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•Robin Thicke is headed to court to protect his summer hit, “Blurred Lines,” from Marvin Gaye’s family. Thicke, alongside co-writers Pharell Williams and Clifford Harris Jr. filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Gaye family and Bridgeport Music, which owns Funkadelic’s compositions, for claiming the song was not original. Gaye’s family and Bridgeport have complained that “Blurred Lines” and Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” sound similar and they say there are similarities between “Blurred Lines” and Funkadelic’s “Sexy Ways.” They have threatened to take the artists to court if they refuse to pay a settlement. Before any action could be taken by the Gayes, the three artists took the matter into their own hands and filed a suit to determine each group’s rights and obligations. In court documents the plaintiffs say that although they are inspired by Gaye’s classic records, “Blurred Lines” was an original song. Thicke, Williams and Harris Jr. are hoping that a judge can declare that their song doesn’t go against the defendants’ rights. [The Hollywood Reporter]
•Beyonce has topped the pop star movie debut charts for her performance in Austin Powers in Goldmember. The 17 time Grammy award winner has made it to the number one spot on a list of the highest grossing leading role by a musician in their movie debut. Beyonce beat out Whitney Houston for her role in “The Bodygaurd,” and Prince for his role in “Purple Rain.” Beyonce’s role in the 2002 hit has brought in $213,307,889 at the Box Office from the time of it’s release to now, which makes it the biggest silver screen debut for a pop star playing a leading role. [That Grape Juice]
•A Los Angeles Judge has dismissed Chris Brown’s hit-and-run driving case. Brown came to an agreement with the victim who said she didn’t want any money from him because the damages on her car were so minor. She also asked that the case be dismissed. The L.A. city prosecutor, Patrick Hiscocks, objected to the victim’s decision saying that Brown should receive punishment not only for hitting someone’s vehicle and fleeing the scene, but also for his aggressive behavior toward the victim following the accident. Hiscocks also argued that Brown was on felony probation during the time of the incident which made the situation that much worse. The judge didn’t side with the City Attorney’s objection and dismissed the case. Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, said he believed Brown was only targeted because of his social status. “The case never should have been filed in the first place. It’s unfortunate he was being prosecuted for who he is rather than what he’s done.” [TMZ]