Buju Banton's Lawyer Claims Government Entrapment

The lawyer for Buju Banton filed papers on Tuesday claiming the U.S. government entrapped the reggae star in a drug deal. The singer pleaded not guilty earlier this month to a charge of conspiring to buy more than five kilograms of cocaine from an undercover law enforcement officer in Sarasota, Florida last month.

Banton, real name Mark Myrie, maintains his innocence and is currently being held in federal custody in Tampa, Florida. And his lawyer, David Markus, claims in official documents that the government used a paid informant to convince Banton to buy the cocaine.
To prove the allegation, Markus will have to show that the government induced Banton. The star's trial is expected to begin in March.

Rihanna Says She's 'Single'

"I'm going to the Grammys alone...I'm still single." Rihanna dismisses reports she's dating Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Matt Kemp.
Matt has a controversial history - a former lover filed a restraining order against him. But the baseball star insists the court order, which was subsequently lifted, is a "non-issue." His agent said, "Matt Kemp is a consummate Midwestern gentleman who has never displayed any act of violence towards a woman."

Rihanna is famous for being beaten by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown last year. Neither star attended the Grammy Awards. Rihanna insists she won't be taking the stage this year after she and Brown caused the producers so much hassle in 2009. She says, "We messed their show up pretty bad last year. They might be a little mad at me."

Nelly Goes To Work As Reporter For ESPN Magazine

Rap star Nelly will put down his microphone to be come an interviewer for ESPN the Magazine at the sixth annual NEXT event in Miami this February.
Nelly will interview various athletes and entertainers as the VIP red carpet interviewer at NEXT, which takes place at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida on February 5.
The rapper will interview the celebrities from a 25,000 square foot “tricked out interview tent” that was customized by NEXT sponsor, Samsung.
R&B singers Keri Hilson and Ne-Yo will serve as headlining acts, while A Tribe Called Quest front man Q-Tip will guest DJ. E

ESPN’s NEXT issue features interviews and listings of who and what to watch out for in sports.

Nate Dogg Recovering After Strokes

Rapper Nate Dogg is re-learning basic human functions while in physical therapy following a series of strokes. The hip-hop artist, cousin of Snoop Dogg, was paralyzed on the left side of his body following a mild stroke in 2007.

The star, real name Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, then suffered another stroke in 2008, forcing him to turn to an assisted breathing tube to survive. However, he has made progress in his recovery with the help of expert physicians - he's now learned to "lift his head up," according to his longtime friend and collaborator Warren G.
Warren G tells AllHipHop.com, "He's in therapy getting himself together, that's all I can tell people. I see him any and every time I want to. It's hard when you have somebody (who has suffered) two strokes, usually the person don't (sic) make it. But he's strong. He's getting good therapy and he's pulling out of it. It's hard when you first have a stroke; you (have) got to learn everything over again. It's like you're a baby again. You gotta learn everything."

Ethiopian jet crash deaths rise as 34 bodies found

An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people caught fire and crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Beirut early Monday, setting off a frantic search as passenger seats, baby sandals and other debris washed ashore.
No survivors had been found by nightfall, but emergency workers recovered at least 34 bodies — including two toddlers.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Lebanon has seen stormy weather since Sunday night, with crackling thunder, lightning and rain.
"We saw fire falling down from the sky into the sea," said Khaled Naser, a gas station attendant who saw the plane go down around 2:30 a.m., crashing into the frigid waters of the Mediterranean that had reached just 64 degrees (18 degrees Celsius) by Monday afternoon.
The Lebanese army said in a statement the plane was on fire shortly after takeoff.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said terrorism was not suspected in the crash of Flight 409, which was headed for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
"Sabotage is ruled out as of now," he said.
Weeping relatives streamed into Beirut's airport to wait for news on their loved ones. One woman dropped to her knees in tears; another cried out, "Where is my son?"
Andree Qusayfi said his 35-year-old brother, Ziad, was traveling to Ethiopia for his job at a computer company, but was planning to return to Lebanon for good soon.
"We begged him to postpone his flight because of the storm," Qusayfi said, his eyes red from crying. "But he insisted on going because he had work appointments."
Zeinab Seklawi said her 24-year-old son Yasser called her as he was boarding.
"I told him, 'God be with you,' and I went to sleep," Seklawi said. "Please find my son. I know he's alive and wouldn't leave me."
At the Government Hospital in Beirut, Red Cross workers brought in bodies on stretchers covered with wool blankets as relatives gathered nearby. Many people were giving DNA samples to help identify the remains of their loved ones.
One man identified his 3-year-old nephew by the overalls the boy was wearing.
The Boeing 737-800 took off around 2:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. EST) and went down 2 miles (3.5 kilometers) off the coast, said Ghazi Aridi, the public works and transportation minister.
"The weather undoubtedly was very bad," Aridi told reporters at the airport.
Pieces of the plane and debris were washing ashore in the hours after the crash, including passenger seats, a baby sandal, a fire extinguisher, suitcases and bottles of medicine.
The wife of Denis Pietton, the French ambassador to Lebanon, was on the plane, according to the French embassy.
Helicopters and naval ships were scrambled for a rescue effort as waves reaching 1.5 feet (a half-meter) slammed into the shore. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced a day of mourning and closed schools and government offices.
Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. military has deployed a guided-missile destroyer, the USS-Ramage, as well as a P-3 surveillance aircraft to help with search and rescue efforts.
A statement from the defense ministry in Cyprus, which sent reinforcements to help in the search, said 34 bodies have been recovered so far.
Ethiopian Airlines' CEO Girma Wake told journalists in Addis Ababa that he had no information on the fate of those on board or about the cause of the crash. He said the aircraft had been serviced on Dec. 25 and passed inspection.
He also said the plane had been leased in September from New York-based CIT Aerospace. CIT spokesman declined to comment and referred questions to Ethiopian Airlines.
The plane was carrying 83 passengers and 7 crew, Lebanese officials said. Aridi, the transportation minister, identified the passengers as 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopians, one Iraqi, one Syrian, one Canadian of Lebanese origin, one Russian of Lebanese origin, a French woman and two Britons of Lebanese origin.
Ethiopian Airlines reported that there were 82 passengers and eight crew; the discrepancy could not immediately be explained.
The Boeing 737 is considered one of the safest planes in airline service. The jet was first introduced in the 1960s, and today is the workhorse on many short- and medium-range routes.
Still, over the past 15 years it was involved in a series of incidents and crashes linked to problems with a valve in the rudder assembly. The valve reportedly would malfunction and cause the rudder to turn independently of the pilot's commands.
The problem was considered resolved after operators of older Boeing 737s were ordered to carry out inspections and upgrades of the critical rudder control systems.
Sidney Dekker, a professor of flight safety at the School of Aviation at Lund University in Sweden, said the rudder problem has been corrected by the manufacturer and that he'd be "hugely surprised" if it had anything to do with the crash.
Dekker, himself a 737 pilot, said that if reports of an engine fire proved to be correct, the accident could have resulted from a loss of control at a relatively low altitude where it would have been difficult to recover.
He noted that the 737's engines were overpowered in order to fulfill performance requirements in the event of the loss of an engine at takeoff. This tended to produce a turning movement of the entire aircraft — known as yaw — toward the dead engine.
Poor visibility in low clouds combined with high winds may have contributed to the problem faced by the pilots trying to regain control, he said.
Aviation safety analyst Chris Yates said it was far too early to say what caused the crash, but he noted that modern aircraft are built to withstand all but the foulest weather conditions.

"One wouldn't have thought that a nasty squall in and of itself would be the prime cause of an accident like this," said Yates, an analyst based in Manchester, England. He said reports of fire could suggest "some cataclysmic failure of one of the engines" or that something had been sucked into the engine, such as a bird or debris.
The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines has long had a reputation for high-quality service compared to other African airlines, with two notable crashes in more than 20 years.
A hijacked Ethiopian Airlines jet crash-landed off the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean when it ran out of fuel in November 1996, killing 126 of the 175 people aboard. In September 1988, an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed shortly after taking off when it ran into a flock of birds, killing 31 of the 104 people on board.

Ethiopian Airlines announced last week that it signed an agreement with Boeing to buy 10 more of the 737-800s at an estimated $767 million. The order will expand the airline's fleet from the 36 aircraft it has now — not including the 737-800 that crashed Monday.

The Movie Star :John Travolta Organizes Flight To Haiti

John Travolta is using his air miles to help the Haiti relief effort by planning a mercy mission to the earthquake ravaged nation.

The movie star and celebrity member of the Church of Scientology has become the latest big name to dig deep to help the victims of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude tremor.


He says, "I have arranged for a plane to take down some volunteer ministers and some supplies and some medics. I hope that inspires others as well. It's needed."

Haiti Style - Coffin Jacking.

After the terrible earthquake that rocked Haiti last week, some people ( a lot of them) have resorted to stealing coffins IN THIS MANNER to bury their own.

Birdman Launching An Oil Business

Rap mogul Bryan 'Birdman' Williams and his brother Ronald 'Slim' Williams are venturing away from music - the siblings have launched their own oil and gas company. The Cash Money Records co-founders have created Bronald Oil & Gas, a combination of both of their first names, which will be rolled out across America.

The rapper, also known as Baby, and his brother have begun the process of acquiring leases for areas with "the opportunity for re-entry drilling as well as new drilling opportunities."

A statement on the pair's website reads, "Bronald Oil & Gas, LLC is an independent oil and gas company focused on the exploration, production and development of oil and gas reserves from conventional and unconventional formations. The company is initially focused on exploration and development properties in Osage County, Oklahoma, as well as in Texas and Louisiana in the United States and in Central America."

Meanwhile, they insist one of their main concerns is "preserving the environment, promoting worker safety and maximizing the potential output of various oil and gas assets."

To celebrate the new venture, Birdman is sporting a new tattoo with the word 'Bronald' inked on his skin, according to BallerStatus.com.

Pope John Paul II gunman released from prison

The Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison on Monday after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed that he was a messenger of God and that the world will end in this century.

Mehmet Ali Agca, 52, waved to journalists as he left the prison in a convoy of several vehicles. Turkish authorities plan to monitor him closely because of long-standing questions about his mental health. Agca's hair was gray and he wore a blue sweatshirt.

Agca shot John Paul on May 13, 1981, as the pope rode in an open car in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff was hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm, but the bullets missed vital organs.

John Paul met with Agca in Italy's Rebibbia prison in 1983 and forgave him for the shooting.
 Following his release, he sat calmly between two plainclothes policemen in the backseat of a sedan that took him to a military hospital. There, doctors concluded that he was unfit for compulsory military service because of "severe anti-social personality disorder," said his lawyer, Yilmaz Abosoglu.

In the statement distributed by Abosoglu outside the prison in Sincan on the outskirts of Ankara, the Turkish capital, Agca declared: "I proclaim the end of the world. All the world will be destroyed in this century. Every human being will die in this century."


He ended the long, rambling text by signing off as "the Christ eternal," in keeping with past outbursts and claims that he was the Messiah.


Upon his arrival at his hotel, he addressed reporters in English. He had traded his sweatshirt for a dark-blue suit and tie, apparently at the hospital.

"I will meet you in the next three days," Agca said. "In the name of God, almighty, I proclaim the end of the world in this century. All the world will be destroyed, every human being will die. I am not God, I am not son of God, I am Christ eternal."


He also said the Gospel was full of mistakes and he would write the perfect one.


One of his lawyers, Gokay Gultekin, said Agca was planning to hold a news conference on Wednesday.


An army of journalists turned the lobby of the five-star hotel into a chaotic scene, scattering chairs as hotel staff looked on helplessly.


Agca later took the elevator to the room where he will spend his first night as a free man. His brother said they would stay in Ankara for one or two days and are likely to travel to Istanbul later.


Agca was resting in his room, accompanied by his brother Adnan Agca and some friends, Gultekin said.


At the military hospital, Agca looked in good spirits and drank tea while waiting for final procedures to be completed, Abosoglu said.


Agca, who has said he wants to travel to the Vatican, does not have a passport.


Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said there were no plans to comment on the release. Robert Necek, spokesman for Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland, who served as secretary to John Paul II, also would not comment.


The motive for the attack on the pontiff remains unclear but has not been linked to Islamic issues.


When Agca was arrested minutes after the attack, he declared he had acted alone. Later, he suggested Bulgaria and the Soviet Union's KGB were behind the attack, but then backed off that line. His contradictory statements have frustrated prosecutors over the decades.


Prosecutors in Poland who are investigating Agca's attack on Pope John Paul II said his release had no influence on the investigation.


"Testimony from a person who first sells the information to the media ... is of no value to us," prosecutor Ewa Koj of the National Remembrance Institute said. Koj also noted that Agca had changed his testimony many times.


Prosecutors of the institute are currently studying over 4,000 pages of documents, including Agca's testimony, that they have received from Italy.


Agca had said that he will answer questions about the attack after he is released from prison. Agca has said he is beginning to consider book, film and television documentary offers.


Agca was released after completing his sentence for killing journalist Abdi Ipekci in 1979. He had received a life sentence, which amounts to 36 years under Turkish law, for murdering Ipekci, but he escaped from a Turkish prison less than six months into the sentence and went on to shoot the pope in Rome two years later.


Agca reportedly sympathized with the Gray Wolves, a far right-wing militant group that fought street battles against leftists in the 1970s. He initially confessed to killing Ipekci, one of the country's most prominent left-wing newspaper columnists, but later retracted his statements.

After his extradition on June 14, 2000, Agca was separately sentenced to seven years and four months for two robberies in Turkey in 1979. But authorities deducted his prison sentence in Italy and several amnesties and amendment of the penal code reduced his term further. The complex situation complicated the calculation of his remaining term and even led to his wrongful release from prison in 2006. He was re-imprisoned eight days later.

Rapper Rick Ross Hosts Blood Drive To Aid Haiti

The rapper's Rick Ross Charities will team with The Community Blood Centers and 24 Hour Fitness to collect blood to order to send to the victims of the massive earthquake, which leveled the capital city of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.

According to the latest estimates, the death toll from the 7.0 earthquake will top 100,000 people, while millions of injured and wounded are in desperate need of medical attention and other vital supplies.


Ross is hosting the event on Monday, the same date the U.S. honors the birth of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

|Ross said“We have to come together to assist Haiti in anyway possible," Rick Ross told AllHipHop.com. "Give blood, donate what you can and remember the relief efforts for Haiti need to be long term."


Ross will appear at the blood drive, which takes place from 5:30pm - 10:30pm at 24 Hour Fitness, located at 8385 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines. Ross’ charity work in Haiti started before the earthquake ravaged the country.

The rapper performed during the Starfest Multi-Cultural Music Festival, which drew an estimated 500,000 fans in December of 2009.

Wyclef Jean Mourns Loss Of Friend Jimmy O

Wyclef Jean has been left devastated after his friend, rapper Jimmy O, was found dead in Haiti following Tuesday's earthquake.


The former Fugees star appealed for information about his pal after he failed to get in touch in the aftermath of the devastating 7.0-magnitude quake.

He begged, "I urge everyone who's listening right now that knows how great this kid is in Haiti - I need y'all to verify this information. It would be a terrible loss for us."


Wyclef threw himself into finding his friend and helping his native country on Thursday by recovering dead bodies and searching in hope of finding survivors amongst the rubble.

He told the Associated Press, "The count is not 100,000 - there's at least, has to be four to five hundred thousand people that is about to die."

But Wyclef's search for Jimmy O, real name Jean Jimmy Alexandre, ended in tragedy - his body was discovered near capital Port-au-Prince on Friday , according to AllHipHop.com.

The star's agent Robert Dominique says, "His loss will be tremendous in Haiti."

Jimmy O is survived by his wife and three children.

Tiger Woods: $3 Million for Haiti

People all over the world are scrambling to help the rescue effort in earthquake-torn Haiti, and Tiger Woods may be joining the cause.

According to a report, the troubled golf great is considering a $3 million donation to help provide medical care to those who were injured in the disaster.

Jay-Z was shocked to discover his friend Eminem wears a bulletproof vest!!

Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z was shocked to discover his friend Eminem wears a bulletproof vest, insisting he feels sorry for the rapper because there is a "dark cloud" hanging over him.

Jay-Z teamed up with Eminem in the studio in 2003, a year after the Stan hitmaker released his highly-acclaimed record "The Eminem Show."

Jay-Z star admits he felt body armor under his pal's clothes when he gave him a hug - and he realized the extent of Eminem's problems.


He tells Interview magazine, "I never even told him this, but I remember that Eminem came into the studio when we made 'Moment of Clarity,' which he produced, on 'The Black Album.' So here's Eminem. It's 2003, he was, like, the biggest rapper in the world - he sold, like, 20 million records worldwide or some ridiculous number. But when he came to the studio, I remember I hugged him and I could feel that he had on a bulletproof vest. I couldn't imagine being that successful. I mean, he's a guy who loves rap and wanted to be successful his whole career. Then he finally gets it, and there's this dark cloud over him. He has to be afraid to walk around New York freely. I was like, 'Here it is. You've gotten everything you wanted, and now you're a prisoner of your own fame.' That's sad to me - that you have to walk around in a bulletproof vest after you've sold 20 million records. I found it sad."

Wyclef Jean Reacts To Devastating Haiti Earthquake

Wyclef Jean was born in Croix-des-Bouguets, Haiti, later moving to Brooklyn, New York, as a young boy. The singer''n''songwriter often leads fundraising efforts for his homeland.

On 13th Jan 2010,earthquake outside Port-au-Prince has caused havoc. Reports suggest the triple earthquake caused the collapse of buildings, including a hospital, which tumbled into a ravine.

Haitian White House Collapse

The following is a statement by Wyclef:


"Haiti faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince.
I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.

President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.

Many people have already reached out to see what they can do right now. I am asking those interested to please do one thing: You can  donate, you can visit(www.Yele.org) and click on DONATE.

Soul Star Teddy Pendergrass Dead At 59

Legendary soul star Teddy Pendergrass has died at the age of 59. The singer passed away at a hospital in his native Philadelphia on Wednesday, eight months after he underwent surgery to treat colon cancer.

The star shot to fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s, belting out hits including the Grammy Award-nominated track If You Don't Know Me By Now. Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 to pursue a solo career and stacked up popular singles like Love T.K.O., Close the Door and I Don't Love You Anymore.
His career was put on hold by a near-fatal car accident in 1982 which left him paralyzed from the waist down after suffering severe spinal injuries.

Pendergrass returned to the studio two years later to record a duet with Whitney Houston, Hold Me, which featured on her self-titled 1985 debut album. He returned to the stage with an appearance at the famous Live Aid concert in 1985, singing from his wheelchair, and continued to record and perform up until 2006, when he announced his retirement from the music business. Pendergrass has left his wife, a son, two daughters and nine grandchildren.

Rapper Mystikal Released From Prison

Hip-hop star Mystikal is to begin rebuilding his rap career after his six-year prison sentence came to an end on Thursday.

The Grammy-nominated star - real name Michael Lawrence Tyler - was jailed in 2004 on charges of sexual assault and battery. He pleaded guilty after his hairstylist accused him of forcing her to perform sex acts on him and his bodyguard, according to Allhiphop.com.
Tyler was released from jail this week (and has vowed to pursue his music career with renewed vigour.

He tells The American radio station Q93 FM, "I'm back. It almost feels like a dream. Six years off the scene for most rappers, it would be over with, but it's a new beginning for me. Wait 'til I shake the world up now. I want reparations."

Tobey Maguire & Sam Raimi Quit 'Spider-Man 4'

Tobey Maguire and filmmaker Sam Raimi have quit Spider-Man 4 over a reported script issue. Just last week, a Columbia studios source revealed the sequel had been put on hold indefinitely due to script problems.

And now Daily Variety reports the film's star and director have departed the project, and Columbia executives are planning to make a prequel about Spider-Man's alter-ego, Peter Parker, as a teenager instead.

James Vanderbilt has already written a script for the alternative, which will be produced by Marvel Comics boss Avi Arad and movie mogul Laura Ziskin.
Raimi, who publicly expressed his dislike for the idea behind "Spider-Man 4", says, "While we (Maguire and I) were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job."
A new director and star will be announced in the coming weeks.

American Stars:Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch & Others Reach Kilimanjaro Summit

The American stars climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro(Tanzania) to raise awareness for the world's water crisis have triumphed - the group has overcome harsh blizzard conditions to reach the 19,340-foot-high African peak.

Philanthropic singer Kenna led a team of celebrities, including actors Emile Hirsch and Jessica Biel, rapper Lupe Fiasco and Santigold star Santi White, among others, up to the Tanzanian peak for the Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro campaign.


On Thursday, the group began their journey to raise awareness of Africa's chronic water shortage. The stars used the latest social networking technology to update fans and followers along the way, and on Monday White revealed via Twitter.com the group was trudging through a blizzard that slowed their progress.

However, the stars proclaimed their triumph at 8:24 pm local time on Tuesday - appearing in a picture posted on the campaign's official Twitter.com page. The posting reads: "The SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT Team has reached the top of Mt Kili! A great moment captured."

Kenna, who previously attempted the feat in 2005 but failed, has also claimed victory.

The singer adds, "WE MADE IT! ...The climb to the top may be over, but the fight has just begun, sponsor  (your foot) & SEND H20 (water)."

The SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT Team reaches peak at Mt. Kilimanjaro.