Artist: Velvet
Genre(s):
Other
Discography:
10 Motivi
Year: 2005
Tracks: 12
Cose Comuni
Year: 2002
Tracks: 12
 
50 CENT's ex-girlfriend and 10-year-old son have been rescued from a burning house in New York.
The fire at the house - owned by 50 Cent and occupied by his former lover Shaniqua Tompkins and their son Marquise - broke out at 5am (EST) on Friday (30May08) .
An off-duty officer in Dix Hills, Long Island was on hand to rescue four other victims. They were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
Authorities believe the cause of the inferno is "highly suspicious" and have sent sniffer dogs to search the rubble for a substance that may have been used as an igniter.
The In Da Club hitmaker is not being treated as a suspect, reports TMZ.com.
The home has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between the hip-hop star and Tompkins. Last month (Apr08), a judge ruled that Tompkins and Marquise must leave the hip-hop star's mansion by the end of 2008.
The couple split in 2003.
City Councilman Chris Monzel has publicly apologized to Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn for using his mug shot in a campaign ad on crime.
Monzel, who won re-election last November, said a black bar covered Torn's eyes in the TV ad. The photo, available on Internet sites, came from Torn's 2006 drunken-driving arrest in North Salem, N.Y.
Monzel said the ad was meant to depict a generic criminal and discuss his efforts to "get sexual predators off the streets." He said the ad wasn't meant to have anything to do with the 77-year-old actor.
However, someone was able to identify Torn, and the actor was notified, Monzel said. Monzel quickly pulled the ad from local TV and cable stations.
Torn demanded an apology. On Tuesday, Monzel placed an ad in The Cincinnati Enquirer describing Torn as an award-winning actor who had served honorably in the Army. The wording was negotiated over months, Monzel said.
"That's what this is about," he said. "And I apologize for it. I want to take full responsibility."
The Enquirer said efforts to reach Torn were unsuccessful.
Torn pleaded guilty last year to driving while impaired in North Salem, which is about 60 miles north of New York City. He agreed to pay $380 and give up his license for 90 days.
He won an Emmy for his role on "The Larry Sanders Show." His screen credits include the "Men in Black" movies.
So it doesn't look like David Archuleta's meddling dad is about to take a back seat now that his son is a star.
Jeff Archuleta and the American Idol bosses had a run-in during the competition that ended with them banning him from rehearsals for interfering with David's performances.
And now the show's over, Jeff and the execs are struggling over control of the 17-year-old's career once again.
David, who finished second to David Cook on May 21, is back home in Murray, Utah, for a few days of rest before rehearsals begin for the Idol summer tour.
So Jeff took it upon himself to organize a concert entitled Back Home With David Archuleta at the 12,000-seat E Center stadium in Salt Lake City for tomorrow night.
He said the charity performance, with tickets costing just $1, would be a chance for David to thank fans in his home state for their support.
But ticked-off Idol execs told him to call off the show just before tickets went on sale on Tuesday.
A source told the New York Post that they were concerned that the one-night-only show would damage ticket sales for the official American Idol Live summer tour, which is stopping for two dates at the E Center on July 14th and 15th.
"They were afraid people wouldn't buy tickets for the Idol tour if they had already seen David on stage in Salt Lake City," the source told the paper.
Jeff, meanwhile, claims that Idol have told him that he can re-book the date for later in the year.
He told the Salt Lake City Tribune: "When all the minds met, everyone concluded this wouldn't work out for this particular weekend, and they just want to reschedule it toward the middle or end of the tour."
American Idol reps have no yet responded to our requests for a comment on the situation.
See Also
Former SOPRANOS actor LILLO BRANCATO JR. has enlisted a movie producer and Catholic priest to help him win bail ahead of his trial for killing of a New York City police officer.
Brancato, 31, and Steven Armento have been in the city's Riker's Island jail for almost two years awaiting trial for the 2005 shooting of off-duty officer Daniel Enchautegui, who was trying to stop a burglary at the house next door to his.
Brancato has protested his innocence throughout, and is attempting to secure his release until the trial, with the help of Carlito's Way producer Michael Bregman and Reverend Chorbishop John Faris - who have both visited him and written letters to the Bronx Supreme Court administrative judge.
Bregman's letter reads, "Although I am not as familiar with the evidence as the court is - in my heart I believe Mr. Brancato was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Reverend Faris writes, "Throughout this period Lillo has shown true compassion at the death of the officer."
MARK WAHLBERG has destroyed his reputation as a brooding movie bad boy by confessing he often cries when watching films.
Wahlberg admits he struggles to maintain his composure during most movies, and wept particularly hard watching himself in new M. Night Shyamalan film The Happening.
He tells Moviefone.com, "Oh my god, are you kidding? I cry so easily it's ridiculous. S**t, I cried at The Happening - when John (Leguizamo) had to say goodbye to his daughter! Because I can't help but think, 'Wow, what if that really happened to somebody?'"