Archives for June 2009

OK, maybe that's a bit extreme. But it something that I look forward to every day.

This daily newsletter never fails to deliver and that's why it bills itself as the industry's "daily essential read."

In addition to news about books and authors and links to stories, Publishers Lunch also gives its readers a peek at the weird news of books.

I'm just going to quote Publishers Lunch, which can say it much better than I:

"There has been another rash of stories in traditional media about book proposals lately.

"One of the oddest involves deposed Miss California (and Miss USA runner-up) Carrie Prejean, who was fired by the pageant for alleged breach of contract. Prejean attracted controversy on a number of fronts, including her answer during the pageant opposing same-sex marriages in California.

"Recently US News & World Report reported she had a book proposal, aimed at conservative publishers.

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Fired Miss California Carrie Prejean's claim that the contest organizers, including Donald Trump, knew she was writing a book about her ordeal are being countered today by lawyers for Miss California USA, who claim that they never gave the beauty queen the OK to move ahead with the project.

"There is no dispute that, although some discussions about the possible terms and conditions of a future agreement allowing Ms. Prejean to write a book were in progress," wrote lawyer Timothy Shields, the organizers never "gave written consent to any such book, print article, or similar publication. Accordingly, her participation in the admitted book deal unquestionably violates the contract and appears to be a knowing and deliberate violation."

The book, which we last week told you Prejean was shopping to conservative publishers here, is one of the key elements in her controversial firing, which she says was prompted when she rejected same-sex marriage in her answer to a question during the Miss USA pageant. In her lawyer's earlier letter to the pageant, he wrote that Trump and Miss California USA's Keith Lewis knew a book was in the works, despite the contract language stipulating that she first get "written consent" to write it.

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Security guards at San Diego's popular Fashion Alley Shopping Mall had a tough time separating Carrie Prejean and Adam Lambert early Sunday afternoon when a verbal spat between the two became physical.

The outdoor food court of Fashion Alley quickly filled with spectators hoping to get a glimpse of the feuding Southern California icons."I was waiting to order, standing in line behind Adam," says one woman who witnessed the incident, "so I didn't recognize him at first, until she walks up to him and says, 'Faggot!' Then, he's all like, 'Judgemental bitch!' She goes, 'Jewboy!' and he's like, 'Crusader!' After that, things got a little blurry."

Not blurry as in she can't remember, she says. Blurry as in, the two attacked each other with such swiftness that it was difficult to see.

According to another witness, Prejean "roared" as she took to the air, flying at Lambert. Letting his numerous bags and boxes of purchases fall to the ground, she says, Lambert "got all fierce looking," then crouched and sprung himself, meeting Prejean in the air.

The two collided in a fury of scratches and slaps as a throng of people crowded around, making it difficult to catch the action from as near as about twenty feet, says a ten-year-old boy who scrambled on his hands and knees between everyone's legs to get a closer look.

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Born again hottie Carrie Prejean isn't one to turn the other cheek, unless she's modeling a thong and the photographer asks her to turn the other cheek toward the camera.

Prejean is on a mission from God to wreak vengeance on the Miss California officials for stripping her of her crown. None of that biblical "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord" for the disgraced beauty queen, Prejean wants her pound of flesh.

The opposite marriage crusader has issued an ultimatum to the Miss California USA pageant directors: Clear my name, or I'm going to sue your heathen butts.You can't defame or libel a person if you are telling the truth, and the truth is that Prejean didn't live up to the terms of her contract with the Miss California pageant.

I's incumbent upon Prejean to clear her own name, but turning over a new leaf and living up to the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Carrie Prejean insists she didn't shirk her duties as Miss California—and she wants to make sure the people she might sue know it.
In a letter dated Wednesday, attorney Charles LiMandri details what his client did not do to violate her contract en route to being stripped of her title last week, a month after Miss Universe Organization honcho Donald Trump gave her a pass on those racy pics.
LiMandri's letter echoes the theory he shared with E! News about his client falling prey to a politically charged plot to take away her crown.
According to the lawyer, Prejean never made unauthorized solo appearances as pageant director Keith Lewis alleges; and, as for the events she was supposedly supposed to appear at, Prejean wasn't even guaranteed entry at some of them.
View the letter
"There is no indication that those would be official events that pageant winners would actually wear their tiaras and sashes," he wrote, referring to the list of events that was sent to his client.
"None of the events listed on the Hollywood News Calendar were invitations to Carrie Prejean or anyone else."
The Hollywood News Calendar is a roundup of goings-on around town, many of which are nonexclusive and open to the public. The events Prejean turned down were from that itinerary, LiMandri says.
Also attached to the correspondence was a letter from Lewis' secretary to Prejean, in which she wrote, "Let me know if there are any events that you would like to attend and we'll do our best to get you in. The more notice the better."LiMandri also addressed the invitation to pose for Playboy that was extended to Prejean. The attorney states that three people on a May 15 conference call recall Lewis saying he offered the job to Prejean "so when they take her title away, she doesn't sue me."

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Carrie Prejean just won’t go away! She was fired last week from her Miss California title, but is still complaining in the press every day.

The latest from Carrie is that she believes she was set up to fail. Her lawyer Charles LiMandri claims the pageant organization and director Keith Lewis plotted Prejean's downfall by knowingly sending her lists of events and opportunities that were beyond the typical expected duties.

He tells E! News, "There was really a lack for trust and a lack of respect. He was trying to set her up. Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler wanted her out, pure and simple. They finally found a way to get their way."

Please! How hard can the “duties” of Miss California really be?! But LiMandri went on to say, "Some of the things were such short notice, like that day or the next day, that they couldn't expect her to do it anyhow. When I read through the list with her, she said there was a lot of stuff she would like to go to, but it's not 'Miss California' stuff."

LiMandri says Lewis tried to set her up with a Playboy offer as a way to fire her. He says, "She had just gotten a request to do a Playboy shoot with partial nudity—this was several days after Trump reinstates her. [Lewis] knew she wouldn't do that stuff, and he was trying to set her up, saying, 'You can pick your photographer. You can pick the photos.' And then he'd be able to fire her for sure."

LiMandri also says that if Keith Lewis and the Miss California organization don’t stop speaking badly about Carrie, they’ll have no choice but to file a lawsuit.

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Now, after the Miss USA pageant, Carrie Prejean made headlines when she answered a question about gay marriage. Prejean says she does not support it, and came in second place in the Miss USA contest. After the pageant, blogger and pageant judge Perez Hilton Prejean publicly, even called her the "b word." When next Prejean got involved in a very public fight with the pageant, Belgium stepped in, and he let her keep the Miss California title. But then there was another turn of events -- suddenly, she is fired. The Miss California pageant says Prejean breached contract and no longer Miss California. Earlier today we spoke with the now former Miss California.

Miss California Carrie Prejean, whose comments opposing gay marriage sparked controversy, has been stripped of her title according to reports on 10 June 2009. A spokesperson for the company that operates the pageant said the action was taken because of 'contract violations'. EPA/JUSTIN LANE Carrie Prejean has canceled her appearance at the Special Olympics this weekend, the former Miss

California confirmed in a press statement.“I have volunteered at the Special Olympics for the past several years; it is a cause very close to my heart. I was so excited to be invited as an honored guest and presenter of medals at the Special Olympics summer games this June,” she said in the statement. “I fully intended to go and volunteer once again in my private capacity. However, when I learned that Keith Lewis had called the event asking that a new Miss California USA attend in my place, I reluctantly decided for the good of the Olympians I should not be there at this time.”

Miss California USA Executive Director Keith Lewis was named in Prejean's Larry King CNN interview as a manipulative force who tried to steer Prejean into appearing on reality television and men's magazines.An excerpt of King's transcript from CNN:

Larry King: How do you respond to (charges from Lewis)?Prejean: Well, Larry, all I can tell you was this basically comes down to the answer that I gave the night of the pageant. As you can see, Mr. Lewis does not agree with the stance that I took. I think he's very angry. I think he's hurt. He said in a previous statement that he's deeply saddened and hurt that -- what Carrie Prejean believes in -- a marriage is between a man and a woman. Politics and religion have no play in the Miss California family.

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Carrie Prejean appears to have been subjected to severe sexual harassment by Miss USA pageant officials.The legal definition of sexual harassment is “unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment.” In practice, this definition includes discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Pageant wanted her to make inappropriate appearances in Playboy, and to "secretly" attend the premiere of a gay movie so they could issue a press release saying she attended the premiere.Both are set-ups by Pageant officials to ruin her. According to Prejean, the pageant did not attempt to schedule appropriate events for her.Unless there was a sexual harassment waiver in her contract,.It appears the Miss USA Pageant may be facing a lawsuit for sexual harassment.

It's official: Carrie Prejean, the darling of conservative media pundits and the scourge of gay marriage advocates, has been fired as Miss California USA. First runner-up Tami Farrell, a.k.a. Miss Malibu, will take her place.

Prejean's termination, according to pageant officials, had nothing to do with the anti-gay-marriage comments that catapulted her from beauty queen to political commentator. Nor was it prompted by the semi-nude photos that won her the attention of adolescent boys across the political spectrum.

Instead, pageant officials said the San Diego college student simply wasn't doing her job. "This was a decision based solely on contract violations, including Ms. Prejean's unwillingness to make appearances on behalf of the Miss California USA organization," said Keith Lewis, co-executive director of the Miss California USA pageant. "It has become abundantly clear that Carrie is unwilling to fulfill her obligations under our contract and work together."

The violations included refusing to appear on the "Larry King Live" show and turning down red-carpet events from sponsors, said Lewis' publicist, Roger Neal.

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