Kanye West
West Dismisses Airplane Altercation Reports
Kanye West has denied a report he threw a tantrum after he was seated in business class on a recent flight.
The Stronger rapper was said to have flown into a rage after he and his assistant were refused luxury first class seats and forced into business class while flying from Los Angeles to New York on Monday (01Feb10). But West maintains there's no truth in the report.
In a post on his official blog, West writes, "I feel bad that people believe this kind of stuff or any random rumor that is taken as fact because 'it's on the internet.' This rumor is particularly ironic because I was actually happy with a business class seat and was offered a seat in first class. A friend of mine was sitting in coach so asked if they could bump him up to business instead of putting me in first. There was absolutely no altercation in any way.
"There's been many a time where I've given someone in coach my business or first class seat in order to sit next to a friend I bumped into. I really could care less (sic) about where I sit on the plane. It's hard to deal with the rumors sometimes. As a good person with a warm heart, it does bother me. I'm not bigger than feeling pain, embarrassment, stress and worry. Have you ever been lied (about)??? How does it make you feel??? You wanna tell everybody it's not true right?"
The hip-hop star ended his message: "Thank you to all my fans who still love and support me even though it's not the trend right now! I'm sleeping in the studio and I won't let you guys down!"
Eve Named In Money Laundering Investigation
Rapper Eve has been linked to a multi-million dollar money laundering investigation centred around her on/off boyfriend Teodorin Nguema.
Nguema, the son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea, is under observation by authorities for a number of money transfers made between several U.S. bank accounts.
According to ABC News, Eve's name is mentioned in the massive U.S. Senate investigation, which has been under wraps for the past three years.
Nguema is alleged to have used lawyer friends, real estate agents and the rap star to set up shell companies in the States, through which he then wired cash to fund his lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of a mansion in Malibu, California.
The hip-hop star, full name Eve Jeffers, is named as the president of Sweet Pink, Inc., a firm set up in late 2005 and reportedly used by Obiang "to employ individuals at the home (Obiang) maintained before he purchased the Malibu Property and to handle payroll and other matters related to the employment of those individuals".
A representative for Eve had yet to respond to requests for a comment as FemaleFirst went to press.
Ne-Yo: 'Lohan Abandoned Pop Collaboration'
Ne-Yo has cast doubt on Lindsay LohaN's pop return after the actress/singer abandoned plans to record more songs with the R&B hitmaker.
The Miss Independent singer worked with Lohan in 2008 on her single Bossy and made arrangements to head back into the studio to record more music together for her forthcoming third album.
But Ne-Yo has not heard from Lohan since and he's not sure he ever will.
He tells PopTart, "We were doing some stuff and then it just fell off and hasn't got back on. I'm not gonna hold my breath."
However, the smooth star is refusing to give up on the project altogether and has called on Lohan to get in touch when she's "ready".
He adds, "Lindsay, when you're ready to get it in (finish their collaborations), give me a call."
Lohan announced plans for her next album, tentatively titled Spirit in the Dark, in 2007 after signing with Universal Motown but the project has no expected release date.
