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LeBron James sitcom scrubbed of its Philly roots

The two main characters will no longer be from Philadelphia.

REMEMBER back in September when we got all excited about LeBron James' basketball-themed comedy with Philadelphia roots?

Hell, we even put it on our front page.

Starz just gave a series order to the show, called "Survivor's Remorse."

Too bad it's no longer got Philly flavor. In the original concept, lead characters Cam Calloway and his cousin, Reggie Vaughn, achieve fame and fortune "through a combination of God-given talent and North Philly grit," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

When the release went out that Starz had picked up the show for a full season, Philadelphia was nowhere to be found.

I chatted with a rep from Starz who said the show was always set to be shot in Atlanta, but the main characters will no longer be from North Philly because of a "creative change."

Apparently, North Philly grit isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, lamented the change, saying our capped film-tax credit causes the state, and more importantly our fair city, to lose Philadelphia-based projects all the time. "We're losing jobs and we're losing good press," she said.

Katz denies gay love affair with Hoffman

David Bar Katz, the locally born writer, is suing the National Enquirer for $50 million because the rag alleged that he'd said he had a gay love affair with actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died Sunday at age 46.

Katz found Hoffman's body in his Manhattan apartment.

The Enquirer had a story alleging it had spoken with Katz, in which he admitted to having an affair with the late Oscar winner. The New York Daily News caught up with Katz outside the apartment of Hoffman's longtime girlfriend, Mimi O'Donnell, and Katz denied ever speaking with the Enquirer. Katz's lawyer, Judd Burstein, stated: "This article is just disgusting. Here you have Phil's family and his friends grieving, and the Enquirer comes along seeking to make a buck through putrid lies. Worse still, it appears that the Enquirer sent out a press release hyping the story so that it could sell more copies of the magazine. I do not know how these people can sleep at night."

Zimmerman to box DMX

Local celebrity boxing promoter Damon Feldman hit a new low by announcing that he will promote a three-round boxing match between George Zimmerman, the man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin (and was later acquitted of second-degree murder charges), and rapper DMX.

A statement from DMX's agent said that although "X Gon' Give It to Ya" is ready to "beat ass," no official contracts have been signed.

Martin would have been 19 yesterday. Nineteen.

The 43-year-old rapper was allegedly one of 15,000 applicants to fight the 30-year-old Zimmerman, who has continued to pop up in the public eye since his controversial acquittal last year, essentially gaining celebrity status through death.

Date, location and time of the fight will be announced at a news conference next week. Pay-per-view and television deals are also expected to be announced.

There is now a White House petition to stop the fight, which you should sign, at wh.gov/lRECC.

Tailgating celebs

I hear that director Lee Daniels, our own Philly guy who directed "Lee Daniels' The Butler" (or else it would be super awkward if someone just stuck his name in the title), and "CSI:NY" actor Kevin Navayne will be at the Auto Show's Black Tie Tailgate, the annual charity fete kicking off the car show that runs from Feb. 8 to 16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (1101 Arch St.). Although a rep from the Auto Show could not confirm their appearance, she did let me know that anchors from 6ABC (like Karen Rogers and Melissa Magee) will be on hand, in addition to Miss New Jersey Cara McCollum and Miss Philadelphia Francesca Ruscio.

Twitter: @PhillyGossipDN

Online: ph.ly/DNGossip