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Timbaland Denies Dumping Chris Brown
Timbaland says he's got nothing but love for Chris Brown, despite the fact that Brown is now an ex-contributor to the MC's latest album.
"The decision was a mutual decision since both artists were at the time working on their solo projects," a rep for Timbaland tells E! News in response to a TMZ report that Brown's vocal on "The One I Love" was dropped due to all the "drama" in his life.
"Chris is a friend to us," the rep said.
Neither version is particualrly farfetched, but that's the official word.
Another rapper on the track, D.O.E., told TMZ that the tune was originally titled "Maniac," but was changed to "The One I Love" because of Brown's involvement.
Timbaland's latest solo effort, Shock Value II, is due out Dec. 8. Brown's new album, Graffiti, drops the same day.
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Get a load of the latest videos in both Chris Brown and Rihanna's repertoires right here.
Family Wants Second Autopsy for Real Housewife Kandi Burruss' Slain Fiancé
To get at the truth, the family of Kandi Burruss's late fiancé is looking to raise the dead.
A.J. Jewell did not have sickle-cell anemia, according to a spokesman for Jewell's relatives, who have requested that a second autopsy be performed by a private coroner to clear up any inconsistencies surrounding his death last month from a head injury sustained in a fight outside an Atlanta strip club.
Results are expected in about two weeks. The Real Housewives of Atlanta fixture was laid to rest over a month ago.
The Fulton County medical examiner ruled Jewell's death a homicide and the other guy in the fight, Frederick Richardson, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
But Jewell's family disagrees with the finding that sickle-cell anemia aggravated his injuries.
New Sweet Home for Khloé and Lamar
Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom finally have a roost to call their own.
E! News confirmed Monday that the newlyweds have purchased a seven-bedroom home in Tarzana, Calif.—pretty close to Kris and Bruce Jenner's abode in Calabasas—for close to $4 million.
In addition to sleeping quarters for all of Khoé's siblings and a few Lakers, the Mediterranean-style manse has nine bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a gym, a theater, a pool and spa, an outdoor cooking space with two fridges and a barbecue pit, and a driveway that can fit around 15 cars.
We're just going to assume that high ceilings were a prerequisite.
Not bad for a first home as husband and wife—and they even got a deal! The price had recently been reduced by a million dollars due to the real estate-unfriendly economic climate.
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While we wait for a Khloé at Home gallery, check out Khloé on the Karpet.
No, New Moon Absolutely, Positively Didn't Beat Dark Knight
Twi-hards, you were right: New Moon's Sunday box office was bigger than estimated.
Twi-hards, you were wrong: New Moon wasn't big enough to dethrone The Dark Knight as Hollywood's all-time opening-weekend champ. (Or, for that matter, to displace No. 2, Spider-Man 3.)
Final numbers, released today, show the Twilight sequel finished the weekend with a spectacular $142.8 million, up from the, well, spectacular $140.7 million of first reports.
In the end, New Moon made $72.7 million on Friday, $42.3 million Saturday and $27.8 million on Sunday.
Twi-hards, take note: Next time, the Dark Knight-beating number you're looking for on Sunday (assuming the other returns stay the same) is $43.5 million. Lotsa luck, Eclipse.
Exclusive
Modern Family: Is Shakira Getting In On the Act?
Shakira is no actress, but maybe it's time for her to become one.
She and her hips are wanted over at ABC's new hit comedy Modern Family.
"I'm trying to convince her to act," M.F. star and resident MILF Sofia Vergara told me at the American Music Awards. "Hopefully, she'll say yes."
Vergara liked our suggestion that...
TLC Lets the Door Hit Jon (Not So Much Kate) on the Way Out
At this point, there's almost nothing we don't already know about Jon and Kate Gosselin.
He likes Ed Hardy, ticking every box off the midlife crisis checklist and demanding privacy from the paparazzi, unless of course they want to patronize his lemonade stand or capture him bringing flowers to his ex-wife. His dislikes include spell-check and Nancy Grace.
She, on the other hand, enjoys employing ghost writers to pen cookbooks on organic food, berating her personality-challenged husband and recouping hundreds of thousands of dollars that were rightfully hers to begin with. She's not such a fan of anything less than industrial-strength pomade.
This much we know.
But TLC is reminding us of a few other Gosselin truths that have gotten lost along the way in the torn-apart family's reality swan song, as Jon & Kate Plus 8 comes to its confessional- and montage-filled series end tonight.
Like, no matter how heinous you think their parents are—and at this point it is just a matter of degrees—those Gosselin Plus 8 are downright adorable (and, lest we forget, the reason viewers flocked in the first place).
Jackson's Cash-Strapped Doctor Returns to Work
The doctor is in. Heaven help the patients.
The increasingly cash-strapped Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's infamous MD and the doctor at the center of authorities' still-pending investigation into the pop icon's death, returned to work Friday.
"Because of a deteriorating financial condition and prompting by many of his beloved patients, on Nov. 20, 2009, Dr. Conrad Murray resumed his cardiology practice in Houston, Texas," Murray's attorney, Ed Chernoff, said.
And he's wasting no time in expanding his services to the full scope of his former clientele.
"Dr. Murray plans to attend to patients in both Las Vegas and Houston. His decision to first return to practice in Houston was made because of the greater need these low-income patients have for his services and the prohibitive cost of reopening his clinic in Las Vegas."
And if you think people may be hesitant to get treated by the doctor who may or, slightly less likely, may not have had anything to do with Jackson's death, well, think again.
New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
It was big. It was bigger than expected. It was record-setting. But more on the new Sandra Bullock movie later.
New Moon will close out its remarkable debut weekend with an estimated $140.7 million, its studio reported today. The towering take makes the Twilight sequel the third-biggest opener in Hollywood history.
Or, to put it another way: Yes, The Dark Knight's opening-weekend mark is safe. And, yes, Spider-Man 3's second-place slot is secure. But, still, other records did fall to New Moon.
Stay tuned for more factoids, and a look at Bullock's The Blind Side, which showed bite of its own with a $34.5 million bow.
New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
It was big. It was bigger than expected. It was record-setting. But more on the new Sandra Bullock movie later.
New Moon will close out its remarkable debut weekend with an estimated $140.7 million, its studio reported today. The towering take makes the Twilight sequel the third-biggest opener in Hollywood history.
Or, to put it another way: Yes, The Dark Knight's opening-weekend mark is safe. And, yes, Spider-Man 3's second-place slot is secure. But, still, other records did fall to New Moon.
Stay tuned for more factoids, and a look at Bullock's The Blind Side, which showed bite of its own with a $34.5 million bow.
Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards
Kanye West might have a problem with it, but this is definitely Taylor Swift's year.
The 19-year-old twanger pocketed a leading five prizes, including the biggest, Artist of the Year, at Sunday's American Music Awards, while Michael Jackson made some history from beyond the grave.
The late King of Pop won four posthumous awards—including Favorite Pop/Rock Artist and Pop/Rock Album for his 2003 greatest hits set, Number Ones—bringing his AMA career total to 25.
In a night win neither of the top winners were present (Jackson for obvious reasons; Swift was in London rehearsing for a show at Wembley Arena), the Los Angeles cemerony was marked by a couple of outrageous performances (thank you, Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga) and welcome comebacks by Rihanna and Whitney Houston. But in the end, the ghost of Jackson was the night's most compelling presence.
"We love you, Michael," said a sequined-glove-sporting Jermaine Jackson who accepted the honor on his brother's behalf. "It's not just about the winnings, the awards, it's mainly the message. The message that Michael had will live on forever...and he saw good in everyone and he wanted them to do good. To start with love and let's love each other."
Sister Janet kicked things off with a medley of her hits. Even Swift, who accepted her Artist of the Year award (without interruption) live via satellite, paid tribute to Michael, whom she beat.
Jon (Plus Flowers) & Kate Reunite to Put Finishing Touches on Divorce
Jon Gosselin came bearing gifts. He left one giant step closer to losing a wife.
The artists otherwise known as Jon & Kate met face to face at a Pennsylvania law office on Saturday for a daylong arbitration meeting to essentially put a stake in their marriage.
Sources close to TLC's former fun couple say that the Gosselins closed in on finalizing custody arrangements for the eight and the division of assets. Jon even showed up with a bouquet of roses at the start of the meeting as a symbol of his newfound commitment to make things right.
But while Kate seemed amenable to the terms of their divorce, she left sans flowers.
The final episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 (at least as we know it) airs Monday. Their marriage could be over before the new year.
New Moon Eclipses Dark Knight!
As a PG-rated Robin might cry, "Holy crap, Batman!"
New Moon smashed The Dark Knight's single-day and opening-day box-office records with an estimated $72.7 million Friday, its studio reported today.
If the movie's unprecedented midnight business was "absolutely freakish," then its unprecedented full-day take was simply phenomenal.
"It doubled the opening day of the first movie—and Twilight was no slouch itself," Box Office Mojo's Brandon Gray said. "It's just sensational."
With New Moon having already eclipsed its $50 million budget, two of Dark Knight's showiest records, and Twilight's entire opening-weekend gross, about the only question left is: How high can this thing go?


