MARIO CAUGHT IN ‘DWTS’ LOVE TRIANGLE? Karina Smirnoff denies rumors that she’s cheating on last season’s Mario with the new one March 31, 2008

A New York Post item claiming “Dancing With the Stars” regular Karina Smirnoff was caught kissing her current dance partner Mario last month led to rumors that the two are dating behind the back of her boyfriend, and former “DWTS” partner, Mario Lopez.

 

      “I told you to keep it on the DL, dude,” she joked with Mario when asked about the rumors by People after last Monday’s show. “Did you keep that window open? By the end of the show, I will be pregnant with Mario’s baby!”

 

      According to the Post’s Page Six column, Smirnoff and the R&B singer were seen locking lips at a Mercedes-Benz Oscar viewing party at Four Seasons hotel in Los Angeles in February.

 

       Mario, 21, told People magazine Monday: “I love this woman! I love her personality! I’ve grown to love the person that she is, and you should feel that way about your partner!” Responded Smirnoff: “Is that all it is?”      

       A rep for Mario (the singer) says: “They’re not dating.” Meanwhile, a source close to both Smirnoff and Lopez tells People their relationship is still going strong. “They’re totally boyfriend and girlfriend. They went out to Eva Longoria’s restaurant [Beso] opening together,” said the source.

DIDDY UPSET WITH PEOPLE MAGAZINE?: Mogul reportedly takes issue with placement of twins pics and ‘Raisin’ review March 31, 2008

First the Los Angeles Times mistakenly links him to a Tupac shooting. Now, People magazine has reportedly offended Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to the New York Post.

 

      Diddy is said to be furious that the twins of his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were featured on the cover and in a large layout while photos of his newborn twins were buried in the magazine’s back pages.

 

      “It was the last straw for Diddy,” an insider told Page Six. “They gave him lousy placement [in the Feb. 12, 2007] issue when Kim [Porter] had his twins, D’Lila Star and Jessie James.”

 

       Diddy is also reportedly upset with People’s March 3 review of ABC’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” which praised Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald, but then added, “The one problem: Sean Combs . . . he stands there blinking, baby-faced, unable to leap into the actresses’ ring of fire.”       

       Denying rumors of Diddy’s ire toward People, his rep e-mailed the following statement to Page Six: “Sean loves People magazine and all the wonderful coverage they have given him over the years.”

‘YO! MTV RAPS’ CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY: Occasion will be marked throughout April via special programming March 31, 2008

MTV is pulling out all the stops to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its landmark series “Yo! MTV Raps” next month across all of the company’s platforms, reports Billboard.com.

 

      On MTV, the show “Sucker Free” will transform into “Yo! MTV Raps,” featuring classic videos amidst the current hip hop video countdown. At the end of the month, the cable network will air “Yo!” countdown shows, where the top moments from the iconic program will be revealed.

 

       Artists scheduled to participate in the special programming include Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, Andre “Dr. Dre” Brown and T-Money.      

       On MTV.com, “Yo! MTV Raps” will get its own hub, featuring artist interviews and giving the historical context of the show in the development of hip hop. Think.MTV.com, the network’s activism site, will auction off a 12′ x 15′ canvas from the original “Yo! MTV Raps” set that has been signed by various artists. The proceeds will go to Music Has Power.      

       MTV Mobile will create themed episodes of their mobisodes, including “Sway’s Hip Hop Owner’s Manual,” “Hood Fab,” “Dances From The Hood” and “How to Show.”

BAILEY RAE ‘TOUCHED’ BY SHOW OF SUPPORT: Singer ventures outside for the first time since husband’s death March 31, 2008

Corinne Bailey Rae laid a spray of heather at the base of a tall Easter cross in the Yorkshire countryside in remembrance of her husband Jason Rae, who was found dead last week of a suspected overdose at 31.

 

       The visit marked the first time Bailey Rae, 29, had ventured out of her house since his death. 

 

       In a statement released through her manager, Bob Miller, Bailey Rae thanked her fans for their support and well wishes.      

       “Corinne Bailey Rae and her family have been touched by the huge amount of love and support that’s flooded in from all over the world, and that is really helping all of us cope at this terrible time,” the statement said. “Corinne is also very grateful for the privacy she is being given and the respect that has been paid to herself and Jason.”

 

      At an inquest into his death Thursday, Deputy Assistant Coroner Roger Chapman testified at Leeds Coroner’s Court that a pathologist’s report pointed to a “suspected drugs overdose” and said officials found “no evidence of any injuries or disease,” reports E! Online.

 

      Detective Superintendent Steve Payne seconded the findings, telling the court “there were no signs of any trauma or violence or any obvious significant natural disease signs.”

 

       Shortly after Rae’s death, an unidentified 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs to Jason Rae, a member of the Haggis Horns funk band. The suspect is free on bail pending further questioning.

 

       Bailey Rae met her husband in a Leeds jazz club, where she worked as a coat-room attendant, according to People. They were married in 2001.

PAPOOSE WILL MARRY REMY MA IN PRISON: Plus, convicted rapper urges fans to write her judge in hopes of leniency March 31, 2008

Brooklyn rapper Papoose has confirmed to MTV News that he and Remy Ma are a couple and will marry next month despite her conviction last week on charges of assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion.       

       “We always wanted to keep our personal lives personal, so that’s why we never went public with our relationship,” he wrote in an e-mail to MTV News. “Right now, I just feel like she gotta live through me. Yes, we were scheduled to be married on a yacht April 27th. But due to circumstances beyond our control, we are now making arrangements to be married in prison.”       

       Remy Ma, born Reminisce Smith, will appeal her case, according to Papoose. In the meantime, they are making plans for a jailhouse wedding. She’s currently being held without bail until her sentencing, set for April 23.       

Papoose & Remy Ma

       Facing up to 25 years in prison, the rapper posted a statement on her MySpace page asking fans to write her judge letters expressing how Remy has “positively affected you, influenced you, inspired you, etc. … in hopes that the judge will be lenient.”      

       Papoose joins his fiancée in urging supporters to lobby the judge for leniency.       

       “All her supporters who feel Remy had an influence on their life should write a short letter to the judge asking for the shortest sentence possible,” he wrote. “Send it to LettersForRemy@gmail.com.”  

NELLY ALBUM FINALLY GETS A RELEASE DATE: Plus, rapper disappointed he couldn’t hook up collabo with Springsteen March 31, 2008

Nelly fans can circle June 24th on the calendar for the release of his long-delayed fifth studio album “Brass Knuckles” from Universal.      

       The set’s first single, “Party People” featuring Fergie, is already gaining radio airplay well before its May 15 add date. And the album track “Wadsyaname” appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 back in September, debuting at a career-best No. 43.       

       The track list is still coming together, reports Billboard.com, but so far Nelly has recorded songs with Ciara, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Akon and LL Cool J.       

       Missing from the list is Bruce Springsteen, whom Nelly was attempting to work with on a track.      

       “I was really trying to get The Boss, but The Boss is all over the world,” Nelly told The Associated Press on the orange carpet at Saturday’s Kids Choice Awards. “It didn’t really work out. I know he’s interested in doing it. And I’m interested in doing it.”      

       “We still might get a chance to get it off,” Nelly said. “We’re saving it. We might repackage it for the holidays.”

KENAN THOMPSON SHAKES WEED BUST: Friend of ‘SNL’ actor claims ownership of marijuana found during traffic stop March 31, 2008

It was no laughing matter for “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson Wednesday after he and his friend were caught riding dirty in New Jersey.

       According to The Smoking Gun, a citizen alerted cops to a motorist who was driving a white Cadillac Escalade erratically through Bernards Township.  Officers pulled over the vehicle, which was occupied by Thompson and passenger Kyle Mosley, 39 of Long Beach, N.Y.      

       During the traffic stop, officers said they noticed an odor of burnt marijuana coming from the interior of the car. Mosley said both the SUV and the weed were his. At that point, Mosley turned over a cigarette pack containing a partially smoked joint. Two small baggies of marijuana and a pack of rolling papers in Mosley’s pockets were also recovered during a subsequent police search.       

       Thompson was charged with careless driving, while Mosley was nabbed for possessing pot and drug paraphernalia.

ANOTHER LEVERT FAMILY TRAGEDY: Son/brother Sean Levert dies March 31, 2008

The singing Levert family of Cleveland has lost another son and brother. Sean Levert  has died.

 

      Levert, 39, the son of R&B legend Eddie Levert and brother of Gerald Levert, who passed away in 2006, collapsed at the Cuyahoga County Jail late last night and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

 

      The warden of the jail told TMZ.com that he died at the hospital, not the jail, which disputes other reports.

 

      A nursing supervisor at Lutheran Hospital confirmed to Cleveland’s Fox 8 News that  Levert, a Cleveland native, died of natural causes just before midnight.

 

      A hospital spokesperson said that Sean Levert’s body was immediately taken to the coroner. Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office spokesman Powell Caesar confirms that Sean Levert’s body had been received.

 

      Levert had reportedly been in the Cuyahoga County Jail serving time for failing to pay roughly $80,000 in child support.

 

      Sean, along with Gerald and Marc Gordon was a member of the 80s group Levert. They hit it big with “Casanova.”

      At some point Sean was apparently working on new music as a solo artist. You can hear a couple of cuts at his official MySpace page: www.myspace.com/leverts.   

 

      Sean Levert had also appeared in movies, including 1991’s “New Jack City.”

 

 

TRINA- “REST OF THEM” March 28, 2008

Take a listen at Trina’s new joint “Rest of Them”…it seems to me that she’s takin’ shot at wezzy f. baby…what yall think?

The Hot Supra Kicks March 28, 2008

 the guys would like to rock these hot player kicks reference to a cool skateboard sneaker company called Supra.  By Mikey’s track called, “I Like Your Supra’s,” I came across the out of ordinary company that was started by extreme sport athletes and musicians out in sunny California. Want to learn more about these kicks just click on the links below.

Supra Footwear: http://www.suprafootwear.com/

Mickey Factz: www.myspace.com/itzmickey