The PlayStation 3 may be receiving a large firmware update this fall, according to a rumor from VG247. The firmware 3.0 update is said to be "a huge overhaul" and was compared to the Xbox 360's NXE in some respects. The new features are said to include a reputation system that will allow users to evaluate each other and view the reps of other players. No doubt aiding in the reputation system will be a "grief reporting system," allowing players to take pictures of offensive users and report them to Sony. Someone at SCEA is going to be busy parsing user reports.
Other features may allow background downloads of game patches, and simultaneous HDMI and digital optical output for audiophiles. The update is reportedly planned to hit before Christmas. As always, we classify this as a rumor until we hear something official from Sony. It doesn't sound like an unrealistic wish list of features, so we'll be looking for more details in the coming months.

Janet Jackson and sister LaToya arrived at their brother's rented Holmby Hills mansion on Saturday as moving trucks carted off some of the singer's – and his children's – possessions.

A source told PEOPLE that the belongings of Michael Jackson's three children were being removed from the house and taken to the Jackson family home in Encino. The children have been holed up with grandparents – Joe and Katherine – at the San Fernando Valley house since the singer died on June 25.

Janet was at the home during the move, while LaToya showed up later in the day. Some of the singer's prized possessions were also being removed from the house for safekeeping, the source said, because there is concern that someone could break into the home.

Jackson's children – Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, 7 – remained with their grandparents on Saturday as relatives came in and out of the Encino house. Jackson's parents have expressed their desire to keep the children, even though Prince and Paris's biological mother Debbie Rowe could gain custody if she chooses.

"They haven't heard from Debbie Rowe and don't know what’s going on in that respect, either," said a family source. "But Joe and Katherine really want the children."

While it may not technically be a "Gangsta's Paradise," rapper Coolio is skipping jail time for rehab, so things are looking up.
The 45-year old entertainer, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge, as well as misdemeanor counts of battery and possession, stemming from his March 6 arrest at Los Angeles International Airport. Airport security found cocaine and a smoking device in Coolio's luggage, and once they attempted to open the bag, authorities claim that the former star grabbed one of the screener's arms to halt the search.
On Friday, the "Fantastic Voyage" hitmaker was ordered to complete an 18-month drug diversion education and treatment program.
Coolio will be eligible to ask a judge for a dismissal if he can provide proof of the program's completion and, more importantly, demonstrate that his rehab stint was successful.
Coolio is due back in court on September 28 for a progress check.

It seems as though everyone has something to say since Michael Jackson passed away on Thursday.
Most things have been complimentary, sentiments meant as a tribute to the King of Pop, but nothing has been as heavy or as personal as a blog written yesterday by Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, in which she states that Jackson in some ways knew this fate would befall him.
After much skepticism as to who had written the item, Presley's rep confirmed authorship to E! News, saying, "We've had a lot of press inquiries if this is really Lisa Marie Presley's blog. We are confirming it is."
The MySpace post has apparently been removed, but Presley blogged about an eerie conversation that took place between her and Jackson 14 years ago. "Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general," she recounted.
It included a discussion of the death of her father, Elvis Presley. "At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, 'I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.' "

For the next three months or so, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen will be spending a lot of time with each other crisscrossing the country on the American Idol tour.
It's no wonder that the two say we shouldn't be surprised if, in the end, they decide to record a song together.
"It could happen," Lambert told me yesterday during my exclusive sitdown with him and Allen. "Maybe we'll write a song on the road."
Allen smiled, "We have to figure it out, but yeah, we should do it."
No surprise, but the American Idol winner and runner-up have become as tight as any two best friends could be. So, just how close are they?

It might have looked odd when he went off the grid, but Dr. Conrad Murray is nothing more than a witness when it comes to the death of Michael Jackson, according to the physician's attorney.
Police investigators met with Murray for about three hours Saturday night after the doctor voluntarily contacted authorities, officials said.
Stradley, Chernoff, Alford—the law firm of Edward M. Chernoff, Murray's attorney—said in a statement that "investigators have made it clear...that Dr. Murray is considered to be a witness to the events surrounding Michael Jackson's death, and he is not a suspect.
"Dr. Murray hired legal counsel to help guide him through the police investigation process. The law firm was hired to make sure the police investigation is conducted properly."
Chernoff said that Murray, who was thrust into the spotlight when he wasn't immediately locatable after Jackson was pronounced dead, answered "every and all questions" put to him tonight.

Fittingly, friends and family are going to pay their final respects to Farrah Fawcett at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
A private funeral has been scheduled at the downtown landmark for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The service will be closed to the public and media.
Fawcett died at an L.A.-area hospital Thursday morning after a two-year battle with cancer. On-again longtime love Ryan O'Neal and her close friend Alana Stewart were by her side.
A source tells E! News that a similarly exclusive memorial will also be held Tuesday at the oceanside Jonathan Club in Santa Monica.
If you're relegated to remembering Fawcett from the privacy of your own home, NBC is rebroadcasting its two-hour documentary special, Farrah's Story, tonight and the E! special Michael & Farrah: Lost Icons premieres Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

Five members of the Jena Six pleaded no contest Friday to misdemeanor simple battery and won't serve jail time, ending a case that thrust a small Louisiana town into the national spotlight and sparked a massive civil rights demonstration.
State District Judge Tom Yeager then sentenced the five, standing quietly surrounded by their lawyers, to seven days unsupervised probation and fined $500. It was a far less severe end to their cases than seemed possible when the six students — all of whom are black — were initially charged with attempted murder in the 2006 attack on Justin Barker, a white classmate. They became known as the "Jena Six," after the central Louisiana town where the beating happened.
"I just thank God that it's all over," said John Jenkins, father of Carwin Jones. "It's been a long, painful journey for everyone on both sides of this thing."
Barker and his family and friends sat without expression throughout the hearing. Barker's attorney said he graduated and is now an oil field worker. The family did not comment.
As part of the deal, one of the attorneys read a statement from the five defendants in which they said they knew of nothing Barker had done to provoke the attack.
"To be clear, not one of us heard Justin use any slur or say anything that justified Mychal Bell attacking Justin nor did any of us see Justin do anything that would cause Mychal to react," the statement said.
The statement also expressed sympathy for Barker and his family, and acknowledged the past 2 1/2 years had "caused Justin and his parents tremendous pain and suffering, much of which has gone unrecognized."
Barker spent several hours in the emergency room after the attack, but was discharged and attended a school event the next night.
By pleading no contest, the five do not admit guilt but acknowledge prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction. LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said in a statement that he could have won convictions but wanted to end the matter for Barker.
Charges against Jones, Jesse Ray Beard, Robert Bailey Jr., Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw had previously been reduced from attempted murder to aggravated second-degree battery. All but Shaw were assessed $500 in court costs. The judge did not tack that punishment on to Shaw's case because he stayed in jail for almost seven months, unable to raise bail, following his initial arrest.
Each paid the fine and court costs immediately. The payment of restitution to Barker was also part of the deal, but the amount was not released. A lawsuit filed by Barker against the group was also settled Friday, though the terms were confidential.
The only member of the group to serve jail time was Bell, who pleaded guilty in December 2007 to second-degree battery and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Four of Friday's defendants have graduated from high school, and all are attending or getting ready to attend college. Purvis has completed his first year and Bell is planning to attend college this fall. Beard is a senior in high school in Connecticut.
"They can move along with their lives," said Bailey's attorney, James Boren. "And because there are no felonies they can look forward to full lives ahead."
The severity of the original charges brought widespread criticism and eventually led more than 20,000 people to converge in September 2007 on the tiny town of Jena for a major civil rights march. Some $275,000 was raised to hire a large defense team for the six, said Beard's attorney, David Utter.
Racial tensions at Jena High School reportedly grew in the months before the attack. Several months prior to the attack, nooses were hung in a tree on the campus, sparking outrage in the black community. Residents said there were fights, but nothing too serious until December 2006 when Barker was attacked.
"Everybody pointed a finger at Jena during this, but this happens to African-American males across the country," Utter said. "These young men were lucky that people cared and donated money so they could afford good attorneys. That made the difference."

Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says determining the cause of Michael Jackson's death will require further neuropathology and pulmonary tests that will take four to six weeks. Harvey says there were no signs of foul play or trauma to the body during the three-hour autopsy. He also says Jackson was taking some unspecified prescription medications.
The spokesman says Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter is with Jackson's family.
Harvey says the police department has requested a security hold on the investigation which limits how much the coroner's office can say about the case. He says the death became a coroner's case because there was no doctor to sign the death certificate.
Harvey says the body will be released once the family selects a mortuary.

The PSPgo had a lot of things going for it at E3. Bold digital download plan, smaller size. But then Sony announced the price. $249. Nothankyou. Here, SCEE boss Andrew House explains why it's so damn expensive.

Speaking with MCV, the new Sony Europe head man said "When you introduce a new piece of hardware you have the opportunity to say there is a certain premium that is associated with it, and we took that into account."

In other words, the PSPgo isn't $249 because Sony broke the bank researching it. It's not $249 because it uses radical new technology, or because it has to make up for the fact people aren't buying many PSP games.

It's $249 because it's new, and Sony knows (or at least believes) that the kind of people who will buy something when it's new will pay more for it than they probably should.

According to recent reports, rappers Bow Wow and Jim Jones have both been dropped from their recording label, Columbia Records. It’s no secret that Bow Wow has been feuding with his label, having taken to Twitter to complain about lack of promotion and attention, in addition to making note that artists like Beyonce received more support.


Since then, Bow Wow has again taken to Twitter to confirm the news and to also state that he doesn’t have any plans to sign to another label as of now:

i guesses wishes do come true. now yall get ready for da new ME! its ova now. $

jus wanna enjoy dis time wit my close 1s. spend sum time wit da fam. then get bk 2 work. im jus ready to roll. thnx 1nce again

Bow wows official statement:thanx 2 my fans. i have not yet made any commitments 2 no 1. jus wanna take dis time to chill wit fam and luv 1s

This doesn’t really come as a surprise. He finally got what he was asking for. His latest album “New Jack City II” only sold 34k in its first week. With his flop, accusations of him being homophobic, and his feud with blogger Sandra Rose, we’d say his career was over anyway.

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s shocking and equally heartbreaking death, everyone who’s anybody has spoken up to tell the world what Michael Jackson and his legacy meant to them. This just goes to show the magnitude of the impact he had (and will continue to have, even in his death) on the entertainment industry as a whole. Throughout the day, we will be posting official statements reflecting on the King of Pop’s legacy from the biggest names in music and entertainment. Stay tuned!

Lil Wayne: “I personally can’t believe it. But it’s more unfortunate for the world of music. … My love goes out to his family. … A sad day in history, not [just] music.”

Snoop Dogg: “I feel like his music will never die and his spirit will never die, because he influenced so many if us. He gave us a lot of hope that we feel like we can be big. He was very inspiring and up close and personal with his fans. That to me was special. That’s one of the things that I loved about Mike. When I got a chance to meet him, that’s the feeling and spirit that I got from him.”


Timbaland: “He was just a fabulous guy. Phenomenal. I watched him as a kid and I was like, ‘Man, he works very hard.’ His music was incredible. Everybody from Chris Brown to everybody who started dancing — he influenced all of that.”

Fat Joe: “This is probably [among] the top three worst days of my life. MJ — you know I’m a gangsta rapper so we always got that hard edge, but at the end of the day, the king is the king. I can go down the list: there wouldn’t be no Usher, there wouldn’t be no Chris Brown. There wouldn’t be nobody without MJ. There wouldn’t be no Justin. He was just harmony on Earth. I never think MJ ever did anything wrong in his life. He was just a beautiful soul on this earth.”

Rev. Run: “The thing that went through my mind was that he lived so big. He just worked it so hard. He was such a big imagination. He danced, he sang, he pushed so hard to entertain us. He was so driven that it was really amazing. I think the best thing that Michael will leave is his ability to captivate people. He captivated us.”

It’s no secret that young R&B/pop singer Chris Brown is a huge Michael Jackson fan. And the Virginia based entertainer, who has battled his own form of the media’s scrutiny just as his idol, has released an official statement exclusively to Gossip On This in the wake of the King of Pop’s surprising and untimely death.

Michael Jackson is the reason why I do music and why I am an entertainer. I am devastated by this great loss, and I will continue to be humbled and inspired by his legacy. My prayers are with his family. Michael will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. He’s the greatest… the best ever. No one will ever be better.

G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks has announced an exclusive one-off show in London this July. Banks will make his first appearance in the UK since 2007 this July, when he performs at the indigO2. UK rappers Sway, Bashy and Wretch 32 will also take the stage during the evening. The event takes place Friday, July 17.

Missy Elliott has revealed that her bio-pic is in the process of being produced. Elliott, who hails from Norfolk, Virginia, had a traumatic childhood. Her mother was repeatedly abused by her father, while she was raped multiple times by an older cousin when she was a child. Despite these serious obstacles, Elliott preserved to become one of the biggest names in Hip-Hop, as well as one of the genre’s top producers. "It's happening; I've just got to find a great writer because I wouldn't want my story watered down,” Elliott told Elle Magazine. “I went through a lot, and I accomplished a lot, and I want people to know how it all went down.”

Diamond, formerly of Crime Mob, has dropped a new mixtape with DJ Dammit titled Can’t Tell Me Nuthin. The mixtape is Diamond’s fourth underground release since leaving Crime Mob in 2007. She released three installments of her B**ch Music mixtape series. The 21-year-old’s latest offering features Cee-Lo, Lil Scrappy, Webbie, Lil Boosie, E-40, Shawty Lo, Nicole Wray and others. "The mixtape with DJ Dammit and Block Starz Music titled Can't Tell Me Nuthin is really a reflection of me - good and bad emotions," Diamond told AllHipHop.com. "My music now reflects the mature/adult side of Diamond. I just want to show my true fans and soon to be fans that there is more to me than Crunk." The 17-track mixtape can be downloaded here.

We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells BTM Jackson died of cardiac arrest.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

A source inside the hospital told us there was "absolute chaos" after Jackson arrrived. People who were with the singer were screaming, "You've got to save him! You've got to save him!"

We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.

La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

Software giant Microsoft has tapped Grammy Award winning Hip-Hop legends Naughty by Nature to help promote the newest PDA device to feature the Windows Mobile operating system.

The group is at the center of Microsoft’s promotion for the new HTC Touch Pro 2 Windows Mobile Device, which is scheduled to roll out later this year on all four major mobile service carriers.

The new Touch Pro2 is the latest in a series of phones to feature a fully functional touch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Billed as “a palm-size professional conference phone,” the Touch Pro2 features an enhanced speakerphone and noise cancelling microphone.

It also features the ability to break away from a conference call for a one-on-one conversation with one participant without disconnecting the conference.

HTC’s website also points out the phone’s one-touch functionality, allowing users to reply to emails or launch conference calls and other features with just one touch.

“As a fan of Microsoft products, I'm super pumped about Naughty's promotion with Windows Mobile,” Vin Rock told AllHipHop.com. “I'm a Windows Mobile power user and eager to educate others about the future of mobile computing. This is just the beginning.”

After a brief breakup, Naughty by Nature reunited in 2006 and returned to the forefront nearly two years later, when the group was selected as one of the recipients of the Fifth Annual VH1 Hip-Hop Honors.

Shortly before the award show, the group told AllHipHop.com that they were working on their first album featuring Treach, Vin Rock and DJ KayGee since 1999.

“The past two or three summers, we’ve started talking about it, and we started and stopped,” Vinnie said in a previous interview. “This past summer, we finally got serious about it. And as we started doing the work, then VH1 called us for the Hip-Hop Honors.”

The new album, tentatively titled Anthem, Inc., will the follow up to 2002’s IIcons, which has been the only Naughty by Nature release following KayGee’s departure from the group in 2000.

A 25 year-old man is in stable condition after being stabbed following GZA’s performance at Toronto’s North By Northeast Festival.

According to initial reports, the victim got into an altercation with a suspect whom allegedly threw an item at his girlfriend.

After chasing the suspect through the crowd of over 2,000 people, the man was apparently stabbed in the lower back, and underwent emergency surgery at nearby St. Michael’s Hospital.

Descriptions of the suspect are vague, stating only that he is an Asian man in his 20s, who wore a blue baseball cap and jeans.

The rest of GZA’s set was completed without incident.

The premier lyricist’s latest album, Pro Tools, was released last year to critical acclaim.

It featured production from Black Milk and RZA, and the 50 Cent diss “Paper Plate.”

At press time, police could not verify if any witnesses to the stabbing.

Multi-platinum rapper Lil' Wayne was in Yuma, Arizona Tuesday afternoon (June 23) to attend a pre-trial update in relation to his January 2008 arrest outside of the city.

The Young Money boss was ordered to be present at this preliminary hearing regarding the investigation into drug & weapons charges he faces.

The rapper previously pleaded not guilty of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of dangerous drugs and weapons misconduct.

Wayne and two members of his entourage were arrested in January of 2008 at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8, just east of Yuma.

Upon searching his tour bus, authorities reportedly found cocaine, Ecstasy and a handgun.

Though the weapon was registered in Florida, Wayne was charged for taking across state lines.

During Tuesday's hearing Wayne attorney, James Tilson told the presiding Superior Court judge that the U.S. Border Patrol has yet to honor the defense's request for records tied to the arrest.

According to Tilson, border officials told the Yuma County Attorney that they have no intention of releasing the training record of the drug-sniffing dogs used during the search.

Wayne's next court appearance is August 11.

Before then, his attorney plans on submitting a new request for any video footage captured by border cameras on the day of the arrest.

Ludacris has added another jewel to his business portfolio, courtesy of the founding of his very own Cognac line.

The announcement came at the wine and spirits trade show Vinexpo, being held this week in Bordeaux, France.

The custom line, entitled Conjure, will be a joint venture with Kim Hartmann, owner of the Birkedal Hartmann Cognac brand.

Conjure will be aimed at securing the urban market, something Ludacris plans to expand through behind the scenes planning, and not just surface celebrity endorsement.

“It’s not just me attaching my name to it,” the Atlanta star told the Agence France-Presse. “Whenever I involve myself in a business, I submerge myself in it.”

In January, Ludacris spent a week strategizing with Birkedal Hartmann master blender Philippe Braastad Tiffon.

They tested over 40 different potential brandies for the line.

In the end, a taste was selected that the company deemed favorable to Hip-Hop audiences.

“I wanted to learn as much as possible. It was great. It gave me a new appreciation for Cognac,” Luda stated.

According to the company’s website, African-Americans make up an estimated 60-80% of the 51.7 million bottles sold since 2007 in the American Cognac market.

Cognac’s popularity in Hip-Hop circles extends back to the 90s, and the drink has been referenced in numerous Hip-Hop songs from icons such as Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, Diddy, Dr. Dre, Nas, and Busta Rhymes.

The first orders will ship to Norway by July 1.

American consumers are expected to receive the product in the Fall.

At press time, Conjure is hopeful to ship 1 million bottles to America by their September target month.

Carmelo Anthony’s finance, La La Vazquez is selling her hot pink 2006 Range Rover to the highest bidder. Yes, what other place would a recessionista would sell her ride, on eBay. The bidding starts at $25,000.

La La will bless a charity of her choice with a portion of the proceeds.

Though Soulja Boy has always respected Jay-Z, he recently told MTV that he didn’t always like his music, mainly because he was young and just didn’t understand what he was talking about. In response to his fans saying a Jay-Z collab wouldn’t work because “he’s lame,” Soulja Boy says that reason is definitely not the case. Now that he’s older and grown up, he’s a fan and would like to work with him in the future.

“Jay-Z, I always respected him. Always. But I didn’t always like his music. I guess because I was too young, and I couldn’t understand what he was saying. … I got signed when I was 16 years old. Before I got signed, I heard the song, and I was like, ‘That’s Jay-Z.’


My favorite song from him was ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder.’ I guess I liked the beat or the way he was flowing on there. Any other song I used to hear, I ain’t really vibe with it like that. I used to listen to a lot of Down South artists like Three 6 Mafia or Gucci Mane. But recently, since I’m older now and I grew up, I like Jay-Z now. I’m a fan of his music. At first, I used to just respect him because he was Jay-Z; now I’m a fan of his music and I wanna work with him. In the car ride over here, we was listening to ‘Brooklyn Go Hard,’ He said, ‘I’m Jackie Robinson — I jack, I rob, I sin.’ I didn’t know he was snapping like that. Back then, I couldn’t understand none of what he was saying.”

Missing for two games, Orlando found its Magic touch.

Making easy shots and tough ones from everywhere, the Magic won their first game in two visits to the NBA finals as Dwight Howard(notes) and Rashard Lewis(notes) scored 21 points apiece in a 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night to pull within 2-1.

Orlando shot a finals record 63 percent—including another record 75 percent in the first half—to snap a six-game finals losing streak and avoid falling into an 0-3 hole that 88 previous teams in postseason history have been unable to escape.

“Well, it was going in the basket. That always works,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “That formula’s always tried and true.”

In the series opener, the Magic couldn’t hit the Pacific Ocean, making only 29.9 percent and were blown out by 25 points. In Game 2, they were only slightly better, shooting 42 percent in an overtime loss. But back on their home court, where the baskets seem wider and more welcoming, the Magic shot their way back into this series. As Shaquille O’Neal(notes), still a presence long after leaving both franchises, posted on his Twitter page following the game: “By george I think we have a series.”

The Magic have a shot. No doubt.

Kobe Bryant(notes), seeking a fourth title and his first since 2002, scored 31 points for the Lakers but the superstar had just 10 points in the second half and went only 4 of 15 from the field after the first quarter. He also missed five free throws, points that could have given the Lakers that 3-0 lead.

Game 4 is Thursday night, and Game 5—now necessary—will be at Amway Arena on Sunday.

The Lakers, going for their 15th title and looking to redeem themselves for losing to Boston last season, have lost their stranglehold over the Magic.

“This is a tough team, not a cupcake team,” Bryant said. “Extremely well coached, execute well and we’ve got our work cut out.”

With their season 48 minutes from all but disappearing, the Magic, hosting their first finals game since 1995, had five players score at least 18 points. Rafer Alston(notes), who was just 3 of 17 from the field in the first two games, had 20 and Hedo Turkoglu(notes) and Mickael Pietrus(notes) 18 each.

“We lost two games, but there’s no need to roll over,” Howard said. “It’s a seven-game series. A team has to beat you four times to end the series and we felt good knowing that we had three games at home.”

Pau Gasol(notes) scored 23 points but had just three rebounds and the Lakers were only 16 of 26 from the line.

For a while, it appeared the Magic, who shot just 36 percent while dropping Games 1 and 2 at Staples Center, couldn’t or wouldn’t miss.

From 20 feet, swish. From 10 feet, nothing but net. Layups, runners, banks, pull-ups, didn’t matter. You name it, if it went up, more times than not it went in.

“We lost this game on the defensive end,” Bryant said. “We had been playing very good defense and the team tonight shoots 62 percent from the field.”

Orlando made 24 of 32 shots in the first half and only cooled off a little in the third quarter as they entered the fourth at a 65 percent clip and clinging to an 81-75 lead.

Bryant sat out the first 4:47 of the fourth, and when he finally subbed in, the Lakers were still down by five and unable to do anything to stop the Magic’s marksmanship.

But then, Orlando began to misfire at the worst time possible.

After Pietrus was long with a wide-open 3, Gasol was fouled at the other end and made two free throws to make it 99 all with 2:41 remaining. Orlando’s rowdy crowd, which waited 14 years for a chance to welcome the Larry O’Brien Trophy to town, grew nervous.

“Oh, boy,” muttered one fan near the media section.

But Pietrus calmed fears by dunking in a rare miss to put the Magic up two, and when Lewis hit a jumper—it was originally called a 3 but replays showed his right foot was on the line—Orlando was up 104-101.

Howard was called for a questionable foul on a drive by Bryant, who then split his two free throws. When he went to the Lakers bench during a timeout that followed, Bryant hit himself in the head for letting two more valuable points slip away.

Orlando couldn’t capitalize, though, and the Lakers got the ball back when Lewis missed a baseline jumper and the rebound went off him and out of bounds.

Bryant, who scored 17 in the first quarter and 21 by halftime, then maybe tried to do too much. He crossed over to get past Pietrus, but Howard, the league’s defensive player of the year known mostly for his blocks underneath, made like a point guard and tipped the ball away. Pietrus was fouled and made both to make it 106-102.

The Lakers suddenly became desperate. Instead of working the ball into Gasol or Lamar Odom(notes), they fired away from outside.

They couldn’t shoot with the Magic.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson couldn’t find any fault with his team’s low rebounding total.

“What kind of rebounds are they going to get?” he said. “Making the amount of shots they made, there’s not a whole lot of rebounds to be had out there.”

Bryant missed a 3, Trevor Ariza(notes) misfired on one, Bryant clanged another and Derek Fisher(notes) was long as the Lakers went 0 for 4 on a possession where they had to have points. Bryant did score on a putback with .05 seconds left, but it was too late and although there was still time left, confetti began to fall to the court.


Orlando Magic's Rafer Alst…
AP - Jun 10, 12:50 am EDT
Jackson felt Bryant looked tired down the stretch.

“We’re all frail as humans,” he said. “Sometimes not as much as others.”

Orlando, which was swept by the Houston Rockets 14 years ago, could finally celebrate winning one on pro basketball’s biggest stage.

Bryant fouled Lewis with 0.2 seconds to go, and as Magic fans hugged and danced at an outcome they longed for, he dropped two more to seal it.

The last time Orlando hosted a finals game, Howard was a 9-year-old kid in Atlanta and Shaquille O’Neal was the Magic’s Superman.

Outside the cramped arena, which had a red Superman cape hanging off one wall, Orlando fans, one of them dressed as Jack Nicholson and carrying a sign that read: “Jack, You Can’t Handle The Truth,” gathered on the sidewalks hoping this would be a night their team could get back into the series.

They believed.

This was their magic night.

Former Dipset member Max B. was found guilty of murder conspiracy and robbery charges today (June 9).

Prosecutors accused Max B., born Charly Wingate, of coordinating the robbery of two men at a Holiday Inn located in Northern New Jersey.

Max B.‘s ex-girlfriend Gina Conway testified that she and a stepbrother named Kelvin Leerdam were to rob two men of over $40,000 in cash during the robbery.

The plan went awry and resulted in the death of one of the robbery victims, David Taylor, who was shot at point-blank range in the face by Leerdam.

Conway testified against Max B. and Leerdam, in exchange for a sentence of 18 years on armed robbery and manslaughter charges.

Sources have told AllHipHop.com that Max B. was convicted on nine out of the 11 charges stacked against him.

Max B is scheduled to be sentenced July 30.

He faces up to 25 years in prison for his part in the crime.

Bret Michaels performed at the Tony Awards, and all he got was a nose fracture _ and a busted lip. According to Michaels' spokeswoman, the rock singer had X-rays taken after getting clocked in the head by a descending set piece at Sunday's Radio City Music Hall ceremony.

Publicist Joann Mignano says Michaels, who performed with his 1980s hair-metal band Poison, fractured his nose and had to get three stitches in his lip. She says he was getting a CAT scan on Monday as a precaution, as he's had a past neck injury.

Although he's "pretty bruised up," Mignano says, Michaels was in good spirits. He wiped off blood with a towel and laughed backstage when host Neil Patrick Harris joked that the singer "gave head banging a whole new meaning."

Michaels took to the stage with Poison during the telecast's opening production number, featuring performances from the season's Broadway musicals.

They performed "Nothin' But a Good Time" with the cast of "Rock of Ages," and as Michaels exited the stage, he smacked into a piece of scenery and was knocked to the ground upon impact. Footage of the accident soon landed online, where Michaels' pratfall seemed to score as much attention as the prestigious ceremony itself.

Michaels had a "great time performing for the Broadway audience," says Mignano, who notes that the star of VH1's "Rock of Love" reality series took photos backstage with theater legends Liza Minnelli and Angela Lansbury.

Michaels, who has gone solo, is touring with his namesake band. Later this month, he'll take Poison on the road for a joint tour with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick.

As purple and gold confetti tumbled from above and Jack, Denzel and the usually laid-back L.A. crowd roared, Kobe Bryant(notes) and the Lakers headed off on their final road trip this season.

They were lucky and relieved, but hardly satisfied.

It’s not time for that.

“What’s there to be happy about?” Bryant asked, unwilling to crack a smile on the menacing game face he has maintained for a week. “The job is not finished.”

The Lakers needed a miss by Orlando rookie guard Courtney Lee(notes) on a perfectly executed alley-oop play in the final second of regulation to get to overtime, then escaped with a 101-96 win over the Magic on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals.

So dominant in winning the opener, the Lakers squeaked by.
“I don’t think we dodged a bullet,” Bryant said. “They bounced back like we knew they would, played extremely well, and we got out of here with a win.”

Pau Gasol(notes) scored seven of his 24 points in overtime and Bryant finished with 29 for the Lakers, who became the fifth straight team to win the first two games of the series at home. In that span, only the 2006 Dallas Mavericks failed to win a title after being up 2-0.

And since the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985, 11 of 12 teams winning the first two games have gone on to win the championship.

The Lakers are now off to Florida for Game 3 on Tuesday night at Amway Arena. They’ll play at least two games there with a chance to win their 15th title.

“We just did our job defending our home court,” Bryant said. “Now it’s time to go to Orlando and see if we can’t get one.”

The Magic had their chance in Game 2. Lee missed it—and he actually had two shots at putting Orlando ahead.

With the score tied at 88-88, he drove the lane and misfired on a contested layup with 10.5 seconds remaining.

The Lakers called time with 9.1 seconds to play, and after Lamar Odom(notes) caught the inbound pass, he quickly gave it to Bryant, who drove into a crowd. Bryant attempted an off-balance 12-footer, but his shot was blocked from behind by Turkoglu with 1.8 seconds left.

The horn sounded and the star-studded Staples Center crowd braced for overtime.

But the officials huddled at the scorer’s table and decided to put 0.6 seconds back on the clock because Turkoglu grabbed the ball and called timeout.

Turkoglu couldn’t find anyone open on the initial inbound play and had to call time again. On the Magic’s second attempt, Lee got free on a perfectly executed play and caught Turkoglu’s long lob pass as he neared the left side of the basket.

But with 7-foot Gasol closing in on him, Lee slightly altered his shot, which caromed off the backboard and the front of the rim.

“I caught it and just tried to make a play,” Lee said. “We didn’t lose the game just because I missed the layup. We could have won the game.”


Penny Marshall, center, talks …
AP - Jun 8, 12:56 am EDT
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy, able to speak at length on any topic, struggled to explain Lee’s miss.

“Hedo made a great pass, and we missed it,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I just don’t know what else to say about it. It was a great pass, it was right there, and he missed it.”

Bryant knew how fortunate the Lakers were to hang on.

“It was just a brilliant play,” Bryant said. “It was just a very, very smart play that he (Van Gundy) drew up. He knew my eye was more on the shooters coming up and just a hell of a play by a hell of a coach.”

Rashard Lewis(notes) scored 34, Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds and Turkoglu 22 points.

Fourteen years to the day, the Magic got another dose of finals misery.

On June 7, 1995, Orlando had a chance to put Houston away in Game 1, but Magic guard Nick Anderson missed four late free throws in a 120-118 loss to the Rockets, who went on to sweep Orlando in its only previous finals visit.

The Magic will head home thinking about what might have been. They could be tied 1-1, and with the next three games scheduled in front of their frenzied fans, they could have denied Bryant and the Lakers their first title since 2002.

“We’ve just got to go home and take care of business,” Howard said. “We’ve been in some tough situations. We’ve
But by 25 points or by one, they had a victory.

Rapper Bow Wow has revealed on both Twitter and through a live streaming video that he is ready to leave his current label Columbia Records.
In a series of messages that were posted on Bow Wow’s Twitter page, the 22-year-old rapper explained that he hasn’t been happy at Columbia for several years now. “I’m asking to be released. No, they are not dropping me. I’m asking. Not happy there. Been like this for four, five years, reports Bow Wow as writing on his Twitter page.
Shortly following Bow Wow’s Tweets he also streamed a live video in which he shared his thoughts on the matter.
“I felt like I couldn’t talk about everything on my Twitter, but there was really so much for me to say,” Bow Wow explained in the video. “So I felt that I would be on there forever typing and you know, what not.”
Bow Wow is hoping fans will be able to help him get off Columbia through the “Free Bow Wow” campaign. A campaign that Bow Wow hopes will move him from Columbia to Atlantic Records.
Bow Wow released his first album Beware Of Dog on Columbia Records in 2000 and his since released five more albums through the label.

Kelis seems to have indicated via her Twitter page the rumors of Nas' infidelityBeginning her series of nine posts on the matter, the singer wrote, "This lovely day I would like to touch on cheaters. Super brief! Why be cowardly why not go after what you really want? Do peopl [sic] know what...They want? [Probably] not which just goes into know and respecting ones self. Also we can discuss whores I mean the nasty sub par tricks that...Participate in the cheating. Well let me say this, both parties that are gross. And in reality they deserve each other."

Kelis continued, concluding that in relationships, women should "take more responsibility," and that "men are driven by something different [than] we are."

As previously reported [click to read], Kelis cited irreconcilable differences as the reason behind the divorce. Numerous theories, including the aforementioned infidelity, as well as a Kelis sex tape have been circulating.

Kelis is currently eight months pregnant with Nas' child.

One step toward redemption, one step toward a ring.
Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers began the NBA finals with power and purpose.
Bryant, playing like a man possessed, scored 40 points and the Lakers, who have waited nearly one year for a chance to erase bitter memories of a Boston beatdown and a championship they felt belonged to them, pounded the Orlando Magic 100-75 in Game 1 on Thursday night.
This year, nothing short of a 15th title will do for the Lakers.
And with the sensational Bryant out front, they may be on their way.
Game 2 is Sunday night at star-studded Staples Center, where actors Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and rapper Kanye West had front-row seats to see another virtuoso performance by Bryant, who scored 18 points in the third quarter as the Lakers opened a 26-point lead.
The last time the Lakers were seen in the finals, they were heading toward their locker room in Boston last June and summer break after being drubbed by 39 points in a series-ending Game 6 by the Celtics. The renewed rivalry between the league's superpowers never panned out.
Bryant and his teammates have used that humiliation to motivate them all season and throughout these playoffs.
They are on a mission.
The Magic, who went 2-0 against the Lakers in the regular season, appeared a touch overwhelmed in their first finals appearance since 1995. Not even the return of All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson from a four-month layoff following shoulder surgery could help the Eastern Conference champions.
Orlando center Dwight Howard was engulfed by two and three Lakers every time he touched the ball and scored 12 points — 10 on free throws — on just 1-of-6 shooting.
"We did a good job on him, but he'll be ready to go Game 2," Bryant said. "We worked very hard on the perimeter, keeping those guys out of rhythm, then we did a good job on him inside — giving him different looks."
And the Magic's outside shooters, so deadly while eliminating MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, were off the mark.
The Magic went just 8-of-23 on 3s and shot only 30 percent overall. They are facing some daunting odds, too.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, seeking a record 10th title, is 43-0 in series in which his team wins Game 1.
On the dry-erase board in Orlando's locker room, coach Stan Van Gundy, in handwriting as neat as a schoolteacher's, devoted two sections on how he wanted his team to defend Bryant.
Nothing worked.
The self-proclaimed "Black Mamba" slithered around Magic defenders with ease. Bryant scored an effortless 18 points in the first half and then took over in the third quarter, scoring 18 of L.A.'s 29 points with an assortment of jumpers, fadeaways and layups.
"He was great. He was tremendous," said Van Gundy, who felt his team did a poor job defending the Lakers' pick and roll. "We were giving him too much space on his pull-up jumpers and he did a good job of attacking us. I know this: We are a lot better than we showed."
With the 24-second shot clock running down on one possession, he froze Mickael Pietrus with a head fake and then sliced between Howard and Rashard Lewis, who looked as if they might applaud him, too. Moments later, Bryant whipped a pass to teammate Trevor Ariza, who buried a 3-pointer to make it 80-58.
Bryant pumped both fists and yelled toward Ariza. But this time, Bryant, who can be demanding of those around him, was offering support. Accused of being aloof and selfish, he has become a better teammate and a better leader.
On the eve of Game 1, Bryant said winning his first title since teammate Shaquille O'Neal was traded in 2004 was not that important to him. Bryant bristled at the notion that he wouldn't have any of his three titles — from 2000-02 — without Shaq as nonsense.
He says he wants No. 4 because it's the one in front of him.
And he's three wins from getting it.
Nelson sat the first quarter as he has throughout the playoffs, but Van Gundy started him in the second quarter and the healed guard made an immediate impact.
Nervously chomping on his black mouthpiece and darting as always, he made a sweet bounce pass to Marcin Gortat for a dunk on Orlando's first possession in the period. Nelson then set up Lewis for a 3 before making his first basket in four months on a short baseline jumper.
Nelson was back and the Magic, who dethroned the champion Celtics and toppled King James, looked as if they'd give the Lakers a run.
Bryant, though, outran them by himself.

Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" who also had a wide-ranging career in the movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital, Bangkok. A news report said he was found hanged in his hotel room and was believed to have committed suicide.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, confirmed the death of the 72-year-old actor. He said the embassy was informed by Thai authorities that Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday, but he could not provide further details out of consideration for his family.
The Web site of the Thai newspaper The Nation cited unidentified police sources as saying Carradine was found Thursday hanged in his luxury hotel room.
It said Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and had been staying at the hotel since Tuesday.
The newspaper said Carradine could not be contacted after he failed to appear for a meal with the rest of the film crew on Wednesday, and that his body was found by a hotel maid at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. The name of the movie was not immediately available.
It said a preliminary police investigation found that he had hanged himself with a cord used with the room's curtains. It cited police as saying he had been dead at least 12 hours and there was no sign that he had been assaulted.
A police officer at Bangkok's Lumpini precinct station would not confirm the identity of the dead man to The Associated Press, but said the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel had reported that a male guest killed himself there.
Carradine was a leading member of a venerable Hollywood acting family that included his father, character actor John Carradine, and brother Keith.
In all, he appeared in more than 100 feature films with such directors as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby.
But he was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest traveling the 1800s American frontier West in the TV series "Kung Fu," which aired in 1972-75.
He reprised the role in a mid-1980s TV movie and played Caine's grandson in the 1990s syndicated series "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues."
He returned to the top in recent years as the title character in Quentin Tarantino's two-part saga "Kill Bill."

Actress Gabrielle Union is fed up with gossip blogs making up stories about her and has decided to take a stand.
The star of 'Cadillac Records' and 'Daddy's Little Girls' has lawyered up and is planning to take legal action against the Web site Bossip for printing a disreputable anonymous letter from an alleged "nameless pro-athlete's wife."
Union declares that the entire story is bogus and unsubstantiated and has demanded that Bossip remove the letter, print a retraction and send a written apology to her.
A friend of the actress spoke to BV Buzz under the condition of anonymity about the matter.
"I want your readers to know that it's all completely false," the friend told me. "Gabrielle will move forward with legal action against the writer and Bossip. All she asked for was a retraction and apology and to take it off their site, but they refused and now her goal is to make them pay! They straight up published a manifesto of a crazy person and they had to know it wasn't true."
The 36-year-old actress has been prone to gossip headlines linking her to entertainers, athletes and other high-profile personalities since her divorce from NFL star Chris Howard in April of 2006.
In January of 2008, (see 'Blasting the Blogs: Gabrielle Union Speaks Out') Union spoke to me about her frustrations with the bad blog press.
"I almost get to a point where you can say whatever you want to say about me, but print some facts about our community that can help somebody," she said then. "I don't care, because I combat lies. I really used to think that if you read it ... in a magazine, a newspaper, or you see it on TV, then it has to be true. And it's just not true! I don't even know how to combat that except for do more good things for the people that I care about, which is my own community."
Now, the Omaha, Neb.-bred actress has reached her boiling point and refuses to be a punching bag for arbitrary blogs any longer.
"If there was any truth to it, she would've just let it die," her friend confessed, before adding, "But she's a black actress who really can't afford to sue but intends to go broke fighting this if that's what it takes!"

Brandy is breaking out her checkbook to put the worst day of her life behind her.
The R&B songbird has reached a settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit brought on behalf of the children of the woman killed in a December 2006 multicar collision involving the former Moesha star.
According to settlement documents obtained by E! News, the kids—Mrwan and Kareem Mohamed—will each receive $300,000.
The boys, who were then 15 and 11, were in the family's Toyota Corolla when it was struck by Brandy's Land Rover, killing their mother, Awatef Aboudihaj.
There was no immediate comment on the settlement from Brandy's lawyer or publicist.

Hideo Kojima has just popped up at Microsoft's keynote, and announced that the Metal Gear Solid franchise is coming to Xbox 360 with an all-new title.

This game is called Metal Gear Solid Rising, is a completely-new title, and rather than starring Solid Snake, will star Raiden.

Now, importantly, he didn't mention the word "exclusive". He just said it was "in development" for the 360.

Still, big stuff, no?

"Kimbo Slice," the controversial heavyweight who in 2008 headlined the most-viewed mixed martial arts card in history, will be one of 16 contestants on the forthcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter," the UFC's reality TV series.

Dana White, the UFC's outspoken president, has repeatedly mocked Slice for his lack of fighting ability. Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, became a cult figure by competing in street fights that were posted on YouTube. Slice's "bouts" drew tens of millions of views and led him to turn professional.

He fought for the now defunct EliteXC, garnering massive media attention but getting mocked by White and others affiliated with the UFC for a lack of ability.

White has called him a "joke," a "bum" and "not a real fighter," among other less than kind descriptions. He said that Slice would "get murdered if he fought in the UFC" and suggested that his lightweight champion, 155-pound B.J. Penn, would "annihilate" the 230-pound Slice.

The UFC president has repeatedly insisted he would not allow Slice to compete in the UFC unless he won his way onto the show by competing on "The Ultimate Fighter."

Slice has called White's bluff and will appear on Season 10 of the highly rated Spike TV series, White has confirmed. Fighters live in the same house and train together, and then fight during the show in a bid to earn a UFC contract.

His appearance, along with that of former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, should guarantee massive ratings.

"It should be interesting, given some of the things I've said about him," White said.

Slice, who has a 3-1 professional record, appeared in the main event of the first MMA card shown on network television in the U.S. when he fought James Thompson on May 31, 2008, on CBS.

Slice won by third-round stoppage in a bout that attracted a record 6.5 million viewers and remains the most-viewed MMA bout in history.

But Slice hasn't fought since Oct. 4, when he was knocked out by a jab from late replacement Seth Petruzelli, a light heavyweight, just 14 seconds into another fight broadcast on CBS. The plug was pulled on EliteXC, which reportedly lost millions of dollars, in the aftermath of the fight.

White promised "some major surprises" as he announced on a Thursday conference call that Jackson and Evans, each of whom is a former light heavyweight champion, would serve as coaches on Season 10.

He declined to say anything further but urged reporters on the call not to miss media day, which is Tuesday at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas.

White worked hard to keep Slice's appearance on the show a secret, hoping to have unveiled him Tuesday. Season 10, which is being called "The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights," was originally slated to feature a cast of eight heavyweights and eight middleweights, but the UFC quietly informed the middleweights who tried out that it was going with an all-heavyweight show.

And unlike in recent seasons, where the competitors had to win a fight to earn their way into the house, there will be no such arrangement this time. All 16 fighters – Spike and the UFC are keeping names of the others a closely guarded secret – will automatically move into the house.

Though White goes to great lengths to insist that nothing on the show is scripted, it's virtually guaranteed that Slice won't fight early in the competition. Having him around and alive in the competition is going to keep ratings elevated.

If Slice is able to advance to the live Dec. 5 finale, with a chance to earn a UFC contract with a win, ratings would likely be the largest in Spike history.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama headed to New York City on Saturday, May 30, 2009, to catch a show at the Belasco Theater. The president and first lady spent a "date night" in Manhattan with a private dinner and performance of "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."

I love our president and I have never said that before. He shows the nation that and him and his wife still have a marriage and life outside of the White House. Ain't no woman about to slide up in this marriage.

Former child star Jaimee Foxworth of the hit 1990s ABC sitcom 'Family Matters' has given birth to a baby boy.
The 29-year-old actress was ten days overdue when she gave birth to Michael Douglas Shaw Jr. on May 29.
Foxworth spent 21 hours in labor before birthing a healthy son at 6 pounds and 11 ounces.
The son's father is Foxworth's longtime boyfriend Michael Shaw.
"This is the best day of my life. I am so excited to be a mother and I also look forward to getting back to work," Foxworth said in a statement from her rep Elayne Rivers.
Illinois-bred actress recently appeared on the hit VH1 reality show, 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.'
She's also been named as one of the subjects on TV One's series 'Life After' premiering this fall.
After being written off of 'Family Matters' after its fourth season, Foxworth received little work in Hollywood and began to battle with drug abuse and depression.
Foxworth then began working as a porn star under the alias Crave.
She appeared on 'Oprah' in 2006 to discuss chaotic career.

Kimora Lee speaks on recent video of 14-year-old Trevor Casey, who was beaten so badly by police his mother couldn’t even recognize him.

I watched astounded, as two uniformed police officers manhandled a bloodied, teenage, young black male. I could not believe what I was seeing. I have since read that the two grown men choked and beat 14-year-old Trevor Casey so badly that his own mother, Karen, was unable to recognize him afterwards. He was not a “thug,” he was a child. He could’ve been yours’ or mine. I am not trying to rush to judgment against the police officers, but it was clear from the video that something obviously went wrong.

But the video tells a larger story than the violent incident visited upon the Caseys of Toledo, OH. It’s a story about the on-going conflict across our country between our communities and the agencies created to police them. Too often, these victims are black males. This is important to note since I’ve come to realize that, because this incident has been largely overlooked by the mass media, and also because it’s dawned on me that our children may not be safe.

As a mother of two beautiful daughters and another child on the way, I am horrified at the way that our young black males are stereotyped; viewed as negligible and disposable and destined for trouble. Mortified, then, is a good word to describe my reaction at having seemingly witnessed an attack on thin-limbed Trevor, who can’t weigh more than 115 lbs – including his non-threatening attire: summer shirt and wind shorts…

A source claimed that Gibson "paced back and forth, furiously telling the congregation that he would not stand by and be judged and scrutinized."
"Mel got up on his stage -- the altar -- and went off. He tried to intimidate the parishioners by staring at everyone with his angry eyes. Mel even threatened to shut down the church if people kept gossiping about him. The bottom line is that if Mel hadn't cheated on his wife and gotten his Russian girlfriend pregnant, there wouldn't be much to gossip about."
The source added, "He created this mess, and now he's trying to control it."
"Mel's completely lost it. [His] holier than thou world is falling apart around him -- all these years he's been preaching the good holy word, and now that the wizard's curtain has been pulled back, we find that Mel hasn't been practicing what he preaches."
Gibson has recently been upfront about his personal affairs, telling former 'Tonight Show' host Jay Leno last week, "My wife and I, our marriage ended three years ago and we've been separated ever since then... When it's all said and done, I did a pretty good hatchet job on my marriage myself. I'm to blame. If you're inclined to judge, put it here."

'Biggest Loser' trainer Jillian Michaels reveals why she and contestant Filipe Fa fought on screen -- he accused her of doping her team.
"Filipe said, 'I think Jillian is giving people drugs.' We had an entire 'Kenneth Starr' investigation. Because the minute someone makes that claim, you have to. They didn't shut down production, but it took a week. I was so furious, so disgusted. I felt so betrayed," Michaels told TV Guide.
Filipe had been working with Michaels' co-trainer Bob Harper. But when producers forced everyone to switch, things got a little ugly.
"Filipe didn't want to train with me," Michaels said. She then refused to work with him, herself.
"When he said, 'You didn't train me," I said, 'You're damn right I didn't train you!' I literally couldn't speak to him," she admitted.
Fa tells a different story. "We had some issues, obviously, with us switching teams. There was never an accusation about her giving drugs," the Season 7 contestant said.
However, executive producer Mark Koops backs up Jillian's story. "The accusation came from Filipe," Koops affirmed.
After an investigation into the allegations, all the contestants were found to be clean and Michaels was cleared of any wrong-doing.