Day in Pop Report for 02/06/2012
As TMZ first reported, Ray's bodyguards got into it with two guys in Hollywood and allegedly handed them quite the beating. An ambulance was called to the scene, but neither of the alleged victims were transported to the hospital. In the video, a guy can be heard yelling at Ray J, "No, no Ray. I got this ... Ray, get in the car!" Ray J then drives away and when the camera turns, you can see one of the alleged victims out cold on the sidewalk. Later, one of the alleged victims can be seen talking to paramedics while another is treated in the back of an ambulance. LAPD is investigating the alleged incident. Calls to Ray J's people were not returned. Watch the video here.
TMZ has obtained the letter that Francis has sent to Madonna and her "co-conspirators." Francis' lawyer threatens to sue all of them for attempting to get a "free ride on the valuable consumer goodwill and brand recognition" of Joe's famous trademark. Francis' lawyer makes it clear: "Your misappropriation of my clients' trademark will not be tolerated." But Francis is willing to cut a deal with Madonna, provided she agrees to the following terms: -- Negotiate an immediate licensing agreement for the use of Joe's trademark Joe thinks NBC and the NFL are conspiring with Madonna, so the letter went to them as well.
The frenzy was triggered by MediaFetcher.com. The site has been spinning bogus stories about other celebs they claim are dead but are not -- including: Jon Bon Jovi, Charlie Sheen, Adam Sandler, TooShort, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Luke Perry, Jack Black, Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Tom Green, Mac Miller, Tiger Woods, George Clooney, and others. Pavlov's dog could have figured this out quicker. more on this story
Backed by a children's choir, Clarkson was center stage in Indianapolis for the most watched TV event of the year, and in a pressure situation to nail her performance. Sunday morning, Clarkson revealed a pre-show glitch that she and her team had to overcome. "Literally left my wardrobe at the hotel in Louisiana and my tour manager had to run back and get it," she posted. "Now we're on the plane headed for the Super Bowl but that was a close one! I'm not sure if I could have pulled off spanx and heels while singing the anthem." Read her comments about the performance and watch it here.
James DeBarge -- Janet Jackson's ex-husband -- is locked up after being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and drug charges. DeBarge -- who was the lead singer of the wildly popular band, El DeBarge -- has been placed in Administrative Segregation -- the place where famous inmates with security issues are housed. Murray has been calling the Ad Segregation unit home since his conviction on manslaughter charges last November. We're told they occasionally run into each other, most recently last Monday when they were each meeting with their respective lawyers in the visiting room. DeBarge's lawyer, Spencer Vodnoy, tells TMZ ... the singer is "really upset" he's so close to Murray. DeBarge says even though he was married to Janet for less than a year back in '84, he thought of Michael as a brother. more on this story
In doing so, Del Rey's album becomes the fastest seller of the year to date, and the first album release of 2012 to break the 100,000 sales milestone in its first week. "Born To Die" follows in the wake of 2011's upward trends in UK digital music sales. more on this story
Bow Wow was ordered by a Tennessee court back in 2009 to pay almost $100,000 to a tour bus company for allegedly not paying his bill. The company then took the case to Georgia to try and get the court where Bow Wow lives to enforce the judgment. He was ordered to produce documents in his home state regarding the lawsuit, which he never did. As a result, the tour company filed a motion to have the rapper held in contempt. Finally back in October, the judge granted the motion and ordered Bow Wow be arrested and held until he produces the necessary documents the tour bus company asked for. Bow Wow has not been taken into custody so far, or responded to the lawsuit. Calls to Bow Wow's reps were not returned. more on this story
Last week -- a woman named Ericka Lee filed a lawsuit against Drake, in which she claimed she co-wrote the song but never got proper credit. In her suit, Lee claims Drake warned her that if she didn't back off about payment ... he had "people" who would take care of "issues like her." But Drake's rep says, "This claim is entirely without merit and our client has not engaged in any wrongful conduct." The rep also claims Lee consented to have her voice used in "Marvin's Room" without compensation ... adding, "Drake tried for months to resolve the matter amicably, and he now looks forward to being vindicated in court." In her suit, Lee claims she and Drake were engaged in a romantic relationship for more than a year between 2010 and 2011 ... but sources tell us the rapper is adamant there was never a relationship between the two. more on this story
Forthcoming Willie Nelson titles under the Legacy imprint will include newly recorded songs and performances as well as archival releases, personally curated by the artist, drawn from all phases of his career including his recordings for RCA Records and others. As curator of his catalog, Willie will work with label archivists to select recordings, including previously released and previously unreleased tracks, for release in newly compiled collections and as bonus material on new editions of existing titles. The newly curated Willie Nelson titles will provide fresh perspective and context to the artist's profoundly influential and successful career. more on this story
But, we're told, that's not the end of the story. The ruling is complicated and there could be dramatic changes in the custody agreement. As we first reported, Gabriel had already agreed to take anger management classes. As for Halle, she'll continue with counseling. And, as we reported, 3-year-old Nahla will also undergo counseling. more on this story
We have been told by numerous people that Don's health problems plagued him for years ... and the pain had become unbearable. As we first reported, Don was discovered last Wednesday at his Sherman Oaks, CA home with a gunshot wound to his head. more on this story
Nicole Cannizzaro filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming Dourdan launched an unprovoked attack on her while she was shopping at a Whole Foods last November with the actor's child. According to the lawsuit, Nicole immediately hopped a ride to Gary's apartment nearby to grab her stuff -- and Gary arrived soon after, continuing his attack ... punching her in the face and dragging her across the floor. Nicole claims she tried to call 911, but Gary's roommate stopped her. A neighbor eventually called the police and Gary was arrested. Gary has since been charged with felony assault and battery -- and a judge issued a restraining order against him on Nicole's behalf. Nicole is now suing Gary for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking unspecified damages, totaling at least $25,000. Calls to Gary's reps have not been returned. more on this story
According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Moira Fiore claims she was tapped to help Charlie find a new house, but there was a big problem -- she's only licensed to sell real estate in Florida and Charlie wanted a new crib in L.A. So Moira says she engaged the services of uber-realtor Marty Trugman, who has repped a slew of celebs in Hollywood. Moira says Marty promised to give her 25% of his commission as a referral fee. Charlie used Marty and bought a $6,999,999 house, but Marty never paid her a cent. We spoke with Marty, who laughed and said, "I never promised her a referral fee. She didn't introduce me to Charlie. Brooke did." Sources close to Charlie tell us he's pissed that -- unbeknownst to him -- Moira was "skimming the deal." Charlie is saying if Moira gets any money from Marty, it should go to him or his kids. more on this story
"Big Country" Jody Kristofferson locked horns with several other up-and-coming wrestler's in the WWE's private training facility in Florida this week ... just weeks after inking a developmental contract with the organization. Jody has been busting his ass for years in the minor league wrestling circuit ... paying his dues in small town wrestling matches ... until he recently attracted the eye of WWE scouts. We're told officials like the fact that his father is famous ... but they feel he's not just a flash in the pan, and has real potential to be a break-out star. WWE sources tell us ... trainers were pretty impressed with his work in the ring this week ... but it's unclear when Jody will make his TV debut. more on this story
Sources tell TMZ, Kim's currently house shopping in several exclusive gated communities in the L.A. area -- including Bel Air ... and Mulholland Estates, where both Charlie Sheen and Paris Hilton own houses. She hasn't made up her mind yet -- but we're told Kim now refuses to live in any house that doesn't have round-the-clock gated security. TMZ broke the story -- cops were called to Kim's home late Saturday night, when a man showed up on her property with a bunch of luggage and rang the doorbell ... insisting Kim invited him to stay with her. more on this story
Lil Kim's tax problems are well-documented and go back nearly 10 years. According to documents filed with the L.A. Recorder's Office, Kim owes money every year from 2002-2009. The 2009 amount, $86347.85, was just recently tacked on -- bringing her total $1,026,862.42. more on this story
Bieber was at the Hit Factory and a crowd of about 60 fans gathered outside. According to one witness, the group waited about five hours for a glimpse of the Biebs, when he finally obliged and came out to skateboard for a few minutes. The most disturbing part ... after he took off his shirt and the screaming subsided, one girl BEGGED for Justin to give her his shirt, promising, "Please, we'll share it!" Watch video here
Sources close to T.O. tell TMZ, the former NFL star was able to convince the judges in each of his child support cases to "drastically decrease the amount he was paying." T.O. had originally been ordered to pay between $5,000 and $20,000 per child per month -- and with no new football contract, he was seriously struggling to make ends meet. But now, we're told the new payment plans -- the details of which are sealed -- are way more affordable ... and "accurately reflect the amount of money [Terrell] is making." It gets even better -- we're told T.O. was also able to establish visitation in some cases, something he had never asked for before. Sources tell us, Terrell "is in a good place and this was the best way to start off the new year." more on this story
Sources tell TMZ, producers behind Snooki's untitled spin-off with Jwoww are currently working round the clock to find a suitable Jersey replacement for Hoboken -- after the mayor denied their filming permit, citing a laundry list of obvious reasons. No word yet on an alternative -- but we're told producers are currently eyeing a number of possible locations in South Jersey. You've been warned. more on this story
According to our sources, Kris has not dated anyone since his breakup from KK. We're told Kris has not gone out on a single date and right now his only focus ... is on basketball. And it's working so far -- Kris is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. more on this story
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