Lucas Jackson / Reuters file

Kevin Clash with the puppet Elmo in 2010.

Kevin Clash, the man who voiced the popular puppet Elmo on "Sesame Street," is facing accusations of underage sex abuse by a fifth man. On Tuesday, a new federal lawsuit was filed against the puppeteer in New York. The latest suit accuses Clash of sexually abusing Kevin Kiadii, 25, who was 16 at the time of the alleged incident.

Kiadii claims in his lawsuit that the two met via a gay phone chat line, and that it was Clash who initiated the contact. According to the suit, the puppeteer invited the young man over to his Manhattan apartment and sent a luxury car to Kiadii's home to pick him up. Kiadii also claims that Clash gave him alcohol and "groomed him with attention and affection" before engaging in sexual contact. The suit alleges that Kiadii was a "compliant victim" who "was not immediately aware of his injuries."

Kiadii is suing for actual and compensatory damages, costs of the lawsuit and attorneys' fees. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Jeff Herman, who also represents four other men who have filed sexual abuse suits against Clash.

"The allegations in this lawsuit follow the same pattern we've seen before," Herman said in a statement. "Each of these victims alleges that Kevin Clash was a father figure who groomed them with attention before engaging them in sexual contact. By coming forward and standing up for his 16-year-old self, Kevin Kiadii has taken the first step in his healing process."

Clash's attorney, Michael Berger, said in a statement Tuesday that the latest lawsuit is without merit and is barred by the statute of limitations.

"This case has been brought by the same lawyer, Jeff Herman, who brought three other similar cases in federal courts in New York, and we have moved to dismiss all three of those cases," Berger added. "Mr. Clash continues to deny any wrongdoing, and we intend to defend this case forcefully."

Clash resigned from "Sesame Street" in November last year.

Related content:

• Before Elmo's woe: A look at 4 past 'Sesame Street' controversies
• Ex-Elmo puppeteer faces new allegations of sex abuse, meth use
• Elmo actor Kevin Clash resigns from 'Sesame Street' 

ABC

Bristol Palin, Kate Gosselin and Michael Bolton have each delivered sub par dances on "Dancing."

Bad dances are pretty much a given on "Dancing With the Stars," at least in the early weeks of a season. After all, the premise is to take celebs with little to no dance experience and turn them into graceful soft-shoes within a matter of 10 short weeks. Sure, the results are sometimes more goofy fun than fancy, but when the hopefuls put in the effort, even bad moves can be overlooked for the entertainment value and heart they deliver. (We're looking at you, Andy Dick and Carson Kressley!)

And then there are the rare contestants who appear as if they can't really be bothered to try as hard as everyone else. Take, for example, Wynonna Judd's dud of a samba Monday night. She was so stiff, head judge Len Goodman compared her to Mount Rushmore, and Clicker readers questioned in our weekly "DWTS" chat whether she could actually move.

Rough as the country singer's 15-point dance was, it may not be quite as bad as some of the performances from the show's previous seasons. Take a look at some of the ballroom bash's lowest efforts:

Master P, season 2
Oh, where to start! Master P had quite a few bombs his season, but among his roughest was his week-four paso doble. The rapper walked his way through his performance with pro partner Ashley DelGrosso, displaying no effort whatsoever. "It was a nightmare," judge Bruno Tonioli declared. Len said the audience was being cruel by continuing to vote Master P through. The score? An embarrassing 8 out of 30, the lowest in the show's history.

Bristol Palin, season 11
The reality personality spent much of her first stint on "DWTS" at or near the bottom of the scoreboard, but viewer votes and overly generous judges kept her going. Among her most questionable performances was her week-five jive, which featured her and pro partner Mark Ballas in gorilla suits, dancing to "The Monkees" theme song. (No, we're not joking.) Despite countless missed steps and offbeat moves, the panel gave her 18 points.

Michael Bolton, season 11
The singer may have a smooth voice, but he doesn't have slick moves. The judges dinged him in week one for being too stiff, and his week-two jive wasn't any better. He and pro partner Chelsie Hightower kicked off their performance with the singer crawling out of a dog house to "Hound Dog," and he continued on to deliver a stiff, flub-filled dance that less than impressed with a whopping score of 12. (Len even went as far as to say the performance needed a Pooper Scooper. Ouch!)

Steve Wozniak, season 8
The Apple co-founder seemed intent on trying his best and having some fun, but sometimes, fun just isn't enough -- especially when an injury impairs one's dance ability even more. The tech guy danced through the pain of a hamstring injury with pro Karina Smirnoff for their week-three samba. Despite his cheerful demeanor, Woz wasn't able to make his problematic samba work, and received only 10 points.

Kate Gosselin, season 10
The mom of eight wanted to tell her story with her week-three paso doble with pro Tony Dovolani to the Lady Gaga tune "Paparazzi." It seemed fitting, considering her headline-making life and the strong demeanor required of the dance. But fitting doesn't always mean right. What the reality personality delivered was a stiff, rhythm-less paso that left viewers and the judges wanting. "The whole thing was too pedestrian. It was just walking around," Len complained. Her reward? An overscored 15.

What do you think is the worst dance you've seen on "Dancing With the Stars"? Tell us on our Facebook page! 

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Adam Taylor / ABC

Dorothy Hamill and Tristan MacManus' jive on Monday was filled with flaws due to her injury.

It was a teary night on the first elimination show of “Dancing With the Stars” season 16, but not because someone was booted from the competition. Olympic gold medalist Dorothy Hamill bowed out of the ballroom bash in the final minutes despite being safe after viewer votes and the judges’ scores were combined earlier in the evening.

As Victor Ortiz and Lisa Vanderpump stood under the spotlights of shame with the lowest combined scores, host Tom Bergeron brought the figure-skating champ and pro partner Tristan MacManus back to the ballroom to make their announcement.

“I’ve taken the advice of my spine surgeon, and I need to withdraw from the competition,” Dorothy said sadly. “I have an injury that could be irreparable, and nerve damage. It would be completely unfair for me to stay in this and have any of these people go home. … These are the most amazing people who want to be here. It’s not that I don’t want to be here, but I wish I could give it my all, but I can’t.”

On Monday’s performance show, it was clear that Dorothy was in pain as she performed a flaw-filled jive (in flats instead of heels) that earned only 15 points. The performance landed her at the bottom of the scoreboard for the week. Rehearsal footage showed the athlete discussing the cause of her trouble: a cyst and accompanying nerve pain.

“It’s a decision that has to be made,” Tristan said matter-of-factly about withdrawing from the competition. “I’m certainly not frustrated at her, I’m frustrated with her. … There’s something a lot bigger going on than this competition, as great as it is.”

As the audience and hopefuls in the ballroom wiped away tears, Tom announced, “A couple who would’ve gone home tonight gets a one-week reprieve.”

That’s certainly good news for Victor and Lisa, who didn’t shine in the first two weeks of the competition. Both received a score of 18 for each of their two dances.

Comedians D.L. Hughley and Andy Dick received even better news. After getting slammed by the judges last week (which Carrie Ann Inaba admitted to Monday), it was announced early in the show that D.L. was safe even after getting a matching set of 4s in week one. When he got the news, he dropped to the floor in astonishment, and pro partner Cheryl Burke lost control and yelled, “WHAT?!?!!”

Andy was put through the wringer a bit first. Despite showing incredible improvement and showmanship in week two, he still found himself in jeopardy for a brief moment.

Next week, the show is holding its very own prom night, with Tom teasing baby blue tuxedos and photos of the stars at their first dances.

Were you surprised that Dorothy withdrew? Should “Dancing” have cut one of the hopefuls anyway? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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Frank Micelotta / FOX

The judges weren't impressed with Lazaro on Beatles night.

It was a hard day’s night for Lazaro Arbos when the "American Idol" hopefuls took on the Beatles' catalog on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old from Naples, Fla., delivered a slow and breathy rendition of "In My Life" that failed to connect with the judges or audience, despite the dreamy looks he gave the cameras.

Mariah Carey tried to let him down gently. "I commend you on your bravery. I'm proud of you," she started. "It was a little bit low for you." Keith Urban agreed, telling the young singer how important it was to choose the right key.

Nicki Minaj put her stamp of approval on the assessment and let Lazaro know how disappointed she was by the lackluster performance. "You are still not the Lazaro I remember. ... You used to be ownin' it! Now it's like ... I don't know. ... Something is bothering you, babe."

Original judge Randy Jackson didn't bother with the kindness. "That was your worst performance ever," he said bluntly. "It was out of tune from beginning to end!" 

The criticism resulted in tears from Lazaro, who turned away from the cameras as tears rolled down his cheeks, and didn't look back at America even when the show finally cut to commercial. 

Hunky Paul Jolley didn't have much more luck with his performance of "Eleanor Rigby." 

"I like that jacket and I like that shirt, and I like them skinny jeans," Nicki said. But that was where the niceties ended. "I did not like your performance, Jol. You know why? Very very safe. Very bland and forgettable."

Randy agreed, complaining that the singer was "disconnected" from the song.

Infinitely more successful was Candice Glover, who delivered a rocking rendition of "Come Together" that had the audience on its feet during a performance that felt like a professional show. The 23-year-old belted out the song with attitude and strutted on the stage with confidence.

"I love seeing you in this whole other vibe! The rock chick side of you was really cool!" Keith gushed.

Nicki was no less enthused as she raved, "I love your vocal! It's crazy insane out of this world!" Her only criticism? That she wanted Candice to wear the craziness on her face too. "You have that crazy face. I want you always to have that attitude in your face!"

Another standout was Janelle Arthur, who closed the show with a sweet, subtle yet powerful version of "I Will." Mentor Jimmy Iovine cautioned during rehearsals that she'd have to practice breathing or the song would be shot, but the 23-year-old nailed it and even successfully added her own little country twang to it.

"That's one of the best performances of the night!" Randy raved. "This is what Jimmy is talking about with the subtlety. That speaks louder than the big voice. I thought that was amazing."

Nicki was so impressed she asked the singer whether they could "renew our vows tonight." "That performance just made me fall so much more deeply obsessed with you!" she gushed. "That ... oh my god! You are great, little girl! You are everything!"

Other standouts included Angie Miller's performance of "Yesterday," Kree Harrison's "With a Little Help From My Friends" and Burnell Taylor's version of "Let It Be." Devin Velez's "The Long and Winding Road" and Amber Holcomb's "She's Leaving Home" weren't bad either, but received teensy, tiny bits of criticism -- if you can consider being laid back and lipstick choice criticism.

Thursday night, the "Idol" field will be cut to eight.

What did you think of Lazaro's performance? Was it as bad as the judges thought? Who was the best? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

Related content:

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Updated 8:15 a.m. ET: Pop star Justin Bieber is recovering after becoming woozy during a concert at London's O2 Arena Thursday, NBC News confirms. The 19-year-old singer reportedly passed out backstage after becoming light-headed near the end of his show. He was treated and given oxygen backstage, then went to the hospital for precaution after finishing his show.

But Bieber's rep tells NBC's Jeff Rossen that the singer has since been released from the hospital, and while feeling under the weather he is currently planning on going ahead with his show in London Friday night.

"He fainted and took a 20-minute reprieve," his spokesperson, Melissa Victor, told Reuters.

In a video posted to YouTube, Bieber's manager Scooter Braun goes on stage to explain the situation to concertgoers. 

"Justin got very light of breath, the whole show he's been complaining. He's backstage with the EMTs and the doctor," Braun says. "They're telling him that they want him to see somebody and see what's going on with his lungs."

Bieber then returned to the stage to finish his show. 

"Getting better. thanks for everyone pulling me thru tonight. best fans in the world. figuring out what happened. thanks for the love," the "Baby" singer tweeted on Thursday night.

On Wednesday, the singer was spotted in London wearing a gas mask for the second time in a week.

Splash News

Justin Bieber wore a gas mask in London on Wednesday.

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Adam Olszewski / NBC

Omarosa is back for another season of "Apprentice."

Uh oh! It looks like reality TV villain Omarosa is in charge in the next episode of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," and she's going to get her way or it's the highway.

When the cast heads to Universal Studios Orlando for the next challenge, "hold on for Omarosa's wild ride ... of terror!" the new NBC promo teases. It certainly doesn't look like her teammate Dennis Rodman is going to enjoy the experience.

In a first look that NBC is sharing with The Clicker, dealing with having Omarosa in charge looks like a frustrating ride for the former basketball star. Though the fabricators working with their team for the challenge tell her that what she wants to do is pretty much impossible, Omarosa pushes ahead.

"My design was quite ambitious," she admits to the cameras. How ambitious? She wanted a 3-D Spider-Man made of foam, which the fabricators didn't think would hold up.

When an exasperated Rodman tells her it's "too much" and that it "wouldn't be finished" in time, Omarosa forges ahead, insisting they "push, push, push!"

"Girl, you can't do it!" Rodman complains to the cameras. "They told us you can't do it like that, this ain't gonna work! If we lose, it ain't my fault."

Take a look:  

"All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" airs 9 p.m. Sundays on NBC.

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Nick Wall / Carnival Film & Television

Siobhan Finneran as O'Brien on the season three finale of "Downton Abbey."

"Downton Abbey's" O'Brien has had a major role in the period drama, both upstairs with the Crawley family and downstairs with the servants. From causing Lady Cora's miscarriage to nearly getting valet Thomas sacked and thrown in jail, the maid played by Siobhan Finneran has often been at the center of the action, and that's what makes Friday's news of the actress' exit that much more surprising.

But Gareth Neame, one of the show's executive producers, said the decision for the maid to move on and not appear in the upcoming fourth season wasn't made by the producers or writers.

"The entire decision was Siobhan’s," he told us. "Her initial contract came to an end and she didn’t want to renew her contract. We certainly would all be very happy to have her back in the show."

Masterpiece on Friday said that the door was open for O'Brien's return, but Neame said he doesn't know if Finneran will come back to the drama. "The story line makes that all possible," he added.

The season three finale suggested that O'Brien may have been thinking of leaving Downton, especially after valet Bates whispered the phrase "her ladyship's soap" in her ear to get her to back off from destroying Thomas' life.

Neame, who is also the managing director of Carnival Films (the production company that makes the show), said that without O'Brien's plotting downstairs, the former valet-turned-underbutler might step up when the show returns.

"They had a bit of a falling out in the last season!" he said, referring to the maid's devious plans against her former friend. "So maybe Thomas will get a little more control back this time and start to run things his way downstairs."

Though Finneran's exit (as well as those of Dan Stevens' Matthew Crawley and Jessica Brown Findlay's Lady Sybil) will shake up the cast and the story lines a bit for season four, Neame said that losing characters isn't a bad thing for "Downton Abbey."

"The thing about these exits is they are really what keep the whole thing alive," he told us. "We like to see this core in the 20 to 25 characters in the way they all interrelate. But it is ... the going of established characters and the bringing in of new characters that keeps the whole thing very much alive."

On Saturday, Carnival Films announced six of the new characters that are joining the show in season four.

Which character will you miss the most in season four? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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• Shirley MacLaine to return to 'Downton' in season four
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Carnival Films

Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson on "Downton Abbey."

Get ready for another delightful war of words on “Downton Abbey”!  Carnival Films and Masterpiece on PBS revealed Saturday that Shirley MacLaine is returning to the popular period drama for the season four finale. She’ll be reprising her role as Martha Levinson, mother of Lady Cora.

MacLaine made her “Downton” debut in season three, when she traveled from America to attend Lady Mary’s wedding to Matthew Crawley at Downton. Her witty character provided a formidable foe for Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess as the two women traded sharp barbs throughout MacLaine’s stint.

The news of the actress' return comes on the heels of confirmation that Siobhan Finneran, who plays the scheming maid O'Brien, will not be back next season. Masterpiece said that there door is open for Finneran's to come back.

In addition to Oscar winner MacLaine's return, season four will be introducing six new characters:

• Lord Gillingham, an old family friend of the Crawleys, played by Tom Cullen
• Green, a valet played by Nigel Harman
• Lady Shackleton, a friend of the Dowager Countess, played by Dame Harriett Walter
• The Duchess of Yeovil, played by Joanna David
• Charles Blake, an aristocrat, played by Julian Ovenden
• And an unnamed singing guest at the house to be played by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

“ ‘Downton Abbey’ has seen many great characters visit the house over the years and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome the new faces that will be joining the regular cast of ‘Downton’ in series four,” executive producer Gareth Naeme said in a statement.

Added fellow exec producer Rebecca Eaton, “The addition of these characters can only mean more delicious drama — which is what Downton Abbey is all about.”

Carnival Films and Masterpiece on PBS also released a new photo from the season, featuring Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and her son with her husband, Matthew (Dan Stevens).  Though the child’s birth brought great joy to Downton in the season three finale, it was also marked by tragedy. As Matthew raced home to share the news of his son’s birth with the family, his vehicle was struck by another, leaving him dead on the side of the road.

Nick Briggs / Courtesy of Carnival Films

Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley on "Downton Abbey," season four.

“Downton Abbey” airs on Masterpiece on PBS.

What did you think of MacLaine's performance in season three? Are you excited she's back? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE

Siobhan Finneran, who plays O'Brien, won't be back for season four of "Downton Abbey."

As if "Downton Abbey" didn't lose enough beloved characters in season three -- RIP, Sybil and Matthew -- the distinguished house is saying goodbye to a major downstairs character.

Masterpiece's publicists have confirmed to The Clicker that Siobhan Finneran, who plays the delightfully nasty Sarah O'Brien, will not be returning next season. "O'Brien is leaving to do something else, but the door is open for her character," one publicist said.

Finneran confirmed the news to the British tabloid The Daily Mirror. "I'm not doing any more," she said. "O'Brien is a thoroughly despicable human being -- that was great to play."

This past season, the lady's maid plotted a vicious scheme against former friend and fellow downstairs staff Thomas, Lord Grantham's valet. Her actions nearly led to the not-so-nice guy's dismissal and arrest. 

There's no word yet on how or why her character will leave. (Could "Her Ladyship's soap" have anything to do with it?) According to TVLine, O'Brien will exit sometime during the six-month period that passes between the end of season three, and the start of season four. 

What will you miss most -- if anything -- about O'Brien? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Getty Images

Kendra Wilkinson and Kate Gosselin swapped lives for a week.

When women swap lives on ABC's "Wife Swap," they tend to go home having learned a few life lessons. The same couldn't exactly be said for the season premiere of "Celebrity Wife Swap" Tuesday night, when Kate Gosselin and Kendra Wilkinson made the switch.

Former "Girls Next Door" star Kendra -- a mom of one who has a pretty splendid life being pampered by former football player Hank Baskett -- got a rude awakening when she took care of Kate's eight children, but she did it all with a smile on her face. And in the end, she even bonded with the children.

"I really worked my butt off to get these kids to at least appreciate me and know my heart," Kendra told us. "I really wanted to know their hearts. I really wanted to know about them and know where they come from. I don't want to just do the show, I want to ... really learn about these kids." 

For Kate, the experience didn't seem quite so positive. She spent the majority of her time at Kendra's house criticizing Kendra's seeming lack of effort around the house and leaving the majority of the child-rearing to hubby Hank and maid Rosa.

When it came time for the couples to meet face to face (Kate's friend Deanna, who helped Kendra out with the kids, sat in as the husband figure), the mom of eight showed just how judgmental she was of the other woman.

After Kendra praised the warmth of Kate's home and expressed being overwhelmed by Kate's rule book, the mom of eight whipped out her claws and reduced Kendra to tears.

"Imagine my surprise when I arrived at your house and discovered you had ONE child," she told Kendra. "It was a very unique experience to sort of do nothing. Reading your manual made me believe that you let everybody else do everything because you don't care. And between (Hank) and Rosa, they do everything, so it essentially enables you to not have to."

Oh, ouch! Could Kendra have chipped in a little more at home? Probably! But did she deserve this treatment? Not really! (Especially since the same message could've been delivered in a more tactful manner.)  Loving husband Hank stepped up to defend his wife.

"No! She's very hands on with Little Hank!" he insisted. Hank then said to Kendra, "I don't want you to change who you are." Awww!

Kate's reply? An exasperated face.

At the end, Kendra admitted that she had "grown up so much" from the experience. "I took some advice from her, and I am taking that in," Kendra told us. The show also revealed that she's spending even more time with her little son now.

As for Kate? Her parting words at the table weren't about what she learned from the experience, but that she hoped Kendra took a few lessons with her.

Every show needs a good guy and bad guy, right?

"Celebrity Wife Swap" airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC.

What did you think of Kendra and Kate's behavior on "Celebrity Wife Swap"? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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D Dipasupil / Getty Images

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is taking season 16 of "Dancing" off.

When "Dancing With the Stars" unveiled its season 16 lineup Tuesday morning, one very popular pro was not included: ballroom bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Rumors had surfaced in the days prior that Maks wouldn't be participating in the show this upcoming season, and Tuesday, he confirmed the news to TODAY.com.

"I just want to set the record straight to all of my amazing fans that I will unfortunately not be returning for this season of 'Dancing With the Stars,' " he said in a statement. "I’ve been a pro dancer on the show for about seven years now and am eager to explore other opportunities that have been made possible because of 'Dancing With the Stars.' I'm going to take this time to dive into producing and acting, while fulfilling my sponsorship obligations.  

"A big thank you to all of my fans for your never-ending support. I also want to thank the entire cast and production of 'Dancing With the Stars.' "

"We frequently rotate the professional dancers, so it is not unusual for them to rest a cycle,” ABC said of Maks taking a break. "We appreciate each of our dancer's dedication to the show, so this is a very difficult decision. Anna (Trebunskaya), Chelsie (Hightower), Maks and Louis (Van Amstel) continue to be a part of the 'Dancing With the Stars' family."

This isn't the first time the passionate dancer, who joined "DWTS" in season two, has taken time off from the show. He took season six off after finishing second with Mel B. in season five.

Maks, who has always stood up for his partners on the show when he felt they were unfairly critiqued, has famously sparred with judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba for several seasons. In season 13, he even told head judge Len during a critique of partner Hope Solo that he should retire, and cursed Carrie Ann backstage to reporters.

Though the Ukranian pro is taking time off to pursue other interests, the ballroom won't be Chmerkovskiy free. Maks' little brother, Val, is returning for his fourth season, and is paired with teen Disney star Zendaya.

"Dancing With the Stars" kicks off on March 18 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Will you miss Maks? Tell us on our Facebook page!

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