Rapper Lil Wayne Begins Jail Sentence

The rapper Lil Wayne has officially began his one year jail sentence due to having a loaded gun on his tour bus in July of 2007. He has already arrived at the Rikers Island jail complex, where he is being kept apart from the general population due to him being a celebrity. He has a cell to himself and has the option of spending time in a TV room with 17 other inmates who have been separated from the general population due to other reasons. Lil Wayne could possibly be released from jail in eight months with good behavior.

Rapper Lil Wayne Sentencing Postponed

The rapper Lil Wayne was supposed to begin serving his one-year jail term but it has been postponed due to a basement fire at a Lower Manhattan courthouse. In October, he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon after police found a loaded gun on his tour bus in July of 2007.

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 Natalie Cole Receives Kidney Transplant

The singer Natalie Cole has undergone a kidney transplant and is doing well. She plans to postpone her summer tour, which was scheduled to start June 5 and last until November, while she recovers. She has been receiving dialysis treatments three times each week since September, which is unrelated to her diagnosis of hepatitis C. She announced that she had hepatitis C last year and said that the damaging liver disease was likely due to her previous drug use. She has received chemotherapy to treat the hepatitis disease and had kidney failure within four months of treatment. Without a kidney donor, she would have needed dialysis treatment for the rest of her life. A company called One Legacy, which is a regional organ-procurement agency, was able to find a kidney for her.

Rapper DMX Freed from Jail

On Thursday, the rapper DMX was released from a jail in Phoenix, AZ on a $10,000 bond after serving a 90-day sentence for his felony convictions. He may have to return to court to face the charges that were added while he was in jail for throwing a tray at a jail officer.

Singer Michael Jackson Gets Sued Again

Raymone Bain, the publicist and general manager of singer Michael Jackson, has filed a $44 million lawsuit against him stating that he did not pay her for the deals that she has made. She says that she has been working for him for more than five years as his spokeswoman, publicist, head of Michael Jackson Co. Inc, and personal general manager. She claims that Jackson agreed to pay her 10 percent of the agreements that she handled. He also didn't pay her for negotiating the release of his CD to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his "Thriller" album, refinancing his loan to keep the Beatles' song catalog, and negotiations of a concert series in London.

Rapper Snoop Dogg Testifies in Court

The rapper Snoop Dogg testified in court on Monday stating that he didn't hit a man named Richard Monroe Jr. who is claiming that he hit him with a brass-knuckle microphone during one of Snoop's concerts in 2005. Snoop stated that he immediately went back to his tour bus after Monroe jumped on stage and was tackled by security.

Monroe claims that he was seriously injured after Snoop, his entourage, and security hit him and poured alcohol on him during a performance of the song "Gin and Juice." He also said that he woke up backstage naked in a pool of blood after the incident. Snoop's attorney's say that Monroe was wrong to go on stage and security was just reacting because they thought that Snoop was being attacked when he went on stage. Monroe is suing for $22 million.

Singer Michael Jackson Holds Auction

In April, the singer Michael Jackson is set to auction off more than 2,000 of his personal possessions. This would include his American Music Award for "Thriller," a velvet cape that was given to him from his children for Father's Day in 1998, a pair of rhinestone-trimmed socks from 1981, a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, his own original artwork, platinum and gold records, a customized Harley Davidson, and a Rolls Royce limousine. The auction will last for five days and will start on April 21st.

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.

Singer Janet Jackson Sick from Vertigo

It is reported that the famous singer Janet Jackson had cancelled her recent shows and had gotten sick due to vertigo. She had been suffering from migraines related to the disease and the disease and symptoms are being treated, which include dizziness and imbalance. She is set to continue her concert tour.

Singer Janet Jackson Released from Hospital

The singer Janet Jackson was released from a Montreal hospital two hours after she arrived. It is not known why she had gotten sick. She was taken to the hospital after feeling ill during one of her sound checks before her concert. She will continue her tour in Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday.

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 Snoop Dogg Has Visa Assessed by Australia

The immigration department has said that it is conduction a character assessment of the rapper Snoop Dogg, which would include his criminal history, in considering whether he will he will be granted a visa to go to Australia for a concert that is scheduled for later this year. Snoop Dogg applied for a visa in July and the immigration department did a preliminary assessment. The department has decided to do a full character assessment of him. The concert is scheduled for October.

Snoop Dogg has already visited Australia three times in the past in 1998, 2006, and 2007 without any incidents happening, even though he overstayed his visit by two days on his last visit. He withdrew his application for a visa to Australia last year after he didn’t pass the character requirements when he pleaded no contest to gun and drug charges in the United States.

Snoop Dogg Tour Bus Pulled Over and Two People Arrested

On Thursday, a tour bus that the rapper Snoop Dogg was riding in was pulled over and two people were arrested on marijuana possession charges. Members of a commercial vehicle inspection team pulled the bus over because it had an expired registration sticker. Troopers searched the bus for drugs after they smelled marijuana and they found two ounces of the drug.

Two men, named Ethan Calhoun and Kevin Barkey, were arrested on drug charges and were taken to Navarro County Jail. They could face fines of up to $2,000 and six months in jail if they are convicted. The bond was set at $1,500 for each of them. Snoop Dogg was not arrested and he was on his way to perform at a concert in Dallas, TX when the bus was pulled over.

Rapper Snoop Dogg Allowed Back Into UK

A court overruled the decision not to allow Snoop Dogg a visa to go to the United Kingdom. Since the ban is overturned, he can now travel back to the UK. He was banned from the country after he and five members of his entourage were arrested after an incident at Heathrow airport in 2006. Immigration officials said that his presence in the UK might cause violent crime and last year he was refused a visa for a tour that he was scheduled to do.

Lil Wayne Indicted on Drug Charges

The rapper Lil Wayne has been indicted by a jury on felony drug and weapon charges. He was charged with one count each of possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday. He suppose to go back to court on March 7^th for a status hearing and his world tour is suppose to continue as scheduled.

Elvis named as Forbes’ Richest Dead Celebrity

Elvis was recently named as Forbes’ Richest Dead Celebrity. He earned about $49 million dollars this past year and last topped the list back in 2005. This past year, Charles M. Schulz made $35 million, George Harrison made $22 million, Albert Einstein made $18 million, Andy Warhol made $15 million, Theodor Geisel made $13 million, Tupac Shakur made $9 million, Marilyn Monroe made $7 million, Steven McQueen made $6 million, James Brown made $5 million, Bob Marley made $4 million, and James Dean made $3.5 million.

Even though Elvis died in 1977, his estate still makes millions of dollars through music royalties, DVDs, licensing deals, and tourism at Graceland. Graceland is Elvis’ mansion in Memphis, TN.