Tidbits: Allred Scolds Letterman
By REE HINES
Updated 1:15 AM CDT, Thu, Oct 8, 2009
“Late Show” host David Letterman’s recent apologies for his workplace romances were a big hit with viewers, but at least one high-profile member of the at-home audience isn’t ready to forgive and forget. In an open letter published to Radar Online, outspoken attorney Gloria Allred lashed out at Letterman.
“Last week you admitted that you had sex with women on your staff,” Allred began. “Many in your audience laughed when you said it. I for one was not laughing.”
According to Allred, the late night legend’s not-so-funny problem may be more than a personal or professional violation — it might even be a legal violation.
“Let’s call it what it really was — sexual favoritism in the workplace — and since you suggested that you had sex with more than one woman on your staff, some of your employees may believe that sexual favoritism in your workplace is widespread,” the discrimination lawyer wrote. “If this is true, then I believe that your sexual conduct is wrong and potentially in violation of the law even if your sexual relationship with your staffers was consensual and romantic.”
Before ending her lengthy missive, Allred reminded Letterman just because no one has complained about his actions, that doesn’t mean that members of his staff haven’t suffered because of them.
“You said ‘I’m terribly sorry that I put the staff in that position.’ I’m sorry too, Dave,” she wrote. “I’m sorry that you didn’t appear to recognize that your conduct was more than ‘something stupid.’ I’m sorry that you do not appear to recognize that it may have been a denial of equal employment opportunity and a denial of the right of women to have a workplace that is not hostile because of sexual harassment.”
Federline owes big bucks after leaving a big mess
It’s a good thing Kevin Federline will soon be able to bunk with an assortment of has-beens and almost-weres for the upcoming season of VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club.” According to a recent report posted to gossip site TMZ, the former Mr. Britney Spears owes over $100,000 to his last landlord.
Owners of Federline’s Tarzana, Calif., rental home claim he failed to pay six months in back rent and trashed the property during his stay.
As for K-Fed’s alleged fine-worthy infractions, they include filling gutters with cigarette butts and empty bottles, breaking a beer dispenser, and leaving “permanent spit marks on exterior paint.”
Dish on the fly
Katie Holmes doesn’t have to wait for the “worst dressed” reviews to find out if she’s made a fashion faux pas, thanks to her very own clothes critic, husband Tom Cruise. “He usually likes everything, but sometimes I’ll walk out and he’ll say, ‘I think that dress might be wearing you. You don’t need that,’” Holmes revealed to Elle magazine. The unsolicited advice never upsets the stage and film star, as she added, “Tom has great taste.” … Days after posting suicide threats to her Twitter account, reality TV star and sometimes-singer Tila Tequila blamed her recent fallout with Shawne Merriman for prompting the online cry for help. “I am going to kill myself cuz I don’t want to live in a world where its filled with IGNORANCE! which majority of you ARE! & racists!” she wrote in the early hours of Monday morning. But in a Tuesday entry to Global Grind, Tequila explained, “I have tried my best to stay strong and try to move on with my life, but because of the post traumatic stress that I have suffered from that (Merriman) incident, and the tremendous amount of pressure from the media scrutiny, I finally had a public meltdown.” She added, “For one person to have to deal with the weight of the world on her shoulders, it’s not as easy as one may think.”
Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Ree Hines.
Copyright MSNBC
First Published: Oct 7, 2009 9:08 PM CDT
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