A freelance designer and photographer created something of a controversy earlier this week when he claimed Spike Lee's film company stole his designs for the posters it's using to promote the new movie "Oldboy."

Yesterday, Lee took to Twitter to dismiss the claims of Juan Luis Garcia, whose open letter claimed that an ad agency working on the film refused to pay him a reasonable fee for his work, and then made its own posters based on his designs.

In his signature Twitter style, Lee wrote that he'd never heard of Garcia and that it was a "cheap trick" writing to him in public.

I Never Heard Of This Guy Juan Luis Garcia,If He Has A Beef It's Not With Me.I Did Not Hire Him,Do Not Know Him.Cheap Trick Writing To Me.YO

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) November 28, 2013

Lee's message inspired a string of frustrated responses from Twitter users, who feel he should have done more to investigate Garcia's claims.

Lee responded to one such complaint, saying that Garcia never tried to reach him privately before taking his grievances public:

@missyhelly Lady It Was Not Heartless.Juan Luis Garcia Came With The Wrong Approach.Never Tried To Reach Me.To Do It In A Public Letter?NO

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) November 29, 2013

Garcia said in his letter that he spent two months working on the posters, only for the ad agency working on the movie to offer him less money than he makes in a day of photography work.

He said he was then threatened by the agency when he refused to take the low wages they offered him, and that they ultimately used posters that ripped off his ideas.

Here's a comparison he made of his mock-ups with the posters that were ultimately used to promote the movie:

And here are two more posters Garcia said he made that ultimately wound up on Oldboy's Facebook page:

SEE ALSO: Spike Lee Accused Of Stealing 'Oldboy' Movie Poster From An Unpaid Designer

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"The Wolf of Wall Street" will still be the longest film of the holiday season, just shy of three hours, even after trimming a few steamy scenes.  

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio flick had to cut out drug and sex scenes in order to get an R-rating from the MPAA.

It's no secret Scorsese's next movie — following the downward spiral of stockbroker Jordan Belfort — has had to return to the edit bay.

Originally, the film was set to be released mid-November before getting pushed back. 

It then looked like the film may not come out until next year before it finally settled on a December 25 release. 

At two hours and 59 minutes, "The Wolf of Wall Street" will be Scorsese's longest movie yet.

SEE ALSO: Watch the latest trailer for the film

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ABC's Bachelor and Bachelorette producer Elan Gale was on a fight yesterday live tweeting his feud with a fellow passenger.

According to Gale's tweets, which were picked up by Buzzfeed's Rachel Zarrell, a female passenger was complaining that she might not make it home for Thanksgiving dinner.

She seemed to be oblivious to others on the flight, who also needed to get home to their families for Thanksgiving.

The battle began before the flight boarded. Gale tweeted about the woman at 11:05 AM.

Our flight is delayed. A woman on here is very upset because she has Thanksgiving plans. She is the only one obviously. Praying for her

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

A flight attendant tried to calm her down, which was apparently the wrong move.

The male flight attendant said "I understand ma'am. I'm looking forward to seeing my family too." She responded "This isn't about you"

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

"Today is Thanksgiving! I'm supposed to be with my family. NOT with you people I barely know!"

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

Once the plane boarded, Gale said he could her here breathing deeply and muttering from a few rows back. That's when the note-passing war began. He sent her a glass of wine and later two vodka nips with this note:

I sent the lady a glass of wine and a note pic.twitter.com/GttnmQI25P

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

This was not well received by the woman, Diane. She sent Gale this response, pitying the family that has to "deal" with him:

From 7A pic.twitter.com/OEaCWw5mz3

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

Gale retaliated with yet another note and escalated the language:

My response to "Diane" in 7A pic.twitter.com/cRN2togLdq

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

Diane replied, noting its inappropriate nature:

Diane has responded #TeamElan#7A#DianeCanEatMyDpic.twitter.com/vYFyGtGMZl

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

Gale responded again with a vulgar comment:

My final (I think) note to Diane in 7A pic.twitter.com/SLrOug9U4d

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

When the plane landed, Gale waited for Diane to get off the plane and held out a final note. When she saw him, Gale says she smacked him.

She walked right up to me and slapped me immediately in the face

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

Diane may have ended up missing her connecting flight because she smacked him, while Gale was able to board his.

The gate agent for the next flight actually grabbed her and held her back. He asked me if I wanted to have the airport police come over

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

The final note he handed her read:

"Look me up online. Read every tweet. Read every response. And maybe next time you'll be nice to people who are just trying to help"

— elan gale (@theyearofelan) November 28, 2013

Yesterday afternoon, Gale wrote a blog post explaining why he felt the need to pick a fight with Diane.

"I don’t care what’s going on with you: Don’t be rude to people who are doing their job," he wrote on Tumblr.

"If you’re the customer, you’re only right if you’re kind, polite and positively thankful. If you’re not, you’re a jerk, and that’s the bottom line...Be nice everyday, but if you see a man or a woman working on a holiday you better respect that they would like to be with their family too."

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A reader of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid The Sun would normally find something like this on Page 3:

Except the UK's censorship laws allow readers to see the model's bare breasts and panties. It's a trashy tabloid tradition that's been going on for over 40 years, despite protests from some women's groups.

But today's lusty readers would have found this instead:

The apology to "Rosie, 22 from Middlesex" is a celebration of the PlayStation 4's UK launch on Friday at midnight. The video game console is likely to sell out by the end of the day.

The reception to the ad on Twitter has been overwhelmingly positive, with Sun fans and critics alike commending Sony for the joke:

Great #PS4 ad on page 3 of today's Sun pic.twitter.com/XvicNHSJJg

— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) November 29, 2013

Brilliant piece of advertising! I'm making notes of this piece of genius @PlayStationEU@TheSunNewspaper#Page3#PS4http://t.co/avtKygnhjp

— CLEMENT MARFO (@ClementMarfo) November 29, 2013

Wow, that's one HOT Page 3 in the Sun this morning! pic.twitter.com/OqbbtgpcAb (re: @jonfaec, @TomPhillips151, @FredDutton)

— Chris Boers (@boersc) November 29, 2013

Diehard Page 3 fans' disappointment would be short-lived, however, since agency Manning Gottlieb OMD secured the spot by bumping Rosie to page 5.

SEE ALSO: Murdoch May End Topless 'Page 3' Girls In The Sun

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2 aspiring rappers from US say they filmed music video during 5-day visit to North Korea

BEIJING (AP) — Two aspiring American rappers said Saturday that they had filmed part of a music video in North Korea, hoping the novel locale will make a hit.

The rappers known as Pacman and Peso did not say where and how they filmed the footage, which their fundraising proposal suggested would be done on a karaoke party bus in Pyongyang.

Their custom trip was arranged through a travel agency specializing in taking Westerners to North Korea, according to the proposal.

Americans are able to travel to North Korea on arranged tours and are constantly accompanied by North Korea minders.

After an elderly American was detained in the country, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning on Nov. 19, advising against all travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea.

The two rappers said their trip shied away from politics.

"I mean we did not go there to be political. We just go down there to shoot our video and that about the reason why we went, not political," said Pacman — whose real name is Anthony Bobb.

The duo from the Washington area spoke to reporters at an airport in Beijing upon their return from a five-day trip to North Korea.

"Nobody shot a video in North Korea, let alone thought of it. Nobody even thought of making a video in North Korea. You know what I'm saying?" said Peso, whose real name is Dontray Ennis.

They raised more than $10,000 on the crowdsourcing site Kickstarter to fund their trip.

The rappers said the unusual move could jumpstart their music careers. They hope to release the video next month.

North Korea has detained at least six Americans since 2009, including journalists accused of trespassing and others accused of trying to spread Christianity. North Korea state media claimed Saturday that 85-year-old Korean War veteran Merrill Newman had apologized for committing "hostile acts" against the state during a trip in October, but the report could not be independently verified.

The rappers said they encountered no problem while in North Korea. "They treated us well, like I was sick out there for good two days and they took care of me until I got over the sickness," Peso said.

Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Actor Paul Walker has reportedly died in a fiery car accident in Valencia, Calif., according to entertainment website TMZ.

The website reported several sources as saying Paul and another person in a Porsche hit a tree before the car burst into flames.

“At the conclusion of the accident the vehicle struck a light standard and the whole car was burned,” a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman told the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

The Santa Clarita Valley Signal was also reporting on the incident:

Spectators gathered at the scene, and several said the driver was the star of “The Fast and the Furious” series of films. One witness at the scene said he tried to put the fire out and recognized Walker inside the vehicle.

Walker is said to have business ties to Always Evolving Performance Motors, located down Constellation from the scene of the crash. Always Evolving hosted an open house and car meet on Saturday.

Walker, 40, is best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast and Furious film series.

This story is developing and will be updated as we learn more.

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Actor Paul Walker has reportedly died in a fiery car accident in Valencia, Calif., according to entertainment website TMZ.

The website reported several sources as saying Paul and another person in a Porsche hit a tree before the car burst into flames.

“At the conclusion of the accident the vehicle struck a light standard and the whole car was burned,” a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman told the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

The Santa Clarita Valley Signal was also reporting on the incident:

Spectators gathered at the scene, and several said the driver was the star of “The Fast and the Furious” series of films. One witness at the scene said he tried to put the fire out and recognized Walker inside the vehicle.

Walker is said to have business ties to Always Evolving Performance Motors, located down Constellation from the scene of the crash. Always Evolving hosted an open house and car meet on Saturday.

Walker, 40, is best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast and Furious film series.

This story is developing and will be updated as we learn more.

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Investors donta wanta DONDA, Kanye West's startup, according to Gawker's Nitasha Tiku.

As Business Insider previously reported, West has been chatting up investors for a new creative agency, DONDA. The startup was named after West's late mother and inspired by Dr Dre's ability to redesign headphones. DONDA will house experts from 22 departments including architecture and medicine. 

"I am assembling a team of architects,  graphic designers, directors musicians, producers, AnRs, writers,  publicist, social media experts … app guys, managers, car designers,  clothing designers, DJs, video game designers, publishers, tech guys,  lawyers, bankers, nutritionist ... doctors, scientist,teachers," West tweeted at the end of 2012.

West recently spoke at The Fancy and told employees his goal was to build a "trillion-dollar company." While investors are excited to meet West, they aren't actually interested in DONDA, Tiku reports.

Part of the reason investors are skittish about DONDA is West's attitude. He recently ripped Zappos' Tony Hsieh for offering West entrepreneurial advice the rapper found hypocritical. Tiku also heard from two second-hand sources that West called himself "the next Steve Jobs" during an investor dinner at Laurene Powell Jobs' home. Tiku wasn't able to confirm the story with West's team.

Another problem is West's inability to explain precisely what DONDA will be.

"Kanye is not good at articulating what DONDA is," Rap Genius co-founder Mahbod Moghadam told Tiku. Moghadam shares a friend with West, Andreessen Horowitz partner Ben Horowitz. Moghadam and West met in late October.

For more on DONDA, here are all of West's tweets from 2012 explaining the company he's started to build.

Via Vibe [all sic]:

• "I have started a new company and I’m so excited about the name…. it’s got the best name ever of all companies of all time!!!…."
• "The name of the company is DONDA. DONDA is a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers and put them in a creative space to bounce there dreams and ideas.
• "I used to blog all the time an fit was a way to get my opinion out…Dr Dre redesigned headphones and made more impact off of one product."
• "I am assembling a team of architects, graphic designers, directors musicians, producers, AnRs, writers, publicist, social media experts…app guys, managers, car designers, clothing designers, DJs, video game designers, publishers, tech guys, lawyers, bankers, nutritionist ..doctors, scientist,teachers."
• "DONDA will be comprised of over 22 divisions with a goal to make products and experiences that people want and can afford…I want to put creatives in a room together with like minds that are all waaaay doper than me."
• "We want to help simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see hear, touch, taste and feel..."
• "To dream of, create, advertise and produce products driven equally by emotional want and utilitarian need.. To marry our wants and needs."
• "This will all take time but I wanted everyones to know what I really care about… I care about people. I care about my fans..I care about people who have never heard of me… There are over 7 billion people on the planet now."
• "The Watch the Throne tour was a small example of what a Donda Experience can be. This one of our projects to be released this year called 2016 OLYMPIC’s …It’s a semi sic-fi since 2016 is only 4 years away. We would also like’ to design the MTV awards. We’re taking everything 10 steps at a time LOL!"
• "I wanted to put this in the world in hopes that the people who can actually make a difference will stand up and reach out. We need as many amazing powerful smart talented wealthy people to be involved… Come get on board… don’t just sit there… reach out."
• "We can collectively effect the world trough design. We need to pick up where steve jobs left off.When I said wealthy I wanted to point out there are so many billionaires in the world that can come together and help to redesign it. Help education. School systems were designed to turn people into factory workers."
• "Schools should be designed to prep human beings for real life. Spike Jonze and I want to do a Summer school that tries new forms of cuuriculim. Math classes should teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, accounting and money management aaaaaand cut!!!"
• "I know this is not a very rapper thing to say but I haven’t bought a new car or piece of jewelry in about 2 years…I invest every dime back into creativity… hiring amazing creatives paying for flights, offices … etc…My area of expertise is in music, my passion is in music design film and products… my strength is connectivity…"
• "There are so many broken systems from the economy to school systems jail systems… we need experts for this…We need scientist and top world designers to directly affect governments. If anyone would like to reach out email us at contactDONDA@gmail.com"

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The extensive marketing campaign for "Anchorman 2" rolled on last night when Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy) joined the TSN broadcast booth during the Canadian Olympic curling trials in Manitoba.

He served as guest commentator for a half hour. You can watch the entire broadcast over at TSN, but here's a highlight reel.

Some of his better quotes:

"Winnipeg is the Paris of Canada."

"Speaking of the hog line, I understand most of the teams eat a diet rich in pork."

The trials last all week and Sunday night was opening night, so there weren't really critical matches going on while Ferrell was in the booth.

The video:

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Spike Lee's "Oldboy" remake didn't make a splash in theaters over the holiday.  

The film, a remake of Chan-wook Park's 2003 classic, bombed making just $850,000 opening weekend. 

Not a great start at all for a movie that costs an estimated $30 million to make and has the star power of Josh Brolin and Samuel L. Jackson.  

The film may have opened in 583 theaters this weekend, but, in comparison, "Dallas Buyers Club" in 696 theaters has made nearly $2.6 million in one weekend. 

It probably didn't help that right before release an artist came out claiming Spike Lee stole his artwork for the film and presented it as his own. Though Lee dismissed the claims, people across social media were angered, smearing the film's FB page with notes to boycott. 

Despite that, both "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and Disney's latest, "Frozen" helped set a new record for the box office Thanksgiving weekend. Both movies combined made more than $200 million over the course of five days.

With many new releases out, a lot of films fell from the top ten. 

"Dallas Buyers Club," "12 Years a Slave," and "Gravity" all bowed out. As well, "Bad Grandpa" dropped seven spots in the past week.  

Maybe the most surprising to take such a large dip is Relativity's animated "Free Birds," though it was expected to take a hit with Disney's big release out. 

Here are this week's winners and losers in Hollywood:

10. Morgan Freeman's comedy "Last Vegas" fell four spots in week five with $2.8 million. The film may not have a "Hangover"-size budget ($28 million), but the film has made $72 million worldwide.  

9. Here's a movie you probably haven't heard of. Weinstein Company's "Philomena" made $3.8 million in its wide theatrical release. The film is based on an investigative story of a mother, Philomena (Judi Dench), who is trying to find the son she was forced to give up for adoption. 

8. Fox Searchlight's "Black Nativity" starring Tyrese, Forest Whitaker, and Angela Bassset opened to a small $3.9 million. The music retelling of Jesus and Mary? cost an estimated $17.5 million. 

7. "The Book Thief," based on the book of the same name, moved up nine spots in its wide theatrical release with $4.9 million. 

6. Disney and DreamWorks' "Delivery Man" held its own with $6.9 million in its second week. The Vince Vaughn dramedy about him fathering more than 500 kids has now made $20 million worldwide. The movie cost $26 million to make. 

5. Did anyone know a new Jason Statham movie was coming out? The actor's latest, "Homefront" starring James Franco and Winona Ryder earned a measly $7 million opening weekend. That's in line with Statham's recent string of films. Funny there wasn't more marketing for a movie written and produced by Sylvester Stallone. 

4. "The Best Man Holiday" continues to be a winner — domestically anyway — as the sequel took in another $8.5 million in its third week. The Malcolm D. Lee film has made more than $63 million. 

3. "Thor: The Dark World" moves down one spot adding another $11.2 million to its haul. The Marvel sequel is nearing the $600 million mark worldwide after a month in theaters overseas. 

2. Critics were praising the latest Disney flick "Frozen" long before it hit theaters. Upon its debut, The Kristen Bell-voiced musical earned $110 million. The film cost an estimated $150 million.  

1. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" stays ablaze in its second week with an impressive $74.5 million. That's way up from the $58 million the original film made in its second week. The second of four planned movies has now earned $573 million worldwide.

SEE ALSO: Hollywood mourns the loss of Paul Walker

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As an advertising reporter, I spend the vast majority of my time at work documenting all the different things companies do to tell their stories and convince customers to buy their products.

But for all the time, energy, and money these companies spend on advertising, some of the most valuable information people use to make their purchase decisions comes not from multi-million dollar ad campaigns but from the recommendations of people they admire.

On this front, perhaps no one is more influential right now than rapper/producer/fashion designer Kanye West, whose early championing of skinny jeans and shutter shades helped push those fashions back into the mainstream after a period of being dormant.

As such, we've decided to take a look at the consumer and luxury brands Kanye has referenced in his music to find out which brands have benefitted most from his imprimatur.

To do this, we went through Rap Genius's extensive lyrics database and counted every one of Kanye's references to consumer and luxury brands on his seven studio albums (College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Watch The Throne, and Yeezus.) All guest verses were excluded from our study, as were Jay Z's verses on Watch The Throne, and the rambling part at the end of "Last Call" (you know the part I'm talking about).

Take a look at the charts we made to see which brand Mr. West has cited most often (Hint: It’s not Louis Vuitton), which of his albums have featured the most product placement, and a visualization of every single one of Kanye's brand shoutouts. 

1. Most referenced brands

Though ‘Ye has famously proclaimed himself the Louis Vuitton Don, you might be surprised to find out the French fashion house is actually the rapper’s second-most frequently referenced brand, and by a wide margin. Indeed, the title of most-referenced product goes to the German auto maker Mercedes-Benz, which takes the checkered flag with a whopping 18 mentions. Mercedes-Benz also wins my personal award for Kanye’s best brand-infused flow (“Killin’ y’all n----- on that lyrical s---/Mayonnaise colored Benz, I push Miracle Whips.” — Last Call). 

2. “Couture-level Flow”

Though Mercedes-Benz was the brand Kanye referenced most across his seven studio albums, spots two through four are all fashion brands. In fact, 90 of Kanye’s 208 brand references were about clothing and fashion products (43%). In addition to cars and clothes, Kanye also liked talking about booze (15 references) and food, soft drinks and restaurants (20).

 3. Tracking Materialism Over Time

Though Kanye’s aspirational first two albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration each included more than 50 references to specific products, his interest in rapping about such things has seemed to take a dive as he’s become more successful. In fact, his brooding 808s & Heartbreak in 2008 included just four product name-drops.

4. The Life of a Don

As you might expect, Kanye’s tastes skew toward luxury goods. But how much? 123 of the 208 products references (59%) were about luxury and high-end brands, with the rest spanning the gamut from Banana Republic all the way down to Depends.  From Late Registration‘s “Late”: “Will I make it from the student loans to a Benz-o?/Like old folks pissin’, I guess it all Depends, oh, oh.”

5. Wordcloud!

And now, a word cloud of every single brand Kanye has mentioned on his seven studio albums. Click the image to enlarge:

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So you want to be on "Shark Tank." How do you get there?

With a massive viewer base, ABC's hit pitch show is a priceless publicity tool for aspiring entrepreneurs. Experts believe an appearance on "Shark Tank" can equate to millions of dollars in free marketing exposure and numerous companies have become incredibly successful after going on air, even without landing a deal.

But it's not easy to secure one of those coveted slots on the show. Previous contestants estimate that ABC gets tens of thousands of applications for each season of "Shark Tank," which they whittle down to a handful of finalists for every episode.

To get a better sense of exactly what it takes to get on the show, we talked to Jamie Siminoff, inventor of video doorbell app DoorBot and a contestant on the fifth season. He applied to "Shark Tank" in March 2013 by filling out what he calls "an enormous handwritten application," which included questions about the business idea, operations, and plan for growth. He then submitted a rough video pitch to the producers after they expressed interest in his company. That pitch landed him a spot on the show.

Siminoff went into the tank seeking $700,000 in exchange for a 10% stake in his company, which helps homeowners identify visitors by streaming live video of the front door to a smartphone or tablet. He didn't get a deal, but gave a strong presentation that earned nods of approval from the Sharks.

Below, we've collected his best behind-the-scenes tips for getting your company on "Shark Tank."

1. Keep your pre-show pitch relaxed and down-to-earth.

When he and his team were filming the video they would submit with their application to be on "Shark Tank," Siminoff says they had "zero production quality." Instead, they tried to keep their segment high energy, entertaining, and down-to-earth. Siminoff thinks the approach paid off because the producers look for people who will be comfortable and personable in front of the camera.

2. Have a great one-liner.

Toward the very end of his video pitch to the producers, Siminoff said he casually threw in a funny rhyme: "Sharks, invest in me and the next time you hear a 'ding,' it'll be a 'cha-ching.'" The producers loved it, and Siminoff insists that's why they called him back. "You have to be smart about the product and also entertaining," he says. The line made it all the way to his actual pitch to the Sharks on the show.

3. Expect to invest a lot of time in getting ready for the show.

Siminoff estimates that he spent more than a month of full-time work on his "Shark Tank" appearance. He bought four seasons of the show on iTunes and watched all of them, flagging tough questions and entrepreneurs that performed especially well. He admits all the prep work was hard to juggle with running DoorBot. "Anything that's this big is very distracting to the team," he said. But it pays off once you're in front of the Sharks. The show really is filmed live, and Siminoff says the Sharks will talk over each other with rapid-fire questions.

With all of the time-consuming prep work, it's important to remember that even if you film a segment, it doesn't necessarily mean you will make it on air. A little-known secret of "Shark Tank" is that the producers film far more segments than they actually run. That means you could go through months of work and preparation to get to the final stages of production, but never see your efforts hit the air. It's a huge risk for a young business to take. "If we didn't air I wouldn't say it would have been devastating," Siminoff reflects, "but it would have been pretty bad."

SEE ALSO: 4 Incredibly Successful Companies That Didn't Get A Deal On 'Shark Tank'

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A lawyer who's suing Match.com for $1.5 billion for allegedly approving fake profiles is striking back at the site's allegation that his lawsuit is filled with "outlandish conspiracy theories."

New York plaintiffs' lawyer Evan Spencer— whose client claims her picture was used in 200 fake profiles — released screenshots of apparently fake profiles to the media on Monday. Those profiles have pictures of Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Biel, Al Pacino, and Rob Lowe (or daters who are dead ringers for those celebs).

The proposed class-action lawsuit alleges that fraudsters outside the United States use these fake profiles for "romance scams" that try to get lonely people to send money out of the country. Here are the apparently fake profiles Spencer sent:

Here's Match.com's full statement on the lawsuit:

The real scam here is this meritless lawsuit, which is filled with outlandish conspiracy theories and clumsy fabrications in lieu of factual or legal basis.  We’re confident that our legal system is as adept as we are at detecting scammers and will dismiss this case in short order.

SEE ALSO: Model Sues Match.com For $1.5 Billion, Says Her Picture Was Used In 200 Fake Profiles

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Model Miranda Kerr split from her husband Orlando Bloom just one month ago, but the Victoria's Secret beauty has already moved on to Australian billionaire businessman, James Packer, reports PageSix.

Packer, 46, and Kerr, 30, grew up in the same New South Wales town, Gunnedah, and Packer provided business advice to Kerr when she launched her line of Kora beauty products.

While Kerr has seen some career turmoil lately and was recently accused of photoshopping her Instagram photos, Packer is the son of the late media mogul, Kerry Packer and  inherited control of the family company, Consolidated Press Holdings Limited. 

BRW Australia ranked James Packer third in its May 2013 ‘Rich 200’ list with his wealth estimated at A$6.0 billion.

"Australian weekly magazine Woman’s Day, once owned by the Packer family, is publishing claims that Packer and Kerr are in new relationships after both announced, just 45 days apart, that their marriages were over," notes PageSix.

"Both James Packer and Erica Baxter are longtime friends of Kerr and Bloom," adds the report. "They were all pictured vacationing together with their families in Tahiti last year."

Packer and Erica have three children, while Kerr and Bloom have a 2-year-old son, Flynn.

Reps for both have declined to comment.

SEE ALSO: The Internet Is Fuming After Miranda Kerr Posts Photoshopped Picture On Instagram

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Beloved weatherman Sam Champion is leaving "Good Morning America" for the Weather Channel, ABC News announced Monday.

The weatherman, who joined "GMA" in 2006, will be the new face of the Weather Channel. 

“Sam is already one of the top names in morning television, as well as one of the country's most respected and trusted weather reporters," said David Clark, President of The Weather Channel, in a press release this morning. “He will add a great deal to our network and be a great addition to our already proven and stellar team of talented weather professionals. With his commitment to understanding, predicting, and explaining the power of weather in our lives, Sam perfectly embodies The Weather Channel's brand philosophy, ‘It’s Amazing Out There.’”

Champion himself added, “Robin, George, Lara and Josh are the best friends and colleagues you could hope for. I’ll always cherish the two and a half decades at ABC.”

ABC News president Ben Sherwood sent this memo to staffers on Monday morning (via HuffPo):

I'm writing with important news:

Our friend and colleague Sam Champion is leaving ABC News for a new opportunity at the Weather Channel. He will become the on-air face of the network, appearing as a host and serving as managing editor. Sam calls it a once in a lifetime opportunity.

For 25 years, Sam has been a vital member of the ABC News family -- joining powerhouse station WABC in 1988 and GMA in 2006.

Over the years at GMA, Sam has broadcast more than 1,800 weather forecasts. He has traveled to almost every major weather event in the U.S. As many of you know, Sam's "Go" bag is always ready and his stellar reporting during Superstorm Sandy contributed to ABC's Peabody Award for coverage of that historic storm.

Sam has broadcast live from a raft floating between polar icebergs, danced the salsa on "Despierta America" and interviewed countless newsmakers, celebrities and chefs. On his show "Sea Rescue," viewers have shared Sam's passion for marine animal rescue, rehabilitation and release.

While there is no replacing Sam, we are in excellent hands with his storm chasing partner of the last few years, meteorologist Ginger Zee, who will take over his weather responsibilities at GMA and across ABC News. As you know, Ginger always rushes straight toward the eye of any storm and weaves cutting-edge science with human emotion to elevate our coverage.
GMA will celebrate Sam's last day on Wednesday's program. While he is leaving ABC News, he will always be a part of our family.

Please join me in thanking Sam for his friendship and countless contributions to our news division. And let's all wish him the very best and say so long for now.

Ben

SEE ALSO: 'GMA' Weatherman Sam Champion Comes Out By Announcing His Engagement To Boyfriend

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The Porsche that Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker died in last week might have malfunctioned at the time of the crash, TMZ reports.

Sources connected to the auto shop that stored and maintained the vehicle told TMZ that a steering fluid leak might have caused driver Roger Rodas, the 38-year-old CEO of auto shop Always Evolving, to lose control of the vehicle's steering.

The sources cite a fluid trail that appeared before the skid marks at the accident scene that could point to a fluid burst. The short, straight skid marks suggest that the driver didn't have control of the steering, sources say. 

Police sources told the Los Angeles Times that speed might have been a factor in the crash. Investigators are still trying to determine a cause of the accident.

Walker and the cast of "Fast & Furious" were in the middle of filming the seventh movie of the successful series. Production on the movie is reportedly continuing, although it's unclear how the franchise will handle Walker's death in the film.

SEE ALSO: Actor Paul Walker Dead At 40 After Car Crash

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Tyrese Gibson, who starred alongside Paul Walker in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, visited the crash site on Sunday where Walker died to pay respects to his good friend and late co-star.

Tyrese was overcome with emotion as he placed flowers at the makeshift memorial:

 The two had just celebrated Walker's 40th birthday together.

"Not just a family on camera were a real family #WeJustCelebratedHis40th Pray for his daughter and family and closest friends please this hurts #RIHAW ( Rest in HEAVEN Angel Walker ) Stay strong#FastFamily #MyLastPost":

Tyrese even posted his last text exchange with Walker:

And paid his repects to his late friend:

SEE ALSO: Here's how the rest of the "Fast & Furious" cast reacted

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Maria Bello revealed she is in a lesbian relationship in this week's Modern Love column in The New York Times.

In an essay titled "Coming Out As A Modern Family," the "Prisoners" actress explained that despite past longterm relationships with men, a romantic relationship blossomed with her best friend, Clare.

Bello began the essay by remembering how her 12-year-old son, Jackson, asked her if she was romantically involved with anybody.

"He was right; I was with someone romantically and I hadn't told him," she  wrote. "I had become involved with a woman who was my best friend, and, as it happens, a person who is like a godmother to my son."

Of her partner, Bello writes, “We had an immediate connection but didn’t think of it as romantic or sexual. She was one of the most beautiful, charming, brilliant and funny people I had ever met, but it didn’t occur to me, until that soul-searching moment in my garden, that we could perhaps choose to love each other romantically.”

“What had I been waiting for all of these years?” continued Bello. “She is the person I like being with the most, the one with whom I am most myself.”

She further explained, “My feelings for Clare aren’t the same as the butterflies-in-the-stomach, angst-ridden love I have felt before [with men]; they are much deeper than that. As we grew closer, my desire for her grew stronger.”

Bello says that now she and Clare have dinner almost every night with Jackson and his father, producer Dan McDermott.

And, as for her son’s reaction?

The 12-year-old assured her, “Mom, love is love, whatever you are.”

Bello tweeted a pic of her "modern family" over Thanksgiving:

Giving thanks for my modern family. Happy thanksgiving for whatever kind of family you have. @nytimespic.twitter.com/Mty9FPNHh4

— maria bello (@maria_bello) November 30, 2013

SEE ALSO: Model Miranda Kerr Dating Australian Billionaire James Packer

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Barbara Walters has just revealed her list of the "Most Fascinating People" of 2013.

Here's who made the cut in the annual TV special's 21st year:

1. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence
2. The stars of "Duck Dynasty"
3. Singer Miley Cyrus
4. Pope Francis
5. Prince George
6. Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad
7. Kimye (Kim Kardashian and Kanye West)
8. NSA leaker Edward Snowden
9. ABC anchor Robin Roberts

The number one person will be revealed on Walters' annual special “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year.”

The 90-minute program will air Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

This will be Walters' last "Most Fascinating" special, because she's retiring next year.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Awkward Celebrity Interviews

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Will Ferrell has been relentlessly promoting his upcoming film "Anchorman 2" as his news anchor persona Ron Burgundy. His Dodge Durango commercials gave the SUV a 60 percent boost in sales in October, Boston's Emerson College renamed their communications school after him for a day, and he co-hosted the Canadian curling trials Sunday night.

And on Saturday night, Ron Burgundy got to anchor an entire half hour of local news in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Some fans may be disappointed to see Burgundy refrain from sheer absurdity, but that would be missing the point. Not much happened in North Dakota on Saturday, and watching Ferrell's character narrate the strangeness of the mundane is pretty great.

Here's the full half hour from CBS affiliate KXMB. We'll take a look at the highlights below it:

- (0:00) Hearing Burgundy's voice after co-anchor Amber Schatz's makes the intro worth watching.

- (3:40) Burgundy dramatically brings to life a trash fire started in a Sam's Club parking lot.

- (18:10) He introduces the story of how the sheriff of a town of 30 people has long used a dummy sitting in a parked cop car to trick speeders. Here's the dummy:

- (24:26) Ron encourages the sports anchor with a loving caress.

- (29:14) Burgundy introduces the night's top story, in which a local middle school teacher describes what it was like to have a beard for "No Shave November." Keep in mind this was not part of the joke, and that the story was teased before almost every commercial break:

On Sunday's newscast, the team showed a clip of Burgundy talking about his experience the night before. Through a beam of overblown lighting, he explained how the weatherman's performance was so good it was as if he were the reincarnation of legendary meteorologist "Jed Fishman":

SEE ALSO: This Boise TV Anchorman's Impersonation Of Ron Burgundy Was So Good He Became Part Of The Movie Promotion

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