November 12th, 2012 | 11:03 am by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Well-Played: Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel Bring Beauty And Backpacks To Sandy Victims

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake hand out supplies to Sandy victims in NYC.

If anything was going to convince us that newlyweds Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel had nothing to do with that horribly tasteless homeless video his friends made, this was it: Just home from their glam wedding in Italy and secluded honeymoon in Tanzania, the couple headed out to hurricane ravaged Far Rockaway, New York, on Saturday to hand out supplies. Of course, we assume that if your home has been destroyed by floods and you haven’t had power in two weeks, the last thing you care about is who the person is handing you a backpack full of much-needed supplies, even if they have perfect bone structure. Still, we know relief efforts still need every helping hand they could get, so we hope that the sight of makeup-less Jessica and low-key JT laboring away for three and a half hours inspires a few of their fans to get out there and help too. Also, this might be the best collaboration ever between Timberlake and Timbaland.
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June 23rd, 2011 | 2:30 pm by Halle Kiefer (@hallekiefer)

Missy Elliot Battles Graves’ Disease

Just yesterday we were listening to “Gossip Folks” and practically weeping, just thinking to ourselves that there are children alive today who don’t know how hard Missy Elliot is capable of killing it. Anyone alive and possessing ears between 1997 and 2007 knows exactly what we’re talking about. However, as the singer now reveals, Missy Elliot’s Graves’ disease diagnosis hit her hard in 2008, and the rapper has slowly been in recovery ever since. “I was [driving and] trying to put my foot on the brake, but my leg was jumping,” Elliot recalls about her struggle with the autoimmune disease. “I couldn’t keep the brake down and almost crashed. I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad—I couldn’t even use a pen.”

While Graves’ disease is incurable, symptoms like hyperthyroidism, hair loss and weight gain are treatable; Elliot cites radiation treatment as helping put her illness into remission. “I’m 30 pounds lighter because I’ve been exercising,” Elliot says. “My thyroid is functioning, so I haven’t had to take medication in about nine months. [But] you live with it for the rest of your life.” Because this is the same woman who had approximately 5,000 songs on the radio at the same time during the late nineties, Missy Elliot’s new album, yet another collabo with partner Timbaland, will drop sometime this year, Missy Elliot’s Behind The Music episode premieres next Wednesday, and the rap game will completely change once again about 90 minutes after her album goes for sale on iTunes.

August 26th, 2010 | 9:44 am by Liz Black

Timbaland Responds To Suicide News And Tells Fans “It Ain’t Nothing To Worry About”

Timbaland commented on his alleged “suicide attempt” on Ryan Seacrest‘s radio show and he assured his fans that there’s nothing to worry about. He explained that he was indeed upset about a theft of some personal belongings, telling Seacrest, “People steal from me all the time. Stuff did happen, it wasn’t a watch it was something else.” But with regard to the police being called based on reports of an “alleged suicide attempt“, he said “I don’t know what happened to be honest with you, I don’t know what people are talking about. . .only thing I did was take a drive to see how my head is.”

Even though Timbaland’s own wife and mother-in-law were the ones who called the police, the producer has no idea why they  reacted that way and said that when the police finally located his car, he didn’t realize what was going on. “The officer pulled me over, he just had to do procedures,” Timbaland explained.  ”I snapped, ‘Who the heck reported something like that? No, why would I commit suicide?’” He was released by the cops after it was determined that he didn’t pose a threat to himself or others.

You can listen to the entire broadcast of Seacrest’s show with Timbaland here. We’re glad the incident is cleared up and that everyone is safe and sound.

August 17th, 2010 | 5:13 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Rap’s Top 20 Richest Artists Revealed

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First things first: Do people still say the word “bling”? Or is that term a relic of a bygone era? Either way, it’s no secret that there is a lot of money to be made by becoming a global hip-hop icon these days. So much so, in fact, that a normally hoity-toity magazine like Forbes has been putting together lists of the Top 20 Hip-Hop Cash Kings since 2007. To that end, the high-falutin’ magazine is putting its fawning coverage of Wall Street robber barons in a temporary holding pattern as they focus their efforts on counting down which rappers are making the most cheddar in 2010.

While you most certainly won’t be surprised to find out that Jay-Z currently holds the title as hip-hop’s wealthiest mogul — he raked in some $63 million last year, no big whoops — you might be surprised when you hear that Lil Wayne places fourth on the list, this despite the fact that he’s been behind bars since March. Hilariously, Weezy’s actually on track to earn more money this year ($20 million) than he did last year ($18 million).

Check out our gallery below to find out who else made the list (and how much they took home). Only one question remains: If hip-hop’s wealthiest don’t spend money on “bling” anymore, what do they spend it on?

February 5th, 2010 | 10:14 am by Anthony Miccio

Rihanna’s Sexy Super Bowl Suit

Rihanna

Lady Gaga isn’t the only fashion-forward pop singer and don’t you forget it! Rihanna took the stage at last night’s Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam in an outfit that split the difference between lingerie and shoulder-padded bodysuit, tastefully accessorized with goggles and a sword. Click here to watch her sing “Russian Roulette” and other hits at last night’s concert, as well as performances by Justin Bieber and Timbaland.

[Photo: Getty Images]

November 24th, 2009 | 11:01 am by Libby Keatinge

Timbaland Drops Chris Brown From His Album

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Chris Brown was officially dropped from Timbaland‘s new album, and although both parties insist it was a “mutual decision,” sources say it wasn’t entirely about the music. Chris’ vocals were removed from a song called “The One I Love,” due to the “drama” surrounding him. Although Timbaland’s manager confirms that Chris was dropped, he says there are no hard feelings. “There’s nothing against Chris. We love Chris,” he said. According to rapper D.O.E. – who does appear on the track – the song was originally called “Maniac” but was changed because “some people” didn’t think it would be a good idea to attach Chris to a song with that name. Yes, probably not the message to be sending right now. [Source: TMZ; Photo: Getty Images]

June 26th, 2009 | 4:49 am by Matt Muro

VH1 Pays Tribute To The King Of Pop

In addition to the one-hour tribute aired on both MTV and VH1 last night (see a clip of MTV’s Sway talking to a distraught Timbaland), the two sister channels are both going balls out to give Michael Jackson a proper send-off and his legions of stunned fans some memories to embrace.

Not only is VH1 News on the scene in Los Angeles, but VH1 Classic is airing a celebration throughout the weekend of the legacy of the artist who created the world’s biggest selling album ever, Thriller. Tune in to relive the songs, the performances, the choreography, and the styles that still impact pop culture four decades after Michael first became a star with The Jackson 5. VH1 Classic viewers are invited to share their own tributes and memories about the King Of Pop, some of which will be aired on TV.

Today (Friday) at 4PM ET, VH1 is premiering a VH1 News special covering Jackson’s entire biography. Also stay tuned for “Michael Jackson: King Of Videos,” a two-hour video tribute that Jackson himself loved when it originally aired — we hear The Gloved One called the producers of the special to thank them for their work after seeing it.

Stay with us, mourn with us — all weekend.

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March 27th, 2009 | 8:03 am by Becky Howard

Michael Jackson To Bring Britney, Justin On Stage?

Michael Jackson‘s concert tickets in London have sold out in record time (why? why?) but the erstwhile King of Pop is said to be bringing in some collaborators to keep the shows “fresh.” Britney Spears and MJ tribute artist Justin Timberlake are reportedly in the frame to join him for a a time during his UK dates.

“The idea would be for them to do five dates each with him. As well as Britney and Justin, he’s in talks with producer Timbaland about doing some of the dates too,” says the report.

If you’re talking about getting Justin AND Britney together for a show, then we’d be interested. Elswhere, Jacko’s proving that he’s still totally insane and lovably eccentric by apparently insisting he arrives at each concert by boat and appears on stage on an elephant. Of course he does.

March 10th, 2009 | 1:11 pm by Anthony Miccio

Birth Dating: Who’s Older? Jon Hamm Or Timbaland?

In 1997, producer extraordinaire Timbaland (a.k.a. Tim Mosley) released his first solo album, Welcome To Our World, with partner Magoo. Ten years later, Jon Hamm became an instant star with the premiere of AMC’s Mad Men. Both well-built men were born on March 10th. Which one is older?

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