Thursday, November 27, 2008

Verdict of Man Who Killed T.I.'s Friend

The man, named Hosea Thomas, who killed the friend of rapper T.I., named Philant Johnson, was found guilty of murder in the shooting that happened in 2006. Thomas was also convicted of felonious assault and illegally having a gun after having a felony conviction. T.I. had testified last week in the trial and he told jurors that he felt that the bullets that were fired and killed his friend was meant for him even though he wasn't injured in the shooting. Thomas can face up to life in prison at his sentencing on December 23rd.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Rapper MC Breed Dies

The rapper MC Breed died on Saturday at the age of 37 at a friend's home in Ypsilanti, which is 30 miles southwest of Detroit. There is no foul play suspected in the death and toxicology results are in pending status. It is suspected that he died due to kidney failure. He had released 13 albums between 1991 and 2004. He is known for his song "Aint' No Future in Yo' Frontin."

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Rapper T.I. Testifies in Murder Trial

On Friday, the rapper T.I. testified in court as a witness that he felt that the bullets fired at his entourage during a vehicle chase two years ago were meant for him. A man named Hosea Thomas is on trial for firing a shot that killed a man named Philant Johnson, a close friend of T.I., during a gun battle on Interstate 75. T.I stated that he felt that all of those shots were actually meant for him and not the man that was killed. T.I. was not harmed during the shooting but three other people were.

Singer Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Gives Birth to Baby

The singer Ashlee Simpson-Wentz gave birth to a 7 pound and 11 oz baby boy named Bronx Mowgli Wentz on Thursday night. This is the first child for her and her husband named Pete Wentz. The couple had gotten married earlier this year.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

"Suge" Knight Facing Criminal Charges

Marion "Suge" Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, is facing criminal charges in Las Vegas that come from an incident where he had beaten his girlfriend near a busy thoroughfare in August. Police had arrested him after they saw him beating the woman while brandishing a knife in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip. He also had Ecstasy and hydrocodone in his possession when he was arrested. He was released from custody after posting $19,000 bail.

Knight is being charged with two counts of felony drug possession and one count of misdemeanor battery. He could face mandatory probation and up to four years in a Nevada state prison on each of the drug charges. He could also be sentenced to up to six months in jail on the battery charge.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Singer Prince Being Sued by Perfume Maker

The singer Prince is being sued by a perfume company named Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics Inc. that claims that he and his music publisher didn't honor a contract to help market a fragrance named after the album "3121." The company says that it licensed Prince's name, likeness, and the "3121" album to market the fragrance. The company says that it spent $2.5 million and agreed to pay Universal half of the net profits from the sales of the perfume but Universal and Prince haven't participated in promotions since the fragrance launched in July of 2007.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Rapper Kanye West Arrest in England

The rapper Kanye West was arrested on suspicion of assault after an incident with a photographer outside of the Tup Tup Palace bar in Newcastle, northern England. He was later released without any charges. Kanye West is currently in England as apart of his Glow in the Dark tour.

Don Cornelius Charged with Battery

Don Cornelius, the former host of the show "Soul Train," has been charged with spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and dissuading a witness from making a police report due to two domestic incidents that involved his wife last month. He was arrested and taken to jail last month after the police were called to his Hollywood Hills home after a report of a domestic dispute. He was released on $50,000 bail and could face up to one year in prison for each of the five misdemeanor charges against him.

Busboy Sues Justin Timberlake

A busboy in New York is suing the singer Justin Timberlake claiming that Timberlake's restaurant, named Timberlake's Southern Comfort, didn't pay him a legal wage. The busboy states that he and the other staff didn't get the right amount of gratuity charge that the restaurant automatically collects from parties of six or more customers. He also states that he worked more than 40 hours per work without getting paid overtime. A manager at the restaurant says that the staff members received all of their tips and the busboys were paid more than minimum wage.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Michael Jackson Gives Up Neverland Ranch

The singer Micheal Jackson has decided to give up the title to his Neverland ranch and transfer the deed to a company that he partly controls. He filed a grant deed on Monday on the ranch that would make the new owner an entity called the Sycamore Valley Ranch Co. Sycamore Valley Ranch Co. is a joint venture between Jackson and an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC.

Earlier this year, Jackson went into default on the $24.5 million that he owes on the property and Colony Capital bailed him out. Colony Capital is a Los Angeles-based real estate investment company that is ran by the billionaire Tom Barrack. The company also owns several properties in Las Vegas, including the Las Vegas Hilton. Neverland Ranch was called Sycamore Valley Ranch before Jackson bought it in 1988 and turned it into a miniature amusement park where thousands of children were invited to the property.

Jackson has been struggling to pay his debts to the ranch since his arrest in 2003 where he was accused of molesting a 13 year boy at the ranch. He has not been to the property since being acquitted of the charges.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Dead Woman Found Outside Singer Paula Abdul's House

A body was found inside of a car a few houses away from singer Paula Abdul's Home. The body was a former contestant on the show "American Idol" named Paula Goodspeed. She was a big fan of Abdul and died from a drug overdose. It appears that the woman had been stalking Abdul for a while and cops had been to the house several times before to deal with her. Abdul was not home at the time that the body was found.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Comedian Katt Williams Arrested

The comedian Katt Williams was arrested on weapons charges in midtown Manhattan after police pulled him over for driving without license plates. Police found a handgun in his car after he was stopped. He was released on bail Thursday and was able to make it for his show at Carnegie Hall.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Barack Obama Officially Elected President

Major news companies are reporting that Barack Obama has defeated John McCain to become the first African American president of the United States. Obama had announced his presidential candidacy two years ago and now he will become the next president of the USA.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Def Jam Executive Found Dead

Shakir Stewart, Executive Vice President of Def Jam, was found in his home dead from a gunshot wound to his head on Saturday. Police found him after responding to a a shooting at an undisclosed address. The official cause of death has not been released yet but police suspect that he committed suicide. No arrests or charges have been made. He was the person who signed the music artists Young Jeezy and Rick Ross to the label.

Memorial Service Held for Jennifer Hudson's Slain Family Members Today

A memorial service is set for this afternoon at Pleasant Gift Memorial Baptist Church for the mother, brother, and nephew of singer Jennifer Hudson. Hudson's friends and relatives are expected to attend the church in Chicago. Jennifer Hudson and her sister are not going to attend the service.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

British Couple Pleads Guilty to Selling Amy Winehouse Drugs

A British couple, named Johnny Blagrove and Cara Burton, who sold video footage of the singer Amy Winehouse smoking crack to a newspaper pleaded guilty to drug charges in court on Friday. They admitted to offering to supply drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, to the singer.


The couple had filmed Winehouse and sold the footage to the Sun newspaper, which published the images of the singer smoking crack in January. Police also found a list of other celebrities they had supplied drugs to when they raided the couple's home. Detectives decided that there was not enough evidence to charge Winehouse with anything but the couple was charged. They have to go back to court on November 28th for sentencing.

Police Find Gun Used in Hudson Family Murders

On Friday, police confirmed that they found a .45-caliber gun that was used in the killings of singer Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew. The gun was found on Wednesday in a vacant lot where the the body of Julian King, Hudson's nephew, was found dead in the back of a SUV days earlier due to gun shot wounds. Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother, named Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson, were found dead in the family's home last Friday.