New York City Councilman Peter Vallone wants ABC to pull its new show "GCB" off the air ... STAT -- and to expedite the process, he's demanding "people of all faiths" boycott it ... on grounds it's an attack on religion.
Vallone tells TMZ, “The title of the show alone is yet another outrageous attack on the Christian faith. Charlie Sheen will be back on ‘Two and a Half Men’ before we see a similar title targeting another religion."
The show was originally named after the book entitled "Good Christian Bitches" -- but ABC changed the name to stand for "Good Christian Belles" in response to criticism.
As for the name change -- Vallone tells us, “No one is fooled by that ridiculous claim. The original intent is clear, and changing the title of a show in your head doesn’t count."
We've reached out to ABC for comment ... so far, no response.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
NY Councilman Peter Vallone -- BOYCOTT New TV Show 'GCB' | TMZ.com
Friday, March 30, 2012
TMZ's St. Paddy's Day Picture Contest -- Final 5! | TMZ.com
The festive photos have been narrowed down to five in our St. Paddy's Day photo contest -- and now the winner's blarney fate is in your hands!
Which of these paddy pics should score the $250 prize and some super secret mystery gifts compliments of TMZ!?!?
**CLICK HERE for contest rules and regulations!**
Bart Simpson Actress Sued Over Fiance's Debt | TMZ.com
Nancy Cartwright -- the voice of Bart Simpson -- is a defendant in a lawsuit involving her fiance's suicide, a failed construction project, and the Church of Scientology ... this according to documents obtained by TMZ.
In the suit, the American Safety Casualty Insurance Company claims a construction company run by Stephen Brackett -- Nancy's fiance at the time -- was hired to fix up a restaurant in 2008. ASCIC issued an insurance policy to Brackett to cover the work ... and Nancy agreed to cover ASCIC's costs if anything went wrong.
ASCIC claims Brackett only did a portion of the work and "diverted contract funds" to the Church of Scientology, in which both he and Nancy were members. ASCIC says that when the project was halfway done, Brackett committed suicide and his company folded.
ASCIC claims it had to fork over roughly $260,000 to complete the project ... and that Nancy is refusing to cover the expenses, as promised.
ASCIC is suing her for the 260k plus a whole lot more.
Suri Cruise -- The Ice Cream Life Lesson | TMZ.com
Suri Cruise suffered every kid's nightmare -- an ice cream cone disaster! So, does she get a new scoop ... or one of those boring life lessons kids never really listen to anyway?
Check out TMZ on TV -- click here to see your local listings!
Hines Ward -- Punished in DUI Case | TMZ.com
Hines Ward better stay out of trouble for the next 12 months ... 'cause the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has been sentenced to a year of probation stemming from his 2011 DUI arrest.
TMZ broke the story ... Ward was arrested for DUI in DeKalb County, Georgia on July 9 ... after cops say he was driving his Aston Martin like a drunken maniac ... weaving in and out of his lane and hitting a curb.
Now, Ward has struck a plea deal with prosecutors ... in which he pled guilty to reckless driving and no contest to failure to stay in his lane (below) ... and in exchange, the DUI charge was dropped.
Ward was sentenced to 12 months probation, 80 hours of community service and ordered to submit to an alcohol evaluation and any treatment suggested by the evaluators.
He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and court costs.
Kim Kardashian Divorce Turns Ugly -- Reality TV On Trial | TMZ.com
The Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries divorce has become a bitter fight, and we've learned Kris' lawyer intends to put reality TV on trial ... but that could blow up in his face.
Sources tell us ... Kris and his lawyer, Lee Hutton, want to "expose the M.O. of reality TV" by proving Kim had no intention of staying married to him, but just wanted big ratings for her reality show.
Now here's the irony. The duo wants to prove their point by asking the judge to allow TMZ and TV stations to broadcast the trial -- something that the judge might find a tad hypocritical ... not that we're complaining.
TMZ broke the story ... Kim filed for divorce on grounds of "irreconcilable differences." Kris has countered that he wants the marriage annulled based on fraud.
Kris has a couple of problems with the fraud claim. First of all, he's the one who proposed. Second, the publicity has made him famous and marketable and he'll make millions more than he would have otherwise.
And another big point in Kim's favor ... We've learned the prenup is extremely long and complicated ... accounting for what would happen years into the future. Why would she go through the time and trouble of having a long prenup if she planned on pulling the plug on the marriage within a few months?
Tito Ortiz -- I Smashed Up My Rolls Royce Phantom | TMZ.com
UFC fighter Tito Ortiz -- and his super-expensive Rolls Royce Phantom -- were involved in a 3-car collision in Costa Mesa, CA this weekend ... and while no one was hurt, Tito says he cried anyway.
It all went down near a Denny's restaurant Sunday afternoon. It's unclear who was at fault, but Tito was seen shaking hands with one of the people involved in the wreck moments after the collision.
A short time later, Tito tweeted about the crash -- and when asked if insurance would cover the damages, he replied, "Nope, it will come out of my pocket. Sucks."
He added, "I cried a little because it's my favorite car but it will be new in no time."