Lost Star Sued for Sexual Harassment

NBC musical dazzles critics... mostly

(NEWSER) - If you watched the Super Bowl, you just might have heard of Smash, NBC's new drama about the making of a Broadway musical. It premiered last night, and critics are (mostly) giving it a standing ovation:

• The buzz has gotten so intense that the conversation isn't even about whether it'll be good. "Good? Darling, it's great!" gushes Mary McNamara of the LA Times . The creators have "managed to capture the grand and sweeping gesture that is musical theater and inject it with the immediate intimacy of television," an impressive, unprecedented feat.

NBC gives Handler a lot of freedom: 'LAT'

(NEWSER) - If you were worrying that a Chelsea Handler sitcom on network TV would tame the bawdy comedian, you can stop. Tonight's NBC debut of Are You There, Chelsea? features bartender Chelsea, played by Laura Prepon, behind bars for drunk driving, where she prays (to vodka) and promises to change her life. No, not to quit drinking ... just to relocate within walking distance of the watering hole. The show also includes the sex term "lady wood," the Los Angeles Times notes. More»

Gloria Allred outlined Jodie Fisher's allegations in June 24, 2010, letter

(NEWSER) - There's no statute of limitations on juicy details, as evidenced by the amount of media attention a June 24, 2010, letter is getting. AllThingsD yesterday posted the letter, written by infamous celeb attorney Gloria Allred to Mark Hurd, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. He stepped down last year in the wake of a sex harassment probe, and Allred's letter outlines the claims against him, as made by her client, contract worker Jodie Fisher. AllThingsD deems it "full of drama as expected" ... and also full of "soap-operatic terms." Among the highlights, as alleged by Allred: More»

They're still angry over his criticism of them, airline

(NEWSER) - American Airlines flight attendants are so furious with Alec Baldwin they want his sitcom banned from their airplanes. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants has asked that 30 Rock be removed from all American Airlines flights in the wake of the very public squabble that erupted when he got booted off a plane, reports CNN . No word on whether American will honor the request, though the attendants say they will withdraw it if Baldwin apologizes. If his SNL appearance is any guide, that's doubtful. More»

9-year-old made comment to fellow student

(NEWSER) - A North Carolina school has suspended a 9-year-old boy for calling his teacher cute—and not even to her face, WSOC-TV reports. Chiquita Lockett says her boy Emanyea made the comment to a fellow student about a substitute teacher. "It's not like he went up to the woman and tried to grab her or touch her in a sexual way," she says. "So why would he be suspended for two days?” The school district won't go into it, but says Emanyea was suspended over "inappropriate behavior" and "inappropriate statements." More»