 skiffle group that spawned the Beatles.

Click here for information and tickets.

Rich Little returns to scene of wife's funeral to say "so long" to Tony Curtis

Weeks after the funeral of his wife, Marie, who committed suicide in July, legendary impersonator Rich Little returned to the Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas for the farewell to show biz pal Tony Curtis.

The Palm Valley View Cemetery is also the final resting place for Little's fellow impressionist and George Burns impersonator Danny Gans.

Steve Dunleavy sighted in New York City

Tabloid legend Steve Dunleavy has been sighted in New York City, looking good-- and smoking!

Dunleavy (center) was with bigshot political and journalism pals at the Water Club Friday afternoon, when he was photographed with a pair of ageless tabloid television veterans who've each racked up legendary status of his own. Frank Grimes and Steve McPartlin reportedly bumped into Dunleavy as he was on his way outside for a cigarette.

Sightings of the NY Post columnist, formner editor, A Current Affair star and Elvis What Happened author have been few and far between since his retirement in 2008.

Chip Lightman sues, threatens to write tell-all book about Donny & Marie Osmond

Danny Gans' former manager Chip Lightman has declared war on Donny and Marie Osmond, filing a lawsuit against them and threatening to reveal the secrets of the Mormon siblings in a "tell all book."

Lightman struck out on his Twitter account in response to the Osmonds' announcement that they were bouncing him from his role as producer of their show at the Flamingo Hilton.


Gans and his longtime friend and sidekick Lightman brought the show to the Flamingo two years ago under their Ganslight banner. The Osmonds said on September 25th that the Ganslight contract expired last week and that "we have decided not to renew that contract.

"The show will of course continue... and we hope to explore future opportunities with Chip Lightman."

Lightman posted Friday on Twitter, a common means of communication among Las Vegas showbiz insiders, claiming there are two years left on their "commitment" and accusing Donny Osmond of "putting out false information" (he'd later accuse the brother-sister act of "contractual interference and deceitful dealings" and claim that Donny told him his contract wouldn't be renewed unless he'd take a 50 percent pay cut).


Most chilling to the "squeaky clean" Mormon Osmonds and others in Sin City circles was Lightman's threat that he "has already been approached for a 'TELL ALL' BOOK."


Lightman indicated the type of the secrets he could be prodded to spill back in December when, unprompted, he contradicted the official timeline of Gans' untimely drug-related death on May 1, 2009, that Gans' wife Julie had given police.

Fun Fact: Lightman tweeted on March 21st that "Donnie & Marie are a class act."

Art Vargas is returning to Las Vegas

"I saw Las Vegas future and its name is Art Vargas!"
--Sam Peters

The man who should be a Strip headliner returns to his swingin' stompin' grounds at the Rampart Casino, October 15, 16 and 17.


Beat a path off the beaten path to catch Art Vargas before the big bookers, promoters and agents catch on and place him a theatre with big ticket prices.

Man of Many Cars: Danny Gans collection brings in $500,000 at auction

Danny Gans' car collection raked in more than half a million dollars when they were put up for bid last weekend as the highlight of the annual Barrett-Jackson auction at the Mandalay Bay.

The three children of the late Las Vegas musical impressionist and superstar were there to watch the nine vehicles and Harley Davidson motorcycle go on the block. Son Andrew brought down the hammer on each sale.

Harley Davidson clutch cover reads:"Danny Gans The Man of Many Voices"

Said daughter Amy: "We felt sad to see them just sitting in the garage and felt we should share them with people who also had a passion for them.

"We feel an overwhelming love for the cars and for Dad."

You're invited to Tony Curtis' funeral

The public is invited to attend funeral services for Tony Curtis, who died yesterday at home in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada.

The farewell is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas.

The Palm Mortuary is located in the Palm Valley View Memorial Park at 7600 S. Eastern Avenue, where Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans, who died suddenly at his Henderson home in May 2009, was laid to rest.

Cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river

Bernard Schwartz

Greg Giraldo is latest comic dying

We hear Greg Giraldo follows Robert Schimmel as the latest quick-witted, very funny filthy comedian to die days after being rushed to a hospital. With Schimmel, it was a car accident; Giraldo overdosed on prescription drugs over the weekend, reportedly "accidentally." Too bad. very sad. Artie Lange should remember that life is precious. And we recall that as a judge on Last Comic Standing this past summer, Giraldo often looked like he'd been dragged out of a crack house without a shower.

Only 44. Went to Harvard. Comedy ain't funny. RIP.

Click here for Greg Giraldo's Facebook page

At least they didn't add mouse ears: Disneyland customizes worker's Islamic head covering

Disneyland, known for its strict dresscode for its "cast member" workers, is allowing a company intern to wear her religious hijab headscarf to work, after first banishing her to the stockroom.

But it's a special, Disneyfied hijab.

Noor Abdallah was hired as a vacation planner over the phone. When the 22-year-old arrived at Disneyland for orientation, she was asked by she didn't mention the hijab (a Muslim expression of faith) and told she would have to take a position with less guest interaction, working in the stockroom until a "customized uniform" could be made, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

She was told that making the customized uniform would take about five months, That's about the length of her internship.

In the meantime, she's wearing a beret over the hijab.

The woman is not Imane Boudial, who filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in August. Imane wants to wear her hijab to work in the Storyteller's Restaurant at Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement:

"Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a long history of accommodating a variety of religious requests from cast members of all faiths -- with more than 200 accommodations made over the last three years and this instance was no different."

Watch David Hull's first solo music video

Forty years after he jumped from rocking high school gymnasiums in suburban Connecticut to worldwide fame as a the teenage bass player for The Buddy Miles Express, David Hull has released the music video for the first single from his first solo album. Pay Some Attention can be found on Soul in Motion, which can be found at Amazon and iTunes among other outlets.

Troll the Tabloid Baby archives to follow the trajectory of David Hull's inspiring comeback, kicked off when he stepped in for ailing Tom Hamilton on tour with Aerosmith five years ago.

Donny & Marie boot Danny Gans' manager

Chip Lightman, the longtime manager of late Las Vegas superstar Danny Gans, has been bounced as producer of Donny & Marie Osmond's show at the Flamingo.

Gans and Lightman brought the show to the Strip venue two years ago, reviving Donny & Marie's Las Vegas career. There have been rumours for weeks that the Osmonds were severing ties with surviving producer Lightman (and the Ganslight company), but everything was confirmed late yesterday in a statement from Donny Osmond:

"The contract with Ganslight to produce our show expires in a few days, and we have decided not to renew that contract. The show will of course continue, and we look forward to a long run. We want to thank everyone at Ganslight for their efforts, and we hope to explore future opportunities with Chip Lightman."


Donny Osmond gave an emotional eulogy at Gans' memorial service at the Wynn after Gans' untimely drug-related death on May 1, 2009. We reported last week that Donny will again host a Danny Gans memorial charity run in nearby Henderson on October 9th.

Lightman made headlines last December, when he contradicted the timeline of Gans' death, stating that Gans' wife Julie told him that Gans had been dead for several hours before she called 911, telling police she just discovered his lifeless body. Henderson Police chose not to investigate the discrepancy, stating "there is no evidence to not believe" Mrs. Gans' timeline. The Las Vegas news media also failed to investigate the circumstances of the musical impressionist's mysterious death.

Leonard Skinner

High school gym teacher and basketball coach Leonard Skinner died today in Jacksonville, Florida. He's the guy who who inspired the name of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

He was 77 and had Alzheimer's disease. He also outlived most of the band.

Singer Ronnie van Zandt, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing singer Cassie Gaines were killed in a plane crash that seriously injured the other band members on October 20,1977. Bassist Leon Wilkeson was found dead in his hotel room on July 27, 2001; replacement drummer Hughie Thomasson died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on September 9, 2007. On January 28, 2009, keyboardist Billy Powell died at 56. Wilkeson's replacement, Ean Evans, died of cancer on May 6, 2009.

Donny Osmond to host another Danny Gans memorial run

Donny Osmond will once again host the Danny Gans Memorial Champions Run For Life when it on Saturday, October 9, 2010.

The event benefiting the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation will be take place at the Paseo Verde Park in Henderson, Nevada, where Gans lived and died unexpectedly on May 1, 2009. It includes a 5K run, a fun run and walk, live entertainment, food and plenty of family fun.

Donny and the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation will raise money to benefit the children of the Southern Nevada community that have been diagnosed with cancer and other life threatening and critical illnesses.


After the day of competitions, Donny will introduce the Champions Run for Life. Children who are fighting their own battles for life will get a chance to shine as they run, walk, or wheel themselves around a specifically designed course. This is a very special moment for them as they are honored for their courage with the day dedicated to them.

Donny Osmond hosted the first memorial run last year, less than six months after Gans' drug-related death at 52. Danny Gans produced Donny and his sister Marie's Las Vegas comeback show at the Flamingo.

Click here for more information and here to register for the race.

Meanwhile, Gans' souped-up and vintage car collection will be auctioned off September 23-25 at the Mandalay Bay.

Tabloid Baby's Mitzvahpalooza photos help convict war profiteer in fraud case

Tabloid Baby has aided in the conviction of body armour mogul and Iraq war profiteer David H. Brooks on 17 counts, including insider trading and securities fraud, stemming from what prosecutors described as corporate looting and stock-trading schemes that made him more than $190 million.

The multimillionaire from Long Island was found guilty yesterday of looting his business to fuel a lavish lifestyle-- including the infamous "Mitzvahpalooza": the $10 million Rainbow Room bat mitzvah where stars inclusing 50 Cent, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Don Henley, Kenny G, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and Ciara serenaded his coming-of-age daughter.

The New York Daily News reports that:

"As proof, prosecutors showed the federal jury damning photos of Brooks holding court at the staggeringly opulent 2005 bat mitzvah for daughter Elizabeth."

The photos of that bat mitzvah, an embarrassment and shame to the rap and rock legends who were exposed as sellouts for making themselves available like balloon artists or party clowns, were first tracked down and published here on TabloidBaby.com- in November 2005- then republished and broadcast-- with credit-- to this news organization.

(See our original posts and exclusive photos here, here, here, here, and here.)

Brooks was indicted in 2007. Tabloid Baby was not called to testify in the case, nor were our photos ever subpoenaed.

photos © Tabloidbaby.com

Meat

Liberace who?

"When this started 30-some years ago, Lee was still a name. Keeping that brand alive has been very difficult. When Liberace passed away, no one really did what they did with the Presley estate. If you turn on XM Radio, you're going to see a Sinatra station, you'll see an Elvis station. When you look at Liberace, his music is well-played, interpreted by a real talent. But it isn't kept alive the way Elvis or Sinatra's is."

--Jeffrey Koep, chairman of the Liberace Foundation board of directors, on Friday's announcement that the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas will close October 17.