Wow, we didn’t see this coming, did we? :::dripping with sarcasm::: Yes, Jon Gosselin (of Jon and Kate Plus 8, just in case you’ve been living on a mountainside without any media coverage for the past six months) is finally being sued by TLC for breach of his exclusive contract with them. Specifically, the suit states that Jon:

• Capitalized on his rising notoriety by selling his services to other media
• Made a lucrative arrangement to appear regularly on other entertainment news shows
• Discussed his family and his problems with Kate on the air
• Sold photographic rights to other media outlets

Jon, Jon, Jon… have your years in the limelight taught you nothing? What in the world are you doing biting the hand that fed you $75,0000 per WEEK??

Furthermore, TLC now publicly contends that Jon banned TLC from his property in retaliation for their not releasing him from his contract, saying that Jon’s attorney communicated the following:

“…if this release was not forthcoming within one hour’s time, Defendant Gosselin would reverse his often repeated public comments to the contrary and publicly object to further filming of the program on the grounds that it is purportedly detrimental to his children.”

All I can say, is, “Wow.” Stay tuned, I’m sure we haven’t nearly heard the last of this fiasco.

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So, yesterday’s big “announcement” never materialized, and now we know for sure what most of us suspected all along: the balloon boy incident was a hoax, perpetrated by the Heene parents, in the hopes of furthering their ambition for reality-show stardom.

Although the parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, still insist the event was not staged, consider the elements that are working against them:

• Richard and Mayumi met, of all places, in acting school in Hollywood
• The Heene family has already had a taste of reality show fame, having already made not one, but two appearances on Wife Swap
• During the televised interviews after the incident, the children were clearly uncertain how to act, looking to their parents for direction, particularly after Falcon stated that the balloon episode was done “for the show”

Authorities are now looking at a variety of charges against the Heene parents, including felony charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, attempting to influence a public servant, and a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report. It is also possible that they could be forced to pay for the cost incurred by the search and rescue efforts during the incident.

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The world watched with a mix of fear, horror, and skepticism, as the giant saucer-shaped silver balloon floated 50 miles through Colorado, allegedly with a 6-year-old boy trapped inside. When it finally sank to earth, empty, we all wondered if our worst fears had materialized: did the boy fall out sometime during the balloon’s two-hour flight?

We all now know the outcome of the story – Falcon Heene was found five hours later, hiding in a garage attic in the family’s home.

Since then, however, the family’s actions and a comment from Falcon himself have incited questions about the event’s authenticity. With two reality-show appearances already under their belts, published news stories about their reputation as storm-chasers, and reported deals in development for their own reality show, did the Heene family stage this crisis to keep their name in the news and further their ambitions for the limelight? Was the entire situation actually a hoax?

After the requisite talk-show interviews, including Larry King, Today, and Good Morning America (two of which caused Falcon to vomit), one would hope that the family’s 15 minutes of fame would be over and they would slide gracefully back into the woodwork.

However, Richard Heene has now kept this story at the forefront of the news by alerting reporters that he will be holding a press conference to make a “big announcement” later today.

I don’t know about you, but hoax or no hoax, I’m already getting tired of this family and their grandstanding. We can only hope that they come to their senses, relinquish the spotlight, and let their children grow up with relatively normal lives. Or, perhaps we are looking at the next ‘Jon and Kate’ debacle?

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