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*Fired disc jockey DJ Star, who was arrested Friday after making disparaging on-air comments about a rival DJ, his wife and four-year-old daughter, was released on bail Saturday after being charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Meanwhile, his show at New York’s Power 105.1 has been replaced by the less controversial combo of BET’s Big Tigger and radio vet Egypt.
DJ Star, whose real name is Troi Torain, shocked listeners of his syndicated Star & Bucwild Morning Show by calling out DJ Envy of New York’s Hot 97, including making racial comments about his Asian wife and threatening to sexually abuse their four-year-old daughter.
According to transcripts of the broadcast from May 3 through Monday, Star offered $500 to any listener who could provide information about the school attended by Envy’s daughter.
"I will come for your kids," Star said of Envy, according to the transcripts. "I finally got the information on his slant-eyed, whore wife."
Torain also called the couple's child a "little half a lo mein eater"
and said he wanted to "do an R. Kelly on your seed, on your little baby girl. I would like to tinkle on her."
The station's owner, a unit of Clear Channel Communications Inc., said it found his statements "wholly unacceptable" and fired DJ Star from WWPR-FM (Power 105) on Wednesday. The move came after John C. Liu and other enraged officials publicly scolded Star in a news conference and called for police to open up a criminal investigation.
In response, DJ Star was arrested and ordered to surrender his .9mm handgun and target practice permit at police headquarters. The radio personality was arraigned after 11 p.m. Friday and posted $2,000 bail within an hour, authorities said.
"This is a real consequence for Torain and sends a real message to other would-be racist pedophile radio stooges that they are not immune from the law," Liu said.
Police originally had indicated he also would be charged with harassment, but prosecutors decided against it for now, district attorney's spokeswoman Barbara Thompson said.
Star issued an apology for his on-air comments in a statement released Thursday through his lawyer Benjamin Brafman.
"In a moment of frustration, he said something that was inappropriate," Brafman said. "He regrets it and apologizes for it... he certainly never intended to frighten the family."
A rep for radio and TV personality Egypt announced late Saturday that Clear Channel has picked up the syndicated program “Live with Tigger & Egypt” to replace the Star & Bucwild Show, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m.- 10 a.m. ET.
Tigger, the longtime host of BET’s “Rap City: In the Basement,” has also been a popular radio personality on Washington D.C. radio station WPGC.
His previous syndicated program, “Live in the Den with Big Tigger,” featured Egypt as a co-host and aired on over 50 stations via Premiere Radio Networks.
Egypt was previously known for her 6 – 10 p.m. shift on Power 105.1, and as part of a team that helped change people’s lives on the syndicated WB daytime program, “Home Delivery.”
T.I. CANCELS 10-DAY JAPAN TOUR: Rapper arrested, jailed briefly for failing to perform community service.
*It’s been an awfully terrible week for rapper T.I. The Atlanta artist decided to scrap plans for a 10-day promotional tour through Japan after Florida officials accused him of failing to perform community service for a 2003 arrest – this after he buried his longtime friend and personal assistant, Philant Johnson.
The self-proclaimed King of the South was arrested and jailed for a short time in his hometown on Wednesday, just days after he spoke at Johnson’s funeral. Johnson, a 26-year-old native of Union City, Ga., was killed in a shootout along Cincinnati’s Interstate 75 on May 3rd. Police say the incident was sparked by a fight in a suburban after-hours club. T.I., who was in the same vehicle with his friend, was not injured.
Spokesman Sidney Margetson said T.I. was scheduled to leave for Japan on Sunday to promote his new album, "King," but opted to stay home instead in the wake of recent events.
"I think everybody decided it's just a good time for him to take this week and regroup," Jonathan Leonard, an entertainment attorney for T.I. told The Associated Press Friday.
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, pleaded guilty last year to battery on a law enforcement officer, trespassing and disorderly conduct in a 2003 incident at a mall in Tampa. He was sentenced to 18 months' probation and 75 hours of community service.
Another 150 hours were added by a Florida judge months later, after T.I.admitted violating his probation by driving on a suspended license.
Lawyer Dwight Thomas said the rapper had performed more than 75 hours of community service in Atlanta and that Georgia officials thought he was meeting his obligations. Thomas said T.I. was scheduled to appear today in a Tampa court to address the charges.
OUTKAST’S ‘IDLEWILD’ FINALLY SETS A DATE: Both film and soundtrack due for release in August.
*After several delays, the new OutKast film “Idlewild” is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Aug. 25, three days following the release of its soundtrack via LaFace records.
The set’s first single, “Mighty O,” somehow found its way onto the Internet last week. The track features the Atlanta duo’s take on Cab Calloway’s famous scat from “Minnie the Moocher.”
In the song, Andre 3000 raps about defying categorization: "The damsels in distress but they a mess / They only like my armor and that I'm a performer/ They read one magazine and want to think they're getting warmer / They're only getting colder."
Big Boi, meanwhile, puffs out his chest with the lines: "Intended for anyone filling out this application / An estimate is needed for your underestimation / I'm firing on the spot, go back and check your calculations." Later, he threatens, "I'll hurt you like the president's approval rating by serving your a** with words, fool."
As previously reported, "Idlewild" was written and directed by Bryan Barber and set in the 1930s around the running of a juke joint. The film co-stars Terrence Howard, Faizon Love, Ben Vereen, Cicely Tyson, Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray and Fishbone's Angelo Moore.
THE RETURN OF ‘THE WHITE BRONCO’: O.J. resurrects notorious vehicle for his new candid-camera show; Goldman, Brown families outraged.
*O.J. Simpson thought it’d be a hoot to pull a prank involving the infamous white Bronco for his new candid-camera pay-per-view show, “Juiced.” But the families of the victims he was accused of murdering don’t find the idea funny at all.
In the show, patterned after Ashton Kutcher’s MTV series “Punk’d,” Simpson attempts to sell the vehicle at a used car lot, using the sales pitch: "It was good for me - it helped me get away."
In 1994, the country watched live as A.C. Cowlings drove the white Bronco carrying his famous passenger in a slow-speed police chase that preceded Simpson’s arrest for murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Goldman's father, Fred, told "Inside Edition" he found Simpson's comment "morally reprehensible."
Simpson was acquitted of murder, however, a civil jury later held him liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the Brown and Goldman families. So far, only small portions of the judgment have been paid.
"Any money that he makes, I hope, will go to satisfy the multimillion dollar judgment made against him in the civil case," said Brown family attorney Gloria Allred.
The hour-long program is airing on pay-per-view this month, and a DVD offering uncensored material will be made available soon, "Juiced" executive producer Rick Mahr told The Associated Press.
Other practical jokes on the show include Simpson disguised as an Elvis impersonator, a vagabond selling oranges for money and an elderly man leading a Bingo game.
Mahr said Simpson received no money for the show.
"Basically O.J. Simpson has decided to do this because he wants to do it, and he wanted to have fun with it," Mahr said.
KELLY ROWLAND DENIES SHE’S MATHEW KNOWLES’ CHILD: Also, singer’s solo album pushed back to next year.
*Rumors of Kelly Rowland being the biological daughter of Beyonce’s father Mathew Knowles are "lies from the pit of hell," the singer proclaims.
Rowland, whose real name is Kelendria Trene Rowland, says she moved in with her uncle Mathew and his family at age 11 because her own family situation was too volatile.
"My parents' situation was so terrible. I don't know where I would be if my real father was still in my life,” she says, according to All Headline News. “He hasn't tried to find me and I have not tried to find him."
Meanwhile, Rowland’s sophomore solo album, originally due in July, will now be released in the first quarter of next year, according to her label Columbia/Sony Urban Music. Titled "My Story: Kelly Rowland," the project was pushed back because more time was needed to properly set up the project.
Mathew, also Rowland’s manager, tells Billboard of the delay: "We want to make sure our marketing strategy is a multi-tiered approach that capitalizes on the synergies afforded by her other projects."
OPRAH RESPONDS TO LUDACRIS: Plus ‘Legends Ball’ tonight on ABC; host says hitney was invited; Forbes.com ranks her among most philanthropic.
*While in New York to promote tonight’s airing of her “Legends Ball” special, Oprah Winfrey went on Ed Lover's Power 105.1 radio show Thursday to clear up misconceptions about her stance on hip hop, which has recently been the source of criticism from rappers Ludacris and 50 Cent.
"I listen to some hip-hop. I've been accused of not liking hip-hop and that's just not true," she said, according to Allhiphop.com. "I got a little 50 [Cent] in my iPod. I really do. I like 'In Da Club.' Have you heard the beat to 'In Da Club'? Love that, love Jay-Z, love Kanye, love Mary J. Mary J. is one of my friends."
However, Winfrey had obvious issues with recent guest Ludacris, who told GQ magazine that his experience on her show to promote his film “Crash” was uncomfortable to say the least. He was grilled by the TV maven over his use of the N-word in his lyrics. In the May issue of GQ, he said Winfrey edited out some of his answers and felt that her questioning was way out of line because he was appearing on the show as an actor, not a rapper.
Winfrey said she attempted to explain her position to Ludacris during a post-show conversation backstage.
"I said 'Look Ludacris, you are so smart. You are one of the brilliant guys. I used to have the Klan on and the skinheads on and I looked out in the audience and I saw contact being made between the guys in the audience and the stage and they were like, 'Yeah get her, get her, get her, Bud,'" she said. "At that moment, I was doing nobody any good [by] putting those people on because I realized that that platform was being seen and heard by a lot of people who weren't as smart as I am.”
"My idea was, I want y'all to know that this is what's going on," Winfrey continued. "And I said to Ludacris, 'A lot of people who listen to your music aren't as smart as you are. So they take some of that stuff literally when you are just writing it for entertainment purposes.'"
Lover vowed to Winfrey that he would never again use the word 'b***h,’ while the billionaire acknowledged that hip hop’s global impact is undeniable.
"Years and years ago, Quincy Jones and I had this conversation about the evolution of hip-hop and what it really means to our culture," Winfrey said. "Hip-Hop is like jazz and gospel music, evolved from the people, a form of protest, a form of expression so you can't deny that, nor would I try. But I do believe there needs to be awareness of who we are, how we got here and what that means about staying here."
Continuing to promote her must see/must TiVo two-hour “Legends Ball” at 8 p.m. tonight, a screening of the special was held in New York Thursday for those who participated in the event, including Mariah Carey, Tyra Banks and birthday girl, Janet Jackson.
Miss Jackson, who arrived at the venue on the arm of boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, wore a black vintage Aliah suit that showed off her newly slimmed down waist.
“I just went in my closet and threw it on,” Janet told Access Hollywood’s Tim Vincent.
For her 40th birthday tomorrow, Jackson tells AH she plans to “party, I guess.”
“Oprah Winfrey’s Legend’s Ball” chronicles the event Oprah hosted at her Montecito ranch last year to honor the women who have inspired her throughout the years, including Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou, Leontyne Price, Diana Ross, the late Rosa Parks and the late Coretta Scott King.
Winfrey also invited along a number of “youngins,” or notable women from the next generation to help honor the legends.
“There is a moment when Halle Berry, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson – and there is Roberta Flack and there is Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight – and I thought ‘Oh my God they are all in your living room!’”she said.
Dressed in a long black Ferre skirt and simple white Anne Fontaine blouse, Oprah was asked about a singing diva noticeably absent from the lavish affair – Whitney Houston.
“She was invited last year and she was invited again this year,” Oprah said with a shrug. When asked if she has reached out to Houston or knows if she is OK, Oprah replied, “I can’t say that I know she is OK.”
Meanwhile, Winfrey joins Steven Spielberg and Angelina Jolie atop Forbes.com's list of Hollywood's 10 most generous entertainers. The trio donated a collective $58 million over the last two years to respective causes, most notably disaster relief in the wake of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
Citing numbers from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Forbes.com reports that Oprah gave about $52 million in charitable donations in 2005 alone. She gave a total of $36 million to her Oprah Winfrey Foundation, which supports women and children's programs. An additional $3.5 million went to Oprah's Angel Network, which she founded in 1998 to encourage fans and fellow celebs to be more philanthropic, and she donated $10 million to aid victims ravaged by Katrina last year.
MC BREED GOES TO JAIL OVER CHILD SUPPORT: Rapper to serve a year after amassing back payments of over $200,000.
*MC Breed learned Thursday that there ain’t no future in skipping child support payments, as the rapper was sentenced to a year in state prison for missing $200,000 in child support.
The Michigan artist, whose real name is Eric T. Breed, begged for the court’s mercy, citing that he is woefully short on funds.
"I'm in so much debt right now that it makes my head spin every time I think about it," Breed said.
But the court wasn’t trying to hear it. Genesee Circuit Court Judge Richard Yullie ordered the 34-year-old to prison, citing that his case has been continued for an extensive amount of time, reports allhiphop.com.
"Someone looking at this file would ask me why did I give Mr. Breed so many opportunities?... You have not met your obligations you have in respect to supporting these children," said Yullie.
Before Yullie’s ruling, the former rapper was sentenced to a year in jail by a separate judge on another child support case. Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman’s decision came with the provision that he can participate in a work release program if he could secure employment. But Judge Yullie's judgment to a year in prison without the work release program supersedes Judge Hayman's ruling.
In Yullie’s court, Breed apologized for all of his "inconsistencies" and said that he'd abandoned his attempt to resurrect his rap career, which reached its peak in 1991 with the hit, “Ain’t No Future in Yo Frontin.”
Additionally, the rapper also had outstanding warrants in the Detroit area for failing to a pay speeding ticket and operating a vehicle with a suspended license. But these penalties were waived since he had already received a prison sentence.
GAYLE KING SECRETLY CAMPAIGNING FOR ‘VIEW’ CHAIR?: ‘Daily News’ swears Oprah’s girl is craving the gig.
*The New York Daily News is reporting that Gayle King is dying to take over Star Jones Reynolds’ spot on “The View,” but is forced to publicly deny her desire for the position because Reynolds is her good friend.
"Gayle really wants the job in a big way," says one source. "It's her absolute dream situation. She thinks it's perfect, because there are others to share the spotlight with and she wouldn't have to deal as much with the 'Oprah's Best Friend' label that follows her everywhere. She just wants to be 'Gayle King, television personality.'"
"The problem for her is that she's friends with Star,” the source continued. “She can't publicly lobby for the job in anyway. Star would certainly get upset about her friend trying to get a job she's not technically done with yet.”
The Daily News quotes another source that says: "You can bet Gayle has every back-channel entity she can get working to lock up the position for her. The last thing she'd want is to make it look like she lobbied for the job and that Oprah's influence had anything to do with her getting it."
Star’s people have repeatedly denied that she is leaving “The View”
or looking for other opportunities. King would only tell Fox 411 columnist Roger Friedman that she “doesn’t know what’s going on” at the show, and a rep for the daytime program says there are absolutely no plans to replace Jones.
PRYOR’S KID WANTS WIFE REMOVED AS TRUSTEE: Late comic’s daughter says Jennifer Pryor mentally abused her father.
*The daughter of Richard Pryor filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court last week seeking to remove her father’s wife as a trustee of Pryor's estate and accusing her of "elder abuse."
According to TMZ.com, the late comedian’s daughter, Elizabeth, has accused Pryor’s widow Jennifer Lee of mentally abusing her father, who suffered from multiple sclerosis and died in December just days after his 65th birthday.
Elizabeth claims Jennifer kept Pryor away from his family and friends, and limited family visits to once a month for no more than 40 minutes at a time.
According to the petition, the alleged abuse caused Pryor "depression, despair, agitation, and other extreme mental suffering."
"Given Mr. Pryor's utter dependence on Jennifer for his personal and financial welfare, her actions were reckless, oppressive, fraudulent and malicious," the petition read.
Jennifer Lee and Richard Pryor were divorced in 1982, but remarried in June 2001.
ITTY BITTY BITS: D12 without Proof; Omarion’s new ringtone; Brangelina’s Namibian housewares; The Rock’s new ‘Spy’ franchise.
*Rap group D12 said it will continue recording a new album despite the loss of their member Proof, who was shot and killed last month at a club in Detroit. "If people think that because he's not here we're not going to keep doing what we're doing, then they're wrong," said D12 member Denaun Porter, a.k.a. Kon Artis. Proof, whose real name was Deshaun Holton, was shot to death after fatally shooting another man, Keith Bender Jr. Bender's cousin faces weapons charges in Proof's death while the Wayne County prosecutor's office considers the possibility of more serious charges. The group plans to record again once group member Swift gets out of jail on a probation violation, Porter told the Detroit Free Press, adding that D12 would use vocals already recorded by Proof.
*Omarion and BET have joined forces to make the R&B singer’s new single, "Entourage," available for the first time in any format as a ringtone exclusively through BET Mobile. The track, which premiered Friday on BET’s "106 & Park," will appear on Omarion’s forthcoming sophomore album. To download the exclusive "Entourage" ringtone, text message the letter "O" (for Omarion) to "23888."
*Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are launching a new line of African homeware products to premiere at an art fair in Paris this September. The couple, currently in Namibia awaiting the birth of their baby, are working with local craftsmen to create an assortment of rugs, pots and other household items. All proceeds from the collection will be donated to a Namibian community. "It combines their two passions. Brad's involved with design and Angelina is committed to humanitarian work," a source in Namibia told reporters. Meanwhile, Brangelina met Thursday with Namibia’s first lady, Penehupifo Pohamba. She visited the couple at the exclusive Burning Shore Beach Lodge where they reportedly chatted about possible names for the baby. Mrs Pohamba said: "We would be honored if she gave her child a Namibian name.”
*Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will become the first actor to provide his voice, likeness and motion-captured performance for a video game as well as its feature film adaptation, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Rock is set to work in both versions of "Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run" as U.S. superspy Alex Decker. The video game ships in September, and the John Woo-directed film for Universal is due in theaters July 2007.
SPORTS BEAT: Larry Hughes mourns brother; USC’s Ryan Francis killed in Baton Rouge; sprinter Justin Gatlin breaks world record.
*The 20-year-old brother of Cleveland Cavaliers starting guard Larry Hughes died Thursday following a lifelong struggle with heart problems. Hughes traveled to St. Louis to be with his family, forcing him to miss his team’s Game 3 win against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. A wake for Hughes’ brother, Justin, is scheduled for today around the same time his team is scheduled to play Game 4 in Cleveland. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and Cavs coach Mike Brown said the team is considering flying to Missouri to show support, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.Brown said there is no timetable for Hughes’ return. "The only thing I'm thinking about is that he's taking care of his family," said Brown, who hasn't spoken to Hughes. "I don't want to bother him. When it [Hughes' return] happens, it happens." Along with his mother, Larry Hughes helped raise his brother, who was born with a heart defect.
*University of Southern California freshman point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed early Saturday while in Baton Rouge, LA visiting his mom for Mother’s Day. The 19-year-old was in a vehicle with four passengers at about 3:30 a.m. when the driver of another vehicle pulled up alongside them at a stoplight, exited the car and opened fire, said Lt. Keith Bates of the Baton Rouge Police Department. Francis, who was sitting in the back seat, was shot multiple times. The shooter was identified as 19-year-old D'Anthony Norman Ford, who was arrested without incident Saturday and charged with one count of first-degree murder. Francis was the starting point guard this past season for USC (17-13) and averaged more than seven points a game. He ranked seventh in the Pac-10 in assists (111) and fifth in steals (47). "We're all devastated," said USC coach Tim Floyd. "We've lost a special young man who in his short time at USC made an impression that will last forever."
*U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin broke the 100-meter world record at a meet in Doha, Qatar, finishing the race in 9.76 seconds to surpass Jamaican Asafa Powell's mark of 9.77 set last June 14 in Athens. "Now I can say I'm the fastest man in the world and that feels great," Gatlin, 24, said on a conference call from Doha. "I'm in more disbelief in this race now than I was for the Olympics or world championships. I can't believe it came so soon. I didn't think it would come in my second race of the season." Gatlin, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, will step up his rivalry with Powell on June 11 when the two face each other again in Gateshead, England.
EVENT CALENDAR: Davis, Freeman honored in Detroit; Simmons to speak at UN's 'Global Classrooms' event.
*Tonight, the Ford Motor Company and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will honor 2006 Ford Freedom Award recipient Ossie Davis and Ford Freedom Award Scholar Morgan Freeman. Davis' widow, Ruby Dee, will accept the award on his behalf. Woodie King, Jr. will receive the Ford Freedom Award Pioneer for his contributions to the theatrical circuit. The event, which is in its eighth year, has served as a fundraiser for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Proceeds support the Museum's educational programs, exhibits, and community outreach initiatives.
*More than 2,300 students from 71 New York City public high schools will hear a keynote address from Russell Simmons, Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, at the Global Classrooms: New York City Model UN Conference sponsored by the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and Merrill Lynch. The students from around the world will step into the shoes of UN ambassadors to debate and resolve current international issues from May 18 – 20 at United Nations headquarters. The conference mobilizes students to tackle world issues such as globalization, prevention of nuclear terrorism and the situation in Darfur. At least 40 students participating in the New York City event will travel from “Global Classrooms” cities in New Delhi, Beirut, Berlin, Beijing, Madrid and Tel Aviv to attend the conference and engage in cultural exchange with their American peers.
FOUR BLACK STUDENTS EARN MATH Ph.D.S AT OLE MISS: Number breaks record set by University of Maryland in 2000.
*Over the weekend, the University of Mississippi became the first American college or university to graduate four African-American students with doctorates in mathematics at one commencement, reports DiverseEducation.com.
“Producing four African-American graduates with doctorates in mathematics is unprecedented, with only the University of Maryland coming close, in 2000” with three, says Dr. Don Cole, associate professor of mathematics and assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs. “This event puts us on par with institutions such as Berkeley and Michigan.”
The four students receiving the degrees Saturday were Joe Anderson of Rosedale, Miss., Carla Cotwright of Los Angeles, Brian Williams of Missouri City, Texas, and Adrian Wilson of Jackson, Miss.
Dr. Tristan Denley, chair of the Department of Mathematics, called the graduation of all four students a “happy coincidence” and said they should be considered role models to other minority students.
“A lot of graduates have stayed in the state and have clearly made an impact,” he said, according to the Web site. “Given the geography and history of the state, there is a lot more to be done since we need people trained in the STEM disciplines.”
DiverseEducation.com notes that only 35 African-Americans earned doctorate degrees in mathematics in 2005, according to the Annual Survey of Mathematical Sciences conducted by the American Mathematical Society. In comparison, 48 Hispanic/Latinos, 384 Asian and 634 White students earned their math doctorate degrees.
The Ole Miss Four are currently in the process of applying or accepting tenure-track or post-doctoral positions at their alma mater and other institutions.
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EUR FEEDBACK (MYfeedback@eurweb.com)
*Sonshinefaktory, Philadelphia, PA:
"(I'm thrilled to hear about DJ Star). Where do I start? CONGRATULATIONS Clear Channel on FINALLY getting rid of this so called host that says whatever he wants to on the radio.
I was unpleasantly surprised to see that Power 99 had pulled Golden Girl & Q-Deezie off of the morning show in Philly. But I was horrified to hear the Star & Buc Wild show! Star would say the 'N' word and anything else that he wanted to and it was seemingly no one to complain to.
I live in the Philadelphia area and want to hear true RADIO, not garbage from a disrespectful person who finds it in his being to degrade whomever is within listening distance of his antics. Personally, I COMMEND CLEAR CHANNEL for nipping this in the bud!" :)
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