MADONNA - MARY J BLIGE SUED BY MADONNA'S PUBLISHERS

MADONNA and MARY J BLIGE are set to take different sides in a new court battle over pop hit HOLIDAY.

Bosses of the publishing company behind the 1983 classic claim Blige's BARBERSHOP 2 song NOT TODAY is a rip-off of the tune and they're suing the R+B superstar and collaborators EVE and DR DRE to prove it.

New York musicologist JUDITH FINNELL has been drafted in, and she insists the MAVERICK publishers have a strong case.

She tells American legal show CELEBRITY JUSTICE, "It sounds similar enough to bear further consideration. Both the pitches and the rhythms sound closely related."