Mark Burnett, the man behind such hit reality shows as "The Apprentice," "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and "Survivor," is being sued by writer/director Sharlene Sullivan. Burnett is accused of stealing the idea behind "Rock Star: INXS" and last year's "Rock Star: Supernova" from Sullivan.
According to the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Sullivan contends she dreamed up the idea of the rock star reality show in 2002. She envisioned a show "wherein lead vocalists for rock bands would compete and would be judged by well-known musicians/rock stars." In the complaint, Sullivan says her initial treatment for the show, which she dubbed "Rock Star," was registered with the Writers Guild of America in 2003. The treatment outlined the story arc of the show, which would have involved the contestants living together, auditions in front of judges, as well as the weekly eliminations common to almost all reality shows on television, until only one rock star winner was left. Sullivan says she met with director Michael Simon, whose credits include filming music videos for INXS, then directing "Jimy Kimmel Live." Simon, according to Sullivan, introduced her around town as his "producing partner." According to the suit, Simon soon stopped communicating with Sullivan, except to "encourage her to abandon the project." Simon went on to work with Mark Burnett on the eighth season of "Survivor," and "The Contender." The following summer, "Rock Star: INXS," co-executive produced by Burnett and Simon, premiered on CBS. According to her lawyer, when Sullivan saw that her show, with the exact same name, was being aired, she was appalled. Sullivan is suing for more than $2 million in damages for the use of her ideas without attribution or compensation. According to Sullivan's attorney - Steven T. Lowe - two connections link Sullivan to "Rock Star," - Michael Simon and Simon's agent. "It wasn't like she made a direct pitch to Mr. Burnett," the lawyer said. "But she had a treatment, and it's pretty much the whole show." The lawyer says Sullivan acknowledges she is completely unknown, saying that his client has so far done mainly "small stuff and hasn't gotten her big break yet." When asked why it took her so long to file suit, Lowe said Sullivan's father has been ill and that she had initially gone to another lawyer, who had passed on taking her case. Sources: www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp imdb.com/name/nm0122407/ www.postchronicle.com/news/entertainment/tittletattle/article_21268193.shtml
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About Jrli
She is a very passionate writer currently try to get into Jittery Monks, Lets see how it goes. |