Buzz Briefs: Slick Rick, Madonna
N.Y. Governor Pardons Rapper "Slick Rick"
New York Gov. David Paterson is granting a full and unconditional pardon to rapper Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters for the attempted murder of two men in 1991.
The pardon is expected to halt efforts to deport Walters to the United Kingdom, the country he left as a child.
The eye patch-wearing star behind the '80s rap classic "La-Di-Da-Di" served more the five years in prison after the shooting of his cousin and another man. Both survived.
The governor says Walters is now a rap artist and landlord in the Bronx who has not had any other criminal problems since his release from prison in 1997 and has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel youth against violence.
Michael Moore To Screen Madonna's Film
Moore announced Thursday that Madonna, a Michigan native like himself, will appear for a screening of "I Am Because We Are" during the Traverse City Film Festival on Aug. 2.
"She's sort of entered my realm," Moore said. "When I saw it, I thought, 'Wow, it's like she's been making these films for years."'
Madonna produced and narrated the documentary after traveling to Malawi, where she met the toddler David Banda. She and husband Guy Ritchie are adopting the child.
"I Am Because We Are" illustrates the poverty that children of the southern African country face, how the AIDS crisis is claiming lives, and the conditions that cause disease and other misery there. But the film urges people to volunteer and tries to offer hope.
Photos: Madonna In Malawi
"She takes the viewer through a very personal journey and tries to connect us, living here in the U.S., giving us a window into the way it is for other people in the world," Moore said. "You're extremely moved when you watch it. You understand very clearly why she's devoted so much of her life to the people of Malawi."
After watching the finished product about a month ago, he asked Madonna for permission to screen it during the festival in Traverse City, his adopted hometown about 250 miles northwest of Detroit. Moore established the festival in 2005 with local author Doug Stanton and photographer John Robert Williams.
Photos: Michael Moore
"She said she'd be thrilled to come here and be part of the film festival," Moore said. "We were pleasantly surprised."
The film will be shown in a downtown theater that seats 540. After the film is shown, Madonna will take questions from the audience, Moore said.
David Cook's School Celebrates
Some say it's probably because everyone spent so much of their energy Wednesday night cheering Cook to victory on the popular singing competition.
But there were some pockets of energy at the school, mainly in the front office where school secretaries shared stories about Cook and showed off black Idol champion T-shirts in honor of their famous student.
The 25-year-old Cook, a Blue Springs native, beat fellow finalist David Archuleta by 12 million votes.
Along Missouri 7, a main stretch or highway in Blue Springs, several businesses displayed messages on their signs saluting Cook. One said "David Cook is our Idol." Another read "Blue Springs. Proud. David Cook Rock On."
Judge Vacates DMX Lawsuit Award
Prince George's County Circuit Judge Thomas Smith ruled last week that DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was not properly served with court papers in the case filed against him by Monique Wayne.
Wayne became pregnant after an August 2003 encounter with Simmons in a Washington hotel room. She gave birth to a boy in April 2004 and DNA tests showed it was Simmons' son.
But in a 2006 magazine interview, Simmons, without referring to Wayne by name, said she "raped" him while he slept. Wayne denied the claim, and said in a court hearing this year that she awoke to find Simmons on top of her, which led to consensual sex. She said she filed the lawsuit because "he lied to the whole world on me" about what happened.
Wayne was awarded the $1.5 million at a January hearing after Simmons failed to appear. But his lawyers challenged that claim, saying Wayne did not properly serve him with lawsuit papers and was unaware of the case against him.
Wayne's lawyer did not return a phone message seeking comment. Simmons' lawyer William "Hassan" Murphy III said Simmons "looks forward to proving her allegations to be wrong" if the case continues.
Simmons also faces criminal charges in Arizona for allegedly mistreating pit bulls found at his Phoenix home and felony drug possession. He pleaded not guilty last week.
'iCarly' Star Miranda Cosgrove To Release Debut Album
Cosgrove's first album, "iCarly," debuts June 10 and includes songs about and inspired by the show and performed by her and others, including Avril Lavigne, Natasha Bedington and others.
"For as long as I can remember I've dreamed of a career that included singing and acting, and it's so exciting that it's coming true now," said Cosgrove who as a preteen was discovered by an agent who saw her singing and dancing around the table as her family dined in a Los Angeles restaurant.
Her first foray into professional singing was last year when she recorded the show's theme song, "Leave It All to Me."
"It was a thrill to get to sing the 'iCarly' theme song when the series started and show off my real voice," said Cosgrove, who added that she had to take lessons in bad singing for her part as the tone deaf kid who channeled Jack Black's music ambitions in the 2003 movie comedy "School of Rock."
"Leave It All to Me" will also become the new album's first video when it debuts Saturday on the Nickelodeon and N networks.
In "iCarly," Cosgrove plays Carly Shay, star of a Webcast produced with the help of two friends and her goofy older brother.
Tila Tequila Cautious With 2nd "Shot At Love"
Tila Tequila blames the media and her paramour's interest in self-promotion for her breakup, and says she was much more guarded during her second "Shot at Love" on MTV.
Tequila told The Associated Press in a recent interview that first-season winner Bobby Banhart never met her parents and the two steadily fell out of touch. She announced their breakup last December.
"I felt like he was starting to get caught up more in the Hollywood world," said the diminutive MySpace and reality star. "Because when we were talking, he was just talking about meeting with agents and getting his own reality show, and meeting with managers. Of course I was happy for him, but at the same time I thought that was really weird. Because if that's what you were doing, then why didn't you mention that while we were shooting? It was just odd to me. Unfortunately it didn't work out."
Tequila, whose real last name is Nguyen, said that "the media also makes it hard on us. The media says something about him, and he retaliates, and I'm like 'That's not how it was.' And it ends up being, like, unfortunate."
New episodes of "A Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila" are now airing Tuesdays on MTV.
Tequila said she's been bisexual her whole life, and the show features 16 men (often with their shirts off) and 16 women (often in skimpy outfits) competing in stunts to win Tequila's affection.
Tequila said she's more cautious now about their motives.
"This time around, I'm a lot more guarded. I'm a lot more observant of everyone and what they're doing here," she said. "Last season I was a lot more nicer, and this time I'll tell you, 'If you're not here for the right reasons, get the hell out. Stop wasting my time.' Because I really am not putting up with that this season."