See what we’re chatting about over coffee:
• Frank Ocean is in hot water this morning. He’s the target of a lawsuit by Micah Otano, who claims he wasn’t properly credited for Ocean’s hit song “Lost” off his Grammy-winning album Channel Orange. According to documents from the U.S. District Court of California, Otano complains of breach of contract, fraud in the inducement, rescission and restitution, copyright infringement and declaratory relief. Otano claims he co-created the song upon which “Lost” is based on called “Daylight.” He allegedly co-owns the track with Malay, who said he wouldn’t sell the song unless he would get credit for his work. Otano is seeking unspecified damages. [E! Online]
• Yesterday, federal court found former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick guilty of 24 charges including racketeering, extortion, attempted extortion, bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and filing false tax returns. Current Detroit Mayor Dave Bing released a statement saying, “I am pleased that this long trial has ended and we can finally put this negative chapter in Detroit’s history behind us. It is time for all of us to move forward with a renewed commitment to transparency and high ethical standards in our City government.” [Huffington Post]
• Although filming for Best Man Holiday hasn’t started, Terrence Howard is letting some of the storyline out of the bag. He told reporters, “I think it’s going to be [an] amazing film and I get teary-eyed thinking about it because there’s some tragedy in it. That’s all I’ll say.” Taye Diggs stopped by ESSENCE.com recently and revealed something similar, but only alluded to another big event bringing the cast together. [ABC News]
• Despite Janis Gaye‘s opinion, plans for a Marvin Gaye biopic continues to move forward. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson has landed the role of Gaye’s mother, Alberta. As previously reported, the film will focus on the singer’s later years in life when he battled drug use and depression. The film will star Jesse L. Williams as Gaye himself. [Hollywood Reporter]