written by Janeé Bolden

The designer who created the set for Chris Brown’s latest tour has filed suit against the teenage entertainer, claiming he has yet to be paid for all of his work.

According to recent reports from TMZ, set designer John Troxtel filed a lawsuit against Brown and his touring company in federal court on Christmas Eve.

In the suit, Troxtel claims that while he was paid for some of his design work, “extra work was required and requested,” and though an oral agreement was reached, the touring company refused to pay for his services when he tried to collect.

Troxtel is suing for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. He is seeking damages in excess of $1 Mil.

Troxtel has previously designed concert sets for Michael Jackson, Eminem and Snoop Dogg.

SOURCE SOHH

Our staff top 10s, along with several less-conventional lists we’ve come up with, will be rolling out all this week. Find out our picks for couples, guilty-pleasure songs, albums, hot messes, arrests and much more. Enjoy, and share your own top 10s in You Tell Us!

1. Common (“Smokin’ Aces,” “American Gangster”)
The stocky, soulful rapper made quite an impression in 2007, bringing heart to two underwritten action roles. Keep an eye on this chart-topper: With two more flicks in 2008, he’s just getting started.

2. Glen Hansard (“Once”)
You don’t know the name, and you’ve likely never heard of his band the Frames, but if you see Hansard’s leading-man debut in this film, you won’t be able to forget him.

3. Tom Waits (“Wristcutters: A Love Story”)
Not only does the eccentric singer provide the theme song for Patrick Fugit’s suicide, but he shows up later in the film as the enigmatic Kneller, acting as the sage of a bleached-out world that feels much like … well … a Tom Waits song.

4. Chris Brown (“This Christmas,” “Stomp the Yard”)
Sure, it was a bummer when “Stomp the Yard” cost you $10 and he wasn’t in it for even 10 minutes. But Brown made up for it in “Christmas,” a heartfelt flick carried entirely on his young shoulders.

See the rest here.

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford’s new Sync in-vehicle electronics technology already is proving to be a powerful lure to buyers of the 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models equipped with the Microsoft-powered system

Ford began installing Sync at the factory in September and started advertising the feature in mid-October.

The company began putting more marketing muscle behind Sync this week with the launch in Cincinnati of a partnership with Jive Recording star Chris Brown, through Ford’s sponsorship of his tour, Up Close & Personal Holiday Exclusive Tour Powered by Sync.

The promotion features Brown in radio and TV advertisements featuring Sync and a new Web site devoted to the partnership. Ford said in a news release that it will “ultimately integrate some of the key features of the technology into the tour,” but wasn’t more specific.

“It’s the first time that Ford has ever aligned itself with someone who is promoting a specific technology (feature) versus promoting a particular vehicle model,” notes Ford spokeswoman Michelle Matthews.