GOSSIP 2 GO 9/27

D'ANGELO IS DOING AIIGHT
-- R&B crooner D'Angelo, who won over America with his '90s soul ballads only to fade after bouts with the law and drugs, said he's ready to record after a car crash left him hospitalized for several days.
"I banged up my ribs but other than that I'm fine," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday from his suburban home. Out of the hospital for two days, the singer said he's eager to get back to the studio.
D'Angelo, 31, born Michael Eugene Archer, was in a 2003 Hummer on Sept. 19 when it crossed the roadway and struck a fence. He was ejected from the sport utility vehicle, State Police Sgt. Kevin Barrick said Monday. Archer wasn't wearing a seat restraint, Barrick said.
Barrick said Archer was initially listed in critical condition.
Archer and his lawyer/business adviser, L. Londell McMillan, said the injuries weren't serious. They said he was banged up and bruised but apparently had no broken bones.
"He has no cast on his body," McMillan said in a phone interview from his New York office. "He's walking around and he's certainly talking."
In an earlier statement, McMillan said, "He is anxious to finish the recording of his soul masterpiece that the world has patiently awaited."
Lynne Sellers also was injured in the wreck, authorities said. D'Angelo said she was at the wheel of the SUV. As for other aspects of the accident, he said, "To tell you the truth, I don't really remember anything."

A "DASH" OF SALT TO THE ROC WOUNDS
DAMON Dash is severing all ties with his former partner and friend Jay-Z. Dash is selling his share of Rocawear back to Jay-Z and other silent partners to the tune of almost $30 million. The duo had split up Roc-a-Fella Records earlier this year after a falling out. Insiders say Jay-Z, who is now president of Def Jam, initiated the split because he felt Dash was using him to get publicity and not pulling his weight. Dash is still working with Touret watch company, the Damon Dash music label, plus State Property and Rachel Roy clothing lines.

CONFESSIONS OF A PARK AVE. PLASTIC SURGEON
IN his new book "Confessions of a Park Avenue Plastic Surgeon," doctor-to-the-stars Cap Lesesne offers a bonanza of blind items about some of his famous patients.
Lesesne, who briefly dated Katie Couric, recalls when legendary photographer Francesco Scavullo was shooting "Anna," a Danish model, for a Victoria's Secret ad campaign. The lensman called up Lesesne because "he was bothered by a little smidge of hip fat pinching over the [bikini] string," the doctor writes.
"He needed to finish the shoot in three days," so Scavullo forced the girl to go under the knife right away. "I did the procedure the next morning, a Saturday," Lesesne relates. "We put iced towels on her until Sunday evening, and Scavullo shot on Monday, using concealer to cover what was left of the bruise."
Lesesne was at a Hollywood awards gala when a director pointed to a major movie star, saying, "I would cast him if he weren't such a lush and he didn't look like he'd been partying all night long. Can you make him look less dissipated?" He did.
When he operated on a Middle Eastern queen, her bodyguard threatened Lesesne's anesthesiologist, "If she dies, I will kill the doctor and you. I have diplomatic immunity."
"Diego," a "powerful Venezuelan oil magnate" called up screaming after Lesesne performed waist and hip liposuction. "You son of a bitch, you turned my penis black! My testicles are black!" he shrieked. "I'm gonna kill you!" Lesesne said Diego had wrapped his bandage too tight, cutting off circulation to the groin, and that it would go away.
"Frank, a New York anchorman, order[ed] me to make him look younger by removing the fat bags in his lower eyelids," Lesesne relates, "after his production manager comment[ed] on Frank's late-night carousing, a particularly deflating comment since Frank spends his nights at home, prepping for work."
"Liz," a "73-year-old dynamo and legend in the public relations field," had Lesesne change her breast implants three times in two years. "I change my breast size depending on who I'm dating," she told him. When he refused more procedures, she whined, "Can't you just put in a zipper?"

WHERE YOU SLIDIN' DIDDY?
The New York Daily News reports Sean 'Diddy' Combs was spotted at Duane Reade on 57th and Broadway last Saturday afternoon. "I asked the girl at the counter what he bought," a spy explained. "She said, 'Astroglide.'"

LIFE ON THE D-IVORCE LIST
Comedian Kathy Griffin filed for divorce from her husband, Matthew Moline, in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday. Her rep declined to comment, but the divorce papers cited irreconcilable differences. The couple have no children. Griffin and Moline wed in Hollywood in February 2001, as maid of honor Brooke Shields and guest Camryn Manheim looked on. The heavy metal band Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" played as Griffin was given away by her dad, John. "Matt's mom bought the Martha Stewart wedding book," Griffin told PEOPLE at the time. "And I kept saying, 'You're not going to have to crack that book open.'"

KIM'S TITTIES AIN'T THE ONLY THING BOUNCING IN JAIL
The New York Daily News reports crew members who worked furiously on last-minute Lil' Kim music videos before she went to prison Monday are fuming that their paychecks have bounced. The jailed rapper's publicist, Ronn Torossian, said she's not guilty on this charage. "Lil' Kim has nothing at all to do with any of this," Torossian said. "This (May 3rd Films) is an independent company Kim contracted to do her videos, and she knows nothing about this. It's a big surprise and disappointment to us." Read more

NICK CANNON DISCUSSES HOW FAR CHRISTINA MILIAN DIPS IT LOW
Nick Cannon was on the phone with Jackie & Bender of KISS 106.1 FM in Seattle on Friday (September 23) to promote his new film 'Roll Bounce'. Cannon was asked if he's still dating Christina Milian, but he said they're still friends and explained their relationship. He had props for his co-star Bow Wow, but joked a bit about "Lil' Bow Wow" dating now. Download and listen here.

THE R. KELLY DRAMA CONTINUES
R. Kelly can breathe a sigh of relief…for now. His wife, Andrea Kelly, has allowed a court to drop the order of protection she had secured against the R&B singer earlier this month, reports the Chicago Sun Times.
ndrea, 31, and the couple's three children have moved out of the crooner's Olympia Fields mansion in Chicago and moved in with relatives in a west suburb. She has also retained the city's top-rated divorce lawyer, Donald C. Schiller.

A hearing on the order of protection had been set for Friday morning, but Schiller appeared Thursday to inform the judge he could vacate the order.
"Our client has retained civil counsel for the purpose of trying to work out their marital problems rather than proceeding in domestic violence court," Schiller said.

After Andrea Kelly hired the firm of Schiller, DuCanto and Fleck last week, R. Kelly retained another high-profile divorce firm, Beermann, Swerdlove, Woloshin, Barezky, Becker, Genin & London, according to the newspaper.
On Sept. 2, Andrea appeared in Cook County Court and was granted an emergency order of protection after alleging she was "fearful of him.The order called for "no contact at all by any means" and gave Andrea possession of her 2003 Mercedes and her own belongings and those of the children.

Here is the unedited text of the petition filed by Andrea to obtain the order of protection: (Spelling and punctuation are from the document.) :

On Aug. 24, Kelly "snapped over a man in the background of a photo I took with my children at the Parrot Jungle Island" in Miami. That happened within two days of his snapping over a remark I made about a man in a magazine ad.]

Andrea's petition continues:
Last summer I was slapped for lieing to him and we made up but I asked for a divorce and he pinned me down and continued to hit me yelling "don't you leave me. Why are you leaving me.' He says I'm sorry I not a wife beatter my hand was open. It not like I did it for no reason ... you made me do it. I'm now fearful of him and I want to get away safe & be happy. No I never called the police. I thought it would get better."

R. (Robert) Kelly married Andrea Lee in 1996 when the then 22-year-old was a dancer on his tour. Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell reported two years ago that Andrea Kelly's family was unable to reach her, and was not being allowed to visit her at Kelly's Olympia Fields home or to get telephone calls to her. Her mother, grandfather and aunt told Mitchell they were upset and concerned. Kelly associates said that Andrea was told by Kelly to knock before entering a room in their house if he is at home hanging out with friends.

COMEDIAN PAUL MOONEY "SUPREMELY"DISSES DIANA ROSS
What started out as comedian/writer Paul Mooney's questionable "Nigga Wake Up Award" turned into an all-out insult to Diana Ross last night at the taping of the BET Comedy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. For some reason Mooney thought the famed singer was deserving of being talked about like a dog because of her arrest for drunk driving from a year or two ago.

Needless to say, Mooney's mean spirited tirade was met with disbelief, disgust and silence from the audience in the auditorium and members of the press in the media room covering the event. What made it more difficult to witness was the fact that Tracey Ellis Ross was in the auditorium while Mooney went through his attack. Actually Miss Ellis Ross couldn't take it and ran out of the auditorium.

Backstage in the press room when EUR's Lee Bailey confronted Mooney about his bit on Ross being way over the top, the comedian defended his actions.
"How can somebody get arrested for (being under the influence) and go to jail and I be over the top? I think that's over the top, don't you? Agree or disagree, folks. No, comedy is not over the top," Mooney said. "When you are a celebrity and you do crazy stuff, that's the game."
At that point Bailey asked him if thought about the fact that Tracey Ellis Ross was in the room while he delivered his diatribe against her mother.

"I didn't know ... her mama could've been in there, that's not the point. I didn't drive drunk," Mooney shot back. "Now I'm responsible for Diana Ross? If you scrutinize Jay Leno and David Letterman the same way you scrutinize me, then I'll agree with you, but if you don't touch them white folks don't touch me. They say what ever they want to say every night."
Record executive and member of old school group Club Nouveau, Jay King, was in the audience and was clearly disgusted by Mooney's comments.

"Diana Ross' thing to me was just a personal demon she was dealing with, it wasn't something that he needed to go on record (talking about). If he'd have kept it light and funny it would've been fine, but he got down right dirty and divisive," King told us. "He said he says nigga a hundred times a day, well today he did ... he was a nigga a hundred times for doing that. Her daughter was in that audience. That's ridiculous. He was nasty and he was rude. Paul Mooney knows better than that. He knows where to draw the line and stepped over the line tonight. I've seen him push the envelope, but tonight is the first time I've been offended by something he said, because with the Diana Ross thing, once he knew he was offensive, he just continued on ... he didn't wanna stop. At that point, he meant to hurt and damage somebody."

That raises the question of how BET is going to deal with Mooney's "moment." In fact, with all the "niggas," "bitches," "MFs" and other words that can't be said on TV, the network's producers and editors have got one hellava challenge ahead of them. The BET Comedy Awards air tonight from 9 until 11 PM E/P.

RAPPER BEANIE SIEGEL IS FREE
Rapper Beanie Sigel is free today after a Philadelphia jury acquitted him on charges he shot and nearly killed a man outside of a strip club two years ago.
Sigel, 31, was cleared of shooting Terrance Speller multiple times during a dispute on a crowded Philadelphia street. The victory is sweet for Sigel after a jury deadlocked on the charges in April 2004.
Sigel, born Dwight Grant, has had several brushes with the law over the years. In fact, his attempted murder trial comes just a few weeks after he was released from a federal prison on unrelated charges.
Media mogul Damon Dash lended support to the rapper during the recent court case.
Sigel's latest album is called the B. Coming.

posted by HOLIDAY N at Tuesday, September 27, 2005 | 1 comment(s)