Arbitration for 'Idol' Sex Harrassment Suit

Fox News reports that arbitration was ordered in a case brought by a former assistant production accountant for the company behind "American Idol," who claims he was fired for complaining of sexual harassment by a male contestant.

Magdaleno Olmos filed suit March 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging wrongful termination and violation of the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act. He is asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Along with American Idol Productions Inc. and former contestant Mario Vasquez, named defendants are Fremantle Media North America Inc., Fox Entertainment Group Inc. and Fox Broadcasting Co., all listed in the lawsuit as co-owners of the popular show.

All of the defendants "knew or should have known that Vasquez was gay or was widely rumored to be so," the lawsuit states.

Vasquez dropped out of the top 12 talent search competition during the fourth season of "American Idol" in March 2005, saying he wanted to focus on personal aspects of his life.

The lawsuit alleges that Vasquez withdrew from the show after Olmos came forward with his complaints and discussed them with executives and attorneys for American Idol Productions and the other defendants.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael C. Solner ruled today that Olmos knew when he was hired that he was signing an agreement to arbitrate disputes and not file a lawsuit. Solner granted a defense motion to send the case to arbitration and put a hold on the lawsuit.

Defense attorney George R. Hedges praised the ruling.

"It's the right decision," Hedges said. "His claim has no merit."

Olmos' lawyer, Thomas S. Campbell, opposed putting the case in front of an arbitrator. He told Solner it was unclear whether Olmos received a handbook from the company that explained the arbitration process to him. He also said the language of the arbitration rules gave an unfair advantage to his employer.

Olmos claims the sexual harassment began in February 2005.

On one occasion, Vasquez followed Olmos into a restroom at CBS Studios, where "American Idol" is taped, and knocked on the door of a stall Olmos had entered, according to his lawsuit.

When Olmos opened the door, Vasquez, who had lowered his pants, pushed him further into the stall, touched him in a sexual way and tried to unzip his pants while asking "if he wanted oral sex," the lawsuit alleges.

Olmos claims he was able to get out of the restroom, though Vasquez grabbed his arm to try to stop him from leaving.

Olmos chose the restroom over one that was closer to the "American Idol" stage because he wanted to avoid running into the show's participants, according to his lawsuit.

Due to Vasquez's celebrity status, Olmos claims he "was afraid to defend himself physically against Vasquez's sexual harassment and battery for fear of losing his job."

When Olmos complained to a supervisor, the latter questioned whether he initiated the incident, according to his court papers. He also claims the supervisor told him nothing could be done and that he would probably be fired for reporting the alleged harassment.

On numerous other occasions, Vasquez stared and smiled at Olmos. But when he complained to a supervisor, he was told "that he was crazy, was imagining this and should keep this information to himself because no one would believe his account," according to his lawsuit.

Olmos alleges he was fired in May 2005 in retaliation for his complaints against Vasquez.

Olmos began working for American Idol Productions in October 2002, and his contract was renewed each of the next two years, according to his lawsuit.

SPARKS SAVING HERSELF FOR MARRIAGE

And talking about sex, new "American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks isn't having any until after she gets married. That's right, US Weekly magazine according to Reality TV World, reports that Sparks is saving herself for marriage.

Even though Sparks sports a platinum band on her wedding finger, don't expect to see the American Idol sixth-season champ walking down the aisle anytime soon.

"This isn't a wedding ring, and there's no boy anywhere," Sparks told Us Weekly in the magazine's June 18 issue.

Instead, the 17-year-old Glendale, Ariz., native said she's worn the "purity ring" with the inscription "True Love Waits" since she was 13. Sparks is the youngest Idol winner out of the Fox mega-hit's six installments, and while other Idol champs and finalists are reportedly smitten by everyone from professional athletes to television news anchors, Sparks says she isn't in any rush to get involved in a romantic relationship.

"I haven't been in love yet," she told US. "I am saving myself for marriage."

Due to her Christian upbringing, virginity is just one of the values that Sparks says she believes in. "I think that [abortion] is wrong," Sparks told Us. "I'm not going to try to debate people on it; that's just my opinion... I believe what I believe."

PICKLER: BOYFRIEND HER BIGGEST FAN

Mean-
while, love is in the air for Season 5 finalist Kellie Pickler , who told People magazine that her boyfriend, Canadian hockey player Jordin Tootoo, and she have this in common: "We're each other's biggest fans."

The former "American Idol" contestant, 20, and the Nashville Predators right wing, 24, met after they bought condos in the same Nashville complex, where Tootoo spotted Pickler and asked for her phone number.

Pickler told People they were friends at first, but the relationship had turned romantic by spring. "We're from real different places, but they're both small towns so we're a lot alike too," she said (she's from Albemarle, N.C.; he grew up in Rankin Inlet, a small town in Nunavut in Canada's Northwest Territories).

Now, she says, "We let each other shine in our moments and are so proud of each other. I go to games and I'm the fan in the Predators jersey, screaming my head off. He comes to my concert with a Pickler T-shirt and he does the same."

Fittingly, their first date was to a hockey game, a sport about as foreign to Pickler as Tootoo's native tongue, Inuktikut. (The first player of Inuit descent to play in the NHL, Tootoo is also fluent in English.)

"We had a little communication problem at first," Pickler says with a laugh. "And I had never been to a hockey game -– we didn't have hockey in Albemarle. I had no idea what was going on, but I loved it anyway. It's so fast and exciting!"

When she was interviewed, Pickler was planning a break from Brad Paisley's "Bonfires and Amplifiers" tour to travel north of the border to spend a week with Tootoo and his family.

"I'm just so excited about seeing where he is from," she told the magazine. "It will be a totally different culture and I'm fascinated by other cultures. I have no idea what to expect. I know they do a lot of hunting and fishing and they eat what they kill. It's not like there's a Subway down the street. It's also been snowing up there, so I'm going to learn to drive a snowmobile. If it's anything like 4-wheelin', I'm set!"

SANJAYA'S MOM ON HER KIDS ... AND MORE

Jillian Recchi (or Jillian Blyth or Jayaradhe as she was known in the Hare Krishna movement a decade ago) talked to Rediff.com about her children Shyamali and Sanjaya Malakar who became famous overnight, thanks to "American Idol."

"Both Shyamali [Rosaria Malakar] and Sanjaya [Joseph Malakar] embraced their Indian cultural roots."

Recchi, who spent over two months with her 17-year-old son in Hollywood, was often joined by daughter Shyamali, and on one occasion her former husband Vasudeva Malakar, who left his construction business and chores at the Hare Krishna temple in Seattle, to be with his children.

Since her divorce nearly a decade ago, Recchi, who since remarried, raised the children mostly on her own. She says she has not been a member of the Hare Krishna congregation for many years but the Indian spirituality is deeply ingrained in her and her children.

"I consider the Hare Krishna way of life to be my spiritual foundation," said Recchi, who met her future husband Vasudeva while she was a devotee at the Seattle Hare Krishna Temple 21 years ago. "I do not live in the temple though."

"Vasudeva was a classical Indian singer-musician-teacher for many years in Seattle," she continued. "He taught harmonium and bhajans to students at home. There was always Indian music in our home. I was a musician and played the flute, though I didn't pursue it professionally. We sang in the car with the children."

After the divorce, Shyamali and Sanjaya moved to Hawaii with their mother and lived there from 1996 to 2000. Both were in Hawaii children's musical theatre.

"Shyamali was always a precocious, intelligent child," Recchi says of her first born, an aspiring model, singer and actress. She was eliminated from the American Idol contest early on.

"She read by the age of 3, and had an amazing memory. She would listen to a song once and remember it. Sanjaya, too, had a great talent for singing and music early on. As soon as he was talking, he was singing, dancing and running around. Of course, they are always around music."

When Sanjaya continued to make steady progress in the competition, despite a lot of negative criticism, Recchi closed down her home business for a few months. "I have always had my own business," she says.

"Currently, I am an independent distributor for in-home water purification filters and distillers. I also manage and maintain some rental properties. This gives me flexibility of hours to be with and do things with my kids. I wanted to prioritise that; I didn't want to put my kids in daycare. I wanted to be there for them while they were growing up."

The children were exposed not only to Indian but also to contemporary and older American music, by Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, their mother added.

"It was their choice to participate in the competition," she says. "I told Sanjaya he couldn't enter because he was too young. He was very sad; my family got involved and finally decided he could try.

"When Shyamali got booted out, she took it really well. It didn't discourage her; she still wants to continue and pursue a music and acting career.

"For Sanjaya, unfortu-
nately, I wasn't there with him when he was voted out," she says, a trace of sadness in her voice. "I was with him for a solid two months, but I flew back to Los Angeles to be with him the day after he was eliminated.

"Sanjaya had a feeling he would get voted out after he saw a tape of his performance later that night. He mentally prepared himself for elimination: of course, he didn't tell me that!"

She says her son has taken this as a learning experience. "This will, I think, launch him into a very successful career," she says. "He wants to be an entertainer, whatever that might encompass. He has a real passion for singing; he also loves to act, he has thought of modeling and wants to be a spokesperson for charitable work."

What is the best advice she has given Shyamali and Sanjaya?

"As a mother, I always felt my children would go on to do great things," she said. "I taught them that whatever platform they might end up on, they should use it positively.

"They are very compassionate. People can see that. I think that was really why Sanjaya had such a large fan base. He is a genuine person who is not egotistical, very compassionate, and very well grounded.

"Even though they are very attractive people, I don't think they let that go to their heads because they realize it is a God-given gift. Any gift they have comes from God; they are just an instrument of that.

"That helps them stay grounded and focussed on the bigger picture. I would say that is probably one of the biggest things I have tried to give them as far as life lessons go."

And according to the New York Daily News, Sanjaya hasn't given up hopes for a career in showbiz. "My first objective is to legitimize my music," he told Steppin' Out's Chaunce Hayden, "then do modeling and acting." But his brief fame may soon be overshadowed. Buzz is that his sister Shyamali has been offered nude magazine spreads. Not that she'll be tempted, says Sanjaya: "She was never the type to flaunt it."

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© 2007

Cowell Denies His Home Burgled

The British paper Daily Express, under the headline "MR NASTY SUFFERS A BREAK-IN," reports that Simon Cowell’s London home was ransacked while the Idol judge was away in America, claiming that Cowell had handed the keys to his £6million ($11.7 million) Holland Park house to a team of builders who had instruc­­tions to refurbish the property while he was away for a month in the United States. They claim he returned to find that the place had been ransacked, and that the thieves had made off with jewelery, silver and electrical equipment, humorously noting, "Thankfully, the burglars did not feel moved to help themselves to some of Mr Cowell;s vertiginous trousers or any of his collection of hundreds of black polo-neck jumpers."

The paper said that local police who investigated the crime said, "It was an unwise decision to say the least. You wouldn't believe some of the things Mr Cowell had accumulated over the years that the thieves took a fancy to."

A source told the newspaper, "What has happened in similar cases is that someone copied the main key. I’m sure the builders would have been very careful about who had access, but it's not always easy when a number of sub-contractors are coming in and out of the place."

However, Simon Cowell laughed off The Daily Express reports, according to Starpulse.com,
insisting that his home is perfectly secure and all his belongings remain intact. "I've spent hundreds of thousands of pounds of the very best security and I can assure you my homes are as safe as the Bank of England," Cowell said.

Meanwhile, in his monologue, Conan O'Brien said that while police said the burglary was the work of professional thieves, Cowell described them as "amateurish and uninspired."

COWELL KEEPS GETTING RICHER

A Reuters story in the London Mirror says that Cowell is the pop world's star riser in the latest Sunday Times Rich List, which is subtitled "5000 of the Wealthiest People in the United Kingdom and Ireland" and which estimates the minimum wealth of Britain's richest people or families. Cowell, who once told a contestant "You remind me of a pet poodle", has an estimated wealth of 100 million pounds -- up from 60 million last year. He has moved from the 944th position on the list last year to 700 this year, overtaking singer Robbie Williams.

CLAY AID

According to Peace Journalism magazine , UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Clay Aiken recently concluded a trip to Afghanistan (watch video, second video) and heralds the progress being made in children's education.
"As a former teacher I recognize that spark of hope and excitement all children possess when given the opportunity to learn," said Aiken, who spent five days visiting schools in Kabul and Bamyan in the central region of Afghanistan. "Rebuilding schools, training teachers, providing essential supplies and teaching materials are just some of the advances UNICEF and its partners have made to keep that hope flourishing."

Traveling with Aiken were UNICEF country representative for Afghanistan Catherine Mbengue and his high school teacher Mary Props. "The people here are very strong and they are very proud of their country," Aiken told reporters in Kabul, praising the "strength and conviction of the Afghan people and their ability to make sure that this country returns to its glory after such a long darkness."

While in the capital city of Kabul, Aiken, who was appointed a UNICEF Ambassador in 2004, visited schools that have implemented programs meant to ensure all children regardless of gender receive an education. While in Bamyan, Aiken visited a health clinic and women's literacy center where many women learn how to read and write and experience formal education for the first time. The literacy program is one of UNICEF's priority projects for the empowerment of women in Afghanistan.

Aiken also visited water and sanitation programs as well as a program that reintegrates former child soldiers into mainstream society. You can read more about his trip and an interview with him in his hometown paper.

FROPATROL HOMECOMING TOUR

Season 6 finalist Chris Sligh and his band, Half Past Forever, are doing a mini tour.



Tour Schedule:
Apr 28 2007 Wild Wings Spartanburg Spartanburg, S.C.
Apr 30 2007 The Handlebar Greenville, S.C. Ticket info
May 2 2007 Seacoast Greenville Greenville, S.C.
May 4 2007 Seacoast Church Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
May 5 2007 Seacoast Church Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
May 6 2007 Seacoast Church Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
May 11 2007 Timmons Arena Greenville, S.C. Ticket info
May 27 2007 Freedom Weekend Aloft Simpsonville, S.C.
May 28 2007 Freedom Weekend Aloft Simpsonville, S.C.

Hard-core Sligh fans can download the event poster here.

SANJAYA'S GANJAYA MOM

The National Enquirer and TMZ.com gleefully report that Sanjaya Malakar 's American-born mother, Jillian Blyth, was busted in Pierce County, Wash., in February 2005 after neighbors reported smelling marijuana and noticed a large vent on the garage roof, according to court records.

When sheriff 's deputies arrived to investigate, they discovered 310 marijuana plants and growing lights in the gargage, along with Sanjaya's then 17-year-old sister Shyamali. Power company records also showed the garage was gobbling electricity. Shyamali, who was arrested for possession, told officers that her mom was at another location in nearby Federal Way -- and when the cops got there, they found a second dope-growing operation, where they arrested Blith and her husband, Charles Quist (Sanjaya's stepdad).

Momjaya could have gone to jail for up to five years after pleading guilty to one felony count of unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance, but got off with a relatively mellow 30-day sentence.

HATE TO SEE YOU GO, NOT

Speaking on Sanjaya, whose father hails from India, according to The Associated Press, Indians were relieved to see him go (was it something his mother said -- or did?). While his goofy hairstyles and lackluster singing might have captivated millions of Americans, his quirky appeal never resonated among Indians. And though the end of his run was front-page news in India, his exit was not mourned. Here are some sample headlines:

"Sanjaya is voted off American Idol - he's the only one weeping" –The Indian Express

"Finally, Sanjaya sings his way out of Idol" - Times of India

Indians never connected with Malakar, said Poonam Saxena, television critic for The Hindustan Times. "He'll be forgotten I'm sure, unless he does something else big. Why would anyone remember him?" she said, dismissing the 17 year-old as "a spunky kid."

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© 2007

Insider's Look From the Idol Audience

TMZ.com "secured entry" to Wednesday's Idol results show with Jennifer Lopez and says it has "the dirt" on what went on behind the scenes.


After going through metal detectors, checking their cell phones and cameras at the door, and depositing gum into the CBS Studio page's blue cup (no gum chewing allowed on camera), TMZ was ushered to their seats. Celebrities in the audience included Eva Longoria, Sharon Osbourne, J.Lo BFF Leah Remini and Donna Mills.

Remini made an entire row get up and move so she and her hubby, Angelo Pagan, could sit on the aisle. When a page tried to get Leah to dispose of her gum, she shot him a look that sent him cowering back to his post.

Booted finalist Chris Sligh entered the studio and the crowd roared with applause and cheers. Sligh must be a fan of "King of Queens," because he made a beeline for Remini and introduced himself. Preteen fans roamed the set asking for autographs from ex-"Idols" like Sligh, Alaina Alexander (who traipsed around in red 5-inch heels), and Season 5 diva Mandisa. Some Fanjayas even approached Shyamali Malakar, Sanjaya's sexy sister.

Just prior to going live, judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul entered the studio while high-fiving fans with their bodyguards in tow. When they weren't on camera, guards never left their sides. Abdul made it a point to go up to fan after fan during commercial breaks, while Randy and Simon waved from their perch.

Akon's performance was not live. The studio audience watched a pretaped performance on a screen, just like everyone at home. Before J.Lo's performance, Longoria chatted up Remini and her husband, while Simon and his newly named "America's Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne kibbitzed on the side.

Everyone was on their feet when Lopez went on stage and sang her new Spanish-language single "Que Hiciste?" The fiery performace filled the studio with so much smoke, that the production staff scrambled to air out the set by the end of the next commercial break.

When Ryan Seacrest revealed that Phil Stacey was safe, Sanjaya's mom and sis let out cheers (don't they like Haley?).

After the show ended, producer Simon Lythgoe announced that Marc Anthony, who was backstage with his wife, was asked at the last minute to tape a humorous segment for the upcoming "Idol Gives Back" charity special. Marc obliged and lip-synched a version of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees in front of a green screen.

The evening's final surprise came with one more unannounced performance: P!nk was in the house to tape a segment for an upcoming episode (like Akon). Simon, Paula and Randy didn't stick around to watch, so audience members sat in for them. Wearing a form-fitting dress, P!nk sang her hit "Who Knew," while the remaining "Idol" finalists sat in the back, groovin'.

The audience was released four hours after arriving to the "Idol" set.

ALAINA'S DARK SIDE

Of course, had you been at the "Idol" results show, you might not have recognized former finalist Alaina Alexander, because she has gone over to the dark side ... well, at least as far as her hair color is concerned.

The newly raven-haired singer is flaunting the sexy new 'do on her MySpace page. She has also come up with a new career strategy: She played a small gig last week at Hollywood's famous Cat Club on the Sunset Strip and, according to TMZ.com, Alexander's plan is to play "a gig a month."

The gossip site, which also previously linked Alaina romantically with fellow finalist Chris "Timberfake" Richardson, wonders if that romance is dead, as its cameras recently caught Richardson flirting with "The Hills" star Lauren Conrad, who has recently been embroiled in a possible sex-tape scandal.

Moments before the two met up at L.A.'s Les Deux, Conrad was on her cell phone outside the club, playfully telling whoever was on the other line, "I'm so mad at you right now, hurry up!" Moments later, Richardson arrived, much to the delight of the giddy blonde.

The two were then ushered into Les Deux, bypassing the huge line outside, where more people recognized "The Hills" star than the "Idol" crooner.

LOPEZ'S IDOL COMMENTS ...

... Have her sounding like a Scientologist, according to the New York Daily News making the paper ask the question: Is Jennifer Lopez still flirting with Scientology? When host Ryan Seacrest asked the singer what she thought of the judges' critiques of the contestants, Lopez said that, in contrast to the stinging put-downs of Simon Cowell, she believed that "concentrating on the rightness brings more rightness."

The paper says "rightness" comes up frequently in the lexicon of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Former OT III-level church member Margery Wakefield writes in "The Language of Scientology" that "rightness" was one of his buzzwords. Among Hubbard's manifestoes: "Rightness and Wrongness" and "Recognition of Rightness of the Being."

Lopez said recently that, while she was raised as a Catholic, her dad, David Lopez, "has been a Scientologist for 20 years. It's weird people want to paint it in a negative way." She and husband Marc Anthony have also been spending more time with Scientology star couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, while Leah Remini, J.Lo's BFF, is also a Scientologist and mutual friend to the Cruises. She also attended the "Idol" results show (see above).

J.Lo and Anthony seemed to think her "A.I." performance was on the "right" track. They happily met up with Eva Longoria and other friends after the show at L.A. hot spot Social. Despite OK! magazine's claim that they've "split," Anthony was overheard toasting Lopez as "the love of his life."

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© 2007