A phone message to Lohan's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, was not immediately returned. Holley has previously denied any wrongdoing by Lohan.
Superhero women
Could the female superhero be making a comeback?
The last five years or so have seen men in tights taking center stage in the summer-blockbuster movie season, but there's been nary a superheroine in sight. But, with the news that Anne Hathaway will take on Selena Kyle/Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" (set for a 2012 release), and with NBC ordering a pilot for David E. Kelley's version of "Wonder Woman," maybe a woman with a cape won't be an anomaly.
Melendy Britt got to slip into the role of superheroine as the voice of She-Ra, the sister of He-Man and one of the few representations of girls in charge in the Saturday-morning 'toons of the '80s. The entire run of "She-Ra: Princess of Power," which just marked its 25th anniversary, was recently released on DVD.
"Girls and women have such a massive role and varied role in our world today, along with the traditional role of wife and mother," Britt said in a recent phone interview. "I think as time goes on, women will keep gaining more and more respect worldwide, particularly from men. And young girls today need to know they have a right to expect that. Strong, feminine girls are needed."
Britt sounds remarkably similar to She-Ra, despite the years that have passed since 1987, when the show ended. The sound of her voice dragged me back to Saturday mornings, sitting on the carpet way too close to the TV. Britt said that she's heard other voice actresses imitate She-Ra but that they do only what she calls the character's "strong voice." They ignore the more whimsical aspects of She-Ra's alter ego, Princess Adora.
It's this child-like innocence, drawn from her own experiences, that made Britt's She-Ra unique. "When I was a little girl, I hate to say this, but I really thought I could fly," Britt said. "I really did! That I could heal things and make relationships right. I guess I'm pretty familiar with creating a fantasy and living in it. The She-Ra character wasn't too far from
me because maybe I already lived on a different planet."
O Current
The eyes of newshounds were on Keith Olbermann yesterday as the liberal pundit said he would hang his shingle at Al Gore's Current TV. He left his former post at MSNBC's "Countdown" last month under what were rumored to be unfriendly terms. (For more on Current TV and its new show "Bar Karma," see Ellen Gray, Page 31.)
On a conference call with reporters, Olbermann said that his new show will be "an improved, and we hope amplified and stronger, version of the show that I just did."
Did someone bet Olbermann that he could find a network with lower ratings than MSNBC? "Countdown" averaged about a million viewers,; Current TV averages about 23,000 a night.
There are some perks, though. He'll have an equity stake in the channel and serve as chief news officer, where he'll be able to develop programs and foster new talent. Olbermann's already proven that he has a stellar track record on that account. He helped bring Rachel Maddow to MSNBC.
In praising his new bosses, Olbermann said, "Nothing is more vital to a free America than a free media, and nothing is more vital to my concept of a free media than news that is produced independently of corporate interference."
Could that be a dig at
Olbermann's former overlords? When he left "Countdown," many speculated that it was because he rubbed Comcast, which had recently acquired NBC Universal, the wrong way. Comcast has denied interfering, but we still think it's ironic that the Philly-based cable giant owns a 10 percent stake in Current TV.
Michael left wanting Moore
Documentarian Michael Moore says he's been bilked out of $2.7 million from superproducers Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
Moore is suing the brothers, believing that he was not properly paid for his efforts on "Farenheit 9/11," his 2004 doc that grossed $100 million, a staggering sum for a genre that rarely breaks the million-dollar mark. The film focused on the White House's reaction 9/11.
"Michael Moore has been paid $20 million and he claims he should get $2 million more," said Bert Fields, the Weinsteins' attorney. "His claims are hogwash."
The Weinsteins produced "Farenheit 9/11" when they were still the managers of Miramax, the film company they founded in 1979 and later sold to Disney.
Tattbits
* On-the-rise hottie Olivia Wilde is fleeing the kingdom. The "Tron: Legacy" star has split from hubs Tao Ruspoli, an Italian prince, after eight years of marriage. The two eloped on a school bus in Virginia in 2003.
* "Sex and the City" 's
Cynthia Nixon welcomed her third child, Max Ellington Nixon-Marinoni, with fiancee Christine Marinoni. This is the first child for Marinoni.
* Eddie Van Halen, guitarist for the titular band, is donating his Frank 2 guitar to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. But dig this: Van Halen played Frank 2 only during a 2007-08 tour. Sure, original lead singer, David Lee Roth, was at the mic, but we're not talking vintage VH here. That honor would go to the original Frankenstein guitar, an ax that Eddie constructed to suit his stylings. At least the Smithsonian wasn't shamed by receiving a guitar from the Sammy Hagar era.
Daily News wire services contributed to this report.
