Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 13, 2009 at 11:27am
XXL Reports
50 Cent is suing popular video Web site worldstarhiphop.com.
According to fox8live.com, Fif is taking action over the site’s unauthorized usage of his image plastered across their homepage. He claims that the photo is misleading, causing many visitors to think that he owns the site.
“I got a lawsuit against WorldStar for utilizing my likeness,” the G-Unit leader said in a recent interview in Atlanta. “A lot of people felt like that was my site because they saw my face on the cover of (the Web site) for a long time.”
“I have lawyers on retainers and I have to pay them so much money anyway, so we’ll go back and forth to court until (they) can’t afford a Subway sandwich,” he continued. “It’s already too late for (them).”
50’s latest disc, Before I Self Destruct, is currently available on iTunes. The physical copy hits shelves on Monday (November 16)
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 13, 2009 at 11:18am
AllHipHop Reports
Rap star Coolio has officially replaced DMX in an upcoming celebrity boxing match taking place in Alabama on December 12.
DMX was originally slated to face off against Albuquerque, New Mexico-based fighter Eric Martinez for three rounds, but pulled out when fighters refused to fix the fight or guarantee his safety.
For his part, Coolio believes he is prepared to take on Martinez during Thunder Promotions’ “Alabama Pride” in Birmingham.
"I’m not a good loser, so I don’t plan on losing, it will be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to seeing my fans out in Birmingham,” Coolio said in a statement released today (November 13). “I’m scheduled to perform on Dec 11th the night of the weigh-in and I’ll rock the mic the same night after I beat up Martinez.”
Also on the bill during the evening are UFC Veterans Jeff ‘Snowman’ Monson (30-9), who will take on Travis ‘Ironman’ Fulton at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex.
“I chose Coolio because he is a great entertainer and a tough guy,” stated Thunder Promotions President Rod Riccardi. “Not only is he going to fight, but he is going to perform live after the weigh-ins and after the fight. The Location of these performances will be announced. This event is going to be the most entertaining MMA event Birmingham has ever seen.”
Tickets are on sale now at all ticket master locations.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 13, 2009 at 10:26am
L.A. Times Reports
Hef may soon have a new boss.
Brand management firm Iconix Brand Group and a group led by Jim Griffiths, the company's former entertainment president, are both in advanced talks to acquire "gentlemen's" entertainment company Playboy Enterprises Inc. and take it private for more than $300 million, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Both companies have been talking to Playboy management for about a year, the person said. A Playboy spokesman declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for Iconix.
Any decision about a purchase will ultimately come down to Hugh Hefner, Playboy's founder and public face, who controls about 70% of its voting stock. A buyer would not only have to persuade Hefner to relinquish control of the company he started 56 years ago, but probably also to stay involved given his importance to the brand.
Chicago-based Playboy's stock price plummeted last fall to just above $1 a share as it has struggled with challenges in several of its business, including adult pay television, print and digital content. Revenue has fallen in the first three quarters of the year and the company has cut costs in an attempt to keep up. It recently reduced the guaranteed circulation of its magazine to 1.5 million from 2.6 million.
Former Chief Executive Christie Hefner left last December.
Playboy's market capitalization was just $136.3 million on Wednesday, including a 42% jump caused by a report of Iconix's interest earlier in the day. As of Sept. 30 it had $26.9 million in cash and $103 million of long-term debt, which starts to come due in March 2012.
Rumors that Playboy could be acquired started in February, when former interim Chief Executive Jerry Kern said the company would be open to offers.
In July, former Freedom Communications chief Scott Flanders took over as chief executive. Many on Wall Street had viewed Flanders' appointment as a sign Hefner wanted to revive the company instead of selling it.
"You have Scott Flanders in there who is putting a new corporate strategy into effect to turn the company around," said Steve Marascia, director of research at Capitol Securities Management in Virginia.
Flanders said in a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune that he wanted to grow Playboy by focusing on brand licensing and location-based entertainment, such as nightclubs.
That probably would be the plan for Iconix as well, which owns and licenses several well-known brands such as London Fog, Starter and Joe Boxer.
Griffiths, who was formerly president of Playboy's Entertainment Group, is working with San Francisco-based private equity firm Golden Gate Capital on his bid. If successful, it would see him take over the company as chief executive and run it for Golden Gate, which would become the new majority owner.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 13, 2009 at 10:00am
NY Daily News Reports
It's one of those things you wouldn’t think anyone needs to learn, but apparently, masturbation is an art in Spain.
So much so, in fact, that the country's Extremadura region is launching a sex-education program centered around "self-pleasure."
The Guardian reports that the $20,000 campaign includes workshops that feature masturbation instructions. There also are leaflets on self-respect and contraception.
The region's socialist government aims to help teenagers with "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure."Laura Garrido, a youth council president, reveals that the campaign is supposed to remove the mystique surrounding sex.
"The campaign is simple, clear, natural and easily understood by the people it is aimed at, who are aged between 14 and 17," she says.
But not everyone in Spain supports bringing masturbation into the realm of public education.
"This is an intimate subject that should be dealt with at home," says Hernández Carrón, a member of the opposition People's party. "We have become the laughing stock of Spain."
That may be so, but alone in the bedroom, teens from Extremadura will have the last laugh.
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Video After The JumpCash Money Records newest signee, UK artist Jay Sean performs his hit song "Down" for The George Lopez Live audience. Then Baby aka Birdman hits the stage to perform "Written On Her" with help from Jay Sean. There have been rumors that a Cash Money UK is in the works, we'll just have to wait and see.
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Video After The Jump
Damn this was a dope performance by Goodie Mob and The Roots on The Jimmy Fallon Show. All the original members of Goodie Mob, Cee Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo Goodie & Big Gipp went in and The Roots band killed it, putting an ill spin on the original version of "Soul Food"
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SixShot.com Reports
The bad blood between Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy is one of hip hop's most bitter feuds but it looks like Gucci is taking steps to put the ugly feud behind him.
A song by Gucci titled "My Own Worst Enemy" leaked online yesterday (November 12) and on the track Gucci asks Young Jeezy to rethink their rift and its consequences.
"I don’t wish no death on homie, I just want you to hear me out/ Think about the past and all the many things we talked about, think about all the people influenced by what comes out our mouth..." Gucci raps.
Gucci discussed the track with radio personality Miss Info. He claims he doesn't view the song as a truce record but as a way to show fans his growth and how he feels about the rift.
"I just want him to hear me out. Think about all the things we talked about. Think about all the people influenced by what comes out our mouth. Think about how you can hurt people in your crew," Gucci explained. "Think about somebody under you who is ambitious and wants to get to where you at. They will do anything to get what you got and they will put themselves in harm's way or put their family in harm’s way. Think about that. You ain't gotta take it, just hear it."
Surprisingly, Gucci doesn't seem to think the record will have an optimistic effect on Jeezy.
"Do I feel like he's at a point where he can hear that and get something positive out of it? I don’t think so," said Gucci. “If he did, that would be good but I don’t think he's at that point now. Just from the actions and the things he has said. But it don't stop for me, whatever he does or anybody does, it don't stop my serenity or peace. I'm good."
Gucci also mentions T.I. and other personal relationships on the record.
Unfortunately for Gucci, his attempts to make things right comes around the same he is headed back to jail.
The rapper was sent to jail for a year for violating his probation. It is unknown what part of his probation he violated. The last time he was sent to prison was because he violated his probation by taking drugs and alcohol.
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MTV Reports
If it was just about the music, the long-awaited Hot Boys reunion probably would have already happened. All four members — Lil Wayne, B.G., Juvenile and the currently incarcerated Turk seem to be onboard. There are even some unreleased Turk vocals in the vaults. However, B.G. said that with him and Lil Wayne having problems with the law, it's unlikely a record will drop anytime soon.
"I know I got my own personal dealings to deal with, as far as with the system and things of that nature," said B.G., who was arrested for illegal gun possession recently in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Wayne is expected to be sentenced to a year in prison in a New York court in February.
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MTV Reports
Gucci Mane was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Thursday (November 12) for probation violation and taken away to prison in handcuffs, according to a rep from his label.
The sentence is a blow to Gucci's career. The ATL rapper has an album coming out — The State vs. Radrick Davis — on December 8 and is arguably at the height of his career; in terms of his sentence, he may be out of prison in six months. Last September, Gucci went to jail and served until March; he was sentenced to a year in prison for failing to fulfill his court-ordered 600 hours of community service, which had been mandated in 2005.
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TMZ Reports
Mike Tyson can't get a break. Court officials in Arizona tell TMZ they're looking at yesterday's bloody LAX incident to determine if the ex-champ violated his probation. If he did, he could end up in an Arizona prison.
Tyson was convicted of felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor DUI in Arizona in 2007. He was placed on 3 years probation. One of the conditions -- Tyson can't violate any laws.
If Arizona prosecutors believe Tyson crossed the legal line yesterday, they could attempt to violate his probation and he could face jail time.
A probation official tells TMZ if charges are filed against Tyson in L.A., that could trigger a probation violation. The official says worst case scenario for Tyson -- 2 1/2 years in State prison.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 12, 2009 at 12:00pm
Video After The JumpKTLA Reports
LOS ANGELES -- A woman under police protection was fatally stabbed while officers were just steps away in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles.
It happened inside a second-story apartment on Cochran Street near Pico Boulevard just before midnight, according to Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Rick McClure.
A man whom police already knew about climbed into the woman's apartment while two officers sat in a patrol car outside, investigators said.
The officers had taken the woman back to her apartment after she filed a domestic violence report.
The officers were filling out a crime report when someone ran up to their patrol car and said a woman was being stabbed, Police spokesman Bruce Borihanh said.
The officers ran into the apartment, saw the man attacking the woman and shot him, Borihanh said.
The suspect and the woman were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where they were pronounced dead, officials said. Their identities have not been released.
It's believed the man reached the second-floor apartment from the roof, then climbed in a bathroom window, Detective Gus Villanueva said.
The two were said to have been romantically involved in the past.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 12, 2009 at 11:36am
AllHipHop Reports
Rapper Corey “C-Murder” Miller cannot afford to hire lawyers to fund his appeal, but two lawyers have come to his aid in an attempt to secure a retrial.
Attorney Robert Smith, of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute of Race and Justice at Harvard Law School and John Adcock of New Orleans are representing Miller free of charge.
The rapper, 38, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Steve Thomas, 16, inside of a now-defunct Jefferson Parish nightclub in January of 2002 and sentenced to a mandatory life sentence.
According to the Times-Picayune, Miller cannot afford to pay the $20,702 for case records and trial transcripts and fees, which alone total $17,335.
Since Miller has no known income, real estate or savings, his lawyers have filed a motion to declare him indigent, which would allow him access to the court records at no cost. A hearing is set for December 10. Miller is also facing a civil lawsuit in relation to Thomas’ death.
C-Murder is the brother of rap mogul Master P., one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs the Hip-Hop genre has produced. In interview last month, Master P. addressed C-Murder’s incarceration.
“He know he didn't commit this crime but for him keeping it real in the streets and not saying who did it, where he at? He in the penitentiary,” Master P. told AllHipHop.com. “So sometimes your pride could kill you. My whole thing is: don't let pride get in the way of what you want to do. Hip-hop artists got this ‘keep it real’ thing like they on the streets now.”
Master P. also blamed C-Murder’s rap name for some of the legal problems he encountered, despite his younger brother’s attempt to rename himself “C-Miller” to downplay the controversial moniker.
“Right now, C-Murder is a victim of a crime himself. He's innocent on this case but because of his name, image and past, that's given them the right to take him away off the streets,” Master P. said.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 12, 2009 at 11:24am
Rap-Up Reports
Just when you thought the star power at the 2009 American Music Awards couldn’t get any brighter, Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston have been announced as performers.
Jackson, who releases her greatest hits album Number Ones on November 17, will open the 37th annual show by performing a medley of hits spanning her illustrious career.
“We’re thrilled about having Janet Jackson open this year’s show,” stated American Music Awards producer Larry Klein. “She is an incredibly dynamic performer, and I think the audience will be excited to see what she has in store.”
Whitney Houston is also set to return to the AMA stage for her first primetime U.S. network performance in five years. She will sing her powerhouse ballad “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” and receive the International Artist Award.
“We’re honored to have Whitney Houston back on the AMA stage after ten years,” said Klein. “She has won the most AMAs of any female artist in history and is without a doubt an international superstar, so it’s only fitting we honor her with the International Artist Award this year at such an important time in her career.”
Other previously announced performers include Shakira with Lil Wayne, Rihanna, Eminem, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Keith Urban, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood,Green Day, Daughtry, and Adam Lambert.
The 2009 American Music Awards will air live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 22, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
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AllHipHop Reports
Renowned producer Sha Money XL has inked a multi-million dollar music and film distribution deal for his Dream Big Ventures imprint, which will allow him and his team to “nurture talent that has the passion to ‘dream big,’” he announced today (November 11).
“Sha Money’s reputation and track record of success speaks for itself,” said Michael Bull, General Manager of The Orchard, Dream Big’s new distribution home. “All of us at The Orchard are thrilled to be in a position to work with Sha, building and developing his new label. We see Dream Big as America’s next great urban independent.”
The former G-Unit Records president comes to The Orchard – the world’s leading digital distributor of music – with a roster of three artists, each at a different stage of their careers.
Dream Big Ventures also comes to The Orchard with a completed first project: former Shady/Aftermath recording artist Stat Quo’s long-delayed debut album Statlanta. Also signed to the new imprint are DJ Whoo Kid and former Young Money associate Kidd Kidd.
“The first three projects coming out of Dream Big are very realistic reflections of the three stages an artist can find themselves in: established and successful, in-between labels or ready to take your career to the next level,” Sha Money told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
Originally scheduled for a 2003 release, Statlanta now boasts production credits by Che Vicious, Hi-Tek, Key Kat Productions and Sha Money XL himself, who says he wanted to work with Stat from the first time he heard him.
“The anticipation for his debut album is still high,” he added. “I am pleased to be releasing it through my new venture.”
Along with the announcement of its new partnership, Dream Big released Stat Quo’s latest single “Freaky Girl” and Kidd Kidd’s “New Kidd On The Block” mixtape, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Scream.
In addition to operating his new venture as a traditional label, Sha Money XL has launched a new website, DreamBigVentures.Net, which he hopes can serve as an interactive advertising and promotion tools for up-and-coming talent and music-related service providers, ie web and graphic designers, producers, and videographers. Sha’s hope is that the site will also encourage established industry executives to seek out those kinds of talent the world over.
“Dream Big is about me fulfilling my dreams and my visions,” Sha Moneys explained. “Imagine if Dr. Dre had never moved on from NWA or Death Row? You have to have wisdom to accept that a change has to take place, but not be careless with your future.”
In addition to his continued expansion of the One Stop Shop, which, in three years, has become the premier annual networking event for producers, Sha Money XL is currently co-managing Hi-Tek and Talib Kewli as Reflection Eternal. Revolutions Per Minute, the duo’s highly anticipated follow-up to 2000’s Train of Thought, is due out in 2010.
Sha Money also recently served as the Associate Producer on 50 Cent’s fourth studio album, Before I Self-Destruct, which is set to hit stores Tuesday (November 16).
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MTV Reports
Together, Chris Brown and Soulja Boy Tell'em have the type of star power that could resurrect the Scream Tour.
The duo have collaborated on a record together for Brown's forthcoming Graffiti album, "Bad." Both spoke to MTV News about the song recently, saying it's definitely one the ladies will enjoy.
"Well, me and him, we been on tour together and we're friends, so I was just like, 'Yo, I gotta do a record with Soulja Boy,' " Brown said. "Because me and him are always gonna have, like, this kind of energy, just as far as kids, and with him, he does records that are, like, the easiest records ever. I'm not discrediting him, 'cause they're big records, but he could talk about, 'I got my shoes on, I got my hat on, but I'm fresh though,' and it could be something funny. But it's always something that can be catchy for kids, and I wanna do something that's real cool for everybody.
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Video After The JumpPeople.Com Reports
Mike Tyson and a photographer made citizen's arrests of one another after getting into a scuffle Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport, police say.
At 4:30 p.m., the former boxing champ, 43, was passing through LAX from Europe en route to Las Vegas when a celebrity photographer began taking his picture at the United Airlines terminal, Sgt. Jim Holcomb tells PEOPLE.
"The two men got into a scuffle, and it's alleged that Tyson hit the photographer once in the face with one hand, causing him to fall to the ground," Holcomb says. "The photographer sustained a laceration to the forehead, and was taken to a local hospital."
Officers arrived on the scene and detained Tyson, who was booked at a nearby LAPD station and held on $20,000 bail, according to police records. Documents also show that Tyson was released at 8:24 p.m.
Tyson was reportedly traveling with his wife and 10-month-old baby. The incident was first reported by Radaronline.com.
"Mr. Tyson did absolutely nothing wrong, he was the victim in this case," his attorney, Richard Schonfeld tells PEOPLE. "We look forward to vindicating him and pursuing his rights."
Earlier this year, the boxer's 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, died in Phoenix after accidentally getting her neck wrapped in a cord from an exercise machine. In November 2007, Tyson was sentenced by an Arizona judge to 24 hours in jail and three years probation for drug possession and driving under the influence.
It remains to be seen whether the airport incident will be deemed a violation of his probation terms.
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