 | Oprah Winfrey has a crush on Jay-Z - because he smells nice. Although she isn’t a fan of the ’99 Problems’ rapper’s music, the 55-year-old US talk show host thinks Jay-Z - who she recently interviewed - is a sweet scented heartthrob. She told O Radio: "Jay-Z is my new best friend. He was so charming and delightful - and he smelled so good. It’s the kind of thing where you hug a guy and the scent is sort of buried in them. When we went to the second location I could still smell him on me. It was like, ’Oh my, this is wonderful!’ " Oprah is reportedly on the lookout for a new man after splitting from her long-term partner Stedman Graham. According to National Enquirer magazine, Stedman told the media mogul he was "tired of being disrespected" before moving out of their lavish 5,000 sq ft Chicago apartment after Oprah went on a two-week luxury cruise with close friend Gayle King, leaving him home alone. Oprah and Stedman had been dating since 1986. They had planned to marry in 1992 but the proposed nuptials never took place. |
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We already knew that Rihanna and Kanye West appear on "Run This Town," the second single from Jay-Z's upcoming The Blueprint 3. And judging by the entire track listing Jigga released on his Web site on Tuesday, he's going to have plenty of help on the 15 tracks of the eagerly anticipated sequel, which drops on September 11. The long-in-the-works opus will kick off with "What We Talkin' About," a collaboration with eccentric singer Luke Steele of the Australian new-wave act Empire of the Sun. That's followed by the songs "Thank You" and the album's first single, "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)." Next up is "Empire State of Mind" with Alicia Keys, "Real As It Gets" with Young Jeezy, "On to the Next One" with Swizz Beatz and "Off That" with currently laid-up Lil Wayne protégé Drake. Though vets like Pharrell ("So Ambitious") and 'Ye ("Hate") also make appearances, Jay has plenty of other fresh talent on tap, from Kid Cudi ("Already Home") to Mr Hudson ("Young Forever") and rapper J. Cole ("A Star Is Born"). Jay, who will be among the performers at the 2009 Video Music Awards on September 13, also goes it alone on a couple of other tracks, "Venus Vs. Mars" and "Reminder." The track listing does not reveal one of the most intriguing collaborations that was rumored to appear on the album, a hook-up with psychedelic rockers MGMT, but they could still be sampled on one of the songs. |
 | -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, created by the billionaire founder of Microsoft Corp., sold almost all its pharmaceutical holdings, including Wyeth, Merck & Co. and Eli Lilly & Co., and bought shares of energy companies. The foundation also sold stakes in Pfizer Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, Baxter International Inc. and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. as of June 30, according to a U.S. regulatory filing today. The foundation held on to a stake in cancer drug developer Seattle Genetics Inc., and bought energy stocks such as Devon Energy Corp. The total value of the foundation’s investments listed in the filing dropped to $7.49 billion last quarter, from $8.48 billion in the previous three months. The foundation, which has an endowment of $30.2 billion, devotes two-thirds of its donations to health and the rest on education, hunger and poverty. The foundation also bought stakes in energy companies XTO Energy Inc., Range Resources Corp. and Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. Other new holdings included America Movil SAB, Latin America’s largest mobile-phone company, and M&T Bank Corp., whose second- biggest shareholder is Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Michael Larson, who manages the foundation’s investments, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment. Money managers who oversee more than $100 million in equities must file a Form 13F within 45 days of each quarter’s end to disclose their U.S.-listed stocks, options and convertible bonds. The filings don’t show non-U.S. securities or how much cash the firms hold. |
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HOUSTON — At 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds, Chris Brown could be the big back the Texans need to complement starter Steve Slaton in short-yardage situations. He showed that skill on a 2-yard touchdown run in Houston's preseason opener. Now the Texans are hoping they can count on him in that role this season after a back problem kept him out all of last year. "I think it made the whole team feel very good," coach Gary Kubiak said of Brown's performance against the Chiefs. "He wants to finish his career the right way — playing good football. I think our guys are rooting for him because he's very well-liked in the locker room and very respected." Slaton established himself as the starter by rushing for more than 1,200 yards as a rookie last season, but the Texans are looking for another back to ease his workload this year. Brown is Houston's biggest back by far, a full six inches and almost 20 pounds bigger than Slaton. If Brown can contribute, he should be able to help Houston's offense near the goal line, a place where Slaton struggled last season. "I feel like I can do that," Brown said. "I can go out there and get the job done, especially in the red zone. We've got two totally different styles and I think we complement each other very well." Brown, who signed with Houston in March 2008, appeared in one preseason game last season before a problem with a disc in his back landed him on injured reserve. He hasn't played in a regular season game since the finale of the 2007 season when he was with the Titans. He said it took a minute to get used to playing again, but that he got acclimated relatively quickly Saturday. "It's definitely been a confidence boost for myself knowing I can go out there and play well," he said. "Hopefully I can just build on that and keep it going for the whole season." He finished with six carries for 25 yards against Kansas City. Brown spent his first five seasons with the Titans where he ran for a career-best 1,067 yards in 2004. He had 851 yards rushing the next season but missed 15 games over his final two seasons in Tennessee with various injuries. He said sitting out all of last season was difficult, but that his desire to help the team made his rehabilitation easier. "That was a long road," he said. "But one thing I knew was that I was determined to get back. I knew that if I ever got the opportunity to come back I was going to make the best of it. I had to do everything I possibly could to get back on the field and get a chance to play." Brown said he feels good and that his back problems are behind him. "It's a good first week and we'll keep our fingers crossed that he keeps going, but (it's) very positive for our team," Kubiak said. |
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IRVINE, California — 50 Cent came to the concert in full costume on Friday night (August 14) to show love to his young homie Soulja Boy Tell'em during a Young Money Presents: The America's Most Wanted Music Festival tour stop. Fif surprised fans during Soulja Boy's set, hitting the stage in his killer clown outfit from the "OK, Alright" video. Fif took off his eerie mask and performed his latest single with Soulja, taking Tony Yayo's place for the night as high-energy hype-man. After that song, 50 went into one of his most popular records, the club banger "I Get Money." "I get money, I get money, I get money," Fif and Soulja yelled, throwing their arms in the air to excite the crowd. After a seconds-long break, the pair stuck with the money theme, ending the set with Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On." Fif switched gears and helped SB out on the mic. The Southside Queens MC even got on top of a giant speaker to encourage the crowd to stay engaged. "Hopped up out the bed, turned my swag on, I took a look in the mirror said what's up!" both yelled along with Soulja's S.O.D. Money Gang. "Yeahhhh, I'm getting money. Ohh!" Afterward, 50 told Soulja Boy TV he just wanted to come and see a friend. "I stopped by to see my man — you know what I'm saying." "Shout out to 50 Cent for coming through. The show was off the chain," Soulja Boy said. |
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Bow Wow may have split from former label Columbia Records last month, but he's wasted no time in getting a new deal - this time with Birdman's Cash Money. The actor/MC complained his former label didn't know how to promote rappers, but this time he's in great company - Cash Money boasts a roster that includes Lil' Wayne and Drake, among others. An excited Bow Wow posted on Twitter: "I'm officially the newest member to the Cash Money team!" Then chatting with MTV, he explained his decision for signing with the company. "We had two sit-downs." He says, "Upon the first sit-down, I called [Birdman] and told him what I wanted to do." "So it was a no-brainer. He was like, 'Bow, you always been family. Next to Wayne, I look at you like my son. If you not with JD [Jermaine Dupri], you with us.' From there, it was a done deal." Before Bow Wow releases a new album for his new home, he'll be starring in the comedy movie 'Lottery Ticket', along with Ice Cube |
