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The hip-hop journalist who exposed rapper RICK ROSS as a former corrections officer in 2008 was shot and killed in Miami, Florida on Friday (14Aug09).
Don Diva Magazine writer Sam Ferguson’s car was showered with bullets as he headed north on the Florida Turnpike freeway on Friday afternoon.
According to local reports, he crashed the vehicle into the highway median and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have launched a major investigation to seek out his killer.
Ferguson, aka P-Man Sam, hit the headlines a year ago when he wrote a piece for Hip-Hop Weekly about old friend Ross, revealing the rapper once worked at a prison.
Ross initially denied the story, but he opened up to Ferguson, a former convict, for Don Diva’s October 2008 issue, and came clean.
Afterwards, Ross was said to be unhappy with the article and began a nasty feud with the writer.
Ross recently stated, "Ferguson is a liar, he’s an informant, he’s a rat, he’s a b***h… This s**t (is) about to get deeper than rap." Don Diva’s Editor-in-Chief, Tiffany Chiles, admits she is "deeply saddened by this tragic and senseless incident."

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Actress PATRICIA HEATON and her former assistant are set to meet in court over a pay dispute.
Jennifer Lee claims she worked for the Everybody Loves Raymond star from August 2007 to March this year (09) - and was fired when she complained about her wages.
The assistant claims Heaton was unsympathetic when she went to her with scheduling issues, and was let go from her job.
She alleges her wages stopped at the same time - insisting her former boss still owes her over $7,425 (£4,660) in unpaid wages, according to TMZ.com.

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GREY’S ANATOMY star ERIC DANE and his wife, actress REBECCA GAYHEART, are the stars of a new sex tape leaked online.
The couple teamed up with former Miss Teen USA Kari Ann Peniche for a threesome - and filmed the tryst.
Gawker’s Defamer.com first reported the sex tape by posting an edited version of the video on Monday (17Aug09).
Dane and Gayheart’s lawyer Marty Singer insists he will sue anyone who publishes the "private, confidential tape," adding "from what I’ve seen, it’s a naked tape, not a sex tape." The footage posted on Defamer.com features the seemingly intoxicated threesome passing a camera around and dreaming up porn names for each other.
Dane states, "My alter-ego name is Peter (and) my dog growing up was called Cocaine, and I lived on Manor Drive, so I’m Cocaine Manor."

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Actress ROBIN WRIGHT PENN has slammed the door shut on a full reconciliation with SEAN PENN, suggesting she no longer wants to be married to the Oscar winner.
The pair began divorce proceedings in December 2007 only to officially end the separation four months later, but, in April (09), the actor filed papers for a "legal separation" in April (09), just days before the couple’s 13th wedding anniversary. He reportedly dismissed the bid in May (09).
The couple then appeared to be back together when the Penns turned up to a party at Hollywood producer Joel Silver’s house in Malibu, California together at the end of May.
But now Wright Penn reveals to More magazine, the official split may be off, but the couple is not back together.
She explains, "I hit that crossroad a while ago. For Robin, the ‘I know what I don’t want’ was flashing in neon lights. I have no regrets. I, we, have two amazing children we raised together." Wright Penn admits the split has given her "clarity of life," adding, "I think I’ve always been a follow-the-leader with my career, or maybe waiting for things to happen. Now I’m like, ‘I’m OK, I know the direction, whoever’s on board can go with me." But there’s one part of her life she’s currently struggling with - her youngest child is about to leave home.
She says, "At least twice a week, I pull over and sob. My baby is leaving. It’s an emotionally full time, but it’s not sad. I can’t wait for Dylan to go (and) live. That’s what makes me cry."

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EVAN RACHEL WOOD was terrified of telling her mother she was dating shock rocker MARILYN MANSON - because she had always been warned to stay away from older men.
Wood was 20 when she started romancing 40-year-old Manson and her mother was among the last people to find out - because the actress couldn’t bring herself to tell her.
She tells Black Book magazine, "My whole life I had been brought up with the idea that an older guy dating a younger girl is sick, disgusting and everything is wrong about it.
"(But) I’ve never dated a guy who didn’t have mommy issues."

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Oscar-winning film composer A.R. RAHMAN is in talks to bring MICHAEL JACKSON’s final recordings to life on a new tribute album.
The Slumdog Millionaire composer worked with the King of Pop on new tracks in the late 1990s and the pair hooked up to develop their ideas earlier this year (09).
Jackson reportedly asked Rahman to compose a unity anthem for him, and the Indian musician had already started work on the project when the pop superstar died in June (09).
A source says, "Rahman is now working on a tribute album to Jackson with an Indian flavour."

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The ROLLING STONES’ former manager/producer ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM is set to be the subject of a new TV sitcom.
Producers at U.S. cable channel HBO are developing a comedy series based on the life of the colourful music mogul, according to Daily Variety.
Speaking to WENN in 2007, Loog Oldham revealed be was planning to turn his memoirs Stoned and 2Stoned into a biopic, but now Cape Fear screenwriter Wesley Strick will adapt the svengali’s recollections for the TV series.

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KURT COBAIN has sparked a new storm of protest in his hometown - 15 years after his death.
A plaque celebrating the Nirvana star, featuring the rocker’s most famous lines, has upset local officials in Aberdeen, Washington because it features his quote "Drugs are bad for you, they will f**k you up".
The granite plaque of Cobain sayings was installed at the park, where the singer/songwriter created some of his dark hits - and some locals already want it removed.
Mayor Bill Simpson says, "I’m no prude, but I don’t think that’s the kind of thing we want to see on city property." And local councillor and businessman Jerry Mills adds, "The city pays thousands of dollars a year just to remove it (f word) from our parks.
But City Council officials have voted unanimously to accept the monument.

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BLACK SABBATH guitar great TONY IOMMI is to undergo hand surgery.
The British rocker is currently on tour with supergroup Heaven & Hell and admits he’ll be checking in for the operation upon his return to the U.K.
He tells magazine The Aquarian Weekly, "I’ve got to have an operation on my hand, and that’s sort of a major thing I need to get done and I’ve been putting it off now. So we’re going to have some time off while I get that done.
"The cartilage is gone from the thumb in my fingering hand. It’s been like that now, to be honest, for a year and I’ve been taking anti-inflammatories and all sorts of stuff to try and calm it down, but it’s inevitable I’ve got to have the operation because the bone is rubbing on the bone." Nervous Iommi plans to sit down with fellow rocker Eddie Van Halen before the operation: "He’s had the same sort of problem, so I’m seeing him to have a chat about what happened to him. He thinks it’s very successful."

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Former LED ZEPPELIN star ROBERT PLANT has been named the new vice-president of U.K. soccer club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The rocker was unveiled as the new official before Wolves’ Premier League kick off game against West Ham United on Saturday (15Aug09) and confessed he was "flattered and embarrassed".
A fan of the club for 55 years, the 60 year old told fans, "There are so many other people who are so important and relevant to the club, especially the people I sit next to at (home field) Molineux… They’ve seen so many more games than me and they’re able to keep a closer eye on what’s going on." Despite his new title, Plant insists he won’t be swapping his season ticket for a place in the director’s box.
The rock star previously turned down a directorship at the club in 1970.
Unfortunately, his new official role didn’t bring Wolves the luck they needed for their season opener - they lost 2-0 to West Ham.

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Drummer TOMMY LEE has become the latest rock ‘n’ roll casualty - he’s sitting out dates on MOTLEY CRUE’s current tour after suffering burns to his left hand.
Lee will miss several Crue Fest 2 shows after burning his hand last week (ends14Aug09) while playing with a set of sparklers.
Sevendust’s Morgan Rose will replace him onstage, but Lee isn’t staying at home - he plans to greet fans at the beginning of concerts so he can explain why he won’t be performing.
Prior to a show in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday (14Aug09), Lee told tans, "First of all, I suck. I was having fun and I burned myself." He returned for the band’s encore and played piano on Home Sweet Home and played a drum with his right hand on Girls, Girls, Girls.
The Crue Fest 2 tour continues until 2 September (09).
Bandmate Nikki Sixx has saluted stand-in Rose for coming to the band’s rescue on his MySpace.com page.
The bassist writes, "Morgan needs a standing ovation for his dedication to kicking ass and helping not only Motley Crue out, but the road crew and everybody else out here whose lives would (have) been effected (by cancellations)." Lee joins a growing list of music stars sidelined by injury - Aerosmith have been forced to cancel summer (09) dates with ZZ Top after singer Steven Tyler smashed his collarbone in a stage fall, Cradle of Filth were forced to cut short a show in England on Saturday (15Aug09) after guitarist Paul Allender was hit by an object thrown onstage from the crowd, rapper Drake had to pull out of mentor Lil Wayne’s tour after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee early last month and country singer Billy Currington and his bassist Alex Stevens were injured and hospitalised after a stage collapse at a festival in Canada at the beginning of August (09).

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Actress and model RUTH FORD has died at her home in New York at the age of 98.
A former member of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre troupe, Ford was a regular leading light on Broadway throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
She won rave reviews for role in plays like No Exit, Dinner at Eight and Requiem for a Nun, in which she co-starred with her husband, Zachary Scott.
Her longtime home in the Dakota building was a gathering spot for her many artist and writer friends, including Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Edward Albee, according to the New York Times.
Born in Mississippi, she arrived in New York in the 1930s and found work as a model for photographers Cecil Beaton and Man Ray.
In 1938, Ford joined Welles’ Mercury Theatre group and made her Broadway debut the same year in Shoemaker’s Holiday.
She moved to Hollywood in 1941 and went on to appear in films like Wilson, The Woman Who Came Back and Murder on the Waterfront.

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ACROSS THE UNIVERSE star JIM STURGESS has his fingers crossed for the struggling SPIDER-MAN musical - because he was involved in the project at the beginning and insists it will be a great show.
The Brit has long been the favourite to play director Julie Taymor’s superhero, opposite his Across The Universe co-star Evan Rachel Wood, but he insists he won’t be suiting up to belt out songs composed by U2’s The Edge and Bono - but he’d still love to see the production.
He says, "I was never involved. I did a workshop to help out but I was never involved in the final production. It would be unfortunate if it doesn’t work out." Producers insist the show will go on, despite financial issues, but reports suggest Wood is looking for film work after being released from her Spider-Man contract.

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Professional wrestler KURT ANGLE was arrested in his native Pennsylvania on Saturday (15Aug09) after police caught him in possession of illegal human growth hormones.
Cops were called to the town of Robinson by Angle’s girlfriend, who accused the star of following her, just hours after she had taken out a protection from abuse order against him.
When officers apprehended him, Angle, 40, claimed he hadn’t seen his partner and was merely looking for a hotel. When cops searched his car they found human growth hormone Hygetropin, which is illegal without a prescription.
He was arrested on "charges of violating a protection from abuse order and possession of human growth hormone" reports FoxNews.com.
Angle is a four time WWE World Champion and won an Olympic gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling at the 1996 games in Atlanta, Georgia.

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AMERICA’S GOT TALENT judge PIERS MORGAN was left exhausted after MARIAH CAREY’s guest appearance on the show - because the singer forced production staff to work around the clock to make sure her "three-minute" appearance was perfect.
Earlier this month (Aug09) the pop superstar appeared on stage during an episode of the hit TV show, which is hosted by her husband Nick Cannon, to belt out her new single Obsessed.
Carey wowed the judging panel - which also includes David Hasselhoff and Sharon Osbourne - with her pre-recorded performance.
But Morgan admits the spectacular rendition came at a price, because Carey had to make sure every tiny detail was perfect before she would let TV bosses air the footage.
She says, "She’s such a perfectionist. We were all in the studio until nearly midnight as she planned her three-minute appearance, right down to the detail of the lighting, sound and camera angles. And work with producers in the editing suite apparently continued to 6am until she was absolutely happy. Mariah has the reputation of a diva. But like most divas - from Piaf to Whitney Houston to Madonna - that’s primarily because she’ll do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to get things as good as they can be."

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Hollywood actor BRAD PITT quit smoking pot once he became a father - because he wanted to be able to take care of his kids.
The star became dad to Angelina Jolie’s adopted son Maddox, seven, after they started dating, and the couple went on to take in two more children and have three biological kids of their own.
Pitt admits he used to enjoy smoking marijuana when he was younger, but he put his pot-head days behind for good as soon he started to take on parental responsibilities.
He tells U.S. TV host Bill Maher, "I’m a dad now. You want to be alert and my eyes used to glaze over when I did that." Pitt recently revealed the extent of his marijuana habit in an interview with Parade magazine, admitting the drug turned him into a "doughnut".

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DIANE KRUGER’s convincing American accent nearly cost her a role in QUENTIN TARANTINO’s war film INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - because the director didn’t believe the actress was "German enough".
Kruger plays German spy Bridget von Hammersmark in the upcoming drama but admits Tarantino had doubts about her fluency until she made a transatlantic flight to prove her heritage.
But the star insists she has no hard feelings about proving to Tarantino German was her native tongue Laughing off her audition she says, "It’s a testament to my dialect coaches throughout the years. I had to prove that I was German, so I flew out to Berlin to speak German."

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JESSICA SIMPSON’s manager/father JOE SIMPSON has lashed out over reports the pop star is in negotiations to fill PAULA ABDUL’s vacant chair as a judge on U.S. TV talent competition AMERICAN IDOL.
An American newspaper suggested Simpson was set to join a line of celebrity guest judges including Victoria Beckham, Katy Perry and Mary J. Blige as the latest replacement for Abdul - who quit the show earlier this month (Aug09).
However, Joe has taken to his Twitter.com page to slam claims he’s pushing the singer as a permanent fixture on the judging panel alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.
He writes: "So, I am in Thailand… But, of course, the (New York) Post says I am in town trying to get Jess to be the replacement for Paula Abdul…. Do the lies ever stop????"

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