Taking the 's': Pop matriarch Madonna has changed the title of her new single after being threatened with legal action, it has been claimed.
Adult video founder Joe Francis, who created the infamous Girls Gone Wild franchise, had spat the dummy over Madge's new track titled Girls Gone Wild, the legendary singer's second single from her forthcoming studio album, MDNA.
Francis fired off a cease and desist letter, threatening to sue Madge if she performed the album-opener during her Super Bowl halftime show earlier this month.
The letter, penned by Francis' lawyer David R Houston, was obtained by scandal sheet TMZ.
Houston wrote: "Mr Francis and Girls Gone Wild have worked tirelessly for an excess of two decades to build his brand and to protect his trademark Girls Gone Wild," and that "Girls Gone Wild's trade identity and trademark are extremely valuable assets which my clients protect vigorously".
The correspondence also claimed Madge "violated Federal and State trademark laws by making unauthorised use of Mr Francis' trademark Girls Gone Wild in not only the title, but subject line of her various advertisements in order to lure potential consumers to purchase her latest musical effort".
The lawyer added: "Your misappropriation of my clients' trademark will not be tolerated," though Francis was willing to cut a deal and "negotiate an immediate licensing agreement for use of the Trademark".
Oh, and pay all his legal fees, naturally.
Madge didn't perform the song during the halftime show - not that she even planned to.
She stuck to a setlist comprised of the frothy, candy-coated hit Give Me All Your Luvin', and a selection of other classics.
"This isn't personally directed at Madonna as a person, this is a business decision. And now she's aware that she stepped over the line," added the lawyer.
"If Mr Francis was producing a product called Material Girl, and she had a copyright, I doubt she'd appreciate it."
'A good girl gone wild ...'
The singer has since debuted the contentious electro pop track in question, albeit with a slightly modified title. A move Francis is taking the credit for.
According to E! Online, Francis, his legal eagles and Madge have reached a compromise: Change the title, as well as the lyrics, from Girls Gone Wild to Girl Gone Wild.
"An immediate solution for them to thwart any injunctive relief," pipes Francis to the website in a statement.
"Clearly her label was trying to avoid legal action surrounding the song," he adds.
"But, this is still infringement as far as the law is concerned and we have been in touch with Madonna's representatives in an effort to resolve this issue."
Francis told the New York Daily News: "We won a battle but we didn't win the war. I actually really like the song, which doesn't mean anything. It's business. We've been very fair with licenses. And we've been talking (with Madonna's people), and I think we're going to get somewhere that will be mutually satisfactory."
He modestly adds: "This is not personal at all. I'm flattered, quite frankly, that a brand I've developed and created has achieved this level of notoriety."
In his reductive dreams, says Madge's manager Guy Oseary who has subsequently spilled to TMZ.
Oseary says that the track's title was tweaked to make it match the song's lyrics, and had nothing to do with the threat of legal action.
Madge warbles in the track, produced by Benny Benassi, that "girls just want to have fun" and "get fired up like a smoking gun", and though she knows she "shouldn't act this way" because "good girls don't misbehave", she's a "bad girl anyway, hey!"
"Hey, ey, ey, ey/ Like a girl gone wild/ A good girl gone wild/ I'm like, hey, ey, ey, ey/ Like a girl gone wild/ A good girl gone wild."
You get the picture.
Oseary says that other song titles on the singer's upcoming album had been altered as well.
He also notes that Madge hasn't clapped eyes on his legal correspondence, and has no idea who Joe Francis is.
Ouch.
Check out the lyric video to Girl Gone Wild below:
What do you make of the track? Spill your wild thoughts below.
In other news ...
Forget the Oscars, let's talk about Angelina Jolie's leg.
It's the gift that keeps on giving. The actress' right leg has become a ubiquitous internet sensation since it was unabashedly flashed at the awards ceremony on Sunday - it even spawned a Twitter account. And all because Jolie said her thigh-high black velvet slit dress made her feel "sexy".
But wait, there's more... Jolie's legbombing knows no bounds. The screen siren's cheeky limb has been here, there, and everywhere.
Even the red carpet wasn't immune. Looking good there, Christopher Plummer!
And Jennifer Lopez's near peek-a-boob has also scored its 15 minutes of fame.
The American Idol judge sparked online debate that she had a slight wardrobe malfunction while presenting the Best Costume Design and Best Makeup with Cameron Diaz.
According to spectators, Lopez's left nipple took a breather and almost made an appearance on the Oscars stage.
Total tosh, says her stylist Mariel Haenn, who poured the diva into her low-cut dress before the bash.
"The Oscar dress was custom made for Jennifer by designer Zuhair Murad. The dress fit perfectly to her every inch.
"There were cups built in and there's no chance that there were any 'slips'. While the dress did give the illusion of sheerness, joke's on everyone who wishes they saw something! If you thought that dress was hot, wait until you see what's next."
She added: "Such a NON-troversy! HI-larious."
And not to be outdone, J-Lo's nipple has also debuted on Twitter.
An account, called @JLosNipple, has been created, along with a virgin tweet that reads, "DID YOU SEE ME!?"
The jury's still out on that one.
What's next, Bradley Cooper's moustache begging for Twitter attention? Actually ...
- Blogger Bites Back
