The start of each year marks a new beginning for most, a time to let go of the old and begin anew.
Many of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities are doing just that. From Alicia Keys to Eminem, quite a few celebrities are moving on to bigger and better things in 2006. While there are still those who are stuck in the same old rut, many have embraced change and ventured in new and exciting directions.
Speaking of new directions, the husky voice of Keys will be singing a new tune…perhaps a television theme song.
She has a developmental deal with UPN to create a show that is loosely based on her childhood. The script is being written by Felicia Henderson, whose past credits include “Soulfood,” “Moesha,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Henderson along with Keys and her manager, Jeff Robinson, will be the executive producers. While there is no set date for shooting the pilot, Robinson said that it might air as early as next fall.
As many may already know, Keys is a multi-racial child with Irish, Italian, and Jamaican backgrounds. Which aspect in the singer’s life the show will cover is yet to be known.
Lil’ Kim is also getting a TV show of her own: a reality show.
Reginald Hudlin, BET’s president of entertainment, said that the series, titled “Countdown to Lockdown,” will air on BET March 9. The show will cover the two weeks before Lil’ Kim began her 366-day sentence at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center.
As some may vividly recall, the rapper was convicted on charges of perjury for lying about a shooting incident that happened outside New York radio station HOT 97 WQHT-FM.
With the cluster of reality shows that exist now, it’s hard to say whether this one will be successful or not, but if her fans support this endeavor as much as they have supported her music, it is destined to be a success.
The Queen Bee shouldn’t feel lonely because she isn’t the only one who will be calling prison home for a while.
Other celebrities will soon be trying to figure out what accessories go well with an orange jumpsuit.
Michael Tyler, also known as Mystikal, has recently been sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion. The rapper neglected to file tax returns on his income of $824,916 in 1998, and a whopping $930,953 in 1999.
U.S. District Judge James Brady ordered him to pay back taxes and penalties in addition to serving a year sentence, which he says Tyler can serve concurrently with his six-year sentence for sexual battery in Louisiana.
Beanie Sigel, whose birth name is Dwight Grant, can add his name to the list of entertainers who had court appointments this month. On Jan. 10, he was found guilty of a misdemeanor assault charge in Philadelphia. The rapper was convicted of breaking a 53-year old man’s eye socket.
The elderly man, Wendell Mathis, was allegedly defending a woman whom Sigel had called a “ho.” Sigel was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $180 in court costs.
On a less dreadful note, one Detroit rapper is marrying his high school sweetheart, yet again. Eminem, whose legal name is Marshall Mathers, and ex-wife Kim Mathers took a walk down the aisle for the second time.
According to Dennis Dennehy, a spokesman for Eminem’s label, the wedding took place on Jan. 14, in the suburbs of Detroit.
Friends such as 50 Cent, Obie Trice, members of D-12, and other members of G-Unit were in attendance.
The couple has a turbulent history, which has included everything from custody battles over their 10-year-old child, Hailie, to a song by Eminem about killing Kim.
For all the latest information on breakups and drama from planet Hollywood, check back next week. For this week, that’s the Hiss. Always keeping you informed on the day-to-day happenings of Hollywood.
Whether it’s good news or bad you’ll always hear it here.
Contact Kamaria Hopkins at famuanlifestyles@hotmail.com