The Michael Jackson estate has won a major victory in court. The executors have triumphed over Howard Mann, the Canadian business man who published a book of photos with Katherine Jackson without the estate’s permission. Mann also purchased a boatload of souvenirs and Jackson family memorabilia from a warehouse owner in New Jersey. Among the items were tapes of music by Michael Jackson. Mann claimed ownership of the copyrights of those tapes even released a song from the collection. Now, with a summary judgment, the court has ruled against Mann. He’ll have to shut down his Jackson websites, especially the one selling the book of photos. Mann took a bath on that book, too. He has cartons and cartons of them somewhere. More to come…

also read this, when I first reported what was going on:

http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/11/07/tmz-jackson-secret-vault-back-off-their-new-song

Here’s a statement from Howard Weitzman:

A Federal Court Judge ruled today that Howard Mann cannot exploit intellectual property created by the late Michael Jackson, including trademarks, copyrights, name, likeness and image.

These assets are owned by the late singer’s Estate for the benefit of his children and mother. The Court found that Mann and his entities improperly claimed to own the assets, and intended in bad faith to profit from them using his various websites. Zia Modabber, one of the lawyers who represents the Estate in this matter states “The Court’s ruling makes clear that Howard Mann had no right to use Michael Jackson’s intellectual property for his own benefit.” The Court ruled that Mann and his entities in fact do not own any of Michael Jackson’s intellectual property and should be permanently enjoined from unlawfully using Michael Jackson’s intellectual property in the future.

Howard Weitzman, a lawyer for the Estate indicated that “The Court’s ruling means that a trial set for September 4, 2012 will involve how much in damages the Michael Jackson Estate is entitled to collect from Mann and his various entities.” The Executors of the Michael Jackson Estate are extremely pleased with the Court’s ruling which prevents Mann from continuing to unlawfully profit from Michael Jackson and his intellectual property.

The Daily Mail says Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are getting hitched this weekend in France. My sources say they’ve seen a big tent on the couple’s property at Chateau Miraval, and it’s bigger than just for 20 guests. Brad and Angelina are expecting a big crowd. They say it’s for Brad’s parents anniversary but that’s unlikely. Brad would have to invite all of his parents’ friends from Missouri; it’s not like they have 200 friends in the South of France. So why not? They have six kids, they might as well get married. And mid August is the best time for these things. How much will People magazine pay for the exclusive pictures? Millions and millions. So hold on. More to come…

Despite today’s completely wrongheaded New York Times review of “Into the Woods,” the Sondheim musical production by Shakespeare in the Park is organic, endearing, looney fun. I loved it. So did everyone else at last night’s grand premiere, and they weren’t relatives of the cast. I did run into Mort Zuckerman (on a date), Chris Sarandon and Joanna Gleason, John Patrick Shanley, Camryn Manheim,  “Venus in Fur” director Walter Bobbie, actors Jay O. Sanders and Marianne Plunkett, and lots of other interesting types. But the evening was about “Into the Woods,” the musical that followed “Sweeney Todd” on Broadway in the Sondheim canon. I was at opening night in 1987. (I was six at the time!) This version eclipsed that one. It’s a totally enjoyable hit.

Movie star Amy Adams, who was so good in the movie “Enchanted,” makes her New York-not Broadway debut as the Baker’s Wife opposite the remarkable Denis O’Hare as the Baker. They are wonderful. Adams sings like a bird and is fun on stage. She’s eminently watchable and gets the Baker’s Wife dilemma in the second act, when all the fairy tales go sour and the characters have to face life’s issues. Adams is ready to headline a Broadway musical. She told me: “It’s Stephen Sondheim and it’s hard.” We agreed: there are a lot of words in those songs.

Among the other great pleasures of “Into the Woods”: Donna Murphy as the Witch, the aforementioned Denis O’Hare, Jessie Mueller as Cinderella (gorgeous voice) and Chip Zien as the mysterious stranger. (He was in the original production 25 years ago, and is better than ever.) The set has a nice organic feel as it is outside, and you never notice the running time of over three hours. There is nothing better than listening to Donna Murphy. I could do it all day. Ivan Hernandez is a charming prince Charming. There’s also much to be said for Rachel Canning’s puppetry and the sinister Giant–made up of umbrellas and voiced by Glenn Close.

See “Into the Woods”–don’t miss it!

The truth is still out there. David Duchovny told our LEAH SYDNEY at the Hollywood premiere of his new movie “Goats’ that that he’s ready for another visit into the unknown with co-star Gillian Anderson. (And no, the two are not dating, despite tabloid reports. Duchovny, a well known dater, was spotted chatting  two different comely blondes at the premiere. He’s divorced now from Tea Leoni, so it’s okay.)

David Duchovny said:”When I come to LA I rent the house from (“X Files” Creator) Chris Carter, so we’re still very close.  He’s been talking about having a story that he wants to do. I know Gillian wants to do it, I want to do it, so we’re all on board.  I will do it till I can’t do it anymore.  I love the  characters, the people involved, I love the whole thing.  So it’s a big yes from me.”

What’s next for him? “A submarine cold war thriller called “Phantom,” with Ed Harris and William Fichtner.  I’ve seen three quarters of it and it’s really good. It’s based on a true story. I wasn’t a big fan of submarine movies, I didn’t really know them.  It was shot on a submarine, so that gives you a different kind of anxiety.”

Did he bond with Ed and Bill?

Duchovny joked:  “Yeah, in a submarine kind of way.”

Duchovny plans on directing a couple of indie films himself. He already has “The House of D” under his belt.  Of “Goats,” which has been roundly panned by critics, Duchovny is still a supporter.  “I love this movie,” he said.  “It’s a sweet, smart funny coming of age movie.  It’s a hard movie to get made in this day and age.  I hope this film catches fire, it deserves it.”

Also at the premiere were some of David’s “Californication” co-stars, Jason Beghe, Evan Handler, Marilyn Manson and Pamela Adlon, as well as managers Robert Semon, the wonderful Melanie Greene and Showtime’s Gary Garfinkel.  We also caught up with one of our favorites, actor Jason Schwartzman.  Jason is also an accomplished musician with his band “Coconut Records.” Jason, along with Woody Jackson, wrote the score for “Goats.”  He told us, “We did the whole soundtrack in two weeks.  I want to do more soundtracks.  I’m on the market!”

The Film Society of Lincoln Center just announced that their closing film will be the world premiere of “Flight” starring Denzel Washington. Bob Zemeckis directed an all star cast in this Paramount Pictures film that twists the Sully Sullenberger story into fiction. Denzel plays a pilot who safely lands a plane full of passengers during a crash. But then it turns out there are secrets and lies about the whole thing. John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood and Kelly Reilly co-star. “Flight,” written by John Gatins, will play the NYFF on October 14th. The film opens officially on November 2nd.

Jay Penske, owener of Mail.com and the websites Deadline.com and HollywoodLife.com, was arrested in Nantucket over night. Apparently he and his brother broke into a house at the Nantucket Yacht Club. Penske also allegedly urinated on some poor woman’s shoes. Deadline.com has pissed off a lot of people, and some might say, on some people, in the past. This is called taking it to the next level. Here’s the report from the local newspaper. Click their link, too, at http://www.ack.net/PenskeBreakIn080912.html. Thanks to Gawker.com for the heads up. The Penskes are innocent til proven otherwise.

From the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror:

By Jason Graziadei

I&M Senior Writer

(Aug. 9, 2012) Two sons of auto racing mogul Roger Penske were arrested early Thursday morning by island police for an alleged break-in at the Nantucket Yacht Club after two women claimed they had been assaulted in the club’s parking lot.

Jay Penske, 33, the CEO of the digital media company PMC who owns the IndyCar racing team Dragon Racing and the web site Deadline.com, along with his brother Mark Penske, 35, were arrested just before 2 a.m. Thursday on South Beach Street.
According to a police report, the incident was initially reported as an assault and battery when two women approached police on Broad Street, claiming they had been assaulted by two men, later identified as the Penske brothers, at the yacht club’s parking lot.

One of the women claimed the Penske brothers were urinating in the parking lot, and that when she confronted Jay Penske, he “turned and continued to urinate on her boots. He then proceeded to grab her arm and push her. (The woman) also states that Mark before he ran away pushed her and they both then ran to the house on Yacht Club property” the report states.

Police claimed they apprehended Jay Penske attempting to run away from the club, and that they found Mark Penske at the employee apartment after he had fallen down the staircase, suffering several cuts on this right arm.

“There were three people living in the apartment and only two saw the suspects enter the house and they got startled when they were confronted,” according to the report. The Penskes are not members at the Nantucket Yacht Club, according to staff at the club.

The women later told police they did not wish to press assault and battery charges, according to the report, which was written by officer John Muhr, a 20-year veteran of the Nantucket Police Department.

The brothers spent the night in the Nantucket Police Department’s lockup facility, and were arraigned Thursday morning on charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a misdemeanor. Both were released on personal recognizance with pretrial hearings set for Aug. 20.

Their parents, Roger and Kathy Penske, own a waterfront home on Nantucket in Pocomo.

The Penske brothers were not available for comment, according to a person who answered the phone at their parents’ home.

“Dallas” 2.0 ended its first season on TNT last night with a bunch of revelations. My favorite one is that Cliff Barnes, played so well by Ken Kercheval since 1931, is now a super villain with a private plane. It turns out he sent his daughter in to marry his sister’s adopted son, Christopher, get pregnant and destroy the Ewing family. Hah!(I guess they’re first cousins, technically. A “Dallas” tradition of incest, since Lucy used to sleep with Uncle Ray Krebs.)

The old Cliff Barnes would never have been so smart. He was a wise guy jerk with a slight brain malfunction from a suicide attempt. But his sister Pam loved him. JR made inexcusable fun of Cliff, which made the show a hoot. The new “Dallas” is not a hoot. It’s told like a speeding train through a Dallas suped up to look like “Blade Runner.”

In this edition, former drunk Sue Ellen Ewing is now running for governor of Texas. I suppose it’s plausible since that’s not a job with high qualifications. Anyway, Larry Hagman–suffering from cancer–looked unwell in this final episode, very gaunt and much older than 80. I hope he’s all right. Patrick Duffy soldiers on. The younger cast members have improved slightly from the first episode.

But really, it’s all about Cliff. Now his daughter (presumably with old flame Afton, played by the incredibly bad actress Audrey Landers– can’t wait to see her next season) is pregnant with Christopher Ewing’s twins. Cliff, who used to live in a tacky condo and treated his girlfriends like garbage, is now some kind of evil genius. He’s like Lex Luthor. I almost fell off the couch. And no one in the Ewings ever guessed that Rebecca was Cliff’s daughter. Rebecca was his mother’s name. She’s named for her grandmother. And, essentially, Christopher’s.

Anyway, they all come back in January for more mishegos. It’s not the real “Dallas” and Cynthia Cidre would do well to develop a sense of humor. Where’s the new cartel? We need Marilee Stone. (There was a mention of the McKay brothers last night- who are they? Maybe next season. McKay senior- George Kennedy– was JR’s enemy.) But it is what it is.