T.I.’s Expected Plea Deal- 12 Months in Prison, Remy Ma Faces 25 Years

Here is the story:

Rapper T.I. was expected to plead guilty Thursday to federal weapons charges and will face prison time, according to two people familiar with his case.
The 27-year-old singer, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was expected to be sentenced to 1,500 hours of community service talking to youth groups around the country, followed by about 12 months in prison, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plea deal had not been finalized yet Thursday morning.

His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, the two people familiar with the negotiations said. His talks to youth groups are supposed to be about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.

The U.S. Attorney in Atlanta announced a change-of-plea hearing was scheduled Thursday afternoon at the federal courthouse. Prosecution officials were expected to speak to the media after the hearing.

U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. must approve the deal.

Harris was arrested Oct. 13, just blocks away and hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

He was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

Harris was allegedly trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He initially pleaded not guilty, and has been under house arrest since he was released on $3 million bond Oct. 26.

Well…I gotta say that he is pretty lucky to be getting off with this kind of deal. It could’ve been waaaaaaaaaay worse, but since he has the money for big time attorneys he was able to get off with only 12 months. HOPEFULLY he will learn to step away from this whole thug lifestyle and focus on being a n upstanding citizen and not doing anything to jeopardize his ability to care for his family.  He has already served time on other counts before, and that wasn’t enough to keep him out of trouble. Maybe this time it will click that he needs to straighten himself out.

What do you guys think of the plea? Is he getting off easy? Will he be able to bounce back after his release? Do you think these kind of substantially reduced prison time deals go far enough to deter celebrities from doing illegal activities?

The story on Remy Ma after the jump

Speak on It: Making the Band 4 Finale Recap & Performances

Last night the season finale aired of Making the Band 4 and it was quite entertaining. The first hour was a regular episode that had a little bit of drama between Q and Dawn, because he was dancing suggestively with several girls while she was several feet away. Now…I’ve been in a similar situation so I gotta side with Dawn on how she handled the situation. She basically told him that she doesn’t care what he does so if he feels bad then that is his own guilty conscious speaking. My situation was a bit different where I had to check my man and let him know that if he wanted to be dancing with girls all up in my face then he better be prepared to watch me dance with guys…needless to say we never had that beef after that convo.

Anyway…Q did some ear hustling (which was pretty wack) and heard Dawn talking about the situation with the other DK chicks and let his inner bitcha$$ness run free. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to guess who was fanning the flames with his sh!t talking…yep, King of the Bitcha$$ness Robert. Once Q calmed down and came to his senses he made nice with Dawn and all was right again in lover’s land.

The rest of the episode was filled with their radio appearances and general smack talking. The second hour was a reunion/recap kind of deal with performances from Danity Kane , Day 26, and Donnie. I would’ve preferred 2 DK performances rather than 2 Day 26 performances but oh well. Mike was looking pretty chunky again and neither Robert nor Brian were close to 6 pack status. However, Willie was looking good and Q is adorable.

Q was drooling over Dawn and even decided to publicly declare his affection for her by claiming her then giving her a big kiss (aaaaaawwwwwwwww). Robert’s ex Junebug cleared the air about the whole myspace blow up betweenRobert and D. Woods; and Robert asked D. Woods for an apology (damn does he ever stop whining?).

Diddy revealed that Danity Kane has the #1 album in the country…which doesn’t surprise me at all. When I went to buy it on Tuesday it was sold out! I bought it on Saturday and I’ve been playing it out ever since. Finally, the big announcement that Diddy had to make is that Danity Kane, Day 26, and Donnie will all be touring together over the next few months and it will all be captured on Making the Band 5. I wonder if he’ll throw Cheri Dennis a bone and let her open up for them.

Watch Danity Kane- Damaged

Watch Day 26- Got Me Going

Watch Donnie- Take You There feat. Diddy

What do you guys think of the finale? Are you happy that Dawn and Q stuck together? Do you think Day 26 will enjoy the same success as DK with their debut album? Which song do you hear on the radio more- “Damaged” or “Got Me Going”? (I’ve been hearing Damaged on every station out here) Who had the best performance?

Posted by Reecie

Halle Berry Welcomes New Baby Girl Into the World!

 After many pictures showing Halle Berry looking like she was 18 months pregnant, she finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl Sunday morning. No word on what she named her baby, but I’m very happy for her. Even though she is diabetic, she is doing just fine. Congrats to Halle and her bf Gabriel. Can’t wait to see the first pics…Speaking of pics, where are J. Lo’s baby pics at?

Posted by Reecie

New Couple Alert: Chris Brown & Rihanna

 As much as I love gossip, I’m not one to put stuff on the site without some credible evidence that the gossip is true. Well I’ve been hearing about Chris Brown and Rihanna being an item for a minute, but I decided to withhold my judgement until I saw a picture of them looking couple-y enough. Well last week he escorted her to Barbados to celebrate “Rihanna Day” which is pretty solid evidence…but now, Page Six got a hold of a pic of these two displaying a little pool pda. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I don’t frolic around the pool with random guys, so that is enough evidence for me. So now this begs the question…are Chris and Rihanna poised to be the new “it” couple this year?

Beyonce and Jay-Z are kind of played out since they rarely display any kind of affection for each other, I don’t know if anyone believes Ashanti and Nelly are really a couple, and Kanye and Alexis have understandably kept a low profile. I think Chris and Rihanna make a super adorable couple, but since they are so young I will wait and see how long they last. At the very least, I expect much more interesting tabloid pics from them than any other couple.
What do you guys think? Aren’t Rihanna and Chris a match made in teeny bopper heaven? Isn’t it about time for a new “it couple”?  What other couples would you like to see more of this year?

Posted by Reecie

Story Bits: RIP Heath Ledger, Soulja Boy Believes He’s the Hottest, Raekwon disses Jay-Z/Kanye

 Yesterday Heath Ledger suddenly passed away in his New York apartment of an apparent (accidental) prescription drug overdose. Even though this blog covers mostly urban entertainment, I would be remiss in not mentioning his passing. I actually really liked Heath’s work as an actor and was looking forward to his performance in the upcoming Batman movie. It is so shocking and tragic that someone who is so young (2 passed away with so much life left to live. HM sends our condolences out to his family. Story

On a lighter note….I like Soulja Boy…he is a relatively harmless kid aside from dumbing down Hip Hop to an even lower low…but I usually give him a pass since he is just a kid. But after reading his remarks to MTV, I think he doesn’t understand that his success is not attributed to him being the hottest rapper or a tight MC, but to coming up with a ridiculous dance that is fun and catchy. Here is a little more background:

“I’m Grammy-nominated,” he continued, citing his credentials. “If I look at the new list and I compare myself to all 10 of the artists and some don’t add up, I’ll be like, ‘Wow. I should be #1 if it’s right now. I’m #1.”

Soulja Boy was more candid when asked how he ranks specifically against alumni of the first Hottest MCs list, like Weezy, ‘Ye and Jay-Z.

“Right now, yes [I'm hotter than them],” he answered as their names were read to him one by one.

He said he is the best-selling online, highest-ranking on the Web and the most publicized rapper worldwide right now.

“Today, January — whatever the date this is — 2008, yes [I am the hottest],” SB emphasized.

CLEARLY…Soulja Boy has been spending too much around 50 Cent’s camp. It is one thing for someone like Kanye to argue that he is in the top 3 after 3 classic albums…but Soulja Boy? lmao….heeeeeell naw. I got a good laugh out of that one though.

Raekwon decided to jump on the stupid comment train in an interview with NY Daily News. Here is the story:

Wu-Tang member Raekwon has launched a shocking attack on two of Hip Hop’s most prized assets, Jay-Z and Kanye West.

Speaking to the New York Daily News, the Killer Bee criticised the pair, saying that they were not ‘street’ enough, “A lot of street people don’t put stock in them anymore because they aren’t doing enough to excite anyone.”

Raekwon went on to say that the pair had lost touch with their roots and in order to restore their credibility the two superstars should return to the “hood” and donate $100,000 (£512,000).

When asked if he would be donating too, he stated that he didn’t have the finances to do this.

Yeah, because the only thing Black men should ever strive to do in life is be “street enough”. Give me a got damn break! It’s also funny about how people have so many ideas about what OTHER people should be doing with THEIR money. Some people say stupid sh!t just to be saying something even though it makes no sense.

Are you a fan of Heath Ledger’s work? Does Soulja Boy really deserve to be #1? When will people get past this mentality that Black men have to be street or hood to be redeemable?

Posted by Reecie

Amy Winehouse Caught Out There: You Be The Judge

I think 2008 is seriously turning into the battle of the train-wrecks. So far Britney Spears has been at the top of the list with being consistently disgusting and finding more creative ways to look and act crazy. Sure Amy Winehouse looks like a hot mess, but her looking cracked out isn’t really anything new. But now Sun has a video of her “allegedly” smoking crack. In the tape she admits to taking 6 Valium to “calm” her down and proceeds to light up a pipe. Now before all you Amy Winehouse fans get all self-righteous on me and get mad at me for posting the video…first, be mad at Amy, and second…it would be a bit hypocritical of me to post a link to someone’s sex tape yet turn my nose up at someone hitting the pipe. So for the sake of equal opportunity gossip reporting…here is the tape…draw your own conclusions.

Damn shame.

Is she hitting the pipe in the tape or is she just misunderstood? When will these people get their acts together?

Posted by Reecie

WTF News of the Week: Tracy Edmonds Eddie Murphy Split; Fake “New York” Sex Tape & Other rants

 After a measly 2 weeks of fake marriage, Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds split. What kind of sh!t is that? I’m trying to figure out what exactly one of them learned within two weeks of marriage that they didn’t already figure out in the year plus they spent dating.  Just last week they had their wedding pictures in People Magazine, so something must have been pretty bad for them to not even try and stick it out another few months to not look like complete jack asses. I sure wouldn’t mind finding out what went down.  At any rate, it is stuff like this that adds more credibility to the belief that a lot of Hollywood folk get in these manufactured relationships strictly for publicity. Tracey should’ve known Eddie was scandalous for how he did Mel B. The only thing I can think of right now is that classic video where a TMZ cameraman asked Eddie’s ex Nicole what she had to say about Eddie’s upcoming marriage and she giggled and say “Good luck…Tracey!”. Cold game.

Here is a statement from the non-couple:

“After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further,” Murphy and Edmonds tell PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “While the recent symbolic union in Bora Bora was representative of our deep love, friendship and respect that we have for one another on a spiritual level, we have decided to remain friends.”

Anyways…if this was predominately a gossip site, I still would never report anything that I read on Mediatakeout that hasn’t been confirmed by a credible source. Those folks have zero integrity and make sh!t up for the hell of it. Well anyway, a few days ago they posted an incredibly blurry video of a sex tape that allegedly showed Tiffany Pollard of “I Love New York” getting busy with a super wack dude who couldn’t get it together. I peeped the tape, and I wasn’t convinced it was her. Any dark skinned chick could put on a rhinestone choker and a tapped weave and look like New York when you’re dealing with something so blurry. Well anyway, she came out and denied that it was her in the tape. Since I already had my doubts, I’m pretty inclined to believe her. People has more on the story.

On another “I Love New York” note…I know this is old, but did anyone peep the reunion show? I fell out my chair when Sister Patterson made out with “Champion” like they were ready to get busy right there on stage. I don’t know how much money he got paid to do that ( I hope a whoooole lot) but they sure did play that role quite convincingly. He deserves an Emmy for that performance. Just gross. Click here for the video

 What do you guys think of these stories? What is worse…faking a relationship for publicity, or actually not faking it and really getting screwed by finding out the person you “married” is a jerk after the vows were exchanged?

Posted by Reecie

WTF News of the Week: Vivica Fox Sex Tape Scandal, DMX Making a Gospel Album, Raz B Hanging with Chris Stokes?

 

Yesterday I started hearing that Ms. Vivica Fox is caught up in a sex tape scandal that could prove to be even more embarrassing than the whole 50 fiasco. Supposedly, she got a lil too drunk and gave some guy a BJ…who decided to tape the act on his camera phone and send it to his friends. Now that’s just soooo sleazy! Unlike Kim K and other sex tape wh0res, you can’t really blame her for making a tape without her knowledge. Anyway, who knows if the tape will ever surface on the net… but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. Poor Viv!

Update: Here is a (slightly edited) but still NSFW video floating around that is supposedly Viv. I can’t say that it is her or that it isn’t her, but whoever it is sure is going to town lol. Click here to watch. 

Raz B and his brother Ricky Romance sent shock-waves through the blog world when they posted youtube videos accusing Chris Stokes of molesting them and other members of B2K and IMX/Immature. After filming a very awkward and unconvincing retraction video, Raz B took it a step further and actually had dinner with Chris Stokes. Ricky Romance who held steadfast to his accusations was also at dinner and they all seemed to not have a care in the world. I don’t know what the hell is going on here with these guys, but obviously they are some very sick and twisted individuals. If they made up the abuse allegations then they are incredibly foul and despicable for that. Exploiting a very tragic issue like child molestation is disgusting and dragging other people’s name in the mud the process is terrible too. On the flip side, maybe Chris Stokes is a master manipulator and offered them something they couldn’t refuse in order to make nice and brush their accusations under the rug. I guess we will never really know the truth, but this definitely goes down as a new low in publicity stunts. Damn shame! Click here to watch the video of these guys coming out of Mr. Chow acting all buddy buddy.
 

In the last tidbit of WTF news, MTV is reporting that DMX plans to release a gospel album! Here is the story:

[DMX] has decided to go in full-throttle with his first-ever gospel-rap album, which he told MTV News will be coming out this year.

“I [was] the first n—a to put out two albums in one year [It's Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood in 1998], now I’m gonna hit ‘em again — drop two albums on the same f—in’ day, yo,” X said from his home in Arizona on Friday. “A double album will make mutha—-as mad, because they gotta spend more money — plus it’s already a long [double] album. I’m talking about a hip-hop album and a gospel album.”

The Walk With Me Now portion will be dedicated to straight-up, raw raps, while the latter will feature his non-secular undertaking.

As for the gospel album, X noted that the lyrics will be “without cursing — how ’bout that one? No songs about b—-es, no songs about robbing, just straight ‘Give God the glory.’ “

He wasn’t quite as talkative when asked why he decided to put out a gospel album now. “Destiny, I guess,” he replied. “I just go with the flow.”

Well I have officially heard it all. If I had to make a list of the most inappropriate rappers to make a gospel album, he would be close to the top. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have a right to give praise and glory to God, but with gospel music comes a certain sense of responsibility and higher standards. Being a coked out vulgar rapper on one disc and then flipping it on the next diss just ain’t right.

What do you guys think of these stories? Is Viv a victim of a sleazy dude taking advantage of her inebriated state or could this be a desperate attempt at publicity? Were Raz B and Ricky Romance making up their child molestation charges or is payola their motivation for making up with Chris Stokes? Is DMX out of pocket for trying to come out with a raw  rap disc and gospel album in one package?

Posted by Reecie

Dumb and Dumber: Yung Joc Brings Loaded Gun to Airport, Trey Songz Attacks Audience Member

Ok so I am a few days late with this one but oh well. First up on the “Stupid Is As Stupid Does” team is Yung Joc. He effed up twice in totally inexplicable ways. First, he decided it was a good idea to bring a loaded gun to the airport and was of course arrested. WHY rappers still believe that they can get away with bringing weapons to the airport is beyond me. Is trying to convey a thug image really worth catching a case? Then, he decided to skip out on his court hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest (he showed up several hours later). Here is a little more on the story:

“Joc, whose real name is Jasiel Robinson, was arrested Sunday at a Cleveland Hopkins International Airport security checkpoint. Police said they found a semiautomatic handgun and ammunition in his carry-on bag.

Robinson, 27, told police he didn’t know the gun was there. He said in the statement that the incident is unfortunate.

“I have the utmost respect for the laws of this country and would never deliberately commit an act that would jeopardize my freedom, my family, or my career,” he said.

Robinson, who faces a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon, didn’t enter a plea at a Wednesday arraignment. He was freed on $50,000 bond and was due back in court Jan. 25. The charge carries a possible sentence of up to 18 months.”

**Sigh*** I don’t know what is more retarded, knowingly bringing a gun to an airport or being so f&%king stupid you don’t even notice a semiautomatic handgun and ammunition in your carry-on! I don’t know what kind of bag he had, but I just don’t see how it is possible to not notice such a thing. Note to Yung Joc: Boo you won’t sell anymore records. It didn’t work for Shyne, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, and it for damn sure won’t work for you.

Moving right along…Trey Songz decided to get buck with an audience member who was throwing ice at him at a recent concert by jumping into the crowd and attacking the guy. Now…I’m not saying people should let someone throw things at them, BUT…there is nothing cute or cool about attacking someone with the help of your bodyguard and causing all types of ruckus. Perhaps it’s that LA paranoia in me, but I know it only takes one dumb ass to start  fight before all hell breaks loose. If anyone else in the crowd decided to act a damn fool like he did, things could’ve turned out pretty bad and guess who would’ve had a fat lawsuit he couldn’t afford on his hands. So note to Trey Songz: Sit your short skinny a$$ down somewhere.

What do you guys think of these stories? Is Yung Joc really oblivious enough to not notice a gun in his bag? Is Trey Songz trying too hard to be a bad ass?

Posted by Reecie

Explosive Child Molestation Charges from Former B2K Member Raz-B

On Christmas Eve of all days, shocking footage hit the net of Raz-B and his brother Ricky Romance making claims that Chris Stokes (manager of Omarion and Marques Houston) molested them as well as other members in the group. He also makes molestation charges against Marques Houston. I will let the videos speak for themselves.

 Part 1- Raz-B speaks to Marques Houston’s Family

Part 2- Ricky Romance confronts Chris Stokes on the phone

Allhiphop.com has a letter from Ricky Romance on the matter, here is an excerpt:

” I know everyone has heard the stories about Chris being a pedophile. That’s true as well. Somebody needs to call the DA that’s on Michael Jackson’s back because he could get a conviction on this case. Okay, I’ll take my time with this one. Remember, Quindon? Everyone may be wondering where he is. Well he lives in Texas now and he is a born-again Christian. When he joined his church, he stood up to testify. He told his entire congregation that while his was a young boy being managed by Chris Stokes, Chris used to molest him. He spoke of a “secret group” of them (Marques Houston included) that used to jack each other off and perform oral sex on each other but no penetration. I know yall are reading this like “this person is trippin” but I have no reason to lie. I have seen this drama unfold for years. I was never told this story. I watched it play out from the time IMX was Immature (before LDB came along) until this very second. CHris had even been to court before behind a similar situation. Do your research if you want to know about that one. All this sudden success stuff you see going on with TUG and Chris Stokes are ALL THANKS TO JARELL, DREUX, MARIO and OMARI. Chris has been in the industry and nobody has wanted to mess with him but the industry already wanted B2K before Chris pulled a shady and stole them. So in order to get to B2K, they had to deal with Chris. There is over 10 years of history I could give you about that camp but there is not enough time in the world.

I just wanted to say all this because B2K, all four members, are another set of victims at the hand of a sick man, Chris Stokes. The other three got smart (I am so proud of them) and Omari is being brainwashed. He’s a good kid but that’s what he is when it’s all said and done…a kid. Omari doesn’t have a voice of reason in his corner. The person who should be his voice of reason is also brainwashed. Good luck Omari. To all the B2K fans, I know yall are hurt. This is the way I felt when Jodeci broke up. But everything is going to come out. Just continue to support the boys and pray for them, especially Omari, he needs it.”

Chris Stokes responded to these allegations with this statement:

The accusations that Demario “Raz B” Thorton and Ricardo Thorton have made are vehemently false and hold no merit.  I have recently stopped financially supporting both individuals along with assisting them with their criminal and legal matters which leads me to believe they are resentful and looking to benefit financially from this.  My family is my first priority and the reason why I have been so supportive of them.  In bringing these false claims, they have not only slandered me, they have also put me in a position to ensure that the truth is known and I will take all legal routes to protect myself, my family and my four children. It’s also quite ironic that these statements were made only 2 weeks after they were denied admittance by a venue for an event I hosted in Beverly Hills.”

Wow…this a pretty crazy and unexpected story developing. I really don’t know how to call this one. Making up molestation charges, which is already a very taboo subject, seems like an incredibly extreme thing to do in response to being denied financial assistance and entrance into a party…so I’m less inclined to believe that it what is happening here. Honestly, when it comes to Show biz nothing surprises me, and I can’t put anything past anybody…so I’m just going to remain on the fence. However, if these allegations are in fact true then Chris definitely belongs in prison. It’s very suspect to air him out through You Tube, but I will give him credit for speaking on such a painful (if true) topic…even though it could’ve been done in a more legitimate way. We’ll see how this story develops over the next few weeks, but there is plenty of mud being thrown each direction. Ray-J has even gotten into the mix with a song calling out Chris Stokes and Marques Houston (Click here to listen).  I guess everyone is trying to make some money off this. At any rate…it’s a terrible situation that we may never know the entire truth about.

What do you guys think of these allegations? Is Raz-B’s timing a little suspect or is it just important that he spoke up? Is he making this up for attention or could there be some truth to what he is saying? Did their families accept what was going on because the boys were making so much money? Does this make you look at B2K, Marques Houston, and Omarion any differently?

P.S.- Let’s keep the discourse at a reasonably intelligent level.

Posted by Reecie