Pop Stand

The lawyer for alleged David Letterman extortionist Robert "Joe" Halderman will be in a Manhattan court to request that the charges be dropped. Lawyer Gerald Sargel will argue that the evidence shown to the grand jury was insufficient to justify the first degree attempted grand larceny charge. This will be the first court appearance for Halderman since being released on $200,000 bail.

Meanwhile, colleagues of Halderman are trying to raise money to help pay his mounting legal bills. Sources at CBS tell TMZ that friends of Halderman have raised about $50,000 so far in donations from friends and co-workers of the accused extortionist.

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One of the great TV villains, Omarosa from "The Apprentice," is reuniting with Donald Trump for a new reality TV dating show. "Omarosa's Ultimate Merger" will be produced by Juma Entertainment and Donald Trump's production company for TV One, a Comcast Cable company geared at African-American viewership. Omarosa will have to choose from 12 possible suitors who will compete in relationship and business tasks. "We do not want to bill her or portray her as a villain," said Juma exec Robert Horowitz. "That's not what this is. You will like Omarosa; you may not want her for your son or brother, but you will easily see where she has a lot of positives in her life. She's a smart woman, and she knows what she needs to do."

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Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry says that the band will pursue a new singer, after a growing rift among bandmates led frontman Steven Tyler to leave the band. Perry said on his Twitter page, "Aerosmith is definetly NOT breaking up. One of the members is doing his own thing and said so in the press. That's all I know. ... Inthe meantime aerosmith is positivly looking for a new singer to work with. You just can't take 40 years of expiriance and throw it in the bin!" Tyler has hired his own manager, and says he plans to work on solo material, a threat he has reportedly made over the years, but is finally making good on.

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Actor James Woods is taking to a trial a case against a Rhode Island hospital that he says was negligent in treating his brother, and caused his brother's death in 2006 from heart failure. Woods says his brother, Michael, died after going into cardiac arrest in a hallway when no room could be found for him after having x-rays. Woods says the hospital should have noticed his brother's EKG was abnormal and anticipated the possibility that his brother's condition would get worse.

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Joe Jackson is lobbing charges of fraud against the administrators of Michael Jackson's will. Joe Jackson's lawyer filed a 60-page motion in court yesterday claims that Michael believed that John Branca and John McLain were defrauding him when he was alive, and therefore are in a conflict of interest as the executor of the singer's estate in death. An attorney for Branca says, "These claims filed by Joe Jackson are so outrageous that they don't deserve any response."

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NBA legend and sometimes actor (Airplane!) Kareem Abdul Jabbar has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. "Having lost one of my closest friends to a different, highly aggressive form of leukemia, I knew how serious my diagnosis was. My own life expectancy became a question mark," Abdul Jabbar has said of his diagnosis. Abdul Jabbar said he has come forward because doctor's told him that many patients fail to take their medication or keep appointments with their doctors.He wants to be a role model patient for those given the same diagnosis.

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Comedian Katt Williams was arrested on Sunday night for stealing more than $3,500 in cash and rare coins. Williams was staying at a Newman, Ga. estate when he allegedly broke into the guesthouse of an employee of the estate and stole the collectible coins and cash. The comic told reporters after being released on bail that it all is a "a misunderstanding between me and two stupid detectives."

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Justin Timberlake was granted a permanent (3-year) restraining order again a female stalker who was arrested at the singer's home on October 22nd. Karen McNeil was picked up after she arrived at Timberlake's home with a cab full of her personal belongings. Timberlake filed a signed declaration in court where he called McNeil an "obsessed and mentally unstable stalker" that he "does not personally know or have any relationship with." With that, the judge granted the restraining order. 

-- Dave Valenzuela