In the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, a writer/producer named Sharlene Sullivan claims that in 2002, she registered a show synopsis called "Rock Star" with the Writers Guild of America, in which "lead vocalists for rock bands would compete and would be judged by well known musicians/rock stars."

In the lawsuit, Sullivan claims she shared the idea with several industry people connected with both Mark Burnett and the rock band INXS. After receiving initial interest from those parties, Sullivan claims she was told to "abandon the project" and "write an unrelated treatment regarding transvestites." Soon after, the suit claims, Mark Burnett claimed he created a reality show called "RockStar: INXS." Sullivan says Burnett knew that it had already been created. - more on this story