Pamela Anderson and Bret Michaels are headed back to court again to stop the release of the sexually explicit tape they shot a couple years ago.
"Instead of 'The Neverending Story,' it's like 'The Neverending Porn Tape,'" quips Michaels. The Poison lead singer and Anderson managed to get a federal injunction and won a multi-million-dollar lawsuit to stop the release of the tape a few years back. "These websites (pushing the tape) have been popping up since the day the tape went public," says Michaels. "But since our settlement, we usually we do a cease and desist, and most of them go away."
He says the latest company attempting to distribute the tape, however, "basically told me and Pamela to screw off. I keep telling them, 'You guys are going to lose, and you're going to pay our legal bills.
You're just going to end up paying us a bunch of money, and the more you sell, it's just going to be even worse for you.' They're a big porn company, and they're like 'No, we've got a ton of pre-orders, we're going to do it.' So we'll see what happens. She's on it and I'm on it."
DOING HIS ALL:
Steve Guttenberg is calling upon fellow famous folk to roll up their sleeves and get to work, literally, on behalf of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. He decided to do just that and arrived at the Houston Astrodome last Tuesday. There, he's been working as an American citizen, he says, rather than as a celebrity -- doing everything from loading cots to sanitizing toys to taking evacuees to buy supplies.
He says he will stay "as long as I can," until he starts a movie at month's end. "I feel blessed in that I was able to come. I don't have a 9-to-5 job. What's great about being well-known is, when you come down here anonymously, put on a baseball cap and a wristband and do regular jobs, people 'discover' you, and they get a great kick out of it," says Guttenberg -- who's getting so much recognition from "Police Academy" fans, he's reaching out to other "Police Academy" members to come join him.
He holds the strong view that "it's time to help, not time to have a big party with celebrities congratulating themselves and doing their latest hit songs. I think that's bulls---. It's like watching the Oscars -- rich people getting awards. That's why I'm respecting Sean Penn, he's down here with the people.
"I don't believe in dancing and singing right now. Maybe in a few weeks," he says.
But when emotions run highest, isn't that the time viewers are bound to give the most, when telethons will yield the best results? And shouldn't people keep making contributions whatever ways they want? "I don't believe this is the time for a special with all your favorite stars as another way to entertain the masses. I don't. And I say to them, 'Get in your private plane and come to the Reliance Center. Move things. Clean up garbage. A 10-point earthquake could knock down your mansion, and it could be you sitting in the Staples Center.'" And another thing, says Guttenberg: "We need men's pants and jeans, that's what they're short of right now. And men's shoes above size 9. Put out the word." Got it.
AND SO IS HE:
Singer and cabaret owner Michael Feinstein expected to spend this week promoting his Sept. 27 release album, "Hopeless Romantic," a collection of Harry Warren songs Feinstein recorded with George Shearing. Instead, he's dealing with the sudden (non-hurricane-related) deaths of two friends, and making appearances to put in the good word for reuniting pets with their owners and doing animal rescue in the wake of the disaster. Feinstein is a celebrity spokesman for the ASPCA. He stresses that no one is suggesting putting critters ahead of people. 'It's not an either/or situation. Some choose to help our blessed animals. They are creatures of God, entrusted to our charge. It would be immoral to simply forget about them."
He'll go back to performing next week, unless called upon to participate in fundraising sooner. "Music is a therapeutic art form," he says. "It's been used scientifically. Music therapy is taught in colleges. Music can heal and transform emotions, help people to move to another place, work through grief. It's extraordinarily important."
GOOD CASTING:
What a group of actors 21-year-old aspiring director Charles McDowell has lined up for his "Bye, Bye, Benjamin" -- Ted Danson, Mary Steenbergen and Malcolm McDowell. They also happen to be his stepfather, mother and dad, respectively. The student film is targeted for November production and has to do with a child business prodigy.
(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)
The Beck/Smith syndicated newspaper column includes exclusive in-depth, behind-the-scenes reports on the stars, on the business of television and movie-making, and on the recording, publishing and media beats.
©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
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