NEW CANDIDS: SERENA WILLIAMS IN BEVERLY HILLS; ASHANTI IN MANHATTAN.

Serena Williams spotted shopping for lotions and jewelry in Beverly Hills yesterday (April 25th, 2008.)

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Here's Ashanti leaving her Manhattan Hotel.

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ORLANDO BROWN ISSUES APOLOGY FOR HIS PUBLICITY STUNT/BRIEF DISAPPEARANCE.

Former That's So Raven co-star Orlando Brown issued an apology for worrying his family, friends and fans after his brief disappearance last Tuesday, claiming he 'needed to be alone.' In a statement, Brown, 20, thanked fans for their support and apologized for not informing anyone of his whereabouts for over 24 hours. Brown, who is a musician as well as an actor, said he dropped out of sight after a problem last week involving a scheduled performance at Club Tattoo in Los Angeles. After the incident, the statement said, he "felt a little lost and needed to get away. It got a bit overwhelming and I needed to be alone," he said.

Brown's publicist, who had earlier confirmed that he was missing, denied that the disappearance was a publicity stunt. "It was not a hoax," the rep says. Brown reportedly left his manager's house around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday to make a quick trip to 7-Eleven and had not been seen until Wednesday night. According to Brown's publicist, Elayne Rivers, he had a full day of meetings and appointments in preparation for a photo shoot Wednesday.

See pics of Orlando and his 'manager' Ricky Romance (shiesty brother of B2K member Raz-B) by clicking HERE.
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50 CENT THROWS A BITCH-FIT AT OLIVIA'S DEPARTURE FROM G-UNIT RECORDS.

Don't you just hate it when dudes do nothing but bitch about other females...which in turn makes those dudes look like bitchmade lames? Just days after bitching about Alicia Keys 'not really bright' comments she made in Blender magazine (Keys told the mag, "Gangsta rap was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other." Keys later said her comment was taken out of context.), Magilla is back at it again and this time he's made Missy Elliott his target. He blames the super-producer for the inevitable exit of R&B singer Olivia, his 'protege' and First Lady of his G-Unit record label. Talk about hitting below the belt, 50 went as far as making light of Elliott's alleged sexual preferences as the reason behind the move. Duuuuuuuude? Bitch-Boy (real name Curtis Jackson) signed Olivia in 2004, but after the release of only three measly singles, she was dropped from G-Unit Records in 2007. And 50 insists things started to go wrong when Olivia collaborated with Missy Elliot on her single Cherry Pop - joking that Missy's close personal relationship with his protege resulted in the breakdown of his own ties with the rising star. Stop lying. She probably just finally wised up and stopped letting you take dips in her 'pocketbook' at your convenience when she realized that the only G-Unit artist whose welfare you look after is yourself. And even if that's not the case, let that girl have her carpet munched on if she chooses to do so. But that's just my personal opinion though.

Anyhoo, he says, "She (Olivia) went to work with Missy and it got kinda crazy like. It got crazy because Missy was trying to own her a little bit... I think Missy hit that." The rapper is disappointed his project with Olivia never worked out and is determined to take more tips from fellow music mogul Jay-Z - who has successfully launched the careers of stars like R&B singer Rihanna. He adds, "I made so many sacrifices based on people I brought around. I need to take a page outta Jay-Z's book because he don't (sic) compromise himself at all for them."

Missy Elliot has long been dogged by rumors she is a lesbian, but has refused to comment publicly on her rumored sexuality.

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NEW PICS: SOLANGE PROMO PICS; MICHELLE WILLIAMS ON THE SET OF HER NEW VIDEO, 'WE BREAK THE DAWN.'

Solange Knowles has released more promotional pics in preparation for the release of her new sophomore album SoL-AngeL and The Hadley Street Dreams. In a recent interview, the star revealed the reasons as to how she came up with her album's name. Click HERE to read it. I'm kinda feeling 'em. Hopefully the second time around will be the charm for Solange. Poor girl didn't even sell 50,000 copies of her debut album. Bless her heart.

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Look down there at Michelle trying to look like she all hard and whatnot! LOL! The pics below are from the set of her new video, We Break the Dawn which was filmed last Wednesday in Los Angeles. We Break the Dawn (listen to it HERE) is Michelle's first single from her upcoming (and first commercial R&B) solo album Unexpected...which will hit stores August 12, 2008. Lord, I hope she didn't do much dancing in that video. Rhythmically moving her body to music is just something she isn't made for. For example: Destiny's Child's Lose My Breath video. Ever wondered why she was cut from most of the video's dance sequences? Because she CAN'T DANCE! When it comes to dancing, I don't know whose worse: Michelle or Mariah Carey. They both just need to stand still at all times.

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JOHN LEGEND SHOOTS DOWN RUMORS CLAIMING HE'S CHEATING ON HIS GIRLFRIEND.

R&B singer John Legend has laughed off reports he is having a secret fling with television personality Maria Menounos; insisting he only has eyes for longtime beau Christine Teigen. Legend was rumored to be embroiled in a steamy affair with the Entertainment Tonight star, after the pair was spotted enjoying a seemingly romantic rendezvous earlier this year. But Legend has quashed the speculation, insisting he is simply pals with the Greek beauty and remains blissfully happy with model girlfriend Teigen.

He tells the New York Post's gossip column Page Six, "I am still happily dating my girlfriend, Christine Teigen, and have been for about a year now. Maria Menounos is just an acquaintance and we were having a friendly drink."

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NEW CELEB COUPLE CANDIDS: REGGIE & KIM PARTY & KISSY-FACE IN MEXICO....AGAIN; JANET & JERMAINE SPOTTED LEAVING THE FOXTAIL.

For someone who claims to want to keep her relationship with her boyfriend as private as possible, Kim Kardashian sure is doing a lousy job. Below are pictures of her, her boyfriend (who she says hates the paparazzi) Reggie Bush arriving at LAX after spending a weekend long 29th birthday celebration for her big sister Kourtney in Punta de Mita, Mexico at the home of Girls Gone Wild founder and CEO Joe Francis. Kim's mother and her 'baby' sister Khloe tagged along. One of Reggie's New Orlean's Saints teammate's joined in on the celebration as well. How much you wanna bet ol dude knows exactly what his running back teammate's girlfriend looks like under her clothes? Mmmm-hmmm.

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Janet Jackson and her boo Jermaine Dupri were spotted leaving the Foxtail nightclub in West Hollywood Thursday night. Check out the pics below.

MORE GOO-GOO, GAH-GAH PICS OF KIM & REGGIE AND JANET & JERMAINE AFTER THE JUMP!


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KIMORA LEE SIMMONS' DEMAND MATTEL TO USE FAUX-FUR ON HER BARBIE DOLLS.

Although model-turned-fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons' admits she was thrilled when toymakers Mattel decided to model a Barbie in her likeness, she had one recommendation: the new Barbie doll had to don a faux-fur coat, in a bid to show young girls they can look "fabulous" without skinning animals. The designer and reality TV star says, "She has a faux-fur chinchilla coat, because I want to show kids that synthetic fur can be fabulous, too. She's everything a Barbie is supposed to be."

According to the company's website, the Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie® doll epitomizes the Baby Phat founder and designer’s hip, street-glam flair! Created under the direction of Simmons, a former model turned fashion/lifestyle entrepreneur, this dark-haired diva is dressed in a fabulous hot pink outfit, topped with a full-length faux chinchilla coat. Upping the cool quotient are bold, over-the-top accessories like pink thigh-high boots, chunky earrings and a designer bag. But the cutest accessory of all? Kimora’s adorable little dog, Zoe!

Simmons isn't the only celebrity to inspire a modern Barbie - a Hilary Duff doll has also been created recently.

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EARTH, WIND & FIRE FOUNDERS TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTORATES FROM BERKLEE SCHOOL OF MUSIC.

Earth, Wind and Fire founders and frontmen Phillip Bailey and Maurice White will receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees at Berklee College of Music next month (May08). Roger Brown, the president of the revered Massachusetts music school will hand out the top accolades and Bailey will give the commencement address to more than 800 Berklee graduates and invited guests. The honorary doctorate recipients are being honored for their achievements in the world of music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Patti LaBelle, Steven Tyler, Aretha Franklin and David Bowie.
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ICE-T TO PRODUCE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE GODFATHER OF PIMPING, URBAN NOVELIST ICEBERG SLIM.

Rapper-turned-actor Ice-T is set to uncover the secrets behind the man who inspired his hip-hop stage pseudonym; he is producing a documentary about urban novelist and Godfather of Pimping, Iceberg Slim. Ice-T (real name Tracy Marrow) has credited the acclaimed author and former pimp as his reason for seeking fame and fortune, prompting him to adopt his stage name in honor of his hero. He is now planning to document the tale of the Trick Baby writer, spanning from his 35 years as a career criminal to his rise as one of black America's most revered writers. And Ice-T believes fans will be as intrigued by the enigmatic man's biography as he is. He tells the New York Post's gossip column PageSix, "Iceberg Slim has been one of the most influential people in black culture. Few people know the story behind the man and it's time that story is told."

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Iceberg Slim was born Robert Lee Maupin and has a career as a pimp before turning to writing. Born in 1918, he began pimping at age 18 in the brutal Chicago underworld, soon becoming rich and successful in the trade. In his writings, he later traced the motive behind and tradition of black pimping to the days when American slaves noticed their white owners' physical attraction to and exploitation of black women. Slim concentrated most of his efforts in the Chicago area, but he worked women throughout the Midwest. He served a total of seven years in jail for various offenses--including time at the Leavenworth federal penitentiary in Kansas, the Cook County House of Corrections, and Waupun State Prison in Wisconsin.

His books have stood the test of time. Pimp: The Story of My Life, Trick Baby, and The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim are a few of his works. Slim died of liver failure on April 28, 1992, one day before the 1992 Los Angeles Riots erupted.

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