Eminem has reportedly agreed to pay his dying mother's medical bills in an attempt to reestablish their relationship.

The rapper has allegedly agreed to pay $368,000 on hospital charges for his mom, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, who is suffering from stage four breast cancer -- the deadly disease has already spread to other parts of her body.

The pair have barely spoken since 2002 when Debbie, 51, sued her son for defamation following the release of the song "Cleanin' Out My Closet," in which he brands her a drug addict, an alcoholic and a "selfish [bleep]". Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 and faced bankruptcy in 2004 due to medical costs.

However, mother and son are showing signs of wanting to put the past behind them.

A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "The nightmare Debbie has been going through with her cancer has put everything in perspective.

"She is very weak and knows the prognosis is bleak. She is desperate to build bridges with her son and put things right before it's too late.

"(Eminem) has recently started helping her financially with her medical bills, they have spoken a few times on the phone and now she desperately hopes he will visit her."

Mathers-Briggs was diagnosed in 2003, and faced bankruptcy a year later due to mounting hospital fees.

During this time she said of her son, "I don't want his money. It would be wonderful though, if he just called me with some honesty and sincerity.

"A lot of people say I am really dying of a broken heart."

<b>Fans Shocked at Tragic Series for Eminem</b>
The recent events have come as a shock to some of Eminem's fans since he had not spoken to Debbie for so long.

Earlier this month a rash of horrible events have been announced by Eminem. First he announced his most recent divorce with his ex-wife, Kim, just a few short weeks ago.

Then the hype man, known as Proof from the rap group D12, was shot in an incident at a local Detroit nightclub ending with the death of both Proof and a bouncer, Keith Bender. Proof was a long time friend and the best man and Eminem's most recent remarriage to Kim Mathers.

Kim says she still doesn't understand why Eminem wanted to end their marriage.

The couple married for the second time in January but Eminem, subsequently filed for divorce on April 5.

In an email to Star magazine, Mathers writes, "I would just like to say that the reason my husband has filed for divorce still remains a mystery to me.

"The only thing I can tell you definitely is that Marshall has a problem being honest with me, himself and many others.

"I have done nothing but try and try with him and nothing is ever good enough. I wanted to seek out counselling, but as everyone around Marshall knows, he's perfect. It's everyone else who's f**ked up

"It's amazing to me how he can talk as much shit about anyone he wants and people buy it, but the minute someone speaks on him, they are automatically lying or trying to make money off his name.

She adds, "I really wanted our relationship to work this time. For me and my girls. It's terrible that it didn't, but I will manage to get through this. Me and my girls are very strong and they, unfortunately, have already been through so much."

Tags: Eminem, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, Eminem's Mother

Cindy Margolis, known as the "Most Downloaded Woman" on the Internet,planet, known universe, is following up her win on "Celebrity Cooking Showdown" with a career first -- posing nude for Playboy.

The mother of three told The Associated Press that she finally agreed to pose for the magazine when they called on her 40th birthday.

"Thank goodness for 'Desperate Housewives.' You're not dead just because you are married and have children," the actress and model said.

After turning down offers to pose for the magazine in the past, Margolis said she accepted this time because she felt posing nude at the age of 40 is empowering.

"In the past it would have been for gratuitous reasons," Margolis adds.

Now, she says, she is enjoying being the ultimate desperate housewife.

"It will be fun to go up against the 20-year-olds and show them that they don't have anything on me," she said.

Margolis has appeared in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and the annual "Lingerie Bowl."
Margolis also has made headlines in recent years for her struggles with infertility. She is the national spokeswoman for Resolve: The National Infertility Association. Margolis is  writing a book about the subject.

"I just want to make it more mainstream for people to understand infertility, to understand surrogacy and adoption," she said.

Margolis, a former "Price is Right" model, gave birth to son Nicholas in 2002 after a high-risk pregnancy. The child was her first with husband, Guy Starkman.

In 2005 Margolis and Starkman welcomed twins Sabrina and Sierra into the family. The twins were carried by a surrogate mother, and are biologically the couple's by in-vitro fertilization.

"It doesn't matter how you get your baby, even if it's via FedEx as long as you get to hold your precious baby in your arms. You can have your miracle child," Margolis said.

Gameloft, one of Europe's leading mobile game developers and publishers, said it plans several games under its exclusive, multiyear licensing agreement with Paris Hilton Entertainment Inc to develop, publish and distribute mobile games based on the heiress and pop culture icon.

"I'm excited to collaborate with Gameloft to bring the Paris Hilton brand and the glamour of young Hollywood to the cell phones of all my fans around the world," said Paris Hilton. "My phone has become an all in one entertainment device and mobile games are an integral part of that. Mobile gaming is really hot right now and I'm excited to be part of this project."

Games will be geared to tweens/teens but additional titles are scheduled for production to be aimed at both male and female fans. The first mobile game based on Paris Hilton is scheduled for release worldwide in summer of 2006.

There’s no word on what the games will actually do or what role Hilton will play in them. (No doubt mod makers will be hard at work trying to create a disrobing technique for these titles.)

Gameloft did not provide any financial details.

Television and film credits for Hilton, who hails from the famed family of hoteliers, include the reality television show "The Simple Life" and the horror film remake "House of Wax."

Hilton, 25, is a frequent party-goer who has penned two books, sold branded perfume and is planning to release her debut album of music this fall.

In February 2005, the FBI  investigated that unlisted and super-secret telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of the stars were obtained by hacking Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick. The hack gained access to the phone number of such megacelebs as Eminem, Lindsay Lohan, Christina Aguilera, Andy Roddick, Ashlee Simpson, Victoria Gotti, Vin Diesel, Anna Kournikova and more.

Now, who knows what games Paris has in store for the "all in one entertainment device."  Maybe she'll do a game called "Sweet Revenge".

Tags: Paris Hilton, Gameloft

Ashanti Escorts Body of Cousin Back to USA, Cousin Killed by Drunk Driver

Singer Ashanti pulled out of a scheduled concert in South Africa over the weekend after her cousin was killed by a 17-year-old drunk driver. Ashanti grew hysterical, hearing the news of the tragic death of her young cousin.

Quinshae Snead was on her way to Ashanti's hotel to pick up something for the Grammy award-winning singer before her Saturday concert when the accident occurred.

According to police, the 20-year-old was a passenger in a car that was rear-ended.

Snead was flung from the car as it rolled over and thrown into the path of another car in the opposite lane.

The teenager was arrested for drunken driving and hospitalized.

The driver of the car Snead was in was also injured and taken to hospital.

Ashanti will escort her cousin's body back to the U.S.

Actor Antonio Banderas stunned viewers in the US by revealing on live TV he is a woman.

According to contactmusic.com, Banderas stripped off his suit during the opening monologue as host of the show "Saturday Night Live" revealing a pink dress and knee-length leather boots and saying he was sick of being called a "macho man".

He said: "Probably tonight is the beginning of the end of my career... After the show finishes I will not only be deported from this country but there is a strong possibility that they won't allow me back into mine.

"But, you know what, I am tired of being called a Latin lover, a macho man... I am not an object. You will understand why I am saying this once you know the truth... I am, in fact, a woman. My real name is Guadalupe, but you can call me Lupita, or as some people know me, 'Puss In Boots'.

"I have so much conflict over the past several years. As a man, I was living a lie, as a woman I am obviously less attractive but it is what it is."

He further showed his comic skills by imitating Mexican president Vincente Fox.

Known also as Derty Harry, Proof was probably best known as the basis for the character Future, played by Mekhi Phifer, in Eminem's 2002 cinematic psycho-biography 8 Mile (Big Proof also had a small role as a rapper named Lil' Tic).

Heated Argument Before Deadly Shootings

An altercation inside the Detroit nightclub led to the death of D-12 rapper Proof after an argument allegedly turned into a gunfight, leaving a bouncer wounded and Proof dead.

A source who requested anonymity reported to that a heated verbal argument broke out between Proof and a bouncer and escalated.

Shortly thereafter, Proof was shot and killed around 4:30 am and the bouncer was seriously wounded, both with gunshots to the head.

"Proof knocked dude down and stood over him with gun in hand," a source close to Proof reported.

"Proof shot first. The bouncer on the ground didn't shoot Proof, another bouncer did. Proof was shot 4 times--twice in the head and twice in the chest, stomach area."

Police have identified the second man as 35-year-old Keith Bender.

Bender is alive, but is still in critical condition.

"Dude [Bender] is on life support and not expected to live at all," the source continued.

Investigator continue piecing together details of the shooting but have stated they believe two guns were used in the shooting.

Proof was licensed to carry his weapon.

18 Incident Reports Since 1996 for the Club

Officers have frequently been called to the club, taking 18 incident reports since 1996.

The club was raided in December of 2005 for selling alcohol to minors, and Proof's murder was the third time a shooting had occurred at or near the club.

"All this s**t is senseless and real f**ed up. Proof was a longtime friend who wouldn't stay the f**k out the hood. Too many jealous people in the hood mad cause you made it.

"8 Mile [road] near Hayes on Detroit's Eastside at 4 am in the morning? That Triple C spot always has drama up there. Why was he there?" the source continued.

The police questioned one witness in the case and seek to speak to others to find suspects.

The club did not have a video surveillance system police officers revealed.

Proof served as Eminem's best man in the rapper's short-lived wedding to Kim Mathers.

Proof Eminem Connection

Here's the Detroit Metro Times in 2001 on D12's relationship with Eminem (a.k.a. Marshall Mathers)... Marshall Mathers himself has said that Bizarre comes up with more twisted rhymes than he does. If you've heard the one about eating a miscarried fetus, you know there's no contest.

This crude style became a fixture early in the game when Proof and Bizarre started the group around a decade ago. Mathers grew up in a house down the street from DeShaun Holton (Proof) and, as the story goes, Eminem would cut class and head over to Proof's school for freestyle battles where the two would hustle classmates out of their lunch money. As the group solidified, Eminem got a solo shot at success when he won second place at the Rap Olympics. Next came L.A. and studio time with Dr. Dre. After Interscope Records gave him a label, his first instinct was to hook up D12 with a release.

In June, 2005, the Metro Times reported that Big Proof had recently quashed his beef with Royce da 5'9"--another respected hometown rapper:

[The] conflict between Royce and Proof became such that even voyeurs--the fans and media--considered it over-the-top.

Then Royce says Proof left a threatening message on his voicemail, cocking a gun over the speaker.

Proof says he caught a rumor that Royce had put a hit out on him. "I heard it while I was overseas," he says, laughing, leaning casually on the arm of the studio couch. "It got to the point where so many people around us wanted the beef to happen," Royce adds, "that they started makin' up shit. We hadn't had enough words for me to want to kill him."

Earlier on the night the emcees finally had it out, Proof had heard that Royce was downtown. He collected his crew, and hunted down the rapper to resolve the beef that had gone too far. Proof says he wanted peace but was ready for conflict. And Proof took his entourage because he knew Royce wouldn't be alone. Maybe Royce and Proof know each other too well.

Royce claims that the guns came out only as warnings, but clear warnings. "It wasn't like the O.K. Corral," he says. "I was like, 'I'm feelin' uncomfortable. You feelin' uncomfortable. Let's walk over here and talk it out.'" So they talked, leaving their respective mobs standing off to the sides. Slowly, they began to clarify their positions. Slowly, the tension eased. And then ...

"Woo-woo-woo!" Proof says, twirling his finger in the air to signify a police car siren. A nearby cabbie had called the cops. They were soon in the downtown clink, in neighboring cells.

"It took us to be in jail to sit there and really kick it and converse," Proof says. "It's like, 'Yo, man, we in jail! With felonies and shit! What the fuck? That's when I realized it was crazy."

Searching for Jerry Garcia

In August, 2005, Proof talked to the Detroit Free Press about his first album on his own Iron Fist Records label, Searching for Jerry Garcia.

"People hear the title," he says, "and wonder what in the world I'm talking about."

Among the puzzled were the administrators of Jerry Garcia's estate, who insisted Proof obtain permission to use the name of the late Grateful Dead guitarist, a moniker that has long evoked instant images of '60s hippie culture.

But while Proof is a well-versed fan of rock, including the Dead's rootsy folk and blues, his album isn't some interstellar merger of rap and tie-dyed San Fran jam. The title actually reflects a more personal quest, one that began during the height of D12 mania, when the lightning-tongued MC found himself plagued by "stress, a bad diet and drugs."

Proof says he found resonance in the story of Garcia, who endured similar struggles while continually seeking catharsis in an eclectic musical approach.

"It's about coming back, finding the way," he says. "I think there's some Jerry Garcia in all of us."

The rapper, whose real name is DeShaun Holton, leaves behind five children.

Tags: DJ12, Eminem, Proof, Keith Bender

"Yes, I haven’t done very much work in the last 18 months, it’s true,” he said. “I did slightly lose interest, but then I got bored. I got bored with being bored, so I am back.”

In “Dreamz,” Grant, 45 and still single, is obviously playing nasty “American Idol” guru Simon Cowell. Grant has met Cowell, but, “I don’t know him at all,” he said. “This part is not particularly based on him, aside from the fact that I am a judge on a talent show that’s massively popular, and I am very cruel. There the resemblance stops.”

Grant had never seen “American Idol” until he decided to do “American Dreamz,” then he watched tapes.

What did he think of this phenomenally popular show?

"I enjoy cruelty. I like people being humiliated. I like watching freaks. The freakier the better, as far as I am concerned. I think in a way the show doesn’t go far enough,” he said. “I would quite like to see the losers tortured."

And the winners?

"Especially the winners, too,” he said.

“No, it’s very fascinating. I think in a way it is very much a return to ancient Rome and watching Christians being fed to the lions. . . . That gene is within some people, probably all of us actors in the film, however much you play it down and try to deny it, you want to be in the limelight. That’s what all these tragic characters on ‘American Idol’ obviously have. It’s particularly enjoyable to see that in someone when they don’t have the talent to match it. So I totally understand the appeal.”

Would Grant ever want to host a reality show?

"I have always had a secret desire to be on television, actually. I like reality shows; I am a particular fan of one in England, of ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!’ That’s sort of how I feel right now,” he joked.

"If it wasn’t beneath my dignity, I’d be doing lots of them. In fact, I tried to persuade Colin Firth to do a celebrity wrestling match with me for ‘Comic Relief’ a couple of years ago, but he was afraid. Not physically, but I think he was afraid,” Grant laughed, “of becoming aroused.”

Tags: American Idol, Hugh Grant, Simon Cowell, American Dreamz

Close friends of Eminem are worried the hip-hop star is at the edge of suicide after suffering a heart-breaking series of tragic events.

The rapper recently announced earlier this month he was divorcing wife Kim, just 81 days after the couple married for a second time.

And the star was left stunned by the murder of his best friend, rapper Proof, earlier this week.

On Friday, Eminem issued a statement saying that Proof, 32, was his best friend and helped make him a star.

"He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady," the statement said.

"Not a day will go by without his spirit and influence around us all. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop."

Proof was a member of the rap group D12 and was the best man in Eminem's January wedding. He died Tuesday in a shooting at a Detroit club.

Mario Etheridge, 28, of Detroit, was charged Friday with carrying a concealed weapon and discharge of a firearm in a building in connection with the shooting, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said.

Officials said that without the weapons charges, authorities would have had to release Etheridge from custody. He was to be arraigned Saturday in 36th District Court in Detroit.

Etheridge has been held by police since he surrendered Wednesday afternoon.

Proof's funeral will be held on Wednesday.

A friend of Eminem told mediatakeout.com, "I'm not sure that (Eminem) can handle all this ... I'm worried that he may try to hurt himself."

Along with the trauma of his impending divorce and the death of his best friend, he checked himself into a substance abuse clinic last year to recover from a sleeping pill addiction.

Shortly after announcing he was divorcing, his estranged wife Kim suggested on a Detroit, Mich., radio station that he is still addicted to the pills.

Eminem attempted suicide in 1997 after Kim left him and barred him from visiting his daughter, Hailie.


Tags: Eminem, Proof, Mario Etheridge, Suicide, 8 Mile

Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds is suing singer Anita Baker for allegedly failing to pay him for a song he produced for her.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday, claims Baker broke two oral agreements with Edmonds. Babyface claims Baker refused to pay him producer's fees and royalties for the track "Like You Used to Do."

Babyface claims he also co-wrote the song with Baker, according to Web site TMZ.com.

The song featured on Baker's 2004 album, My Everything, which reached gold record status. The lawsuit claims Baker refused to pay Edmonds producer's royalties equaling at east $100,000 from an estimated more than 500,000 albums sold.

Babyface also alleges the singer entered into an verbal agreement with him to perform at her concerts in Los Angeles, Detroit, New York City and Chicago in June and July 2005.

The suit states Babyface performed in Los Angeles and New York City before Baker cancelled the shows in Detroit and Chicago.

Babyface claims Baker was supposed to pay him $75,000 for each of the four concerts, but he was only paid $150,000.

The suit asks for at least $250,000, plus royalties and legal fees.
Spokesman Cem Kurosman from Baker's label, Blue Note, declined to comment Friday, saying the label had no knowledge of the lawsuit.

Edmonds, 47, has written hits for a number of R&B stars, including Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Bobby Brown.


Tags: Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Anita Baker