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R. KELLY UPSET OVER SCAM ALLEGATIONS
June
R. Kelly says he has nothing to do with a woman who is accused in South Africa of using the singer's name to scam more than 50 investors out of money. The woman is charged with more than 60 counts of fraud after allegedly conning her victims into investing money in an R. Kelly tour that never existed. The woman reportedly says she deposited the money into Kelly's bank account. Kelly is now wanted for questioning in the case. His camp has released a statement vehemently denying any involvement in the scam. "The woman has no connection at all with R. Kelly," said the singer's publicist. "This is just some con woman who swindled a bunch of people out of money. R. Kelly had no knowledge of this, he's just as upset as anyone."
MICHAEL JACSON DIES FROM CARDIAC ARREST AT AGE 50
June
Paramedics were called to Michael Jackson's west Los Angeles home with an early morning 911 call. Reportedly, Jackson suddenly collapsed in his home. Paramedics found Jackson unconscious and not breathing, apparently from cardiac arrest. While perorming CPR, the paramedics transported Jackson to nearby UCLA Hospital. The LA Times reports that at the hospital, Jackson slipped into a coma and then died. A family member told CNN just after the ambulance left that Jackson was in "really bad shape and not doing well." Cardiac arrest is more serious than a heart attack. A cardiac arrest means total heart failure while a heart attack victim still has some heart function. According to the American Heart Association, few patients survive a cardiac arrest after 10 minutes of resuscitation attempts. Jackson, the King of Pop, had the best selling album of all time with "Thriller" which sold over 27 million copies. Jackson's lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, and he was honored with 13 Grammy Awards. He is survived by his children Prince Michael I (12), Paris Michael (11) and Prince Michael II (6). Despite his recent legal and financial troubles, Jackson remained an entertainment icon. Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys — Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael — first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe, the mother of his first two children, the same year. His third child was from an unknown surrogate mother. Jackson was due to start a series of 50 comeback concerts in London. All 50 concerts sold out within minutes. Jackson was also well known for his humanitarian contributions to world causes.
BEYONCE THREATENED WITH LAWSUIT
June
Beyonce has been threatened with a $1 million lawsuit after pulling out of a scheduled appearance on Saturday at New York nightclub M2. According to the New York Post's Page Six, owner Joey Morrissey agreed to pay her $200,000 for the Saturday gig. But the singer suddenly axed the appearance on Wednesday, with her reps claiming she was too busy preparing for her North American tour. Her camp instead offered an hour-long personal appearance from the star at the club, but Morrissey claims he had already spent $100,000 preparing for the singer's show. He tells Page Six, "They said they were too busy with the launching of the tour and that they wouldn't have time to do the kickoff party. We sold tables for thousands of dollars for the show, and spent $100,000 renting a soundboard and other equipment, as per their stipulations. What good does her showing up for an hour do me? They've been totally unwilling to agree to another show." Morrissey is now threatening to file suit against Beyonce over the cancellation, claiming the club has suffered a "loss of reputation" in addition to his loss of cash. In response, Beyonce's camp released the following statement saying they never signed a contract and she was only due to co-host the evening anyway. The cancellation of the launch party for Beyonce's "I AM..." tour, first scheduled for this Saturday at M2, was a result of a breach of contract by the promoter. Beyonce never had a contract with the club itself and no one in her camp dealt directly with the venue. The superstar was never scheduled to perform but was to serve as a co-host and introduce singer/songwriter Solange's performance. Patrons were falsely promised a performance by Beyonce.
MIJAC'S CONCERT DEMANDS "NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE"
June
Michael Jackson reportedly has a list of demands ready for the children who will appear with him on stage this summer. Britain's Daily Mirror claims the singer, due to kick-off his 50-date residency at London's O2 arena next month, has sent an email telling promoters the requirements for his team of young singers. Among them, a demand that they all know sign language. "Normally when we cast choirs for acts, it's quite a laborious task. But in this case, it's proving a near impossibility," a source told the newspaper. "Jackson is a perfectionist and wants it exactly right and that means every child being able to do sign language. "AEG are desperate to keep him happy and so are pulling out all the stops to make it happen. But it's a race against time." The King of Pop also wants the choir made up of "exactly equal" numbers of black, white, mixed-race and Asian children, according to the Mirror. Auditions take place in London next week and the children will reportedly be paid to try out. According to Britain's Daily Mirror, the email also stated: "No past professional experience is necessary... due to children's work permit laws we will cast more than one choir." Jackson is also looking for six snare drummers and has banned them from having beards. "They must be young adults, clean-cut and of mixed ethnicity. They must be real drummers, so please do not waste our time suggesting people who are not," another email read.
TONI BRAXTON IMPERSONATOR ON TRIAL
May
Supporters of Suriname jailed singer, Trina Johnson-Finn, the Toni Braxton tribute singer, can't exactly exhale, but they can breathe a sigh of relief. At least for now. That's because in a concert promoter has testified that he alone tried to foist off the Las Vegas-based entertainer as six-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton at a show that has since been dubbed the "Phony Toni" concert. Angel Ventura, 45, told a judge Tuesday in the Island nation of Suriname that Braxton impersonator Trina Johnson-Finn was an unwitting participant of his scheme that tricked people in this tiny South American country into paying up to $53 a ticket for the Feb. 28 concert in Paramaribo, the capital city. "I never said to the prosecutor that Trina Johnson knew beforehand that she was part of a scam," he told Judge Robby Rodriguez on the first day of Johnson-Finn's trial on charges of defrauding fans. But for some reason it doesn't seem to matter because prosecutors contend Johnson-Finn, who has augmented her 20-year singing career by impersonating various stars as a "tribute artist," attempted to pass herself off as the real Braxton, and that Ventura's testimony does not clear her of involvement in the scam. Some in the crowd of 3,000 began to jeer and pelt the stage with trash when the singer hit a sour note at the beginning of the second song. She was rushed off the stage to a loud chorus of boos. Johnson-Finn, 41, clad in a black blouse and skirt, sat calmly during Ventura's testimony. Kathleen Brandon, the singer's attorney, told the judge her client has been unjustly jailed for nearly three months awaiting her trial and called for her immediate release. "Ventura told her to go all out as an impersonator and play a role in the whole thing. She thought that everyone knew that she was just an impersonator, but Ventura did not tell anyone in Suriname," Brandon said. Unimpressed, the judge refused Brandon's request and adjourned the trial until June 2.
NATALIE COLE HAS A NEW KIDNEY
May
Natalie Cole is the recipient of a brand new kidney, according to an announcement Wednesday from her reps. The 59-year-old singer underwent successful kidney transplant surgery, her camp stated without any further details at press time. Cole will reportedly postpone her summer tour as she recovers. The daughter of the late Nat King Cole has been receiving dialysis three times a week since September. She still continued her concert tour in support of her latest album, "Still Unforgettable." The Grammy-winner announced she was diagnosed with hepatitis C in February 2008. Her kidneys failed after treatment and she had since been seeking a donor.
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USHER JOINS BOARD OF ATLANTA ARTS CENTER
May
R&B star Usher has been added to the board of trustees for Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center, a venue that offers a variety of performing and visual arts - both traditional and avant-garde. The artist was among six new Woodruff trustees announced this week and is the only entertainer on the 79-member board, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Woodruff Arts Center, located at 1280 Peachtree St. NE, includes the Alliance Theatre, High Museum of Art, Young Audiences, 14th Street Playhouse and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Usher said he was “so honored to be invited,” and has already joined the Woodruff’s education task force. “I first and foremost would like to give more young people, who wouldn’t otherwise have the means, the opportunity to experience art programming at the Woodruff Arts Center,” he told the paper in an e-mail. “I also hope to share new ideas that can combine art and service as powerful agents of change in Atlanta.”
NAS/KELIS DIVORCE GETS UGLY
May
Documents filed in Los Angeles reveal that Nas, 35, has asked a court to deny his pregnant wife Kelis any spousal support in their divorce. The 29-year-old "Milkshake" singer, whose first child with Nas is due in July, filed for divorce last month, according to reports. Both sides are seeking joint custody of the unborn child. Although the couple went public with their marriage with a ceremony in 2005, the pair was secretly married at a courthouse in 2003, a source confirms.
SEAL AND HEDI DUE AGAIN
April
During a performance in New York, singer Seal confirmed widespread reports that his wife, supermodel Heidi Klum, is indeed having another baby. Klum, who has two young sons with the Grammy-winning singer and a daughter from a past relationship, followed up a day later by officially announcing the pregnancy on her Web site. "I am expecting a baby. Leni, Henry and Johan as well as Seal and I are thrilled," she wrote. The 35-year-old German-born model married Seal in 2005. She is the host of TV's "Project Runway."
ANDRE 3000 CLOCKED AT 109 MPH
March
Andre 3000 of the hip hop duo Outkast has been charged with driving 109 mph on a highway in suburban Atlanta. Henry County Police Capt. Jason Bolton says the entertainer, whose real name is Andre Benjamin, was clocked speeding in a 65 mph zone in his Porsche south of Atlanta about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The 33-year-old Benjamin is free on $1,200 property bond pending a court date April 29. Police say Benjamin told them he was going so fast because he missed an exit and had to turn around.
STEVIE WONDER AWARDED GERSHWIN PRIZE
March
In presenting Stevie Wonder with the nation's highest award for pop music, President Barack Obama thanked him for creating "a style that's uniquely American" and praised the artist's music for helping him land his future wife. "I think it's fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me, we might not have married," Obama told the Motown icon while awarding him the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. "The fact that we agreed on Stevie was part of the essence of our courtship." Obama, who said Wonder provided the soundtrack of his youth, honored Wonder in the East Room of the White House with will.i.am, india.arie, Tony Bennett and Martina McBride on hand to perform his greatest hits. The president joked that the group was "the most accomplished Stevie Wonder cover band in history." Wonder was emotional at times, thanking Obama for the award.
R. KELLY SUED BY P.I.
March
R. Kelly is being sued by a private investigator who claims he was never compensated for work done as part of his child pornography case. According to TMZ.com, Charles Freeman filed suit in Missouri federal court claiming he was hired during Kelly's trial to "obtain and/or recover certain tapes that were said to incriminate" the singer. Freeman said he did the job, but never got his agreed sum of $300,000. He's suing for damages plus interests and costs, the Web site reported. Kelly was found not guilty on all counts of child pornography in connection with a sex tape that allegedly featured an underage teen.
CHRIS BROWN AND RIHANNA TOGETHER AGAIN IN LA
March
Rihanna and Chris Brown left Miami Beach, Fla. and are now back in Los Angeles, where Brown is tentatively scheduled to be arraigned in connection with her beating. After spending the past few days at the home of Sean "Diddy" Combs on Star Island, the controversially reunited pair was spotted boarding a private jet together at Miami International Airport .TMZ.com has grainy, long-lens photos of the couple leaving the airport and exiting the same plane together in Los Angeles. Reps for both Rihanna and Chris Brown have so far refused to comment on the seeming reconciliation, though Rihanna's father made clear over the weekend that he supported his daughter, whatever direction her personal life may take. "I love my daughter with whatever road she takes," Ronald Fenty told Us Weekly. "I'm behind her win or lose. I will be supportive. If that's the road she wants to choose, I'm behind her. I hope to see her soon. I talked to her after her birthday, and she told me she's OK." Rihanna's other family members, however, have not been so supportive. "Everyone wants them to take a break, to cool off," a relative of Rihanna tells People.com. "No one wants them back together." "I'm concerned," continues the relative. "I don't want her to make a mistake, and I don't want her to ever go through this again."
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