CBS Presses Forward With The Glass House Lawsuit

AP – Los Angeles

CBS still wants to evict “The Glass House” from the airwaves.

The network moved ahead with its lawsuit against ABC this week by amending its filing that alleges ABC copied elements of “Big Brother” for its new reality TV competition series “The Glass House.”

CBS attorneys added several more objections to the show now that ABC has aired several episodes, arguing that “’Glass House’ employs the same plot, themes, mood, setting, pace, characters, dialogue, sequence of events and other concrete elements making up ‘Big Brother.’”

CBS originally sought to stop “Glass House” from premiering in June, but a federal judge refused. U.S. District Judge Gary Feess agreed with ABC attorneys who argued that many of the filming techniques employed on “Glass House” are not unique to “Big Brother” and are used in other reality TV shows.

Both shows employ dozens of cameras to monitor a houseful of contestants vying for a cash prize, but Feess ruled the shows are likely to play out very differently.

Among the similarities that CBS added to its lawsuit this week were that both shows feature an “obligatory older” and “openly gay” player, “showmances” as a plot element and “generally comfortable, cloistered house” environments.

CBS says “Glass House” violates copyrights and trade secrets from “Big Brother” and alleges that dozens of former “Big Brother” staffers and producers now working with ABC on “Glass House” may have violated non-disclosure agreements.

The seventh episode of “Glass House” aired Monday on ABC.

The 14th season of “Big Brother” is currently airing three nights a week on CBS.

A spokesman for ABC said the network has no comment about the updated lawsuit.

ABC lawyers previously said “Glass House” is different because many of the contestants’ decisions, and who remains in the house, are made by audience votes. Only the first season of “Big Brother” allowed viewers to choose which houseguest was evicted.

What do you think? Are you surprised CBS is pressing forward? Should they drop it?

Big Brother: Last Yak Standing ~ Week 3

“Welcome to the nomination ceremony!” Leo said as he sat they key block on the table. “I didn’t expect to be Head of Household this week, but I am definitely grateful to be here. I’ve loved getting to know everyone over the past couple of weeks. You’ve all been so kind and friendly. Of course, that makes it quite difficult to nominate any of you for eviction. However, it is my responsibility as HOH to do just that. So, here we go…”

Kel
Jarrod
Paulette
Al
Kali
Robbie
Alex
Myst

“I have nominated KC and Justin for eviction. Neither of you really talked to me at all until I became HOH. While I did appreciate our chats today, I wish you would have tried to get to know me as Leo the person instead of Leo the Head of Household. You both have a chance at veto, and I wish you good luck! This nominations ceremony is adjourned.”

Next Up: Who will be chosen for Veto?

Big Brother’s Dr. Will Takes on This Season’s Coaches

On tonight’s LIVE show, Big Brother fans will get a chance to see and hear what Chilltown founder & Big Brother 2 winner Dr. Will Kirby thinks about this season’s houseguests and coaches. Will was a member of Chilltown with coach Mike “Boogie” Malin, who won Big Brother All-Stars, and played this game with Janelle during All-Stars. Check out the preview clip below as Will takes on Dan’s coaching strategy and be sure to catch the LIVE show tonight as he’s sure to tackle the other 3 coaches. Don’t miss all of our Big Brother 14 talk in our FORUMS including show discussion, games and more!


Yak Roundup: Country Star to Idol?, Modern Family Lawsuit, Cee Lo’s Adviser & More

Lots going on in the world of TV and entertainment today. In case you’ve missed some of the day’s biggest entertainment headlines, we figured we’d catch ya up to speed.

American Idol Courting Country Star Brad Paisley

| Well, it looks like Fox’s reality competition isn’t far from competing that much more with NBC’s The Voice, as the grand-daddy of singing competitions is looking to bring on a massive country star. With The Voice seeing success with Blake Shelton (in fact, his contestant won last season), Idol might want to dip into the country judge pool. Plus, when one of your most successful winners is a country star (Carrie Underwood), it might not hurt to keep that success rolling. Brad Paisley is reported to be highly considered by the powers that be. Now that Mariah Carey has been signed on and Randy Jackson is expected to be back, they do need a third star to fill the seats. Rumor has it that Idol is also looking to add a fourth judge, but there is not much available on that. Paisley does have a strong relationship with Season 4 winner Underwood, who was recently given a stamp of approval by Idol alum Kelly Clarkson.

He’s Movin’ On Up

| The man who brought George Jefferson to life is movin’ on up and relocating to a more peaceful place. Sherman Hemsley passes away Tuesday at his home in El Paso Texas. Hemsley was best known as George Jefferson, Archie Bunker’s neighbor in All in the Family, but his career spanned more than 38 iconic years. His role lead to The Jeffersons spin-off and many more successes. The world of television and entertainment will miss Hemsley and we wish his family and friends peace through this difficult time.

A Modern Family Dispute

| Earlier today, ABC’s hit sitcom, Modern Family, was slated to kick off Season 4 production with its first table read. Well, those plans were sidetracked at the last minute as contract talks kept the cast from showing up. Multiple members are renegotiating their contract details with the studio and those talks are not going smoothly. Following the footsteps of Friends, the cast, save Ed O’Neill, have joined forces in achieving a desired salary increase and filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court to void their contracts. This Emmy-nominated sitcom’s production schedule has now been kicked to the curb…temporarily.

Cee Lo’s Pussy Cat Replacement?

| Well, The Voice is getting a new “mascot” this year, if you will, but we are more concerned with the news that Cee Lo Green’s adviser for the season has been revealed. Matchbox 20’s frontman, Rob Thomas, has been filming his segments with Cee Lo in The Voice studio’s as the contestants are narrowed down and pit against each other in the battle rounds. Speaking of the battle rounds, Carson Daly recently hinted at changes in a recent interview that fans might appreciate after feeling a prolonged round in season 2. We previously reported that Michael Buble and Mary J Blige have signed on to help advise Blake and Adam, respectively. No word yet on Christina.

NBC Previews Fall Fare Early

| Per an NBC press release, NBC again will offer full-episode, pre-sampling versions of its new fall series prior to the network time-period premieres as each new primetime program. As NBC takes advantage of the Summer Olympics springboard to provide a full-episode and commercial-free network preview of the new comedies “Go On” (August 8) and “Animal Practice” (August 12), the online preview for those shows will be available over a wide spectrum for viewing immediately following their initial broadcasts beginning August 9 and 13, respectively. In addition, NBC will further maximize its Olympics platform by unveiling a special six-minute tease of the new fall drama “Revolution” on Saturday, August 4 at approximately 10:54 p.m. (ET) following the swimming competition that is expected to feature U.S. gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. Platforms where these shows will be available include: on demand and online through cable, satellite and telco providers; NBC.com; NBC Owned and affiliate station websites (should they choose to opt in); Hulu (including Hulu’s online distribution partners); iTunes, Amazon and Xbox. Select shows will be available on the Hulu Plus subscription service as well. Also be sure to stand by tomorrow for our first Fall preview of the season – featuring NBC’s fall fare, in anticipation for these early peeks.

The Olympics Get Digital and Social

| For the first time ever, NBC Olympics.com will live stream every athletic event and sport. In all, the site will stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals, and the four NBCU cable channels that are airing the Olympics (NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo). The site will also feature the debut of the Gold Zone, an exclusive video channel offering viewers whip-around coverage of the Games’ most compelling live events. In addition, NBC Olympics has developed two new apps for the 2012 London Olympics. The NBC Olympics Live Extra app will live stream every athletic competition, each Olympic cable channel and provide multiple concurrent streams for select sports, such as gymnastics (each apparatus), track and field (each event), and tennis (up to five courts). The vast majority of content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers. The NBC Olympics app will be the home for everything else Olympics, including short-form highlights, event schedules, TV and online listings, results, athlete profiles, columns and the new Primetime Companion feature. NBC Olympics has also partnered with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Shazam to extend its coverage onto these popular social media platforms for the 2012 London Olympics. The social media partnerships allow the NBC Sports Group to communicate directly with fans of the Olympics and celebrate the Games with viewers in new and unique ways. For more details on each platforms special features, click here.

The Yak Chats With Big Brother 14’s Kara Monaco

After last night’s eviction from the Big Brother 14 house, Kara Monaco was able to answer a few questions from YakkityYaks forum members, readers and twitter followers. Please note that this interview was done differently than our chat with Jodi, if you will, and as a result only SOME questions we passed along to Kara were answered. Per protocol, not all of our questions were able to be asked/answered, but we appreciate all of your suggestions!

Take that as you will, Big Brother fans, but check out the few thoughts Kara had below. We have our suspicions as to what the reasons might be, but we’ll let you come up with a few on your own.

The Yak: What did you think about the coach twist? Which coach would you have picked if you could have chosen?

Kara: I thought it was cool. It was a good twist. It is something they haven’t done before and it made the game really interesting. Dan is the coach I wanted and would have chosen anyways.

The Yak: After giving it some thought, do you understand why Wil told you that he couldn’t give you his vote?

Kara: Yeah – I guess I understand and it is just a game but it still sucks.

The Yak: If you got a do-over, starting from scratch, how would you have played the game differently?

Kara: I don’t think I would have done anything different. The only thing you can be is yourself and I was. I played an honest game and that is all I could do.

The Yak: One of our members would like to know… if you could steal a smooch with any celebrity, who would it be?

Kara: I have a couple… Ryan Gosling or Alexander Skarsgard. They’re hot.

With that, we wished Kara the best of luck in her future endeavors and let her know some Yakksters were sad to see her go!

Big Brother’s Couch Potato Examines the Houseguests

Note: This feature will be submitted on a weekly basis by one of our Twitter followers! If you’d like to write for the Yak, just let us know and we’ll see what we can do! We’re open and very receptive to participation from all types of Yaks!

So, hello everyone. You’re probably wondering who I am, but I’m not gonna tell…anyone. What I am going to do is give you a unique view of Big Brother 14 (unique for all of you at least). What is that, you ask? It’s the perspective of someone who was formerly like you, a hardcore Big Brother online nerd net fan. I used to watch the feeds all the time, would scour the internet for any and all scoopage and spoilers and of course, read the Yak updates from my phone when I couldn’t get online. But not this year. You see, I’ve decided to sacrifice all of that and give the Yak a perspective it’s not used to…the perspective of a show only watcher. I will not be watching the feeds, I won’t be reading any spoilers. I’ll know house events only when it’s aired on TV and I’ll only know the goings on of the house from what they air.

As we all know, CBS edits the heck out of what it airs. It has to. There’s NO WAY they could air everything you all see on the feeds. In the past, however, that’s left a lot of good stuff out of the aired shows. People who watch JUST the show would have no clue on many things and that’s what I’m going to be this year. I’m giving it all up, and I do this for the Yak.

So, every week, once a week (maybe more if I feel like it) I’ll be sending in my thoughts on each show to one of the prestigious owners of this site. Only they know who I am. I’ve followed the Yak on Twitter for a long time, and one thing I respect the hell out of them for is that they are very limited on what they spoil directly on their Twitter TL. They tweet out that they have them and then give their followers the option to view them on their site. So, I contacted the Yak via DM the other day, asked them if they’d like this perspective and they agreed. So here we go. Keep in mind, when you read this again, that I ONLY know what is aired. I won’t be reading this either on the Yak’s site and unfortunately I won’t be trolling as much as I used to, to purposely avoid spoilers.

First, my thoughts on the newbies:

Frank is the long lost secret child of Richard Simmons and Carrot Top…and a pervert, grabbing the big bed so the last girl w/out a bed has to sleep with him. But, as evidenced by his performance in the first HOH competition, he’s physically fit. I wonder if he’s spastic all the time or if he chills out.

Danielle…cute accent…at first. Then when she talked more I was instantly reminded of Holly from BB5. However, I also liked her attitude in the HOH competition and her approach to Dan when she was facing the instant eviction.

Shane, the house flipper who can’t really say that if you don’t actually sell them. Plus, please get rid of that stupid shell necklace. I don’t know about him, he seems like he’d be someone puffing his chest out as he walked around, cocky as hell.

Jodi – Kalia junior? She wasn’t there long enough to form a true impression but I got the feeling she would have been a constant whiner and drama starter.

Ian – if Michelle from BB11 hadn’t lost her mind she could have found her soul-mate. He is totally adorable. I love his facial expressions and he seems like he could be a VERY smart player. He seems schooled in the game too. Big fan already.

Wil…wow….if I were watching the feeds he’d be interesting to see. He’s also a strong competitor though and since he’s on Janelle’s team, that’s fitting, they seem like they’d get along very well. I imagine him to either be, along with Ian, the house pet of sorts OR VERY annoying.

JoJo immediately bugs the you know what out of me with instant attitude. Dislike, “I always get my bed”. Bite me. I hated her attitude the entire time, she seemed very self-entitled and a total b*tch.

Willie, Russell Hantz’s brother, is interesting. No immunity idol hidden though. But I think he’s got a big hurdle as many instantly suspected him to be a relation to Russell. IF he can surpass that and not make too many waves as the first HOH, he could go far as he seems like a strong competitor as well.

Ah, the stock BB model, former groupie – Kara. That’s about it for her, she honestly didn’t make that much of an impression on me.

Joe the chef – spaz, total spaz. But if he plays it smart and bends to his skills as a chef without bringing a lot of attention to himself, he could go far. I didn’t get much of an impression on him yet either, though.

Jenn – tattoo rock chick – is someone who has to flaunt their uniqueness is dealing with insecurity issues. But I liked her gusto on the HOH competition too. As we all know though, (hi Lydia), her type always gets in the drama and I kinda got that vibe from her. That’s stereotyping though, too.

Spray tan chick, Ashley, headband, hippie dippie says love…seriously, the headband thing is so over. She comes across as annoying as hell. WAY too outgoing, WAY too exuberant. She’d wear me out the first day and I’d be waiting for BB to telling her to shut up. Ashley needs to be cut off from any sort of stimulating substance.

“Most memorable.” “The greats.” That’s how the four returning players were referred to by the Chenbot.

Dan – YES. He WAS a great player, one of the best. I can see this.
He’s going to be a great coach.

Janelle -YEAH! Most competition wins in a season, she’s a total competitor.

Britney – Don’t see how she’s a “great player” but acknowledged that she did get played, and that she didn’t see the big picture. Yes, you do have to prove you can play. But I like her attitude coming into it as well and she was very encouraging to her teammates. I think she has learned from her first time around.

Boogie – It will be interesting to see how he does without Will. Didn’t know he was a dad, that’s cool. But seems to have a grasp on it except saying he’s the best to ever play, which that title belongs to his CT mate, Will. I hope, HOPE, that he and Janelle pair up in some way honestly.

The twist was interesting too. Britney was smart to pick Willie as HOH and I hope he doesn’t let this power go to his head. Dan, I think, made the right choice in eliminating Jodi. The only thing I think she would have been strong at is MAYBE the social aspect. If Willie was smart, he’d nominate the two girls left on Dan’s team and the house has a consensus that even if one comes off the block, the other one is evicted; leaving Dan’s team with just one player on it. You all may already know what the plan is, I won’t know who is nominated until Sunday night. Until next time, enjoy the feeds for me!

Announcing the Big Brother: Last Yak Standing Houseguests!

Our first season of Big Brother here at the Yak is almost underway. After a tough application process, our auspicious Aussie (the Yak’s version of the Chenbot) has narrowed the field down to 14 strong contenders. Now, it’s time to announce the cast of our first annual Big Brother: Last Yak Standing!

The season will play our in our FORUMS, so you’re not going to want to miss it. Didn’t make BB: LYS? Don’t worry. You will still be able to have an impact on the game. Details of how Yakmerica’s Choice will come in to play will be soon made available. Until then, sit back, relax, watch the drama unfold, and meet your houseguests below! The game officially starts on July 9, so don’t go anywhere!

Oh … and be sure to eXpect the uneXpected. We’ve got a few surprises up our hooves this year.

We have 13 HG’s this season – They are…

Name – Al aka Aboe
Age – 19
Location – San Mateo, California
Profession – Journalist
Gender – Male
Orientation – straight

Name – Robbie aka Requiem
Age – 29
Location – Prince George
Profession – Manager of Transportation (CN Rail)
Gender – Male
Orientation – Gay

Name – Jarrod
Age – 33
Location – Orlando, FL
Profession – Supervisor at a Prop Studio
Gender – Male
Orientation – Gay

Name – Myst aka Mystcl
Age – 42
Location – Alabama
Profession – Secretary
Gender – Female
Orientation: Straight & Married

Name – Paulette aka PinkFreak
Age – 37
Location – Thurston, OR
Profession – Student
Gender – Female
Orientation – Straight

Name – Alex aka Alex336
Age – 26
Location – North Carolina
Profession – Retail management
Gender – Male
Orientation – Gay

Name – KC aka TheKdd
Age – 42
Location – Los Angeles
Profession – Reality Website Owner
Gender – Female
Orientation – Straight/Married

Name – Kali aka Obxkali
Age – 24
Location – Kill Devil Hills, NC
Profession – Sports Marketing
Gender – Female
Orientation – Straight

Name – Josh aka Leo
Age – 28
Location – North Carolina
Profession – Student
Gender – Male
Orientation – Gay

Name –Justin aka DXJustin
Age – 29
Location – Pittsburgh,PA
Occupation – Customer Relations Psychological Expert
Orientation – Straight
Gender – Male

Name- Kel
Age – 24
Location – Mississippi
Gender – Female
Orientation – Straight
Occupation – Assistant Teacher

Name – Josh
Age – 24
Occupation – CBS News Page
Orientation – Straight
Gender – Male

The Best Selling American Idol Single Is ….

On July 4, an American Idol alum made history since the show’s inception 11 seasons ago. Kelly Clarkson, the show’s inaugural winner, now holds the title of the alum with the best selling single. On the Fourth of July, Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” surpassed Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” as the best selling single from an Idol alum, according to Nielsen Sound Scan. “Stronger” has sold 3,510,000 singles as of today, while “Before He Cheats” has sold 3,509,000 copies since its release in 2006.

“Stronger” is also Clarkson’s longest #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Billboard, “Before He Cheats” peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and was on the chart for 64 weeks. Only five songs in the 54-year history of this survey have had longer runs. On Hot Country Songs, “Before He Cheats” was No. 1 for five weeks in November-December 2006. Before “Stronger” surpassed “Before He Cheats,” it had to first pass “No Air” by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown, which has now sold 3,437,000 copies to date.

Underwood, however, is still ahead in total domestic album sales. Proving Simon Cowell’s prediction back in Season 4, Underwood has sold 13,205,000 albums to date and Clarkson is close behind with 11,664,000. Any Idol fan might remember his bold prediction during Billboard week. Cowell said, “Not only will you win this show, you will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner.”

Billboard points out that if you count digital downloads of singles, Clarkson wins the race with 24,100,000 copies sold, while Underwood’s sales total 22,535,000 digital songs. If this proves anything, it only furthers the notion that these two beautiful and talented ladies are the competition’s most successful and possibly best alums. At least these two give credibility to winning the show and taking on the crown. There is room for both of these women in the industry and we predict that this isn’t the end of their successes!

Clarkson can be seen on ABC’s Duets, which airs Thursday night at 8/7c. She is also touring select cities this summer with The Fray. Underwood just returned to the US after taking her Blown Away hits to the UK and Australia. She’s gearing for her Blown Away tour which kicks off this fall!

Bristol Palin Sued … Again

Bristol Palin, the star of Lifetime’s Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp, is being sued again. And it’s not even by a different person. The show’s star and A&E (Lifetime’s parent company) are reportedly under fire in a new lawsuit filed June 28. Stephen Hanks, a talent manager, claims defamation and invasion of privacy and is seeking $75,000 against Palin and Lifetime.

Hanks first filed three weeks ago when Lifetime aired promos featuring him and Palin in a heated argument at a West Hollywood bar. Hanks alleges that the incident was filmed in September 2011 without his permission. He wanted Lifetime to stop airing the footage, citing defamation of character. This new suit comes about because Hanks has learned of “additional defendants.” He claims that because of Palin’s “deliberate, malicious and despicable” actions, he has “suffered harm to his profession and occupation and expended money as a result of the statements.”

The production company of Palin’s show, Associated Television International, is also under fire in a suit filed by Christopher and Kyle Massey, the latter of whom competed on Dancing with the Stars with Bristol. They claim that the producers of her Lifetime show have cut them out of the reality show altogether.

Honestly, I’m not sure why. The reason no one noticed the Masseys weren’t in the show wasn’t because of production cuts but rather because the show is airing to terrible ratings and has since been removed from Lifetime’s prime-time schedule.

Big Brother: Last Yak Stabled – Applications Open!

Do YOU have what it takes to be the last Yak stabled? YakkityYaks and member, Aussie, is proud to bring you our first ever virtual version of Big Brother! Whether you’re a Yak oldie, newbie, or a lurker, this game can be for you. All you need to do is register in our FORUMS (click here to register for FREE) and bring your A-game! As all Big Brother fanatics know, eXpect the uneXpected!

We are accepting applications until July 7, 2012. Casting will announce our first ever YaKast on July 8, 2012 and the game will kick off on July 9 … days before Big Brother 14 opens its doors. Do you have what it takes to be the last Yak stabled? CLICK HERE to fill out your application! Only registered forum members are eligible to play, as the game will take place in our online forums. But what’s holding you back? It’s fast, free, and easy!

The winning Yak will be granted a soon-to-be-named prize!

If you have any issues or concerns, feel free to send a private message to 19Wingz or TheKdd or use our “contact us” link on our front page. We will do our best to address any questions you might have.