Tyler Perry's Mother Dies

The mother of movie producer Tyler Perry, named Willie Maxine Perry, died on Tuesday at the age of 64. Perry had announced it on his Web site. The reason for her death is currently unknown to the public and she had worked as a pre-school teacher at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center most of her life. Perry was planning to go on the road for another tour of live "Madea" shows but it is currently unclear how this recent tragedy will have an effect on his schedule.

Singer Chris Brown Finally Sentenced

On Tuesday, a judge placed the singer Chris Brown on felony probation for 5 years. He must obey all laws and keep in touch with the Probation Department. He is subject to search and seizure at any time for the next 5 years and can't own any dangerous weapons, including guns and knives. He must also perform 180 days of community labor, which can be performed in Virginia where he is from. He has to complete a 52 week domestic violence program sponsored by the Commonwealth Catholic Charities. He will have to pay $2,500 in restitution and another $2,500 in probation expenses. He has to pay a $30 criminal correction fee and $400 to a domestic violence fund. He also has to go to court every 3 months during his probation.

The judge issued a protective order that will last 5 years where Brown is ordered to not harass, assault, threaten, or molest his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. He is not allowed to have any contact with her, even through a phone or 3rd person. He has to stay at least 100 yards away from her, unless there is an entertainment-related event, then he must stay at least 10 yards away from her.

Singer Chris Brown's Sentencing Delayed

The singer Chris Brown's sentencing has been delayed until August 27th because the judge wants his to perform hard labor for his community service in Virginia. The judge also wants to know what he will be doing for his community service at the end of the month. Brown pled guilty to felony assault last month.

Singer Chris Brown Pleads Guilty

The singer Chris Brown has pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault against his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. The judge issued a stay-away order that requires Brown to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna, except when it comes to industry events. At industry events he must stay at least 10 yards away from her. Rihanna must also keep the same distances away from him. The plea deal includes five years of supervised probation and six months of community labor.

Rapper T.I. Receives Prison Sentence

On Friday, the rapper T.I. was sentenced to one year and a day in prison on federal weapons charges. He has 30 to 60 days to start his sentence and has completed nearly 1,000 hours of community service while warning children about the negative effects of drugs, guns, and violence. He still needs to complete 470 more hours. He pleaded guilty in court last March after he was arrested in October of 2007 for trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers before his scheduled appearance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

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.

Rapper Snoop Dogg Granted Visa for Australia

The rapper Snoop Dogg has been granted a visa to enter Australia after finishing a full character assessment. He has a concert tour scheduled for the near future in Australia. The immigration department had originally had concerns about his criminal record but considered the fact that he had traveled there three times before without any problems. In the assessment they weighed his previous convictions against his more recent charity work and they considered if he would be any risk to the Australian community. Snoop Dogg is also suppose to do charity work with at-risk youth during his visit.

Rapper Da Brat Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

The rapper Da Brat was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison for hitting a hostess in the head with a bottle of rum during an altercation at an Atlanta nightclub last fall. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in DeKalb County. She was also sentenced to serve seven years on probation and 200 hours of community service and have substance abuse treatment, mental evaluation, and anger management classes.

The altercation started at a private Halloween party at Studio 72 last fall when Da Brat got into an argument with the hostess named Shayla Stevens, who was also an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader, after the two bumped into each other. Stevens walked away after the argument and soon after was hit in the face with the rum bottle. She had gotten a deep cut in her cheek, some swelling on her forehead, and a permanent scar on her face.

Kid Rock Sentenced to Probation

On Monday, Kid Rock was sentence to serving a year of probation and was fined $1,000 for his part in a fight at an Atlanta Waffle House this past fall. He was also sentenced to six hours of anger management counseling and 80 hours of community service. He pleaded no contest to one count of simple battery and four counts of battery were dropped.

Five members of his entourage were also arrested because of the fight. Two of them pleaded no contest and also received probation and community service. Charges were dropped against the other three people since the court decided that they weren't involved in the altercation after viewing the videotape.

Wesley Snipes Gets to Remain Free For Now

The actor Wesley Snipes is being allowed to remain free on bail as he appeals three federal tax convictions. Judge William Terrell Hodges doesn’t see Snipes as a flight risk and says he is not a threat to the community. The judge granted Snipes’ motion for bail on Thursday pending the appeal of his case. Snipes’ attorneys plan on arguing before the 11^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the trial judge erred in several ways before and after the recent conviction where Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file his income tax returns.

Restaurant Smoking Bans Decrease Teen Smoking

A recent study shows that restaurant smoking bans help to persuade teenagers not to become smokers. Teens who lived in towns with strict bans were 40 percent less likely to become regular smokers than teens that lived in communities without bans or that had weak bans. Smoking bans discourage tobacco use and sends out the message that smoking is not healthy. The ban also reduces the amount of smoke that teens are exposed to in public places.

Having a parent or close friend that smokes can be an influence as to whether or not a teenager experiments with cigarettes but strong bans in public places play a bigger role in whether a not the teen will develop a smoking habit. The study also found that the bans had a greater effect on younger teens than older teens.

Naomi Campbell Arrested Again

The model Naomi Campbell has been arrested in London at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 for assaulting and spitting on a police officer. She already pleaded guilty in January of 2007 to misdemeanor assault for throwing her cell phone at her maid during an argument over a missing pair of jeans. She was then ordered to do community service and attend a two-day anger-management program.

Rapper T.I. Pleads Guilty to Charges

The rapper T.I. has pleaded guilty to federal weapons possessions charges and he will receive a sentence that will include prison time after he does community service. While he is waiting on sentencing, he will have to complete at least 1,000 out of 1,500 hours of community service, which would involve talking to youth groups about the dangers of guns, gangs, and drugs. He will have to serve about 12 months in prison after finishing the community service.

T.I. pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, unlawful possession of machine guns, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. His prison sentence could be increased or reduced, depending whether he fulfills the terms of the deal and good behavior.

Busta Rhymes Sentenced to Probation

The rapper Busta Rhymes was sentenced to 3 years on probation Tuesday for assaulting his former driver and a fan. He was also sentenced to serve 10 days of community service, pay a $1,250 fine and court costs, and enroll in drunken driving program. The judge warned him to stay out of trouble or he will go to jail.

G-Unit Rapper Tony Yayo Sentenced to Community Service

The G-Unit records rapper Tony Yayo was sentenced on Thursday to do 10 days of community service after pleading guilty to harassment of a 14 year old boy. He admitted in a Manhattan Criminal Court that on March 20, 2007, he got out of a sport utility vehicle and glared at the boy in a way that was meant to threaten physical violence. He was originally accused of slapping the boy but a friend of Yayo stated that he was the one who slapped the boy and Yayo pulled him away.

Yayo will have to do his community service at the Book Bank Foundation, which is an organization that encourages literacy. The friend that actually slapped the boy, Lowell Fletcher, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child and received a nine month jail sentence.

Rapper The Game Sentenced to do Jail Time

The rapper The Game was sentenced to serve two months in jail after he pleaded no contest to a felony weapons charge from an incident that happened last year. He was charged with the possession of a firearm in a school zone after he threatened to shoot someone during a basketball game. He was also ordered to perform 150 hours of community service and spend three years on probation.

Snoop Dogg Has Community Service Raking Leaves

Rapper Snoop Dogg has agreed to do 160 community service hours of raking leaves, washing cars, cleaning toilets, and picking up litter for his charge of an illegal possession of a dangerous weapon that he had when he went through security at a John Wayne Airport in September of 2006. Authorities decided not to release the name of the park where he will be “working” at so there will be no disturbances of fans while he "works."