Double trouble: Olsen twins slapped with lawsuit
A former intern has sued Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s licensing and manufacturing company, saying she worked 50 hours a week but wasn’t paid. Shahista Lalani filed a class-action lawsuit against Dualstar Entertainment Group in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court. Lalani says she worked from May to September 2012. The New York Daily News reported that the lawsuit claims interns were misclassified as exempt from minimum-wage requirements. Lalani says her responsibilities included inputting data into spreadsheets, doing errands for paid employees, cutting patterns, photocopying and sewing.
HIGH ROLLERS
Ben Affleck did not speak to reporters Monday on the red carpet for his HBO series Project Greenlight, but his longtime friend and co-executive producer on the show, Matt Damon, said Affleck was doing “great.” Really? On Tuesday, The New York Post published a photo that Affleck can’t be happy about. It’s of Christine Ouzounian, the former nanny employed by the Oscar winner and his estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, on a private jet. On Ouzounian’s fingers: Tom Brady’s Super Bowl rings. The Post reported that the 28-year-old woman had been in the Bahamas with Affleck, Garner and their three kids but flew back on June 27 with the Batman vs. Superman star to attend a charity poker match in Vegas. Brady happened to be along for the ride, apparently. Three days later, Garner and Affleck announced they were splitting.
THE BRIGHT SIDE
Veteran British actor John Hurt has said that his cancer treatment is going “terrifically well.” The 75-year-old said in June that he had been diagnosed with early stage pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. In an interview with the Radio Times, Hurt said: “I can’t say I worry about mortality, but it’s impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it.”
BREAK TIME
Aretha Franklin canceled her Friday night show in Las Vegas because of exhaustion. The 73-year-old singer said in a statement Tuesday that she has to reschedule the show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace after driving her bus from Detroit to the West Coast for concerts.
SIDELINED AGAIN
Celebrity chef Sandra Lee is dealing with more hurdles in her recovery from her double mastectomy in May. The 49-year-old Food Network star said in a Facebook post that she was headed into surgery Tuesday to treat an infection.
SOUND OF SILENCE
Meghan Trainor is canceling the rest of her North American tour because of a vocal cord hemorrhage, and she plans to get an operation. The singer wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that she also has bronchitis and she’s “been coughing a lot and that pushed it over the edge.” She wrote to fans: “I am devastated, scared, and so sorry.”
LET’S GET POLITICAL
Former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert announced her candidacy for a Michigan congressional seat, saying “fresh voices” are needed to help improve the economy. The 51-year-old Democrat, who moved to the state two years ago after marrying actor Timothy Busfield, will run for the 8th District, which stretches from the northern Detroit suburbs to the state capital of Lansing and has been in GOP hands for 15 years.
YOU’RE HIRED?
Amal Clooney is being considered to take over for Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice, according to gossip website Kpopstarz.com. But one hurdle for Mrs. George Clooney is that she is looking to get pregnant and the show may interfere with those plans. Insiders tell the site that others being considered are Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg and actress turned businesswoman Jessica Alba.
COUPLE ALERT
Former Pussycat Dolls member turned X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger has moved on from Lewis Hamilton. Her new squeeze is redheaded crooner Ed Sheeran, according to UK’s Telegraph. Scherzinger was most recently seen with Ed in London backstage at his Wembley Stadium concert.
This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Double trouble: Olsen twins slapped with lawsuit."