Jay Leno and David Letterman have called a ceasefire -- and their Super Bowl ad is to blame.
While talking about filming the spot last night, Jay put the cheap shots aside and said "Whatever happened the last 18 years disappeared, it was great to see my old friend again."
Filed under: TV, David Letterman, Jay Leno
Despite becoming the target of every late night joke, Jay Leno remained in good spirits when we caught up with him Sunday night in Hermosa Beach. 
Jay said he thought Conan O'Brien did a good job with his farewell episode of "The Tonight Show." When we asked him why he thought David Letterman was taking such personal shots at him, Jay laughed, "Dave's always been that way! What, you think this is new? Don't you watch the show? That's what Dave does."
Jay also told us he hasn't spoken to Conan since the mess with NBC began.
BTW -- whatever you think of him, Leno stops for a picture with every fan who wants one.
Filed under: TV, David Letterman, Jay Leno
A judge just rejected Robert Halderman's motion to dismiss the David Letterman extortion case.
Halderman is due back in court on March 9.
UPDATE: After leaving court, Halderman's lawyers bailed on him and used a car service -- while Robert walked around for 15 minutes, surrounded by cameras, looking for a cab.
Story developing...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, David Letterman
In just a matter of minutes, the guy suspected of extorting David Letterman will hear if a judge will proceed with the case -- or toss the whole thing out. 
Robert Halderman just arrived to a Manhattan courtroom, where the judge will also rule on whether the "Tiger Woods" motion -- that just like Rachel Uchitel, Robert Halderman was entitled to make a money-for-story deal -- will fly in court.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, David Letterman
Gloria Allred is pissed that the lawyer for the man accused of extorting money from David Letterman has filed legal docs saying Allred and Rachel Uchitel did essentially the same thing.
Allred told TMZ that Robert Halderman's lawyer, Gerald Shargel, does not have permission to use her name or the name of her client. Gloria adds, "I have no personal knowledge of his client's case and he has no personal knowledge and therefore, no basis for his remarks about my representation of Ms. Uchitel."
Shargel wants the case against his client booted, in part because of the new Tiger Woods defense.
Gloria added this zinger: "...Mr. Shargel should spend his time representing his client based solely on the facts of his case, rather than comparing it to other matters of which he has no personal knowledge."
In other words, Rachel's settlement was confidential.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives, David Letterman
The guy who allegedly masterminded an extortion plot against David Letterman is now using the Tiger Woods scandal as precedent to get the charges against him thrown out ..according to new documents obtained by TMZ.
Robert Halderman's lawyer, Gerald Shargel, filed legal papers asking that the charges against his client be dismissed. In the papers, Shargel notes that when news of Tiger's infidelity surfaced, Mistress #1, Rachel Uchitel, reportedly inked a multi-million dollar settlement in return for her silence -- with the help of Gloria Allred.
Shargel notes, "Their behavior was capitalist, not criminal."
Halderman's lawyer says his client essentially just "offered to sell his very marketable story to David Letterman." Shargel says that celebrity misdeeds have "significant fair market value" and they are "routinely suppressed through private business arrangements."
Shargel's point -- Rachel and Gloria didn't get prosecuted, so why should Halderman?
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives, David Letterman, Tiger Woods
David Letterman's alleged extortionist worried that someone might kill him in retaliation for peddling his screenplay about the sexual escapades of the late night host ... at least that's the story of Robert Halderman.
In conversations secretly-taped by law enforcement, the CBS "48 Hours" producer said, "Should I be fired mysteriously... if my house burns down ... any number of things .... I have no idea who or what he is or is capable of, someone might decide the only way to be sure I never talk to anybody is for somebody to kill me."
Halderman's lawyer, Gerald Shargel, claims his client wasn't extorting Letterman ... he was just giving Dave the right of first refusal on a screenplay "relating to Letterman's poor conduct."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, David Letterman
David Letterman's people made a bold statement this weekend -- not every supermarket tabloid story about Dave's marriage is true.
One of Dave's reps flatly denied a recent report in the National Enquirer, which explained how Dave's wife threw him out of their Westchester mansion -- over that whole affair/extortion thing -- and is now living in a loft in Manhattan.
Letterman's rep tells the Daily News, "The National Enquirer has it wrong."
Whatever. That alien is totally pregnant with Elvis' love child.
Filed under: Gossip/Rumors, David Letterman
David Letterman was offered $2 million for the "screenplay" of accused extortionist Robert Halderman, and all the stuff about sexual impropriety is the reason the treatment went at a premium price -- this according to a new interview by Halderman's lawyer.
Attorney Gerald Shargel was on "The Early Show" this AM, saying he was giving Dave the right of first refusal for the proposal. Shargel says it's a business transaction -- the way Hollywood works.
So the question ....
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, David Letterman
David Letterman was having an affair with his former personal assistant way more recently than David's rep had us believing -- according to documents filed by the alleged extortionist's lawyer.
According to legal papers filed today by the defense, Robert Halderman confronted Stephanie Birkitt in December 2008 with evidence of the affair and she promised to end it. But Gerald Shargel, Halderman's lawyer, claims the relationship continued "unabated" into this past summer.
Letterman's rep has said the affair ended before Letterman's marriage in March. Dave blew the whistle on the alleged extortion plot in early September.
Today Letterman's lawyer refused to say when the talk show host broke off his affair with Birkitt. Halderman's lawyer was coy outside court about the Letterman/Birkitt relationship and said we'll be hearing a lot more about this.
In court papers filed today, Halderman's lawyer asked the judge to dismiss the extortion case, on grounds authorities were swept up in "the sensationalism surrounding the indictment" and the grand jury didn't have enough evidence to target Halderman.
The lawyer claims the $2 million demand was "a pure commercial transaction" over a screenplay.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, David Letterman
David Letterman's accused extortionist, Robert Halderman, is asking the judge to dismiss the extortion case against him. 
In papers filed with the court, Halderman's lawyer wrote, "The sensationalism surrounding this indictment, fueled by the celebrity of the purported victim and the deference paid to that celebrity by the District Attorney's Office, has swallowed the only pertinent issue ...."
The issue: Whether the grand jury had sufficient facts to support the extortion case.
The lawyer, Gerald Shargel, also states Halderman "discovered evidence that Letterman had created and fostered an environment of workplace sexual misconduct that under any definition, amounted to actionable sexual harassment."
The lawyer says this was not extortion, calling it "a pure commercial transaction." The lawyer says Halderman was merely trying to sell the exclusive screenplay rights to Letterman.
The lawyer says Halderman even insisted on getting a written agreement -- something extortionists generally don't do.
In addition to the motion for dismissal, Halderman's lawyer is asking to inspect the grand jury minutes. And, he wants the items seized from Halderman to be suppressed as evidence.
And there's this ... Attorney Shargel claims the relationship between Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt continued through at least last summer.
Filed under: Exclusives, David Letterman
Robert Halderman -- the guy accused of trying to extort $2 million from David Letterman -- is getting the ultimate vote of sympathy from his friends ... we're told they've chipped in to pay over a quarter of his mega legal bill.
Sources inside CBS tell TMZ friends and co-workers are raising money to help pay Halderman's $200,000 legal bill ... so far they've anted up around $50,000.
We're told some of the staff at "48 Hours" refuse to believe their colleague is guilty of extortion ... and if he is guilty, it's because he cracked over money issues surrounding his divorce.
For Halderman, friends in need are friends indeed. But the jury's out on whether Letterman has any left.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives, David Letterman
A former Letterman writer claims Dave's show was a "hostile, sexually charged atmosphere" -- and "sexual politics" played a role in why she eventually quit the job.
The woman making the claim is Nell Scovell, who spent roughly 5 months working for Dave back in 1990.
In an article for Vanity Fair, Scovell claims during her employment, she was well aware that Dave and other high-level male employees were having sexual relations with female staffers.
Scovell also claims those female staffers were "benefiting professionally from their personal relationships."
She adds, "Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no."
But she's talkin' now.
In the article, Scovell claims she's not looking to take any legal action against Dave or the show -- and she never identifies any of the alleged staffer-bangers by name.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, David Letterman
LosAngelesCountyDistrictAttorney SuperBowl MiamiPoliceDepartment InvoluntaryManslaughter WingBowl EdChernoff arraignment ConradMurray running CharlieSheen Dr.ConradMurray MichaelJackson miami ReggieBush lawsuit MedicalLicense lapd GuessWho stolen MulhollandDrive Cabo NicciNix JerseyShore AliciaKeys court BalloonDad car twitter bikini TitoJackson assault hand DrConradMurray snooki celebrity DomesticViolence comic NewOrleansSaints WeaponsCharges JoeJackson buried L.a.CountyD.a. foul charged photos DistrictAttorney autopsy CarriePrejean felony KimZolciak propofol MarvinMitchell JaredAllen aspen AlexYoung Saints bentley photo winner OrangeCountyChoppers misdemeanor TamaraDunn divorce surrender WarrenSapp vote d.a. HughHefner bail FelonyMenacing death suv pictures judge KateWalsh stomach stroke busted buff BeyonceKnowles baby MathewKnowles prize AliLohan body JoeFrancis JayLeno BreakMyStride contest nfl brangelina final charges DeathPhotos DeadliestCatch VinnyGuadagnino PaulYoung stripper topless gossip
Beauty 
