Jay-Z |
HOLLYWOOD - Jay-Z, R. Kelly tour scrapped after Madison Square Garden brouhaha
Jay-Z and R. Kelly's hyped Best of Both Worlds tour, which had been scheduled to run through Nov. 28, was cancelled following Friday night's bizarre show at New York's Madison Square Garden that sent Kelly and his entourage to the hospital. Things first went awry about an hour into the show when Kelly walked on stage and said he saw two people in the audience brandishing guns, his publicist Allan Mayer told The Associated Press. "Two people were waving guns at me," Kelly told a bewildered Garden audience. "I can't do no show like that...This sh-- is over." Kelly then dropped his microphone and walked off the stage. But according to Mayer, security found no weapons and as Kelly was making his way back to the stage to resume his performance, a man in Jay-Z's entourage--apparently annoyed that Kelly interrupted the show--sprayed him and two of his bodyguards in the face with pepper spray. All three men were treated at St. Vincent's Hospital and released. Jay-Z's publicist, Jana Fleishman, said the rapper "did not attack R. Kelly in any way, shape or form." In a New York radio interview early Saturday morning, Jay-Z said, "Is that not absolutely bonkers?" regarding Kelly's gun theory. "That's Madison Square Garden. You cannot get a gun in Madison Square Garden. Does he know where he's at?" The AP reports Kelly's lawyers were filing a criminal complaint against a member of Jay-Z's entourage and considering other legal action.
Avril Lavigne weighs in on lip-synching controversy
Avril Lavigne, who is in the midst of a North American tour to promote her newly released second album Under My Skin, said although she can relate to the pressures of learning how to play live and work an audience for the first time, she draws the line at lip-synching. "You know what? There are a lot of people out there today, who have become stars or famous musicians--I wouldn't really define them as a star--with a record only because they have connections and only because they have money and for the wrong reasons," the 20-year-old singer told Billboard.com. "And it sucks. Actually, I know for a fact there are some young female artists who don't even sing on their own records and who don't sing live. And that is pathetic."
Michael Moore's camera's ready to roll on Election Day
Fahrenheit 9/11 director Michael Moore announced Saturday a total of 1,200 professional and nonprofessional cameramen, filmmakers and videographers will bring their cameras to polling places in the presidential battleground states of Florida and Ohio--especially in minority communities, the AP reports. "I'm putting those who intend to suppress the vote on notice: Voter intimidation and suppression will not be tolerated," Moore said in a statement. Moore's publicist Terri Hardesty said the filmmaker planned visits to Ohio and Florida on Election Day. According to polls in both states, the race between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry is too close to call. The AP reports there have already been voting problems already in Florida and Ohio.
Fahrenheit to air on the Web
Even if you've missed seeing Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, there's still one more chance to see it before Election Day. The video-on-demand firm CinemaNow will make the controversial documentary available Monday via the Internet, according to the Hollywood Reporter, available at 8 p.m. EST for $9.95. Additionally, EchoStar will make the movie available to its more than 10 million Dish Network satellite TV service subscribers, also for $9.95.
Berry buys a home
Actress Halle Berry bought a 5,000-square-foot home in Malibu, Calif., for $8 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. The new home--made out of granite, limestone, maple, stainless steel and glass--was designed to offer coastline views from almost every room. The property includes 60 feet of beach frontage, the newspaper reports. The 38-year-old Oscar-winning actress had been living in the Hollywood Hills.
Eminem doesn't want the spotlight anymore
In an interview with Vanity Fair, rapper Eminem said fame makes him feel like he is living in a cage and that he never knows whether a woman is interested in him or in his success. "I would take it back to where I made a comfortable living. To where I would just make music, have people appreciate it, even if it's a few people who appreciate it," the rapper told the magazine. As for women, the rapper said, "Do they truly, genuinely love me for me? The reason they're approaching me is because I'm Eminem. And I will never be able to get over that insecurity." Asked if he would date a fellow-celebrity, Eminem said, "Tried that, that didn't work. I've dated a few famous women and gone that route thinking that would work, and they ended up being crazier than I am."
