NBA Star Charles Barkley Arrested

On Wednesday, the NBA star Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Phoenix, Arizona. Barkley failed the field sobriety tests after a police officer smelled alcohol. He was then arrested, cited, and released. His car was impounded and he left in a cab. Police say that Barkley was cooperative throughout the entire ordeal.

Actress Eartha Kitt Dies

Eartha Kitt, a well known, actress, singer, and dancer, died on Thursday at the age of 81 from colon cancer in Connecticut. In her lifetime she had won two Emmys and was nominated for several Tony awards and two Grammy awards. She had done a lot of work in television and movies. She is also known for playing Catwoman in the television show "Batman" in the 1960's.

Man That Killed Rapper T.I.'s Friend Sentenced

Hosea Thomas, the man that was convicted of killing rapper T.I.'s friend, has been sentenced to 66 years to life in prison. He was convicted by a jury last month for murder, felonious assault, and illegally having a gun after a felony conviction. The rapper T.I. had took the stand against him during his trail to say that he believed that the shots that were fired and killed his friend Philant Johnson were actually meant for him.

Burger King Releases New Meat Scented Cologne

This holiday season Burger King has released a men's body spray called Flame. It is meat scented and is being promoted as "the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat." It is being sold online and in some stores in the United States at the price of $3.99. It even has its own website at firemeetsdesire.com.

Death of Singer Sean Levert Encourages New Jail Drug Policy

The death of the singer Sean Levert has encouraged a proposed new policy that provides more flexibility in giving inmates their anti-anxiety medication. Levert died on March 30th of 2008 after becoming sick at a county jail in Cleveland, OH and was not given the Xanax prescription that he had brought to the jail after he was sentenced for not paying child support. The jail administrator and a jail doctor proposed the policy to allow inmates to get their prescription medication as soon as their prescriptions are verified.

Singer Akon Pleads Guilty

On Wednesday, the singer Akon pleaded guilty to harassment for tossing a teenage fan off of a stage at a concert in upstate New York in June of 2007. He will not serve any jail time but he will have to perform 65 hours of community service and pay a $250 fine due to his plea bargain. He was originally charged with misdemeanor endangerment of the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment, which is a violation.

First Face Transplant Done in America

In Cleveland, reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow and a team of specialists performed the first face face transplant done in America by replacing 80 percent of a disfigured woman's face by using the face of a female cadaver. Many details of the surgery have not been released but surgeons that do this usually transplant skin, facial nerves, muscles, and other deep tissue.

Skin is considered an organ and it still runs the risk of the body rejecting it, as with other organ transplants. Recipients of transplants have the risk of deadly complications, such as the new facial tissue attacking the recipient's body and the recipient's body attacking the bone marrow or the transplanted face to cause inflammation at the area of the new tissue. They also have to take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent the body rejecting the organ. This raises the risk of cancer and other diseases.

This is the fourth one done worldwide. Two have been done in France and one was done in China. The first one was a partial face transplant done in France in 2005 on a woman who had been mauled by her dog and received a new nose, chin, and lips from a brain-dead donor. Another was done in France on man disfigured by a genetic disease. One was done in China on a farmer that had been disfigured by being mauled by a bear.

Singer Madonna Settles Divorce

The singer Madonna has settled the divorce with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie for more than $76 million. The settlement is in the range of $76 million to $92 million as apart of the divorce agreement. This amount includes their country home in western England. The couple's west London pub would also go to Ritchie. The couple is supposedly worth around $525 million and most of that belongs to Madonna. Richie's worth is about $35 million. The couple have two children together. Madonna also has a child from previous relationship and a child that she had adopted from Malawi in 2006.

GM to Temporarily Close 20 Plants

On Friday, General Motors Corp. stated that it will temporarily close 20 of its factories across North America and reduce vehicle production while it tries adjust to the decline in automobile demands. The company will cut 250,000 vehicles from its production schedule for the first quarter of 2009. They normally produce 750,000 automobiles for that quarter. Many of the plants will be closed for the whole month of January and employees will be temporarily laid off and will receive part of their normal wages. They could be able to apply for state unemployment benefits. GM reported that its sales are down 41 percent for November and are down 22 percent for the first 11 months of 2008.

General Motors currently trying to obtain Government loans to be able to stay in business. The White House says that it might go into its $700 billion Wall Street Bailout fund to help GM and Chrysler. The entire automobile industry is having to make cuts due to the decline in the demand of automobiles.

Singer Usher and Wife Have New Baby

The singer Usher and his wife Tameka have welcomed a new baby boy into the world on Wednesday. The baby was named Naviyd Ely Raymond and was born weighing 5 pounds and 13 ounces. This is the couple's second child. Their first child was born last November. Tameka also has three children from a previous marriage.

Rapper DMX Arrested

The rapper DMX was arrested in Miami on Tuesday by federal authorities for not attending his recent court appearance. He was arrested on a warrant issued by a judge in Phoenix after he didn't attend his court hearing on Friday. DMX was being held at the Miami-Dade County jail and will be taken back to Phoenix. His bond is set at $120,000. He has pleaded not guilty to charges to drug possession, identity theft, and animal cruelty.

Singer Toni Braxton has Tumor Removed

The singer Toni Braxton has recently had a benign tumor removed from her breast. She says that she knew about the tumor before appearing on the television show "Dancing With the Stars" and scheduled the surgery to remove the tumor after being eliminated from the competition on October 20th. She is still recovering and is scheduled to appear on the "Dancing With the Stars" tour, which begins on December 17th in San Diego.

Tyler Perry Wins Lawsuit

The actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry has won a lawsuit that accused him of stealing material from Donna West's play for his movie "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." The jurors found that West did not present evidence that supported her accusation of copyright infringement.

West is accusing Perry of stealing material from her play called "Fantasy of a Black Woman" that has been performed three times in 1991 in Dallas, TX and claims that Perry could have accessed the script in 1998 when he presented his plays to the Dallas Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Perry testified in court that his screenplay is an original work. West was asking the court to receive money for damages and profits made from the film, which earned around $50 million in theaters after it was released in 2005. Her attorneys are planning to seek a new trial.

Charges Dropped Against Suge Knight

On Friday, a judge dropped the drug and battery charges filed against Marion "Suge" Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records. The prosecution had discovery problems and witness problems. The district attorney's office has filed a notice showing that it might revive the charges by seeking a grand jury indictment. Knight had recently been charged with two counts of felony drug possession and one count of misdemeanor battery in the beating of a woman in August after police caught him hitting his girlfriend while holding a knife in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip. Police found the drugs Ecstasy and hydrocodone in his possession. The girlfriend was not stabbed but she was treated at a hospital for the injuries.

Another Warrant Issued to Rapper DMX

The rapper DMX was issued a bench warrant by a judge in Phoenix after he didn't show up to court on Friday. This is the second time that he missed a court appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court. He is currently facing charges of drug possession, identity theft, and animal cruelty. His bond has been raised to $120,000 cash and his attorney says that he is currently at an undisclosed rehab facility.

O.J. Simpson Sentenced to Serve Prison Time

O.J. Simpson was sentenced to serve at least 15 years in prison for a armed robbery at a hotel in Las Vegas. The judge said that the sentence had nothing to do with his 1994 acquittal in the murder of his ex-wife and her male friend. Simpson was taken away to prison after the judge refused to allow him to go free on bail while he appeals the sentence.

Don Cornelius Fights Battery Charges

Don Cornelius, the former host of the show "Soul Train", has pleaded not guilty in court to the charges against him that come from a domestic dispute case against his wife in October. He is currently facing three counts of spousal battery, one count of dissuading a witness from making a police report, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. His wife has filed two restraining orders against him since the incident.

Actor Gary Coleman Pleads No Contest

The actor Gary Coleman has pleaded no contest to a disorderly charge from a recent incident at a bowling alley. He also pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge, which will be waived if he doesn't have another violation within a year. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine in a Payson court on Tuesday.

Read More: http://mediatoken.blogspot.com/2008/09/actor-gary-coleman-being-sued-over.html and http://mediatoken.blogspot.com/2008/09/actor-gary-coleman-hits-pedestrian.html

Man Arrested in Hudson Murders

The singer Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law was arrested due to the murders of her mother, brother, and nephew. The man, who is named William Balfour, is the prime suspect in the killings. He has been a main suspect since the beginning even though he wasn't arrested until yesterday. He was arrested on Monday at Stateville Correctional Center on a murder warrant and was released to the detectives as he awaited formal charges in the murders. Balfour states that he is not guilty of the killings.

Update: William Balfour was charged with three counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday. He was also charged with one count of felony home invasion. He is scheduled to appear in bond court on Wednesday.