WAYANS BROTHERS SCARE UP SUPER BOX OFFICE

A CHICKENHEAD'S DREAM: LAWYERS AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

TINA LANDON FINALLY GETS HER PROPS

BOBBY BROWN HOMEWARD-BOUND

MRS. MATHERS TRIES TO DO SELF IN

3RD BASS IS HEADED HOME

NOW GET READY FOR ASIAN SOUL

NEWSMAN IS STILL UNDER FIRE

TICHINA ARNOLD RAGS ON CELEBRITIES

BAD BOY AND ASSOCIATES HEADED TO COURT

LUCY PEARL AND D'ANGELO GIVE TO MAGIC

ROSIE PEREZ REFUSES TO VISIT HER DYING MOTHER

NEWSBYTES:

"Scary Movie" has the 2nd biggest opening of any film this year.
*Okay, it's time to break out the cliches such as "the film scared up a record attendance." Or "this movie had a frightening effect on filmgoers." Actually, those tired clichés are downright accurate when it comes to describing the success of Keenen Ivory Wayan's "Scary Movie" this past weekend. The slasher parody/comedy film, which cost only $19 million to make, took in an astonishing $42.5 million!! Now that is scary. It's the second biggest opening of the year, behind "Mission: Impossible 2" with $57.9 million. "Scary Movie" only played in 2,912 theaters, vs. 3,407 for "Perfect Storm," with George Clooney and 3,061 for Mel Gibson's "The Patriot,'' and averaged an incredible $14,595. In opening at no. 1 with $41.3 million the previous weekend, ''The Perfect Storm'' had averaged $12,129. The so-called critics who hated this film aren't going to like this, but can you spell sequel?

Entertainment and sports lawyers headed to VI.
*The Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA) has announced that its 20th Anniversary Conference will be held on St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands at the Marriot Frenchman's Reef Hotel and Resort. This year's theme is "Representing Clients in an E-Commerce Economy." For additional information, contact LaTanya Marble at 323-512-5353 or visit: www.besla.org.

One of the best choreographers around receives award.
*Award-winning choreographer Tina Landon was recently honored at the First Annual Hip-hop Dance Awards for her relentless work and dedication to dance. Landon adds this award to her growing list of accolades for her work with Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Mya and many others.

Former New Edition-ist is set free.
*Right about now, Bobby Brown is somewhere smoking a Newport cigarette and hoping that nicotine is the only drug he'll be craving a year from now. Last Friday, the singer was released from the North Broward Detention Center in Pompano Beach, Florida 10 days earlier than his sentence stated. Believe it or not, the bad boy was let out for good behavior. Brown had been given 75 days for several parole violations stemming from a 1998 DUI conviction for his arrest in Hollywood, Florida back in 1996. He wasn't officially scheduled for release until July 17.

Rapper's wife at home resting after suicide attempt.
*Here's another one of those incidents that make you say, "Daaammn!" According to Fox News Detroit, Kimberly Mathers, wife of Eminem, is currently at home resting from what authorities described as an attempted suicide. Kimberly Mathers was hospitalized briefly early Saturday (July 8) morning after she slit her wrists following her husband's show as part of the "Up in Smoke" tour at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

White wappers . . . um, rappers working on new set.
*Now that Eminem is all over the place, the original black-white boys are back on the scene. 3rd Bass is preparing to release an album on NYC indie imprint Warlock Records. The last album to come from MC Serch and Prime Minister Pete Nice was the set "Derelicts of Dialect," which included the single "Pop Goes the Weasel."

East meets west in CD soulfest.
*African-American musical artists have inspired musicians from all over the world, but we didn't realize just how much until we came across this story. The Roots, Pras, Angie Stone and Raphael Saadiq will all be making appearances on the album of Japanese soul singer Toshi Kubota. With these black music heavyweights, the singer's first all-English album, accent or no, should be very interesting indeed.

Bryant Gumbel's head on a platter is all the rage.
*The Watchdog think tank, the Media Research Center, is calling for Bryant Gumbel's head on a platter. Last week, we reported that Gumbel was accused of calling conservative guest Robert Knight a "f***ing idiot." Now, the Media Research Center wants Gumbel fired for what they call "a zero tolerance for conservatives, conservative ideas and principles, or conservative institutions." The organization went on to say that if CBS didn't fire Gumbel, the one-eyed corporation is equally guilty of "anti-religious" views. (please)

Actress wraps heads on the side.
*In this day and age, it is not uncommon for a performer or an actor to supplement his or her income. Hell, ya gotta get your hustle on and then some. Case in point, Tichina Arnold of "Martin" fame told us about a lil' sumthin' she's been doing on the side to make ends hook-up like Montana to Rice, San Francisco 49ers circa 1988. "I have a company called China Moon Rags. I make headgear with crystals and rhinestones on them. Tisha Campbell [of course] Jada Pinkett-Smith, Vivica Fox and other celebrities are wearing my rags. The website is currently being set up, but it'll be called ChinaMoonRags.com".

Sean "Puffy" Combs, Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease sued by phone fiend.
*Bad Boy Entertainment seems to just attract all kinds of unwanted attention. Sean "Puffy" Combs, Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease have all been named co-defendants in a $200 million lawsuit filed by Danyella "Sunshine" Rogers of Brooklyn, NY. The 18-year-old woman reportedly charges that a racy phone conversation that she had with Lil' Cease later turned up on the rapper's 1999 hit "Play Around" without her knowledge or consent. Puffy says, while he produced the album and appeared on the single, he is not responsible for using or recording the sample.

Artists to donate concert monies to scholarship fund.
*Eclectic funk trio Lucy Pearl and magical soul crooner D'Angelo have agreed to donate the proceeds from their August 4 tour date at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles to the Magic Johnson Foundation. The donation will be made to the 15th Annual "Midsummer Night's Magic" fund raiser which will be used for its Los Angeles-based Taylor Michael academic scholarship.

With her mother dying of AIDS, Perez (an AIDS activist) won't see her.
*Wow, what's up with Rosie Perez? Published reports say the actress, whose mother, Lydia Perez, is dying of AIDS, refuses to see her. "Please tell her I'm dying and I just want to see her one more time," Lydia Perez told the New York Daily News. The elder Perez, 60, lives in a New York public housing project, and apparently Rosie and her birth mom are not close. Rosie was raised in foster homes as a child.

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