50 distributes JMJ doc; Booker T. and the MGs honored; Tracy Morgan’s sobriety; StarCaps under fire; Serena and Blake team up October 30, 2008

 

50 Cent tells MTV News that for a limited time, he has signed on to be the distributor of the documentary “Two Turntables and a Microphone,” which centers on the life, legacy and untimely death of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay.  The documentary was produced in part by JMJ’s cousin, Stephon “Phonz” Watford, and 50 Cent was recently brought in as an executive producer. Although the filmmakers don’t come out and say who they think the killer is, they do infer that at least two people in Jay’s inner circle know who gunned down the DJ six years ago while in his Queens studio.

 

       *Booker T. and the MGs were among a host of artists and producers honored during the Musicians Hall of Fame induction ceremony Tuesday. The integrated group served as the studio band for Memphis-based Stax Records in the ’60s, playing on hits for Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and others. They played on Southern soul classics like “Soul Man,” “Dock of the Bay” and “In the Midnight Hour,” and had a major hit of their own with the instrumental “Green Onions.” Kix Brooks of the country duo Brooks & Dunn said the group “listened and could create something on the spot. They were really great because in a time of racial segregation they were black and white.”

 

      *Tracy Morgan credits his “30 Rock” co-star Alec Baldwin with helping him sober up and turn his life around. Last year, the comic had to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet as punishment for violating his probation on a DUI charge by drunkenly groping a female DJ. He told WENN:  “Alec was the main one counseling me. He’s a passionate dude. I don’t give a [bleep] what nobody say about him, dude been there. ‘You got an opportunity on “30 Rock,”‘ he told me. I felt the love when he did that.”      

       *The Associated press is reporting that New Orleans Saints offensive guard Jamar Nesbit filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the makers of StarCaps, an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement, alleging it was improperly spiked with a diuretic that is banned by the NFL. Nesbit returned last week from a four-game suspension levied after he tested positive for Bumetanide, a substance that helps rid the body of excess water and salt. The NFL considers the substance a possible masking agent for steroids. It is the same substance for which several other players around the league have reportedly tested positive, including three other Saints: running back Deuce McAllister.

 

       *Serena Williams will team with James Blake to defend the title she won at the Hopman Cup in January, organizers announced. The return of world number three Williams, who is a two-time winner at the annual tournament in Perth, Australia, is reportedly a coup for organizers. Williams also paired with Blake to win the event in 2003 and has never been beaten in the tournament. The 11th-ranked Blake is also a dual Hopman Cup winner, having teamed with Lindsay Davenport to win the event in 2004.