Celebrity Scoop – 03/19/2021

JUSTIN BIEBER SERVED CEASE AND DESIST NOTICE – (03/19/2021)

French dance duo Justice sent a cease-and-desist notice to Justin Bieber over the singer’s upcoming album Justice.

Rolling Stone reports that the duo’s label, Ed Banger Records, claimed there were similarities between the title font on Bieber’s album cover and Justice’s own trademarked “cross” logo.

Justice’s co-manager Tyler Goldberg of Jet Management told the magazine, “The morning Bieber announced his album, it was pretty tough to miss. Aside from seeing it all over the internet ourselves, we heard from hundreds of people throughout the day — industry people, Justice fans — and the Justice guys received a ton of messages, not only compelled to point out the similarities between the Justice Justin Bieber album, but confused. ‘Is this a Justice collaboration?’”

In a March 10th letter from Justice’s counsel to Bieber’s lawyer and management, Justice called for Bieber to cease and desist his use of “Justice” in tandem with the “cross,” a “Mark” which the duo trademarked in both France (in 2008) and the European Union (in 2014). The duo’s legal team also includes an April 29th, 2020 email in which Bieber’s team reached out to Justice’s management in order to connect with the designer who created Justice’s logo.

While neither a member of Bieber’s legal team nor his rep responded to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment, Justice’s management claim Bieber’s legal team did “reject” the cease-and-desist letter, arguing that the singer’s logo and merchandise did not infringe on the duo’s trademark.

Both Justice and the video for Bieber’s latest single, “Peaches” dropped at midnight (March 19th). 

FCC RECEIVED 80 COMPLAINTS OVER CARDI B AND MEGAN THEE STALLION’S ‘W.A.P.’ GRAMMY PERFORMANCE – (03/19/2021)

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s risque “W.A.P.” performance at the Grammys this past weekend has ruffled a lot of feathers.  According to TMZ, the FCC received 80 complaints over the performance.

One person from Idaho wrote, that the duo were “absolutely disgusting,” while another person from Colorado wrote that the ladies were dancing like they were “in a strip club.”

Another person wrote, “This display made the Janet Jackson Super Bowl Halftime faux pas seem like children’s television! The FCC has failed at their job!” 

Cardi has continued to defend the song. She recently wrote via social media, “I don’t make music for kids I make music for adults.  Parents are responsible on what their children listen too or see . . . I’m a very sexual person but not around my child just like every other parent should be.”

BOX OFFICE PLUMMETED 80% IN 2020 – (03/19/2021)

The Motion Picture Association released its analysis of box office receipts for 2020, and the news was even worse than many feared. For the first time, online subscribers crossed 1 billion to hit 1.1 billion, a 26% spike year over year. In the U.S., there were 306.8 million subscriptions, an increase of 32%. All together, mobile and home entertainment brought in $68.8 billion last year, an increase of 23% over 2019. 

The box office, meanwhile, dropped to $2.2 billion in the U.S., a drop of 80%. Globally, the B.O. brought in $12 billion, a decrease of 72%. For the first time, China surpassed North America, with $3 billion worth of receipts. 

“The past year was challenging for the global economy, and for virtually every aspect of our daily lives: the staggering loss of life, the toll on our frontline workers, the devastating and widespread loss of jobs and businesses, and the almost complete shutdown of many industries,” MPA chairman-CEO Charles Rivkin said in his letter introducing the 60 page-plus report.

“Our workforce was not immune: Jobs were lost, productions were either curtailed or shut down, and movie theaters shuttered around the globe,” Rivkin continued. “But, during an otherwise punishing year for theatrical exhibition and our industry at large, home and curated entertainment boomed. The good news wasn’t just confined to homes, laptops, and other personal devices. As recent stories have shown, audiences never lost their appetite to enjoy the theatrical experience, and drive-in theaters enjoyed their highest returns in decades.”

Bad Boys for Life, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and released in January of 2020, topped the box office for the year, with $206.5 million in receipts. Sonic the Hedgehog came in second with $146.07 million. 

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AVATAR RECLAIMS CROWN: James Cameron’s 2009 Avatar has retaken its crown from Avengers: Endgame thanks to China’s re-release on March 12th. As new films have been scant due to the pandemic, box offices around the world are re-releasing old films. Cameron and Jon Landau jumped at the opportunity to re-release it, they tell The Hollywood Reporter. “In a post-2020 era, there remains a huge desire for the general public to see movies on the big screen,” Landau says. Now, Avatar’s box office haul is $2.814 billion, ahead of Avengers: Endgame’s $2.797 billion.

TODAY’S CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS:

  • Glenn Close (actress, Le Divorce, Fatal Attraction, “Cruella DeVille” in 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians, Damages) (74)
  • Bruce Willis (actor, Moonlighting, the Die Hard movies, Pulp Fiction, Armageddon,The Sixth Sense, Hostage; former husband of Demi Moore) (66)