NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Singer Austin Mahone treated for blood clot, cancels tour

NEW YORK

Teen singer Austin Mahone has postponed his tour and is being treated for a blood clot in his throat.

A representative for the 17-year-old said in a statement Friday that Mahone was admitted to the hospital Thursday with a 104 temperature. The rep adds that he’s dealing with “extreme inflammation in his throat as well as severe dehydration.”

Mahone’s U.S. tour was supposed to kick off this week but is being pushed to next year.

The singer, popular among teenage girls, has opened on the road for Taylor Swift. The music video for his single “What About Love” has close to 50 million views on YouTube.

Mahone won the artist to watch award at the MTV Video Music Awards this year. He will release his debut album next year.

Sheridan’s case is dismissed

LOS ANGELES

A judge on Friday dismissed Nicollette Sheridan’s long-running wrongful termination lawsuit against ABC over her ouster from the hit television series “Desperate Housewives.”

Without ruling on the facts of the case, Superior Court Judge Michael Stern determined the actress should have exhausted her claims to a labor commissioner before pursuing a trial.

The ruling stalled Sheridan’s push for a retrial on claims filed in 2010 that she was fired after she complained that show creator Marc Cherry struck her on the head on the set in 2008.

Last year, a jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of a Sheridan lawsuit alleging ABC had retaliated against her and cut her Edie Britt character due to her complaints about Cherry.

ABC denied it fired Sheridan or retaliated against her. Cherry and several executives with the show and the company previously testified that the decision to kill off the role was made before the incident with Cherry.

Cherry denied hitting the actress, claiming he tapped her on the head for artistic direction.

David Crochetiere, an attorney for Sheridan, said the ruling would be appealed.

Author Harper Lee sues hometown museum in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, ALA.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee is suing a museum in her hometown of Monroeville to stop it from selling souvenirs with her name and the title of her Pulitzer Prize-winning book.

The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Mobile, said the Monroe County Heritage Museum has traded on Lee’s fame without her approval and without compensating her. It seeks an unspecified amount in damages.

“Every single statement in the lawsuit is either false, meritless, or both,” museum attorney Matt Goforth said in an email Friday.

The suit comes after Lee sought a federal trademark for the title of her book when it’s used on clothing. The museum opposed her application, saying its souvenir sales are vital to its continued operation. A ruling is over a year away.

Associated Press