Law & Disorder...Alicia Keys has settled the lawsuit filed by her former literary agent Noah Lukeman when she signed a deal with one book publisher (Bantam) and then, having second thoughts, teamed up with a second agent for a different deal elsewhere (Putnam). Lukeman's lawyer, who, due to a non-disclosure agreement, couldn't provide details, did confirm that the dispute has been settled. • Outkast has been hit with another lawsuit. A Florida woman claims she was the real person who wrote “Ms. Jackson.” Jacqueline Jackson also claims that she was the person rapped about in the hit song. In her suit, Jackson alleges that she wrote “Ms. Jackson” after her daughter Monique was impregnated as a teenager. He maintains that the song was stolen by Antonio Seals, a former business partner of Outkast. Seals also reportedly went to high school with the Andre 3000 and Big Boi. The suit has been filed in Atlanta, GA. She told “Celebrity Justice," “They owe me because that was the fruit of my labor and I don't think they should reap the complete reward.” F**k off! When is your album dropping? • A judge ordered Puffy to pay Misa (Justin’s mother) $21,700 a month in child support, down from $35,000 Puff was originally ordered to pay. That’s child support fo’ yo *ss! • Police reports confirm that American Idol finalist Scott Savol was once arrested for felony domestic violence in Ohio, per the Smoking Gun. Fox stated that Savol had previously told the network of the arrest and that it will not cost him his shot on the show. Savol was arrested in 2001, after spending Valentine's Day roughing up the mother of his then-three-week-old baby. Besides calling his ex names and pulling an engagement ring off her finger, Savol also is said to have thrown a telephone at her. Leave the new white Luther alone! • Voletta Wallace is making progress with her lawsuit against the LAPD for the wrongful death of her son. Though it was initially supposed to go to trial this April, the case was continued because of the unavailability of a key witness, and is now scheduled to go to trial on Jun. 14th. Meanwhile, Wallace has signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster. • A judge ordered Suge Knight to pay $107 million to a woman who claimed she helped Knight found Death Row Records, ruling that Knight and his attorneys failed to provide information and answer questions in the case. She’s gonna be sleeping with the fishes soon enough! That nicca crazy! • Master P and Silkk the Shocker pleaded innocent to felony gun charges. • C Miller’s (bka C-Murder) attempt to have his conviction for second-degree murder thrown out when a state court of appeals refused to reconsider the case. The NAACP has stepped in to make an appeal on Miller’s behalf. • The Daily News reports ODB's mother, Cherry Jones, and manager, Jarred Weisfeld, have just filed a $1.8 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against Florida-based production company AGU Entertainment, alleging that AGU reneged on deals for a rap album and a 'Jackass'-type DVD while using ODB's name to lure investors. I guess its true, folks are worth more dead then alive! • The Post reports that a judge froze Shyne’s assets, citing the state's revised "Son of Sam Law," ordering that any money Shyne receives from his new deal with Def Jam -- as well as royalties from his music -- be held in escrow, pending the outcome of civil lawsuits by victims. That’s some bulls**t!
Oh Really...The Post reports that now "Life & Style" has been canned, stories are being told of donut-licking, lamp-stealing and other typical diva behavior. And controversy-magnet Kimora Lee Simmons is first up in the line of fire. According to a show insider, Kimora's antics drove the cast and crew crazy and contributed to the show's early demise. Page Six compiled some of the juicier accusations: *Kimora missed 35 episodes and gave wild excuses — like being in extended mourning for her dead cat. *Russell Simmons, was a repeated on-set nuisance who nagged producers to give his wife a bigger role. * Lee called the other hosts -- Jules Asner, Cynthia Garrett and Lynne Koplitz — "bitches and hos" and once berated a Teleprompter operator so badly that he quit on the spot. *She stole props such as lamps and once made off with an entire rack of lamb from the lunch buffet table. Staff routinely had to be dispatched to Simmons’ dressing room in order to recover the pilfered booty. * She forced producers to hire her and Russell's friends for costly no-show jobs, like a celebrity booker for $2,500 a week who never booked a single boldfaced name. *Simmons also threatened to beat up an eight-month pregnant assistant, prompting weary producers to send the woman home to avert trouble. *But perhaps the lowest point came when she supposedly had donuts delivered to the set, then licked each and every one so nobody else could eat them. The insider also sniped that although Simmons acted like a diva, she didn't even deliver ratings. "Sony hired her to bring in the urban audience, but many in the urban community are turned off by her claims of being 'black,' " our source said. The source concluded: "Basically, the only reason they didn't fire her is because producers thought the publicity would be bad." Sort of like the show. Simmon's rep, Rob Shuter, told Page Six: "All these allegations are hurtful and false. Kimora has a dedicated team that she treats like family. She's the hardest-working woman in the business." Stole a lamb? Licked donuts? Oh hell naw! Where’s the class?
Michael Vick has been hit with a nasty lawsuit. A Georgia woman is suing Vick for negligence and battery claiming he gave her herpes. According to the lawsuit (courtesy of The Smoking Gun), Sonya Elliot, a 26-year-old health care worker, was infected with the sexually transmitted disease in April 2003 after an unprotected encounter with Vick at the athlete's Duluth (GA) home. Elliott alleges that after testing positive for Herpes Simplex 2, she confronted Vick about her condition. "I've got something to tell you. I've got it," Vick admitted to her, according to Elliott's State Court complaint, which alleges that Vick then, told her that "he had not known how to tell her about his condition, and that it was not something that he liked to talk about." Elliott's complaint also contends that Vick "apologized profusely" for not telling her he was infected with the STD. Elliott's lawsuit alleges that Vick has used the name "Ron Mexico" and, in a related court filing, her lawyers are seeking Vick's admission that he used the "Mexico" alias--and perhaps other fake names--"for the purpose of herpes testing and/or treatment." In her lawsuit, which does not specify monetary damages, Elliott states that she met Vick at a Virginia Beach nightclub in May 2001 and, shortly thereafter, began a close personal relationship with Vick (though the couple did not have sex until late-2002). Never trust a big d**k & a smile…Mike Vick is poison!
The Post reports that Jacob the Jeweler can no longer pump up Cartier or other brand-name watches with his trademark decorative diamonds. Lois Weiss reports that to settle a lawsuit Jacob had to take out ads proclaiming it's "illegal" to "alter" the watches with "non-authorized parts, such as diamond bezels," because it "cheats consumers" by voiding the warranties. On Mar. 21st, he placed an ad in the Times, declaring, "Jacob the Jeweler is joining Cartier in spreading the word that it is illegal for third-party jewelers to alter brand-name watches with non-authorized parts, such as diamond bezels, and sell such altered watches to consumers. This illegal conduct cheats consumers who spend money to purchase watches with void warranties and inferior performance specifications due to the unauthorized alterations." They shut Jacob DOWN!
Xzibit responded to The Game who said Xzibit’s "time's come and gone". "I think that The Game is a young dude that is definitely coming into a serious game and its hard to say man, I don't think the dude really understands the ramifications of really talking out of turn you know," Xzibit said. "I mean I don't come from speaking on other things, I come from just actions and I don't know I mean if he has a problem with me I’m not hard to find. I think that hip hop is going to the degree of the 'WWE' and when people feel as though they need to feel personified by their image and what not, but I’m a real dude, I'm a father first and I don't think he understands that when you are dealing from a level of realness that all that sh** don't matter, its like everybody's shooting and everybody can be touched. I just hope that where he's coming from is from a genuine place and if he really has those genuine feelings towards me, he needs to come speak and address that cause I'm not hard to find." Both those dudes are b**ches! Girl Fight!
The Post reports that Alicia Keys' manager, whom she refers to as a surrogate father, is being called a deadbeat dad. Jeff Robinson's ex-girlfriend, Tammi Adams, claims that he is a deadbeat. Adams has a 13-year-old son with Robinson, who discovered Keys and runs her management company, MBK Entertainment. Adams says Robinson not only did not pay child support last year, but he has dodged her -- claiming first to live in New York and then New Jersey — to stall legal proceedings. "Jeff rarely sees his son," Adams told Page Six. "He started paying $1,100 a month last month — which is the most I've ever gotten. Before it was $200, $400 or $700. Last year, he just paid for our apartment. He didn't pay for our son's education at all. I am not asking for a specific amount, but his company grossed $100 million last year, so I think he can do a little bit better. Jeff doesn't return my calls or when he does, we end up arguing, so he has stopped trying to work with me. All baby mamas are not out to be greedy, I just want some support. My son has to watch his father on TV if he wants to see him." A rep for Robinson said, "This is a case about adult support, not child support." He did something b*tch damn!
Mobb Deep got dropped from Jive Records and they couldn’t be happier. MTV News recently spoke with Mobb and this is what they had to say. "We wasn't surprised — we was more thrilled," Prodigy said. "Jive is a good label but they're R&B'ed out. They sell millions of records with Britney Spears, R. Kelly and all the big ones. Mobb Deep is a street-rap group. We from off the streets. We gotta move with a label that knows how to handle that street sh--. We gonna move on to bigger and better things now." "Jive definitely seems like one of those places that, when you good at something, they're good at it; when they're not, they're not," Havoc, who was standing next to P, added. "We came out with a hot album — I definitely think it was one of our best albums. They just couldn't handle it, so they had to drop it. Now we're moving on to something else."
The Post reports Ashanti's stylist, Rosie Michel, who has worked with her for years, pulled items from young fashion designer Nicole Romano's NY showroom on Nov. 1st. But the jewelry and clothing, worth over $2,000, have still not been returned. A source said that since then, Romano and her staff have placed repeated calls to Michel, her assistant and even Ashanti's record label to try to locate the missing merchandise. Give them back their s**t!
The Daily News reports that The Game may be able to barge his way around the US, but Mexico isn't going to play by his rules. The Game was denied entry after refusing to allow Mexican customs agents to inspect his luggage. "He wouldn't let them go through his bags, so they wouldn't let him in the country," says the source. "He never left the airport." The conversation became awfully heated, our spies say, and it ended with a brief shoving match involving his posse. The Game was sent right back home, causing him to miss two concert dates. That’s what his fake *ss gets!
Music World/Bizz Updates/Ventures...The Bizz: Universal Motown has appointed Eric Nicks to the post of Senior VP of A&R. Nicks comes to Universal from Sony, where he served as a Sr. VP of A&R. • Puffy is extending his Sean John brand into the automobile industry with a new line of custom-designed rims dubbed "Sean John Wheels." The rims, which are expected to retail for $700-$3,000 each. • MTV plans to launch MTV Overdrive on Apr. 25th, a new "hybrid" website that allows viewers to watch MTV shows on demand, get MTV news updates, and watch videos. The Buzz: Damon Dash Music Group is staging a contest in conjunction with the release of ODB’s upcoming album in which fans will have a chance to remix the first single, "Dirty Dirty." The winner's version, as determined by RZA, DJ Clark Kent and Dash, will appear as the B-side to the official single. Details on how to enter are available at dashmusicgroup.com. • Alicia Keys will be honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with the Starlight Award, a prize given to gifted young songwriters making a significant impact in the music industry. The event takes place Jun. 9th in NYC. • Will Smith and Ludacris will headline MTV Base 100th Live!, celebrating the launch of MTV’s first pan-African music channel and MTV's 100th channel worldwide. The all-star concert will take place in Johannesburg, on Apr. 20th. • Russell Simmons is releasing a series of yoga videos called "Yoga Live." The four videos covering the basics are taught by three different professional yogis, not Simmons. Hustle Simmons strikes again! • Trina is launching a perfume. The perfume is called Diamond Princess and will be released this summer. Who wants to smell like coochie? runs The Ventures: Pharrell Williams has started a street skate team led by pro Terry Kennedy and including Williams’ younger brother, Kato. The "Ice Cream" Skate Team, will tour for seven months in Northern California before releasing a DVD this fall.
Upcoming Projects/TV Shows/Movies Etc...Shows:ABC will air "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz" featuring Ashanti and Queen Latifah on May 20th at 8 p.m. • Venus and Serena Williams have inked a deal with ABC Family to star in a six-episode reality series about their lives on and off the court. • Sandi “Pepa” Denton, Janice Dickinson, Jose Canseco, BronsonPinchot, and Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth are the new cast of “The Surreal Life.” The show is currently in production and debuts on Sept. 4th on VH1. This is gonna be fire! •MTV announced that that the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards will return to Miami. The VMAs will air live from American Airlines Arena on Aug. 28th. • Joey Lawrence has joined the cast of Bow. Lawrence plays an agent and Kim Fields stars as Bow Wow’s mom. The show sucks already! • BET is producing an Apprentice-like spin-off, starring Dame Dash in Donald Trump's role. Are you kidding me! • BET has pulled the plug on BET Nightly News. What’s gonna happen with Jackie’s eyebrows? Flicks:Antoine Fuqua will direct Paramount's upcoming sequel The Untouchables: Capone Rising. The prequel to the 1987 gangster pic centers on the early years of Al Capone and corrupt Irish copper Jimmy Malone. This is like his 15th mobster flick! • Denzel Washington has inked a deal to star as a tough cop out to stop a clever bank robber (Clive Owen) trying to commit the perfect crime in Inside Man. Spike Lee will direct the flick. • Nick Cannon will star, write and executive produce Extra Protection. Universal is in talks with James Lassiter and Will Smith to produce the flick. The action-comedy follows two FBI trainees escorting a critical witness to court. Can someone say remix! Etc:Nivea will drop 'Complicated' on May 3rd. • Jermaine Dupri announced the lineup for Atlanta's Midtown Music Festival Urban Stage. Ciara, Black Eyed Peas and Slim Thug will headline the stage on Jun. 11th; the day after will be dedicated to hip-hop's old school, with Biz Markie, MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Whodini scheduled to perform.
Spottings...Jay-Z and Beyonce were spotted arriving with L.A. Reid at the Tribeca Grand for a sneak preview of Ludacris' new film, "Crash." • Jay-Z, Paul Pierce, and Stephon Marbury were spotted at Jamal Crawford's 25th Birthday Bash at 58 in NYC • Michael Jordan, Ahmad Rashad and Charles Oakley were spotted at Gypsy Tea and at Marquee in NYC. • Lil Jon, Trina, Kelly Rowland, and Serena Williams were spotted hanging out at Mansion in Miami. • Rosie Perez, Spike Lee, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Isaac Hayes, and Deborah Cox were spotted at the 'Julius Caesar' Broadway Opening Night at The Belasco Theater in NYC. • Jay-Z and Beyonce were spotted salsa dancing at Mansion in Miami. Damn, Jay is getting real sponge-like!
Quickies...Andre 3000 will be honored at the 2005 General Motors International Style Awards in Atlanta on May 6th. • Hulk Hogan was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame. • The BBC accidentally requested an interview with Bob Marley via an email to the Bob Marley Foundation, 24 years after this death. Ignorance is bliss! • PETA targeted Star Jones Reynolds by installing a six-foot-tall drag queen wearing a wedding dress and blood-stained white fur coat outside The View's studios in parody of Jones. It made me giggle! • Halle Berry will co-host Revlon's Run/Walk for Women in L.A. on May 7th. The event supports women's cancer research and other programs.
AlleyChat...Faith Evans bristles at people who regard her as the source of the beef between Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. 2pac claimed he had an affair with Evans, which she denies. "It's not the first time that happened to me - to get lied on," she tells Jim Farber of The Daily News. "But God knows the truth. And I know the truth." Tell’em Faith! I’m loving her new cd! • Star Magazine reports that Tyra Banks and Vivica A. Fox can't stand each other, says a source who knows them both. "Tyra is annoyed because she thinks The Starlet is a rip-off " of her show, the source says. Meanwhile "Vivica thinks she's a bigger star" and calls Tyra "the forehead." Both of their reps insist the two are friends and that there's no feud. Both of those hoes are old and tired! • Russ Parr issued a statement to AllHipHop about his show's April Fool's Day prank claiming Usher had admitted to being bisexual, which apparently was recorded and put on the web with the "April Fool's" disclaimer removed. Parr said, "I am a big fan of Usher and his work. In my opinion, his talent supersedes anything in his personal life including his sexuality; either way I do not believe that he is gay or bi-sexual. I stated several times on the show that day that it was all an AprilFools’ joke." I still think he’s bisexual! • A supposed family friend wrote into Wendy Williams radio show to discuss the current Brown/Houston family situation-you may not all know that Whitney returned to court-ordered rehab last week. Anyway, the 'friend' says that Cissy Houston, is ready to file for custody of Bobbi Kristina, she is so convinced that her parents are unable to provide proper care. Cissy is apparently the person who petitioned the court to get Whitney back in rehab. The house is said to not be the proper environment for a child. Whitney's addiction is rumored to be not only cocaine, as previously reported, but also crystal meth as well. I think they missed a few ‘cause shorty is fried! • There is x-amount of chat about Mya and The Game playing vertical tango. If true, Mya has a whole lotta rapper miles!
Well, that’s my time…Until next week…
Your #1 Poop Star,
Ms Tibbs
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