Top Story
DJ Jam Master Jay, one of the members of the rap group Run-DMC, was shot and killed Wednesday in a New York recording studio, a spokesman for the group told Reuters. Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was apparently gunned down along with another man inside the studio around 7:30 p.m. Mizell, 37, died of a gunshot wound to the head on the scene, while the other man, Urieco Rincon, was shot in the leg and taken to the Mary Immaculate Hospital in Queens. Police have made no arrests at this time. Run-DMC, which also includes founding members Run (Joseph Simmons) and DMC (Darryl McDaniels), recently finished a concert tour with Kid Rock and Aerosmith.
Celebs
Jennifer Lopez admits she and beau Ben Affleck have talked about marriage and kids. According to People.com, Lopez told MTV News she and Ben Affleck have tried to keep their relationship private, but “some times it’s easier than others,” she said. J. Lo is still not saying whether they are indeed tying the knot but continues to sport a rather large diamond ring on her finger, People.com reports.
Actor Kevin Costner is resting comfortably in his Los Angeles area home after having his appendix removed last week. “He is recovering at his home in Los Angeles for two weeks. He has another week at home,” publicist Paul Bloch told the Associated Press Wednesday.
Actor Kam Fong Chun, best known as Detective Chin Ho Kelly on the hit TV series Hawaii Five-O, died in Honolulu Oct. 18 from inoperable lung cancer. His family only just announced Kam Fong‘s death Wednesday to allow time for their own privacy. He was 84.
Movies
A veteran stuntman filming a scene for the Bruce Willis actioner Tears of the Sun is presumed dead after parachuting out of plane over the Pacific Ocean. Variety reports the Coast Guard was still searching for Michael Barber, 39, on Wednesday, a day after he and seven other parachutists shot a scene in which they were to land on California’s Pismo Beach. The film centers on a rescue operation in the Nigerian jungle where Willis, as a Special Ops commander, is sent in to retrieve a doctor (Monica Bellucci). No details about the accident have been released.
Tube
One American Idol judge down. Rapper/disc jockey Angie Martinez has decided not to join the trio of returning judges–Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson–in the second Idol installment, after sitting through the first few auditions. AP reports Martinez said in a statement that it was “too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream, especially when I realized that many of them have supported my musical career.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, VH1 has scrapped its new reality series featuring Liza Minnelli at home, citing difficulties with Minnelli‘s husband and co-star David Gest. “We’re not moving forward with the show,” a spokeswoman with the network confirmed. “We weren’t given the cooperation and access we needed.” VH1 production staffers of the show Liza & David claim Gest was a “control freak,” who kept his wife and the production tightly under wraps.
Music
Rocker Joan Jett is suing the producers of the low-budget film Prey for Rock & Roll, claiming she hasn’t been completely paid for providing music for the film’s soundtrack. Reuters reports the producers have told Jett if they pay her the full $100,000 she is owed, it will break the movie.
