My Publicist Note Book

Ed Sheeran is facing a $100 million lawsuit accusing the singer-songwriter of copying Marvin Gaye's 1973 hit "Let's Get It On" on his 2014 song "Thinking Out Loud."  The suit was filed by Structured Asset Sales, a company that owns one-third of the copyright to "Let's Get It On." "According to the lawsuit, Sheeran's song has the same melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bassline, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation, and looping as 'Let's Get it On'. Sheeran was also sued over "Thinking Out Loud" in 2016. The family of Ed Townsend, a co-writer on Gaye's "Let's Get It On," sued Sheeran, arguing that "Thinking Out Loud" lifted the melody, harmony, and other rhythmic components from Gaye's track. Sheeran responded to the 2016 suit reportedly claiming that the chord progressions and drum patterns of the two songs were "extremely commonplace" and that similar eleme...

Actor Terry Crews recounts his story of sexual assault, telling Senate committee, "This happened to me, too" Actor Terry Crews recounted his story of sexual assault — telling lawmakers Tuesday that even as a former NFL linebacker and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star, "I sit here as an example" of survivors. Appearing before a Senate committee hearing to advocate for the "Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights," Crews said, "This happened to me, too." "A lot of people believe a person like me can’t be victimized, but what happened to me has happened to many, many others." After seeing survivors come forward only to be met with persecution and backlash, Crews said he revealed his own story to say "I believed them, I supported them, and that this happened to me, too." The "Survivors' Bill of Rights" would create special protections for sexual assault survivors, including not charging surv...

Academy invites 928 new members, reflecting push for diversity: The Doors Are Wide Open The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it will extend invitations to 928 potential new members, reflecting its push for diversity. The new inductees, who come from 59 different countries, are 49 percent female; additionally, 38 percent of the group are people of color. With the new additions, the academy membership will be 31 percent female, up from 28 percent, and 16 percent people of color, an increase from 13 percent. Some of the new members include Mindy Kaling, Tiffany Haddish, Emilia Clarke, and two of last year's Oscar nominees, Timothée Chalamet and Kumail Nanjiani. In January 2016, the academy introduced a plan to improve diversity within its ranks and voted unanimously to double the number of women and people of color by 2020. Among the changes made: Instead of all members getting lifetime voting rights, each new member...