Andrew Lloyd Webber slams ‘Katdashians’ musical
London, June 29 (IANS) English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has lashed out at the “Katdashians” off-Broadway musical for using songs from his show “Cats”.
The 68-year-old composer has sent a legal letter to the creators of the show, claiming the makers have been using “no less than six songs from ‘Cats'” in its parody of the Kardashians family, reports pagesix.com.
Insisting that the “continued wilful infringement on our client’s rights” would result in a claim for damages, Lloyd Webber’s legal team said in their letter: “It is clear that the production is not a parody of ‘Cats’… Our client’s property is being extensively misappropriated… To parody another subject matter entirely.”
Co-creator Tobly McSmith — whose show has been described as “the story of a clan of internet famous cats torn apart by Fame, Family, and Friskies” — said: “We were pretty shocked. We are fans of Webber and his work… We thought he’d enjoy the parodies we did of his songs, but apparently he did not.”
McSmith’s lawyer Robert Hantman added: “While we disagree with (Webber’s) position, it would be foolish to burden the court, but we are inviting all judges to see the show for free and decide on their own”.
The songs have now been removed from the production and replaced with original tunes.
A representative for Webber’s Really Useful Group said: “We are pleased that the producers of the ‘Katdashians’ are cooperating in removing copyrighted material from their show”.
Mark Salling’s child pornography case delayed
Los Angeles, June 29 (IANS) Actor Mark Salling’s child pornography trial has been delayed after he asked the judge to grant him extra time in order to find new legal representation.
The former “Glee” actor asked the judge to grant him extra time in order to find new legal representation. So, the original trial date of June 12 has been postponed, reports people.com.
No new date has been set but a status conference, a hearing in which trial dates are set, is scheduled for September 19, according to a spokesperson for the United States District Attorney’s Office.
Earlier this month, Salling, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of child pornography, denied the allegations made against him.
The court has instructed Salling to wear a device so he can be located at any time, his passport has been surrendered and any devices that can connect to the internet have to be approved by the authorities.