Nicki Minaj, Billboard’s Rising Star
of 2011 [LINK], has set a new
record: most-followed hip-hop
artist on Twitter. The rapper’s
reach — 8,276,598 followers as of
Monday afternoon — outranks
that of fellow superstar Eminem,
who’s got 8,254,664 for the
second slot.
Minaj achieved this milestone Jan.
4, edging out the emcee for No.
1, according to BET.com. At the
time, Minaj ( @NICKIMINAJ
[LINK]) had 8,175,598 followers
and Eminem ( @Eminem [LINK])
had 8,160,476. Are the extra
followers for both artists
indicative of some sort of
unspoken Twitter war launched
by Eminem fans attempting to
reclaim his title? (Perhaps we’re
overthinking.)
Exclusive: Nicki Minaj Barbie
Doll, Made by Mattel, to Be
Auctioned for Charity [LINK]
Minaj, whose debut album “Pink
Friday” was recently certified
double platinum, will release her
sophomore record, “Pink Friday:
Roman Reloaded” on Valentine’s
Day. Last month, the rapper — or
rather, her alter ego Roman
Zolanski — dropped the first
single off the album, “Stupid
Hoe,” appearing to take not-so-
subtle potshots at Lil Kim.
Roman is one of the many
creative alter egos used by Minaj
in the studio and on stage. The
rapper’s male second self is
prominently featured on the
“Pink Friday” track “Roman’s
Revenge” featuring Eminem.
Tag Archives: entertainment
Beyonce’sBirthingMystery …a NaturalWonder
Beyonce gave birth to Blue
Ivy “naturally” — which
technically means the baby
came out of her you-know-
what — but something
doesn’t add up … and several
vaginal conspiracy theorists in
the news room still aren’t
convinced …Plus, earlier
today Harvey was 100%
convinced he had only six
months left to live.
Thankfully, he’s fine — but
you gotta hear how he
planned to spend the rest of
his life
Beyonce’sBirthingMystery …a NaturalWonder
Beyonce gave birth to Blue
Ivy “naturally” — which
technically means the baby
came out of her you-know-
what — but something
doesn’t add up … and several
vaginal conspiracy theorists in
the news room still aren’t
convinced …Plus, earlier
today Harvey was 100%
convinced he had only six
months left to live.
Thankfully, he’s fine — but
you gotta hear how he
planned to spend the rest of
his life
BeyonceBabyDrama –HospitalDENIESClosing Off Maternity Floorfor Singer
Beyonce and Jay-Z did NOT
pay $1.3 million so the
Destiny’s Child singer could
give birth to Blue Ivy in a
sealed off private floor … this
according to the hospital.A
rep for Lenox Hill Hospital
just released a statement,
claiming, “The suggestion that
the couple paid $1.3 million
to rent an entire maternity
floor is simply not true.”The
rep adds, “The family is
housed in an executive suite
at the hospital and is being
billed the standard rate for
those
accommodations.”According
to the rep, “The family does
have its own security detail
on site. However, the hospital
has been and continues to be
in control of managing all
security at the facility. We
have made every effort to
ensure minimal disruption to
other families experiencing
the births of their own
children over the past three
days.”TMZ broke the story …
moms at Lenox Hill are
considering filing a lawsuit
against the hospital, claiming
they were treated like 2nd
class citizens when Beyonce
rolled in this weekend.
Beyonce –Blue Ivy’sBirth Was’Natural’
Beyonce says she gave birth
to Blue Ivy the same way
women have been giving
birth for thousands of
years … naturally — insisting
she did NOT get a C-
section.There were reports
the singer birthed Blue with
the help of a scalpel — but
Bey and Jay-Z released a joint
statement moments ago,
claiming, Blue “was delivered
naturally at a healthy 7 lbs
and it was the best
experience of both of our
lives.” The couple adds, “Her
birth was emotional and
extremely peaceful, we are in
heaven. We are thankful to
everyone for all your prayers,
well wishes, love and
support.”
JermaineDupri –LearnsVERYExpensiveTax Lesson
Jermaine Dupri is tax debt
free after he recently paid off
a giant lien … but it cost him
nearly TWICE AS MUCH as it
should have. According to
docs filed recently in Georgia,
Dupri owed $493,818.75 in
back taxes he failed to pay
for the year 2007. But get
this … the principal was only
$254,782.64. Here’s what the
state tacked on:Interest — $
91,721.75Penalty — $
64,969.57Collection fee — $
82,294.79Costs — $50 (why
bother?)The lesson here …
PAY YOUR TAXES ON TIME!
Katy Perry Breaks HerSilence About Divorce
A week after news broke that
Katy Perry and Russell Brand are
divorcing after a year of
marriage, the pop singer has
broken her silence.
On Saturday, she took to Twitter
to open up publicly for the first
time since the split.
“I am so grateful for all the love
and support I’ve had from
people around the world,” she
wrote. “You guys have made my
heart happy again.”
In another tweet minutes later,
she addressed the tabloid chatter
that has been swirling around
since Brand filed for divorce in
Los Angeles on December 30.
“Concerning the gossip, I want to
be clear that NO ONE speaks for
me,” she said, “Not a blog,
magazine, ‘close sources’ or my
family.”
See a timeline of Katy Perry
and Russell Brand’s
relationship.
The tweets come days before
Perry is set to make her first
public appearance at the
People’s Choice Awards on
Wednesday [January 11] where
she’s up for a number of awards.
The People’s Choice Awards
marks the beginning of a slew of
expected appearances from the
singer. She’s also slated to make
two appearances on her
California Dreams Tour later this
month, one on January 19 in
Jakarta, Indonesia, and another
on January 22 in the Philippines.
Perry’s next awards show
appearance could take place
February 12 at the Grammys,
where she’s up for two awards:
Record of the Year and Best Pop
Solo Performance for “Firework.”
Brand released a statement at
the time of the announcement,
saying, “Sadly, Katy and I are
ending our marriage. I will always
adore her and I know we’ll
remain friends.”
Adele’s ’21′ Claims 14th WeekAtop Billboard 200
As predicted, Adele **’s “21″
album jumps back to No. 1 on
the Billboard 200 chart, marking
its 14th non-consecutive week at
the top of the tally.
The set sold 144,000 copies last
week (down 64% according to
Nielsen SoundScan) and
continues to be the album with
the most weeks at No. 1 since the
“Titanic” soundtrack sailed with
16 weeks at No. 1 in 1998.
ADELE RULES 2011 WITH TOP
SELLING ALBUM & SONG
Among all albums by women,
“21″ now ties Whitney Houston
**’s self-titled 1986 debut for the
third-most weeks at No. 1. Only
Houston’s own soundtrack to
“The Bodyguard” (20 weeks in
1992-1993) and Carole King **’s
“Tapestry” (15 weeks in 1971)
have earned more among the
ladies.
Last week’s No. 1 album, Michael
Buble **’s “Christmas,” drops to
No. 24 with 21,000 (down 96%).
It’s the fourth album to fall from
No. 1 to outside the top 20 in the
past year, following Mac Miller
**’s “Blue Slide Park” (1-23),
Amos Lee **’s “Mission
Bell” (1-25) and Cake **’s
“Showroom of
Compassion” (1-24).
A sudden drop for Buble’s
holiday effort isn’t surprising –
even if it did spend five straight
weeks at No. 1. Once Christmas
has passed, holiday albums all
suffer greatly.
As is often the case in the week
after Christmas, few albums post
a sales gain. The entire top 25
this week all decline. So, those
sets with the smallest fall in sales
often post big positional leaps up
the tally.
Keeping in tradition with hip-hop
and rock albums generally
performing well post-Christmas
(as iTunes gift cards are
redeemed for what kids really
wanted), Drake **’s “Take Care”
moves 5-2 (72,000, down 45%)
and Young Jeezy **’s “TM103:
Hustlerz Ambition” is steady at
No. 3 (67,000; down 71%).
Lady Antebellum **’s “Own the
Night” rises 6-4 (54,000; down
51%) while LMFAO **’s “Sorry for
Party Rocking” reaches the top 10
for the first time, zipping 16-5
with 49,000 (down 34%).
Florence + the Machine ** also
jump into the top 10 with
“Ceremonials” (20-6 with 47,000
– down 25%). It’s the first time
the album has been in the region
since its debut week on the tally
– Nov. 19, 2011.
Florence, LMFAO and Lady
Antebellum’s albums were all
discounted to $6.99 in the iTunes
Store last week and prominently
promoted, which is no doubt the
main reason for their moves up
the chart. In terms of download
album sales, “Ceremonials,”
“Sorry” and “Own” are up by
35%, 81% and 377%, respectively.
ADELE ‘ARTIST OF THE YEAR’
Q&A: ‘MY CAREER ISN’T MY
LIFE’
The Black Keys **’ “El Camino”
rises 9-7 (45,000; down 51%),
Coldplay **’s “Mylo Xyloto”
moves 12-8 (44,000; down 48%)
and Rihanna **’s “Talk That Talk”
falls 7-9 (42,000; down 58%).
Rounding out the top 10 is the
“Now 40″ compilation, holding at
No. 10 with 41,000 (down 53%).
Adele almost nabbed two top 10
sets this week, as “19″ bounds
17-11 with 35,000 (down 50%
overall, but up 225% in
downloads). It was also included
in iTunes’ limited-time $6.99 sale,
which ran from Dec. 29 through
Jan. 1.
iTunes’ promotions also impact a
number of sets outside the top
10, as Foster the People **’s
“Torches” and Michael Jackson
**’s “Number Ones” both see
mighty jumps. The former rises
35-14 with 32,000 sold (down 24%
overall but up 94% in download
sales) while the King of Pop’s hits
set zooms 156-27 with 19,000 (up
79% overall and 681% in
downloads). Also, Kelly Clarkson
**’s “Stronger,” which received
front-of-store placement and
$7.99 sale pricing, bounds 39-17
with 25,000 (down 40% overall,
but up 232% in downloads).
Over on the Digital Songs chart,
unlike the albums tally, all but
three songs on the 75-position list
sport sales increases. In fact, the
top 33 songs all sold at least
100,000 last week.
LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”
continues to party at No. 1 with
417,000 sold (up 6%) — the tune’s
biggest sales week yet. LMFAO
also has the No. 4 download this
week with “Party Rock Anthem”
rising four slots (296,000; up
38%). It’s not unusual to see
older hits — like “Anthem” –
climb in sales in the week after
Christmas, as consumers fill up
newly-gifted electronic devices
with the year’s most popular
tunes.
Rihanna’s “We Found
Love” (featuring Calvin Harris)
rises 3-2 (319,000; up 16%), Katy
Perry **’s “The One That Got
Away” falls 2-3 (308,000; up 4%)
and Bruno Mars **’ “It Will Rain”
slips 4-5 (280,000; up 5%). Adele’s
“Set Fire to the Rain” marches
7-6 (267,000; up 23%), Flo Rida
**’s “Good Feeling” moves 6-7
(257,000; up 18%) and Jay-Z **
and Kanye West **’s “Ni**as In
Paris” descends 5-8 (244,000; up
8%). Adele’s “Someone Like
You” (10-9 with 215,000; up 18%)
and Snoop Dogg ** & Wiz Khalifa
**’s “Young, Wild & Free” (11-10
with 210,000; up 16%) round out
the top 10.
Overall album sales in this past
chart week (ending Jan. 1, 2012)
totaled 7.71 million units, down
49% compared to the sum last
week (15.11 million) and down
1% compared to the comparable
sales week of 2010 (7.42 million).
2011 finishes with 330.57 million
album sold, up 1% compared to
2010′s tally of 326.15 million. It is
the first year where there has
been a gain in album sales since
2004.
Digital track sales this past week
totaled 46.42 million downloads,
up 21% compared to last week
(38.25 million) and up 10%
stacked next to the comparable
week of 2010 (42.07 million).
2011 concluded with 1.27 billion
tracks sold, up 10% compared to
2010′s sum (1.17 billion).
Next week’s Billboard 200
competes with the same week in
2011 when: Taylor Swift **’s
“Speak Now” was No. 1 for its
sixth and final week atop the
chart, selling a rather low 52,000
(down 32%). The chart’s highest
debut came in at No. 48 by the
“More Music From ‘Country
Strong’” sequel soundtrack
(9,000).
Justin Bieber Visits ElementarySchool in ‘Ellen’ Clip: Watch
In December, Justin Bieber **
paid a visit to Whitney Elementary
School in Las Vegas to deliver a
special performance and donate
a large sum to help the school’s
underprivileged attendees. The
pop superstar’s heartwarming
visit — the Biebs even shed a tear!
– was captured and aired on
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on
Wednesday (Jan. 4).
After promising to visit a school in
need during his appearance on
“Ellen” in November, Bieber
arrives at Whitney Elementary to
high-five the students and hug
the appreciative principal, Sherrie
Gahn. “I can really see in your
eyes that you really want to make
a change and you really want to
help these kids, and I admire
you,” the 17-year-old tells the
principal.
Bieber not only performs his hits
“Mistletoe” and “Baby” for the
adoring kids, but also bestows a
$100,000 check to Whitney
Elementary, as well as $100,000
worth of toys to brighten the
holidays of its students. “This is
the first time they’re gonna go
home and want to go home for
the holidays,” says Principal Gahn,
a sentiment that makes the singer
tear up and turn away from the
camera.
While Bieber’s noble act helped
ring in the holidays, the singer
TOASTED 2012 by performing on
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’
Eve” and releasing a collaborative
single with Jaden Smith titled
“Happy New Year.” His next
album, “Believe,” is expected to
be released this year.
The-Dream Got ‘Around $15 Million’ for Writing Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella
The-Dream recently flew overseas to pay friend and collaborator, Rihanna, a visit. While catching the Barbadian singer in concert, Terius Nash stopped through Tim Westwood for a quick Oprah session. Here are five things we’ve learned from The-Dream’s interview with Westwood, ranging from ex-wife Christina Milian, pocketing $15 million for Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and the story behind Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”
1. The-Dream made “around $15 million” for writing Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” Terius has yet to make his way through the hefty amount and jokes that every “ella” is worth half a million.
2. The singer-songwriter’s reason as to why his marriage with Christina Milian didn’t work? “It was really rushed… You have to suffer the consequences if you’re not ready to commit to that.” And no guys, it wasn’t her feet!
3. In exchange for writing Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” former Island Def Jam Executive Vice President Chris Hicks paid for The-Dream’s hotel room at the Plaza.
4. The-Dream gave Milian a percentage of “Baby” because he’s “generous,” not precisely because she helped him with the melody.
5. While in London, The-Dream is in search of two things: his third wife and fourth wife. Ladies, he’s ready to pay your rent “for life.”
50 Cent’s Morbid Tweets: ‘I’m Good if I Die Tonight’
Getty Images
Artists in this Article
/artist/50-cent/340706
50 Cent
50 Cent sounds like he’s in need of some New Year’s resolutions — or a hug.
“Ill be honest I don’t think I’m gonna live much longer,” the rapper tweeted on Jan. 2, though he quickly reassured his followers that he wasn’t planning on doing anything rash.
“To be conscious that life is short is not suicidal,” he said. “I’m good if I die tonight Iv [sic] taken care of the people who took care of me when I couldn’t take care my self.”
The morbid tweets came after a series of frustrated comments on his future in music, taking aim at his “team” without naming his label, Interscope Records, directly. His upcoming fifth album is currently without an announced release date; in XXL’s December issue, he said he was working on a five-song EP.
50 Cent Partners With Pepsi to Distribute Street King Energy Shot
“Music was so much fun for me now the people and politics involved disgust me,” he tweeted on Dec. 31, adding on Monday, “I have lost all the faith in the team I’m on. I having nothing left to say I will not be promoting my music. I’m going to deliver this album then. I have a film I wrote to focus on.”
Beyond his recording and acting careers, he’s got plenty to live for: 50, who famously made millions from his Vitaminwater investment, also counts an upcoming fitness book and the charitable Street King energy drink among his current projects.
Ludacris To Open ‘Chicken and Beer’ Restaurant
US rapper and actor Ludacris has added another venture to his business portfolio as he recently announced he’ll be opening his very own restaurant in his home town Atlanta, Georgia.
The rapper who revealed the news hours ago via his Twitter account says he will be setting up his ‘Chicken & Beer’ restaurant in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
‘I’m taking my restaurateur footprint into the busiest airport in the WORLD! Hartsfield-Jackson ATL International! Chicken & Beer coming soon!’, @Ludacris tweeted.
It is believed that the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is the world’s busiest airport as per passenger volume and flights. The airport serves 89M people per year.
Luda as he is fondly called also has investments in the other businesses. In June 2010, he launched his Conjure Cognac and SOUL by Ludacris headphones in 2011.
LindsayLohan –Bodyguard ShoppingAfter TrespassingIncident
Yesterday’s door-knocking
incident was a huge wake
up call for Lindsay Lohan
– who’s now in the
market to ramp up
security at her L.A.
home … with surveillance
cameras … and even a
new bodyguard.Sources
close to Lindsay tell TMZ,
the actress loves her
Venice Beach house … but
with random scary people
walking right up to her
front door, she’s
convinced it’s time to
invest in some extra
security upgrades for the
property.On top of adding
additional security
cameras — we’re told
Lindsay wants to hire a
full-time bodyguard to
stay with her for a period
of time … until she feels
safe again.As for the man
arrested for trespassing
outside her house on
Sunday — Lonnie Short –
we’re told he shares a
bizarre connection with
Lindsay’s alleged stalker
David Cocordan.According
to sources, when Short
knocked on Lindsay’s door
yesterday, he announced
he was friends with David
and needed to explain
some things.Clearly,
Lindsay wasn’t up for a
chat — and minutes later,
cops arrested Short for
trespassing. He’s still in
custody on $1,000 bail.
KobeBryantTakesShot tothe Wrist
Kobe Bryant isn’t talking
about his injury and how
it affected his
performance Sunday night
against Denver — he
scored only 16 points –
however we found out he
was in such agony, the
team doctor gave him an
injection in his wrist to
numb the pain, but it
hardly worked.Kobe tore
a ligament in his right
wrist during the first pre-
season game against the
Clippers. Sources
connected to the team tell
TMZ … the pain has been
excruciating. Our sources
say he’s gotten a numbing
shot before each game
since the injury, and as a
result the pain was
tolerable during play. But
we’re told the shot did
almost nothing Sunday
night, and as one source
put it, “It was a miracle
that he even played.”Our
Lakers sources tell us … in
addition to the numbing
shots, Kobe’s regimen is
now to play with a cast,
get physical therapy after
each game and wear a
flexible cast at all times
off the court.One source
put it this way … “If it was
anyone else but Kobe, if
they did play they’d come
up goose eggs on the
scoreboard. It’s incredible
he’s playing at all.”
Diddy –’MakingtheBand’Lawsuit Is a Real Pain inthe Abs
A guy who claims he got
hit in the stomach with a
microphone during the
taping of an episode
“Making the Band” back
in 2008 is suing Diddy,
MTV, and everyone
involved with the event
that day … and we mean
EVERYONE. Kevin Faraday
claims he was in the
crowd at the
Hammerstein Ballroom
that day when a guy ran
on stage between acts,
grabbed the mic, and
(somehow) hit him in the
abdomen with it.Faraday
is suing … (deep breath) …
Diddy, MTV, Danity Kane,
Day26, Donnie Klang,
Cheri Dennis, “Making the
Band,” Bad Boy Touring,
Bad Boy Entertainment,
Bad Boy FIlms, Live Nation
Touring, Live Nation
Family Entertainment,
Manhattan Center Studio,
Manhattan Center New
Yorker Group, The Holy
Spirit Association for the
Unification of World
Christianity, Strike Force
Protective Services, John
Doe and Jane Doe … and
he’s seeking unspecified
damages.We reached out
to MTV and Diddy for
comment … haven’t heard
back.
DiddyApologizes — ‘I’m Sorryfor the Ignorant Way IRepresented Myself’
Diddy claims he “backslid
and regressed” when he
shouted racial and
homophobic slurs at a
clubgoer in Atlanta this
weekend … and now the
rap mogul is begging for
forgiveness. Diddy went to
his Twitter page a few
hours ago … and issued an
apology to his fans for the
way he acted inside
Compound nightclub
Saturday night … when he
threw ice at a clubgoer,
threatened to fight the
guy … and then called him
a “n**ga” and a
“f**got.”Diddy explained,
“I’m sorry for the ignorant
way I repesented [SIC]
myself … I have backslid
and regressed. Forgive me
for my ignorance. Pray for
me pls. I know better and
I am better.”He added, “I
have a responibility [SIC]
that I promise I will live up
to. And I’m more
dissapointed [SIC] in
myself than you know. I
will humble myself and
learn.”TMZ spoke to the
man on the receiving end
of the slurs, Ricky Parker,
who tells us he felt
“humiliated and
disrespected” by Diddy …
and claims he will no
longer support the hip
hop icon. Parker tells us
he couldn’t believe that
Diddy would attack him so
ferociously, simply
because he was drinking
Grey Goose vodka that
night and NOT Ciroc
vodka, which Diddy serves
as a spokesperson for.
Parker tells us, “You won’t
ever hear me support him
from this moment
forward.”
LiveNationBlamesDiddy &MTV in’Making the Band’Lawsuit
Live Nation is firing back
at the guy who sued the
concert company over a
taping of “Making the
Band” in 2008 — claiming
if he really did get hit in
the stomach with a
microphone, it’s Diddy
and MTV’s fault … not Live
Nation’s.Live Nation filed
a response to Kevin
Faraday’s lawsuit in New
York Supreme Court –
denying its involvement
with an injury Kevin claims
he suffered in the crowd
at the Hammerstein
Ballroom, where “Making
the Band” was being
taped.According to Kevin’s
lawsuit, some guy ran on
stage, grabbed a
microphone, and
somehow hit him in the
abdomen with it.Kevin is
suing a comically long list
of defendants over the
incident — including
Diddy, MTV, Live Nation,
and about a dozen other
people and companies –
but Live Nation insists
they’re
innocent.According to LIve
Nation, if Kevin did
actually hurt himself … it
was probably his own
fault — but Diddy, MTV,
and others also had an
obligation to prevent this
kind of thing from
happening … and they
failed to uphold it.Live
Nation wants Kevin’s
lawsuit dismissed.
Octomom — Dumped byManager
If you’re wondering why
Octomom’s Facebook,
Twitter, and Ustream
accounts have all been
suddenly deleted … it’s
because the mother of 14
has just been dropped by
her management team –
TMZ has learned.Sources
close to Nadya Suleman
tell us, it’s all because
Octo was the ultimate
flake — her management
team would book her on
paying gig after paying
gig … and Nadya “would
find any reason” to cancel
last minute … often
claiming she couldn’t find
a babysitter.We’re told
Octomom was great the
past year — raking in lots
of dough through
appearances and different
celebrity events — but
getting her to work the
past couple months has
been like pulling teeth.By
the end, we’re told it was
nearly impossible even to
reach Octo by phone –
and her managers had
just about enough … so
they dropped her this
weekend.We reached out
to Octomom’s now-
former manager Gina
Rodriquez — who replied,
“I quit on her because she
is unmanageable. She
would not reply to
anything work-related we
would call or text about
especially if it was not
paid.”Gina added,
“Regardless of the $70k
we made her, she still
claimed to not be able to
pay any of her bills. We
no longer wanted a part
of any of it and we feel
sorry for the
children.”Attempts to
reach Nadya were
unsuccessful.
LindsayLohan –Bodyguard ShoppingAfter TrespassingIncident
Yesterday’s door-knocking
incident was a huge wake
up call for Lindsay Lohan
– who’s now in the
market to ramp up
security at her L.A.
home … with surveillance
cameras … and even a
new bodyguard.Sources
close to Lindsay tell TMZ,
the actress loves her
Venice Beach house … but
with random scary people
walking right up to her
front door, she’s
convinced it’s time to
invest in some extra
security upgrades for the
property.On top of adding
additional security
cameras — we’re told
Lindsay wants to hire a
full-time bodyguard to
stay with her for a period
of time … until she feels
safe again.As for the man
arrested for trespassing
outside her house on
Sunday — Lonnie Short –
we’re told he shares a
bizarre connection with
Lindsay’s alleged stalker
David Cocordan.According
to sources, when Short
knocked on Lindsay’s door
yesterday, he announced
he was friends with David
and needed to explain
some things.Clearly,
Lindsay wasn’t up for a
chat — and minutes later,
cops arrested Short for
trespassing. He’s still in
custody on $1,000 bail.
Nelson Mandela’s Daughter — Ordered to Pay $7.5 Million Over Ill-Fated Pacquiao Fight
Nelson Mandela’s
daughter just lost a $7.5
million battle in court –
because that’s how much
a judge ordered her to
pay an L.A. boxing
promoter … after she
allegedly flaked on a deal
to organize a Pacquiao/
Mayweather fight.TMZ
broke the story … a guy
named Duane Moody
sued Nelson’s daughter
Zindziswa Mandela for $
7.5 million earlier this year
– claiming she hired him
to organize a Pacquiao/
Mayweather bout for her
father’s birthday … but
ultimately flaked on the
deal … and the fight never
materialized.The fight was
expected to rake in $100
million — and Duane
claims Zindziswa promised
to pay him a 15%
commission on all
proceeds … but fell off the
radar as he was trying to
organize the
match.According to the
legal docs, obtained by
TMZ, Zindziswa never
responded to Duane’s
complaint — so an L.A.
judge entered a default
judgment, awarding the
promoter $7.5 million in
damages … plus
costs.Duane’s lawyer tells
us, “We haven’t heard
anything from any
representative for Ms.
Mandela. It appears she
feels hiding in South
Africa means she can
avoid her obligations in
the U.S.”A rep for
Zindziswa tells us her
lawyers plan to challenge
the judgment.
StevenTyler –Ok, Ok,I’mEngaged
The official word has
finally come from Steven
Tyler’s famous giant lips –
even though we told you
this last week … he’s
engaged!The giant
rock girlfriend Erin Brady
has been sporting lately is
indeed an engagement
ring — and a worn-down
rep for the “American
Idol” judge confirms our
story of 12/27 … Tyler did
indeed pop the
question. The whole
situation has not sat well
with Tyler’s family.
Sources close to Tyler
have told us they are
peeved they only got wind
on the engagement AFTER
he proposed. The couple
has been together since
2006.
50 Cent Partners with Pepsi to Distribute Street King Energy Shot
After closing 2011 his
anticipated mixtape, “The Big
10,” 50 Cent ** took to
Twitter today (Jan. 2) to
announce a partnership with
Pepsi to distribute his energy
shot, Street King.
50 Cent Drops ‘The Big 10′
Mixtape: Listen **
“I did a deal with Pepsi to
distribute streetking its gonna
be every where buy a bottle
feed some one in need,” 50
Cent [ LINK] tweeted.
The hip-hop mogul launched
Street King, in partnership
with Pure Growth Partners, in
Sept. 2011. 50 Cent’s mission
is to feed a child in need with
a meal for every energy shot
bought. His aim is to
ultimately help one billion
children.
CHRIS LIGHTY SPEAKS ON
50 CENT’S UPCOMING
VENTURES
50′s deal with Pepsi may be
one of many promising
partnerships of 2012 for the
Queens rapper. In May 2011,
Chirs Lighty, founder and CEO
of Violator and Brand Asset
Group, and long time
manager of 50 Cent, told
Billboard.com’s The Juice to
look out for 50′s venture into
nutritional supplements.
“We’re working on a new
supplement company. We’re
going to build new
supplements cause it’s a big
opportunity like Vitamin
Water was,” Lighty said. “We
want to market and promote
it when we put out 50′s
album. There are different
options of penetration for
supplements through music;
like going to GNC [for]
protein shakes, vitamins,
[etc.].”
JohnCena –NotFake-Slapped with $15k Lien
The Accused — WWE
superstar John Cena The
Accuser — A Florida
roofing company The
Accusation — John Cena
no pay. The Amount — $
15,214.92The Long Story
Short — The roofing
company has obtained a
lien against Cena’s Florida
home … and unless he
forks over the dough, the
roofers could go after the
house.Calls to Cena’s rep
have not been returned.
BowWow –Owes theIRS a LilMoney
Bow Wow is all grown up
now, but just because he’s
a lil older … doesn’t mean
he’s learned how to pay
off Uncle Sam — he owes
almost six figures in back
taxes, this according to
court documents. A tax
lien filed in Florida by the
federal government says
the rapper, real name
Shad Gregory Moss, owes
the government $
91,105.61 for unpaid taxes
from the year 2006. A pair
of magical sneakers won’t
solve this problem.Calls to
Bow Wow’s rep were not
returned.
UsainBolt –FILL UPTHEBOOZEBONG!!!!
Usain Bolt is fast …
especially when he’s
POUNDING ALCOHOL …
and TMZ has the photos
to prove it. The fastest
man on the planet went
to Jamaica for the
holidays to hang out with
his parents … but dude
made some time to have a
little fun Wednesday at a
beach party in Kingston.
We’re told Bolt rolled up
to the blowout sandbar
party in a yacht filled with
girls and quickly joined
the drunken festivities …
hitting a booze bong and
chugging Patron X.O.
Cafe … a coffee-flavored
tequila. Once again, it
seems nobody on the
planet can keep up with
this guy.
