Posted on 07/26/2002 10:32:06 AM PDT by NYer
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ A producer has sued Ozzy Osbourne and the rock musician's wife, claiming the couple stole the idea for their hit MTV reality series ``The Osbournes'' from him.
Plaintiff Gary Binkow said he met on several occasions with the couple and executives from Miramax TV between 1999 and 2000 to discuss ``a real-life docu-sitcom'' about their family, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The court papers include what Binkow said was a copy of his original treatment of the proposed series from January 2000, registered with the Writers Guild of America, The Hollywood Reporter reported Friday. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and fraud.
Lisa Vega, a spokeswoman for the family, said previously published reports have made it clear that Binkow was not the show's creator. MTV was not named in the lawsuit. Binkow is executive producer of ``Neverland,'' a movie starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet that's being shot in London.
A second season of the popular show is set to begin shooting in a few weeks, with Sharon Osbourne beginning chemotherapy for cancer that she recently learned had spread beyond her colon. The show also stars two of their three children _ 17-year-old daughter Kelly and 16-year-old son Jack.
AP-ES-07-26-02 1219EDT
I pitched this idea for a reality-based sitcom starring the Osbourne family to Gary Binkow in an email message in January 1999!
That means I get AT LEAST 50% of whatever settlement he gets!
You shoulda registered the email with the WGA!
Ozzy sued for 'cheating on royalties'
by Richard Allen
Millionaire rock star Ozzy Osbourne has been accused of removing musicians from two of his albums to avoid paying them royalties.
The former singer with Black Sabbath has rereleased his first two solo albums to cash in on his resurgent popularity generated by the MTV documentary series about his family The Osbournes.
But Osbourne, who is reputed to be worth more than £30 million, has used sophisticated studio techniques to remove the contributions from his two band mates, replacing them with unknown session musicians. Bass player Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake helped write and perform on Blizzard of Oz and the Diary of a Madman in the Eighties.
They have launched a legal action, claiming damages for lost royalties stretching back 20 years.
Daisley told the Daily Express: "They sound awful. They are nothing like the originals. It is an insult to us but more importantly to the fans. It is not just the rereleases. We have been missing credits from albums for years. It is an example of staggering greed not to pay us what we are owed."
Meanwhile, Hollywood film producer Gary Binkow is also suing Osbourne and his wife Sharon for allegedly stealing his idea for The Osbournes TV show.
Mr Binkow claims he originally had the idea in 1998 but, after meeting the family and pitching the idea to studios, Osbourne and Sharon went behind his back and signed a deal with MTV.
Mr Binkow, currently in London filming the Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet movie Neverland, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking unspecified damages.
The lawsuit states: "The basic premise was to focus on Ozzy's true-life story as an ageing rock star who comes off the road after 30 years and has to figure out how to be a dad."
Binkow claims he first contacted Ozzy and Sharon about the proposed show, Ozzy and Harried, in January 1999 - and they "expressed interest" in the idea.
Mr Binkow then allegedly arranged a meeting between Osbourne and the president of Miramax Television, where he agreed for a "pilot presentation" to be written but it was never made. None of Osbourne's representatives was available for comment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.