Celebrity Justice
Lawsuit: "Swing Vote" Was MY Piece of Garbage!

In what may be considered the worst career move ever, a screenwriter is actually claiming responsibility for writing the Kevin Costner clunker "Swing Vote" -- and get this, he's now filed a Federal lawsuit claiming a whole mess of people, including Disney, Touchstone, Kelsey Grammer and Costner all ripped his idea!

In the suit, filed today in the U.S. District Court in NY, Bradley Blakeman -- who is also a political commentator and former Bush staffer -- says in Spring 2006 he gave a copy of his script "Go November" "in confidence" to actor Kelsey Grammer. Blakeman says his movie "involves a unique 'down to the wire' presidential election, hinging on swing voters." Imagine his surprise, Blakeman says, when what he calls the "extraordinarily similar" film "Swing Vote" was released last week. Now he's suing for unspecified damages.

Grammer's rep Stan Rosenfield tells TMZ "I am not sure why Kelsey was even named in this suit. He was an actor who signed on to the project AFTER the script was written. As Gertrude Stein once said of Oakland, 'Once you're there, there's no there there.'"

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Movies

Reader Comments

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1. every one wants big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!

Posted at 7:13PM on Aug 7th 2008 by pomme

2. Kevin Costner needs to start stealing some better scripts. What was the last good movie he made? Something in the late 80's?

Posted at 7:19PM on Aug 7th 2008 by Nick

3. Worst career move ever???? Wow TMZ writer, you're saying that if your script idea was used to make a motion picture and you weren't compensated for it, you'd let it go??? Get real....Then again, that might be tough since you're writing forTMZ.

Posted at 7:56PM on Aug 7th 2008 by Bruce

4. If you shoplift from a department store, expect to be PROSECUTED, but if a "Hollywood Insider" STEALS from a "Hollywood Outsider", the "Insider" expects to PROFIT! Great standard!

Posted at 11:07PM on Aug 7th 2008 by Cathy

5. The real "GARBAGE" is that people should be able to steal from others, and not be compensated for it.

Posted at 11:13PM on Aug 7th 2008 by Lauren

6. One's "GARBAGE" is another's "Treasure"!

Posted at 11:59PM on Aug 7th 2008 by Twinks

7. This is actually a very good movie -- one of Kevin Costner's best. Go see it if you want a nice genuine comedy.

Posted at 2:42AM on Aug 8th 2008 by jake

8. The lesson here children is copyright your materials.

Posted at 3:08AM on Aug 8th 2008 by John Taylor

9. Wow, for one... no one on here has seen the movie and for another Costner produces ALL his movies. He does what he wants in a movie. Some are bad and some are fantastic! TMZ says this was the worst movie... What happened to Water World??? He did a movie called Dragonfly. I suggest people see it. It was a great movie and one of my favorites. You would be blown away. But before you criticize... see the movie and not just go on TMZ.

Posted at 3:30AM on Aug 8th 2008 by WatchMovies

10. The movies sounds stupid so give Bradley Blakeman the credit and send him a bill for the lost money on the movie.

Posted at 7:26AM on Aug 8th 2008 by RONNIE

11. Did this movie even come out yet? Maybe came and went by the sounds of it. How many more movies does Kevin Costner get to make before someone in Hollywood realizes he's not actually a box office draw anymore? More like box office poison.

Posted at 11:55AM on Aug 8th 2008 by MarkScottMusic.com

12. More crap from the House of Mouse. They will peddle anything to try to make a buck. Thank God this movie flopped. Sell your Disney stock ASAP!

Posted at 12:07PM on Aug 8th 2008 by Lana Caine

13. Leave Kelsey alone, are you guys just trying to piss him off? What a bunch of a&*h#les!

Posted at 1:04PM on Aug 8th 2008 by besillysometimes

14. The idea of a single voter deciding an election goes back to 1955 in an Isaac Asimov short story "Franchise". Maybe all these writers stole the idea from him. I believe the 1955 story even used the year 2008 as the setting for the plot where a computer chooses a single voter....

Posted at 1:08PM on Aug 8th 2008 by afaceinthecrowd

15. Yeap, John Tyalor is right ,copyright your sh*t. Also, entertainers DONOT ever accept written material from fans. WHY? Because of lawusits. Ent. NEVER sign autographs legibly? Why do theyscribble scratch /chicken scratch? lawsuits . Do you think they sign their checks, marriage license, pre-nup, contrcts, etc. in chicken scratch? No way! I always say never asks for an autograph. Actually never acknowledge ent. if you should come accross one.

Posted at 6:18PM on Aug 8th 2008 by copyright and ent.- don't touch

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