Last Word: Bobby Brown Chased By Terrorists, a Bionic Isaiah Washington, and Michael Jackson Back In Court!

What’s happenin’ folks? It’s been a good week, to say the least. If it

wasn’t, then just be thankful you’re not facing legal trouble like

Michael Vick or Remy Ma. Shout out to Lindsay Lohan

for making it out of rehab, Dave Chappelle, and Kelly Rowland for

overcoming their bouts of exhaustion and dehydration, and my sounding

boards for comments on and off the record.But anyway, onto more lively discussion…the Last Word for the week ending July 20, 2007.1. King of Pop Ordered to Pay Royal Legal Fees In

this week’s episode of What the Hell Has Michael Done This Time?, the

King of Pop makes yet another royal courtroom statement. This time to

the tune of more than $256,000 in legal fees the singer has to pay. The

Associated Press reports that Torrance, California-based law firm Ayscough

& Marar was awarded $216,837 along with $39,177 in interest on

Friday (July 13) for handling some side issues during Jackson’s child

molestation trial in 2005. The firm sued the pop icon for

failing to pay legal fees for preventing the release of some

information to the public, and to lawyers in civil cases during his 2005

criminal trial in Santa Barbara County, California. Although Jackson, who

was acquitted of the child molestation charges, counter-sued Ayscough

& Marar, his case was dismissed. Wouldn’t it have been

simpler to just let the side issues come out? I know it may have been

something major, but is it worth more than $256,000 to protect? I’m on

a budget, so every cent counts for me. And we all know that Michael

can’t afford to shell more money out for legal troubles. I’m just

saying. 2. Isaiah Washington Has “Bionic” Tendencies Isaiah

Washington may have taken the malpractice route from ABC’s#### medical

drama Grey’s Anatomy after issuing an anti-gay slur, but the actor is

coming back better… faster… stronger on rival NBC’s modern day

remake of the popular ’70s show Bionic Woman. Washington, who

has signed on to appear in five of the first six episodes of the

series, will play “a mysterious person who is brought into the

enigmatic scientific organization,” responsible for creating bionic

Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan), according to NBC. “The bottom

line is he’s a wonderful actor, and we think inside Bionic Woman, the

character they’ve created for him is really strong and one he’ll do a

great job with,” said recently appointed NBC Entertainment and

Universal Media Studios co-chairman Ben Silverman, who believes

Washington’s talent will overshadow his recent troubles. “That’s what I

think people will respond to, and we’re excited to see it come to

fruition.” As if a role on a potential hit series isn’t enough, Washington is also developing an “action-series” project based on an

idea of his with NBC and its studio, the AP reports.I guess the

second time is the charm. Let’s hope that there’s a no-speaking in

public clause in his contract. After all, silence is golden.3. Star Jones Speaks on Weight Loss, Extends Invitation to Rosie Whether

its speculation on her weight or her husband’s sexuality, Star Jones

Reynolds continues to be a water cooler topic among people. And while

she’s come to Al’s defense on the latter, she’s tight-lipped about how

the pounds have come off her now slim frame. So which is it? Gastric bypass surgery, drugs, or old fashioned exercise and dieting?Well,

we can all breathe a little easier now because the former View co-host

is coming clean about her weight in a new story for Glamour magazine. “I

wrote an article because I really wanted to go as in-depth as possible

about the way I’ve changed physically over the last 10 years on the

air,” Reynolds told the AP recently while promoting her new Court TV

talk show. “And I thought that that would be the most effective way to

answer everybody’s questions.” Reynolds’ article, “Getting Over

Myself,” will be featured in Glamour’s September issue, which is slated

to hit newsstands on Aug. 7, according to a representative for the

magazine. Although she enjoys her new frame, Reynolds may opt

to put a few pounds on if she gets her fellow former View co-host Rosie

O’Donnell on her new show. O’Donnell hasn’t exactly been silent about

her criticism of Reynolds, who has avoided questions about whether she

lost weight through gastric bypass surgery. “I don’t have any

reason to not want to sit down and chat with her,” Reynolds said.

“She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s in your face — that’s the kind of

guest you want on the show.”I don’t know about you, but I

predict a major grudge match between these two, complete with steel

chairs and interference from Barbara Walters and Elizabeth Hasselbeck.

If I had to pick, I’d have to go with Rosie.Any takers? What do you think?4. Bobby Brown Makes Osama’s Most Wanted ListAl-Qaeda

has done a lot of things in the last few years to make people proceed

with caution, but if you believe Sudanese writer Kola Boof, the

terrorist group may have a personal beef with Bobby Brown.EURweb.com

reports that the singer is expressing concern over being targeted for

termination by Osama bin Laden. Brown, who is set to kick off a tour

of Australia this week with the first in a series of shows in Melbourne

on Thursday (July 19), is afraid the al-Qaeda leader will find him Down

Under.All of this, according to Boof, stems from bin

Laden’s crush on Brown’s ex-wife Whitney Houston. The writer, who

claims to be one of the al-Qaeda leader’s mistresses, also revealed

that bin Laden told her he wanted Brown dead because he was married to

Houston as they were talking one night.Whether Brown

is really at the top of bin Laden’s most wanted list remains to be

seen. In the meantime, the crooner/reality TV star is putting the

situation in God’s hands.”Come on, if anybody is threatened by

al-Qaeda they’d take it seriously,” Brown told an Australian radio

show. “I figure if bin Laden wants me, and everybody is looking for

him, it probably won’t happen. But if he wants to try and find me for

something so stupid, he can do what he wants. I have to leave it in the

hands of my higher power.”The jury’s still out on this one.

Don’t be surprised if a video surfaces of Bobby singing “My

Prerogative” and his other hits to bin Laden during a private show at

an undisclosed location. Bobby may want to get a good pair of dancing shoes, because when the music stops…well, let’s just leave it at that. 5. Usher Takes Action Against Fan SiteAlthough

I’m not a certified scholar, I do know that if you’re a fan of a

celebrity, the last thing you want to do is tick off the star you’re into. So it seems confusing that the editor of Usher’s fan site,

Usherforever.com, is throwing up negative remarks about the

Grammy-winner’s fiance Tameka Foster. The New York Daily News reports

that Usher is so upset with the site that he’s trying to shut it down.Erika

Johnson, the site’s editor, has made no secret about her less than warm

feelings toward Foster. The future Mrs. Raymond has drawn the ire of

many Usher fans that feel that she played a role in Usher’s decision to

fire his mother as his manager. Johnson’s views have not gone unnoticed,

as a source told the Daily News that Usher’s lawyers have sent her papers.This

is a new one for me. Whatever happened to the days when fan sites oozed

feel-good comments about how cool their favorite celebrity was? After