Monday, April 28, 2008

Cyrus Apologizes for Vanity Fair Photos

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has issued an apology after Vanity Fair put a semi-naked photo of the star on its front cover, insisting she is "embarrassed" by the images.
The 15-year-old posed for the Vanity Fair magazine shoot wearing nothing but a blanket wrapped around her chest.
But the pictures, taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, have caused outrage, just a week after candid snaps of the singer/actress posing provocatively in lingerie were leaked on the Internet.
And Cyrus now admits she regrets going ahead with the magazine shoot.
She says, "For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.
"I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
Speaking about the other set of photographs which ended up on the Web, she says, "The pictures of me on the Internet were silly, inappropriate shots.
"I hope (my fans) understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect. I never intended for any of this to happen and I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone.
"Most of all, I have let myself down."
Disney Channel bosses have also condemned the Vanity Fair images, accusing the publication of creating "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."
But Vanity Fair has defended the shoot, insisting the images were given the green light by the star, her parents and her management.
A spokesman tells Us Weekly magazine, "Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day.
"Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."

Spitzer prostitute sues 'Girls Gone Wild' for $10 million
The call girl who triggered the downfall of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer sued the founder of the racy "Girls Gone Wild" videos today for $10 million, claiming her image and name are being exploited.
Ashley Alexandra Dupre also contended in the lawsuit that she was only 17 -- too young to sign legally binding contracts -- and drunk on spring break in 2003 when she agreed to be filmed for "Girls Gone Wild" in Miami Beach.
Dupre "did not understand the magnitude of her actions, nor that her image and likeness would be displayed in videos and DVDs," says the lawsuit filed by Miami attorney Richard C. Wolfe.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami names as defendants "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis, two of his companies and a man purportedly involved in creation of two Internet sites the lawsuit contends improperly use Dupre to sell DVDs and other products.
Francis, 35, has built a soft porn empire filming and marketing videos of young women exposing their breasts and being shown in other sexually provocative situations often at public events such as Mardi Gras or beach spring break locales.
Dupre, who lived in Beachwood, N.J., while growing up, got famous in March as the high-priced call girl named "Kristen" who was hired by Spitzer for at least one tryst at a posh Washington hotel. Spitzer, known as "Client 9" in court documents, resigned as New York governor a few days after the scandal broke.
Francis made a public $1 million offer for Dupre to appear in a "Girls Gone Wild" video and go on a promotional tour, then rescinded the offer after her archival footage from 2003 surfaced. Dupre's lawyer also warned she was only 17 when the video was shot, not 18 as Francis claimed.
Francis said in March that Dupre spent a week on a "Girls Gone Wild" bus and made seven full-length tapes after signing release papers. He also said he bought her a bus ticket home to North Carolina.
A spokesman for Francis had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Dupre is the victim of unfair trade practices, false advertising and unauthorized use of her likeness.
Francis is no stranger to legal problems in Florida. He spent a year in jail and was released in March after pleading no contest to charges of child abuse and prostitution charges for filming underage girls in the Panhandle beach town of Panama City. Four women who claim they were 17 or under when filmed have filed civil lawsuits there against Francis.
Francis also faces federal tax evasion charges in California. Prosecutors say companies controlled by Francis claimed more than $20 million in phony deductions in 2002 and 2003 and that Francis used offshore accounts to conceal income.
Bomb scare at Bon Jovi gig
Bon Jovi was forced to delay a concert in Florida on Saturday (April 26) by three hours because of a bomb scare.
Local police received a telephoned bomb threat shortly before the concert was due to begin at the BankAtlantic Centerin Sunrise.
According to authorities, the caller claimed that two bombs would go off during the band’s show.
The building was immediately evacuated to allow police sniffer dogs to search the venue for signs of anything suspicious.
Concertgoers were eventually allowed back in to the venue shortly before 9pm after police had given the all-clear.

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