'Hangover 2' tattoo lawsuit over Mike Tyson-style ink is settled

The "Hangover" tattoo copyright dispute has been settled out of federal court, with the studio and tattoo artist both saving a little face regarding the Mike Tyson-inspired ink that's plastered on the face of the character played by Ed Helms in "The Hangover Part 2."

Warner Bros. and tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill, who said he owned the copyright to Tyson's 2003 face-tat design, amicably resolved their dispute Monday, a studio spokesman said. He offered no further  details. Whitmill filed his federal lawsuit on April 28 in his current home state, Missouri.

The facial tattoo was cast in a key role in "The Hangover Part 2": Helms' character Stu, the dentist who lost a tooth in "The Hangover," wakes up freshly inked in a Bangkok bathtub in the sequel. The tatted Tyson appears in both films.

Whitmill's complaint alleging his art had been used without his permission failed to keep the film out of theaters, with a judge deciding two days before the May 26 opening date that the show could go on.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Left photo: Mike Tyson in real life. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Right photo: Ed Helms in a poster for "The Hangover Part 2." Credit: Warner Bros.

 

Justin Bieber debuts Jesus tattoo in Hawaii with Selena Gomez

Justin Bieber is making it clear that he isn't just that little tween boy who sang "Baby" anymore. And he has another tattoo and six Billboard Music Awards to prove it.

The Canadian-born pop star showed off his new ink while vacationing with lady love Selena Gomez in Hawaii. (He happened to be flaunting her shortly after a nationally televised kiss at the Billboard Music Awards.) The tat is a vertical Hebrew inscription reading "Yeshua," which means Jesus. The 17-year-old inconspicuously displayed the word down his left side, according to The Daily.

The proud Christian stopped in Israel on his My World tour in April, where he was photographed at biblical sites -- rumor has it that's where he got his new ink.

Interestingly, traditional Jews forgo tattooing because it goes against a Leviticus teaching that orders followers not to gash their flesh. So why the Hebrew? We're not sure, but we're guessing he might be following a trend: Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears all have similar indelible insignias in the ancient language too.

But the inscription is just the freshest of his inks: His first tattoo is that of a seagull from the Richard Bach novella "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." The avian outline is perched near his lower left pelvic bone and made its way there on his 16th birthday.

What do you think of the Biebs' tattoo -- too cool or too inappropriate?

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-- Nardine Saad
Twitter.com/NardineSaad

Photo: Justin Bieber performs in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 14, 2011. Credit: Ariel Schalit / Associated Press

Mike Tyson's face-tattoo artist sues over ink in 'The Hangover 2'

The artist behind Mike Tyson's famous facial tattoo sued Warner Bros. in federal court Thursday over the tattoo's design being replicated on Ed Helms' face in the upcoming film "The Hangover Part II."

Missouri artist  S. Victor Whitmill, who tattooed Tyson's face in Las Vegas in 2003, brought the suit in St. Louis court seeking to block Warner Bros. from using the tattoo in ads for the film, which is due out in late May. 

The suit alleges that Whitmill retained all the rights to the image, including the copyright, even though it was tattooed to the former boxer's face, the St. Louis Times reported. Whitmill currently works out of a studio in Waynesville, Mo.

In the R-rated film's trailer, Helms' character acquires the tattoo after a wild night of bachelor revelry with costars Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha and Zach Galifianakis. Helms' character, who famously loses teeth in the first film, has to deal with the stamp on his face before his wedding day.

"When Mr. Whitmill created the Original Tattoo, Mr. Tyson agreed that Mr. Whitmill would own the artwork and thus, the copyright in the Original Tattoo," the complaint said. "Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. -- without attempting to contact Mr. Whitmill, obtain his permission, or credit his creation -- has copied Mr. Whitmill's Original Tattoo and placed it on the face of another actor ... This unauthorized exploitation of the Original Tattoo constitutes copyright infringement."

The ads have been ubiquitous and the appearance of the tattoo is a pivotal tease to a second cameo for Tyson despite his absence in the trailer.

Warner Bros. declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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-- Nardine Saad
twitter.com / NardineSaad

Photo: Left, Mike Tyson. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press. Right, Ed Helms in the promotional poster for "The Hangover Part II." Credit: Warner Bros.

Demi Lovato opens up about eating disorders, cutting; tweets about heading back to studio

Demi Lovato opened up to Seventeen magazine about her "dark period" that included depression, eating disorders and cutting, ultimately landing her in rehabilitation last year at an Illinois facility.

"I basically had a nervous breakdown. I was really bad off. My parents and manager pulled me aside and said, 'You need to get some help.' It was an intervention. I wanted freedom from the inner demons. I wanted to start my life over," the 18-year-old Disney star told the magazine.

Lovato signed on as a contributing editor for the May issue to talk about her dangerous habits, which became "so intense that she blew up and punched one of her dancers on tour."

"If you are going through that dark period, go to your family and closest friends," she said. "Don't put yourself in danger. It's very crucial that you get your feelings out -- but don't ever inflict harm on your own body because your body is so sacred. I wish I could tell every young girl with an eating disorder, or who has harmed herself in any way, that she's worthy of life and that her life has meaning. You can overcome and get through anything."

The "Sonny With a Chance" star, who recently got "stay strong" tattoos as a thank-you for fan support,  admitted to cutting herself in order to deal with pressure to be "perfect." She was checked into a rehabilitation facility last November through January to be treated for "emotional and physical issues."

The Seventeen article mentions starving herself, binging and purging, and cutting.

"One of the reasons I was so unhappy for years was because I never embraced my emotions and I was trying to stay in control," she said. "In treatment, all of the negative things I did were stripped away and I had to start processing my feelings."

Lovato has teamed up with Seventeen to post articles twice a month on the magazine's website. She also joined the Jed Foundation for "Love Is Louder Than the Pressure to Be Perfect," a project that helps teen girls deal with the same issues as her. The organization works to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college students.

Though her reps had been tight-lipped about the details of her rehab, they vehemently denied that she was being treated for drug or alcohol abuse. Now the starlet is looking forward to telling her version of the story.

'The Hangover Part II' trailer: Ken Jeong invited to Ed Helms' bachelor party

"The Hangover Part II" trailer hit the interwebs this week, giving viewers a sampling of the plotline in the upcoming mysterio-comedy filmed largely in Thailand. The boys are back, which means trouble is not far behind.

The film's bachelor is Ed Helms' Stu, whose fiancee (Jamie Chung, not Heather Graham) asks him to take her little brother to enjoy the last-single-man-night festivities. And it's her brother who goes missing this time, not Doug (Justin Bartha), who is on hand for the mayhem along with Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ken Jeong (the infamous Mr. Chow of the first installment). Apparently, Jeong is Alan's (Galifianakis) plus-one in this adventure. A little monkey replaces the tiger and baby as the critter and cutie in the sequel.

For those concerned about the sequel living up to the original, you're not alone. Cooper is with you, and Helms says there won't be a three-quel.

Mike Tyson and Liam Neeson will also appear in the Todd Phillips film, which hits theaters May 26.

For full "Hangover" coverage, visit our sister movie blog 24 Frames.

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-- Nardine Saad
Twitter.com / NardineSaad 

Demi Lovato gets 'stay strong' tattoos 'in honor of fans and their support'

Newly rehabbed Demi Lovato has taken to her Cambio site to share two additions to her post-rehab life: tattoos honoring her fans that read, "stay" and "strong."

The "Sonny With a Chance" star emblazoned the messages on her left and right wrists "in honor of my fans and their support" while she was in an Illinois rehab facility.

"The journey that I went through and the support of my fans was so meaningful to me that I wanted to thank my fans in a way that I know can never be forgotten," she said in the video.

The Disney darling added a small heart-shaped tattoo to her right wrist because fans had been drawing and tattooing them on their own wrists when the star abruptly left the Jonas Brothers tour in South America to seek treatment last November for "emotional and physical issues" that made it necessary for her "to get her life in order."

Reps vehemently denied that the actress was being treated for substance-abuse problems.

"I wanted to show you guys that I will never forget the support you guys gave me, and I will look at it every day and remember you guys and be completely thankful for you," she said.

The 18-year-old checked out of the facility in January but just reappeared on Twitter on Tuesday after being on hiatus from the micro-blogging site since October.

"Guess who's baaaaaaaack...!!!!!!!" she tweeted and was welcomed publicly by Perez Hilton and Kim Kardashian.

Early Wednesday, she added the tweet, "Achievement comes to those who are willing to walk as far as it takes till you get to what few have."

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-- Nardine Saad
Twitter.com/NardineSaad

Kat Von D, Jesse James engaged to be married [poll]

Jesse James and Kat Von D are engaged to be married. We'll just let that sit there for a second until you stop coughing.

The "L.A. Ink" star, 28, and former "West Coast Choppers" dude, 41 -- you might also know Jesse James as the guy who cheated on Sandra Bullock repeatedly when they were married -- have been dating since last summer, and now she "said 'yes,' " James told People on Thursday.

If you were thinking last year was a rough one for James, what with all that scandal, humiliation and divorce -- well, silly mortal, you were wrong: "2010 was actually the best year of my life because I fell in love with my best friend," James told the magazine. "An amazing woman who stood behind me when the world turned their backs.

Bullock divorced James after the revelation of serial cheating with tattooed women he met primarily through his West Coast Choppers business and flirted with online, via Facebook and Twitter. The divorce was final at the end of June.

This will be James' fourth marriage and the tattoo artist's second.

One challenge? The distance. James is now living in Austin, Texas, while Kat is L.A.-based, and she said they'll have two homes for a while. But it's OK -- lately they've been flirting online, via Twitter.

And you thought the Octomom fetish video was rough news?

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— Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Kat Von D and Jesse James at the at a California Science Center gala in L.A. on Saturday. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images.

'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood: Nothing says 'I love my kid' like a massive tummy tattoo of the little angel

Sometimes it isn't enough to tell your kids how much you love them -- you have to show it too.

Amber Portwood, one of the teenagers featured on the MTV reality show "16 and Pregnant" and its spinoff, "Teen Mom," had been going through a rough patch lately. The "Teen Mom" Season 2 finale footage that shows her physically abusing her boyfriend and her daughter Leah's father, Gary Shirley, not only resulted in felony domestic violence charges against her but turned Leah into a ward of the state until Amber was able to regain custody at the end of November.

After she heard she was eventually getting Leah back, the young mother set about getting a large tattoo of her daughter across her left side, Star magazine reports. The celebrity gossip magazine offers the picture at left as proof.

Of course, lots of people get names and pictures of loved ones tattooed on their bodies to mark key events, and we can only imagine what kind of stress Amber was going through at the time. Still, how much is too much?

How big would you go for your family? Share in the comments.

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-- Whitney Friedlander

Photo credit: Courtesy of Star magazine

Kat Von D and Jesse James are 'in love,' she says

Kat Von D and Jesse James are dating, they confirmed Thursday night in West Hollywood.

No wonder the "L.A. Ink" star yanked that Twitter post awhile back -- much better to save the "yes, we're dating" reveal for the red carpet opening of her new Wonderland Gallery, which according to its Facebook page merges the worlds of contemporary art and body art, and is conveniently attached to her tattoo shop.

The couple held hands and smooched a few times, posed for pictures and then -- as he'd done during awards season with his future ex-wife -- Jesse stepped away from the cameras so Kat could pose alone, E! Online reports.

Kat told People they knew it was a match "when we both realized how nerdy we were."

She says James is only her ninth boyfriend, and made the point that "I don't hang out with anybody unless I am in love."

For his part, James appears to have had nowhere near nine girlfriends while he was married to Sandra Bullock, so, um, that's nice.

-- Christie D'Zurilla.

Top photo: Jesse James and Kat Von D at the opening of her Wonderland Gallery in West Hollywood on Thursday. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Second photo: Model Jeffree Star arrives at Wonderland Gallery. We have no news-related reason to run this photo, except, seriously, why the heck not? Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Tour the Ministry's Jesse James and reality TV archives.

We even have a small tattoo parlor.

Jesse James and Kat Von D, sitting in a tree ... ?

Are Jesse James and "L.A. Ink" star Kat Von D dating? On Wednesday the answer was yes -- at least until the tattoo artist deleted that message from her Twitter account.

The two had been spotted together in Las Vegas over the weekend, TMZ and others reported -- for real, not like when James was "photographed" with ex-wife Sandra Bullock on Aug. 8. 

Kat's rep told People the two are "just friends."

Wonder what Kat's family would say?

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Tattoo artist Kat Von D in  2008. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

Check out what the Ministry has on the books about Jesse James, Michelle 'Bombshell' McGee and celebrity dating in general.