Top Story: Grammy Performance Angers American Indians
American Indian groups across the country were offended by OutKast’s Grammy performance of their hit song “Hey Ya!” Sunday, The Associated Press reports, in which singer Andre “3000” Benjamin wore Indian feathers and war paint, while women danced around a giant green teepee. The San Francisco-based Native American Cultural Center is calling for a boycott of OutKast, which won three Grammys at the show; Arista, their record company; the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that sponsors the Grammys; and CBS, the network that aired the show, AP reports. Indianz.com has also launched an online petition calling for an apology from Benjamin. “I don’t think you meant to offend, but you hurt us,” wrote a petition signer named Megan Jones. “Please acknowledge our feelings and apologize.” AP reports CBS issued an apology on its Web site that stopped short of saying Benjamin’s performance was insulting to the 2.3 million American Indians in the country. Benjamin and Antoine “Big Boi” Patton, the other half of OutKast, have not yet commented.
Ross Did Time in Connecticut
After being sentenced to two days in jail on a drunken driving conviction, Diana Ross apparently fulfilled her obligation, serving the time in upscale Greenwich, Conn., where the singer lives, AP reports. The details about when and for how long she stayed at the Greenwich Police Department were not available. It also wasn’t known specifically how she was housed, AP reports.
ABC Picked Up Simpson, Stamos Pilots
ABC has picked up six comedy pilots, including untitled shows starring MTV’s happy Newlywed Jessica Simpson and TV’s Full House star John Stamos. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Simpson will play Jessica Sampson, a fictional version of herself. The pilot revolves around a hardworking female producer of a primetime newsmagazine show whose world turns upside down when Sampson signs on to do part-time work as an on-air reporter. The Stamos project revolves around a guy on a date, with the show’s entire season taking place over the course of the day’s events.
Seacrest Gets Dees’ Old Spot
American Idol‘s Ryan Seacrest is taking over the radio airwaves in Los Angeles, replacing longtime L.A. morning radio personality Rick Dees, AP reports. Seacrest will host the KIIS-FM radio show from the same Hollywood studio he uses for his new syndicated live TV talk show, On-Air with Ryan Seacrest, which will also be the name of the radio show. Seacrest recently replaced Casey Kasem on the syndicated “American Top 40” radio countdown.
Anthony’s Paternity Claim Disputed
The attorney for Elizabeth Leyva–a Miami woman who claims singer Marc Anthony is the father of her two-month old child–believes Anthony may have cheated on a paternity test. Reuters reports Anthony‘s lawyers say the test has cleared their client of any paternal claims, but Leyva’s attorney said that Anthony submitted his DNA sample to the lab rather than have it drawn there. Anthony‘s wife, Dayonara Torres, filed for divorce last month, demanding alimony and child support for the couple’s two young sons. Leyva has said she only wants Anthony to “recognize that’s his baby.”
Dixie Chick Adds Another to the Nest
Dixie Chick Natalie Maines is expecting her second child with her husband, actor Adrian Pasdar, AP reports. The couple, who were married in 2000, have a 2-year-old son, Jackson Slade Pasdar. Maines didn’t announce a due date but did speculate going on tour with the Grammy-winning country trio. “Can you imagine the next tour for us? Five kids (or more) backstage? Oh, the thought is just exhausting,” a statement on the group’s Web site said. Martie Maguire, the fiddle and mandolin player in the group, announced in November she is expecting twins. The third Chick, Emily Robison, has a 1-year-old son.
Eminem’s Ex-Wife in More Trouble
Eminem‘s ex-wife, Kimberly Mathers, was sentenced to serve at least a month in jail Thursday for using cocaine while on probation, AP reports. Mathers, who’s been the target of some of the rapper’s songs, admitted a week ago to her probation agent that she was using cocaine, the Michigan Department of Corrections told AP. Mathers was sentenced Jan. 21 to two years’ probation after pleading guilty to charges of possessing 25 grams or less of cocaine and failing to give adequate space to an emergency vehicle. The charges came from a June, 2003 traffic stop in Michigan.
NBC To Air Diana’s Secret Tapes
Audio and videotapes that the late Princess Diana secretly recorded during her ill-fated marriage to Prince Charles–and were the basis of Andrew Morton’s 1992 tell-all bestseller Diana: Her True Story–will get their first public airing next month on NBC, the network announced on Thursday. The two-hour documentary, Princess Diana: The Secret Tapes, will also feature interviews with some of Diana’s closest friends and confidants, Reuters reports. The special two-part broadcast is set for Mar. 4 and Mar. 11.
Emmy-Winning Producer Colesberry Dies
Robert Colesberry, best known for co-creating and executive producing HBO’s The Wire as well as producing films Mississippi Burning and The Natural, died Monday in New York from heart surgery complications. He was 57.
