Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic(NEW YORK) -- It's safe to say that Nicki Minaj probably doesn't have any monetary concerns right now, thanks to the success of her album Pink Friday, not to mention her deal with OPI nail polish. But is she spending her money wisely? Well, she confesses to Vogue magazine, that at one time, she was spending $50,000 a month ... on accessories.
"Guiseppe, Versace, YSL and Fendi shoes," Nicki confesses. "And I bought tons of Vuitton bags. When you’re a young girl from Queens, you’re going to stock up on those bags.” When it comes to clothes, though, Nicki isn't nearly so free with her cash. "If I can combine designer things with other things, I’m a happy camper," she says.
Nicki says that unlike some stars, she doesn't plan to live high on the hog and not give anything back. She tells Vogue that she has plans to start "an enormous foundation to nurture girls," adding, "They hang on my every word, so I tell them, go to school, be ambitious. The worst position is to be financially dependent on the man." And even though Nicki tells Vogue that she sometimes imagines being a stay-at-home wife, cooking dinner for her husband in a "bikini and high heels," she says that in real life, "I could never be that girl!"
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MONTGOMERY, Ohio) -- Daniel von Bargen, perhaps best known as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld, was hospitalized this week after shooting himself in the head in a botched suicide attempt.
The Montgomery, Ohio, resident shot himself in the temple with a Colt .38 gun on Monday. He called Hamilton County 911 after his attempt failed.
According to the call, Von Bargen shot himself to avoid going to the hospital. After the dispatcher asked if the shooting was accidental, von Bargen responded, "No, I was supposed to go to the hospital today, didn’t want to … well, I shot myself.” Von Bargen is a diabetic and was supposed to have two of his toes amputated that day.
The harrowing call was caught on tape. Entertainment site TMZ has the call.
One can hear Von Bargen painfully describing what happened to the dispatcher.
“Yes, I shot myself in the head and, uhh, I need help,” he said.
Unable to open his eyes or move to open his door, he was able to stay on the phone until police and fire officials arrived at his home five minutes after he called 911. Apparently worried that Von Bargen may have other weapons around, police can be heard yelling at Von Bargen to stay still and keep his hands where they could see them.
According to Montgomery Police Srgt. Greg Vondenbenken, Von Bargen was “seriously injured.” They took him to Bethesda North Hospital, where Vondenbenken says that his condition is improving.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Lindsay Lohan's future is looking brighter. A day after news broke she'd be playing Elizabeth Taylor in a Lifetime movie, a Los Angeles judge said the actress is sailing through probation with flying colors.
"You're in the home stretch," Judge Stephanie Sautner told a beaming Lohan in court Wednesday morning. "You seem to be getting your life back on track and that's what we all hoped for."
Sautner explained as long as Lohan keeps her nose clean, and completes 14 more days of community service and five therapy sessions by the next progress hearing March 29, her formal probation on DUI charges will be considered successfully completed. Her probation on a theft case will require her only to "obey all laws," Sautner said.
Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(KAMPALA, Uganda) -- American television producer Jeff Rice was found dead in a hotel in Uganda and police told ABC News he died of an apparent cocaine overdose.
Rice’s body was discovered in a luxury hotel in the capital city of Kampala on Friday. His assistant Katheryne Fuller was found unconscious and is now recovering at a hospital.
Police say hotel staff noticed a man hanging on a balcony. When they went to the room, they found Rice’s body on the balcony and Fuller lying in the room. Staff called police and rushed the victims to a hospital where Rice was declared dead, police said.
“Ms. Fuller is slowly recovering, and when she is recovered enough we will be able to talk to her and find out more about what happened,” said Uganda Police Force spokesman AsumanMugenyi.
Police initially believed Rice and Fuller may have been sickened by some type of food poisoning. Mugenyi denied reports that Rice was poisoned after he rebuffed a shakedown attempt from local thugs.
Rice was a veteran producer who worked on the latest season of the hit reality series The Amazing Race and the Emmy-nominated Animal Planet series Whale Wars. In addition to raising two young kids, he and his wife Sally Blackman operated a television and film production company called SB Productions in Durban, South Africa. Fuller was an employee of their company.
Rice and Fuller were not working on Amazing Race in Uganda. Fuller’s father Stuart Fuller said they were shooting a documentary and other crew members who were with them should know more about what sickened them.
Dan MacMedan/WireImage(LONDON) -- Adele’s trophy shelf is already groaning under the weight of the six Grammys she won earlier this month, but now she’s got two more bits of hardware to add to it. The singer picked up two honors at the Brit Awards, the British equivalent of the Grammys, held Tuesday in London. Her album 21 was named Best British Album and she was named Best British Female Artist.
According to the BBC, Adele, who performed “Rolling in the Deep” at the ceremony, told the audience, “Nothing makes me prouder than coming home with six Grammys and then coming to the Brits and winning album of the year. I’m so proud to be British and to be flying our flag.” Someone then came up to Adele on the podium and cut her off mid-speech. She accepted the diss with a smile, but threw her middle finger up. According to Idolator.com, she said afterwards, “It was for the suits, not for my fans. Sorry if I offended you.”
ITV -- the network that aired the Brits -- later issued a statement about the incident, saying: “The Brits is a live event. Unfortunately the programme was over-running and we had to move on. We would like to apologise to Adele for the interruption.”
A spokesman for the show added, “We regret this happened and we send our deepest apologies to Adele that her big moment was cut short. We don’t want this to undermine her incredible achievement in winning our night’s biggest award. It tops off what’s been an incredible year for her.”
Adam Rose/FOX(LOS ANGELES) -- Tuesday night's episode of Glee didn't live up to the show's title: as the finale ended, viewers witnessed what was quite possibly the death of Quinn Fabray.
The episode started with nasty Sebastian, the Warblers' frontman, telling Rachel that unless she dropped out of the Regionals competition, he'd post a Photoshopped image of Finn online, showing him naked and wearing women's heels. Rachel refused to give in to his blackmail, which ticked Finn off. But then, Dave Karofsky, the closeted gay student who used to beat Kurt up, takes center stage. After being outed by his classmates, he's so devastated that he attempts suicide by hanging himself; his father finds him in time and takes him to the hospital. He'll live, but his act has ramifications for all the other characters.
First of all, Karofsky's suicide attempt makes Sebastian withdraw his blackmail attempts -- we see in a flashback that Sebastian had contributed to Karofsky's misery by needling him at the local gay bar and telling him to stay in the closet. In fact, Sebastian tells New Directions that not only is he not going to post the picture of Finn online, but that the Warblers are going to dedicate their Regionals performance to Karofsky, and ask for donations to Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation at the event.
The suicide attempt also makes Finn and Rachel realize that life is too short to wait; they announce they're tying the knot right after they win Regionals, at the Justice of the Peace. At Regionals, New Directions destroy the competition with their renditions of "Fly/I Believe I Can Fly," "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" and "Here's to Us," taking first place. As Rachel and Finn's parents try to think of a way to stop the impending marriage, Coach Sue Sylvester, who announced she was pregnant earlier in the episode, tells Mr. Schue that she wants to help him win Nationals. She has yet to reveal the baby's father.
Meanwhile, Quinn, who was initially opposed to Finn and Rachel's marriage, tells Rachel she'd like to come after all, but she has to go home and get her bridesmaid's dress. The ceremony is supposed to start, and Quinn is heading to the courthouse, but she's stuck behind a slow-moving car. Rachel frantically texts her to find out where she is, and when she picks up the phone to text, "On my way," another car smashes directly into hers. The screen goes blank, then follows with a "to be continued."
Will Quinn live or die? Will Finn and Rachel tie the knot? Who's Sue's babydaddy? Find out when Glee returns April 10th.
Peter Kramer/NBC(LOS ANGELES) -- Will Ferrell is leaving his imprint on the Oscars, in more ways than one.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday that Ferrell and fellow funnyman Zach Galifianakis will present at the Oscars ceremony. They join a list of presenters that also includes Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and many more.
The Academy Awards will air live on ABC this Sunday.
Toby Canham/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Lindsay Lohan has scored the role of a "lifetime."
According to Access Hollywood, Lohan will portray Elizabeth Taylor in a Lifetime movie about the legendary star's romance with Richard Burton.
However, she reportedly could be yanked from the project if she were to run afoul of the law again.
Lohan's rep declined to confirm the story. It was reported last month that Lohan was competing with Megan Fox for the lead female role in the Lifetime movie, titled Liz and Dick.
Lohan is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on March 3. But first things first: she must return to a Los Angeles court Wednesday morning for a progress hearing. If all goes well, she will complete her probation for previous DUI and theft convictions in late March.?
Sandra Rose/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- With Whitney Houston's death still fresh in fans' minds, her ex-husband may try to revive a memoir he worked on years ago.
An unnamed publisher tells The Huffington Post that Bobby Brown shopped a tell-all book in 2008 but didn't draw much interest at the time.
However, the publisher says, "Now is the time for a book that details an honest look into the life of Whitney."
A friend of Houston's believes Brown would want to write a memoir just so he can make some money. However, The Huffington Post speculates that Brown might not go ahead with the project out of consideration for the ex-couple's teen daughter, Bobbi Kristina.
The report also states that he signed a confidentiality agreement when he divorced Houston.?
ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT(LOS ANGELES) -- Charlie Sheen has changed his opinion of Ashton Kutcher, his replacement on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Speaking with TMZ.com last week, Sheen said, “I’m tired of lying and tired of pretending Ashton doesn’t suck." He also said he "feels bad" for Kutcher because he's been, "saddled with such bad writing" on Two and a Half Men.
Sheen was more complimentary of Kutcher on Tuesday, when he wrote on his website, "Dear Ashton, My bad. I was disrespectful to a man doing his best. I got excited and threw you into a crossfire."
Sheen didn't bother trying to make amends with Kutcher's colleagues on the Two and a Half Men set.
He wrote to Kutcher, "The rest of my statement I stand behind. You, however, deserve better."
Sheen signed the message as "The 'late' Charlie Harper," in reference to his Two and a Half Men character, who was killed off the show.
Sheen was fired from Two and a Half Men last year due to his erratic behavior at the time. He then filed a $100 million lawsuit against Two and a Half Men producer Warner Bros. that was later settled.
Warner Bros. recently demanded that he stop using publicity photographs from his Two and a Half Men days to promote his upcoming FX comedy, Anger Management.
According to E! News, Sheen will begin shooting his new series on March 22. It debuts in June.?
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) -- There's some speculation that Drew Barrymore may be pregnant.
The 37-year-old actress was spotted leaving a Beverly Hills doctor's office last week carrying what may have been sonogram results, reports TMZ. Barrymore is engaged to art consultant Will Kopleman.
Barrymore's rep refused to comment on the report.?
Eric Charbonneau/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) -- You won't see Jennifer Aniston's breasts in her new film, Wanderlust. She went topless for a scene in the comedy, opening Friday, but a source tells TheWrap.com that Aniston demanded that it be pulled from the film in deference to her co-star and boyfriend, Justin Theroux.
In the scene, Aniston reveals her chest to TV news cameras. The version that made the final cut shows Aniston topless from behind, with her bosoms censored on TV news broadcasts.
A rep for Aniston denies the actress insisted that the nude version be removed from the movie, telling TheWrap.com, "The scene is how it was always supposed to be." A spokesman for Wanderlust studio Universal says, "The scene was shot a bunch of different ways, and we have the best possible version."
Eric Charbonneau/WireImag(LOS ANGELES) -- Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer each collected another award Friday night for their performances in The Help. At the 43rd NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, Davis was named outstanding actress in a motion picture, and Spencer received the supporting actress prize. The Help, the story of African-American maids working in 1960s Mississippi, also earned the title of outstanding motion picture. It had entered the ceremony with a leading eight nominations.
Davis and Spencer have won several awards for their roles in The Help, and they have a strong chance of picking up an Oscar this weekend for best actress and best supporting actress, respectively. The Help is a contender in the Oscars' best-picture category.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit received the NAACP honors for best TV comedy and best TV drama, respectively.
The ceremony, which celebrates outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, also paid tribute to Whitney Houston, with a live rendition by gospel singer Yolanda Adams of "I Love the Lord, He Heard My Cry." Whitney performed that hymn in the 1996 movie The Preacher's Wife.
On the red carpet, actress Alfre Woodard was among the celebrities who remembered the late singer, saying, "She is still Cissy Houston's girl and she's Bobbi Kristina's mom and, you know, I'm not thinking of her as an icon. I'm thinking about her as somebody's daughter."
The full list of winners can be found at NAACPImageAwards.net. Here are the winners in the notable movie and TV categories:
Outstanding Motion Picture The Help
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Laz Alonso, Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Viola Davis, The Help
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Mike Epps, Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Octavia Spencer, The Help
Outstanding Comedy Series Tyler Perry's House of Payne, TBS
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Reed Between the Lines, BET
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Tracee Ellis Ross, Reed Between the Lines, BET
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nick Cannon, Up All Night, NBC
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Keshia Knight Pulliam, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, TBS
Outstanding Drama Series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series L.L. Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Regina King, SouthLAnd, TNT
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series James Pickens, Jr., Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife, CBS
Outstanding Talk Series Oprah's Lifeclass, Oprah Winfrey Network
Outstanding Reality Series Dancing with the Stars, ABC
Joey Foley/Getty Images(INDIANAPOLIS) -- Grammy-nominated country duo Sugarland said the lawsuit that states they are partially responsible for the tragic stage collapse last summer that killed seven is trying to "sensationalize the disaster."
In a statement to ABC News, Sugarland's manager Gail Gellman said, "Sadly when a tragedy occurs, people want to point fingers and try to sensationalize the disaster. The single most important thing to Sugarland, are their fans. Their support and love over the past 9 years has been unmatched. For anyone to think otherwise is completely devastating to them."
Moments before Sugarland -- comprised of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush -- was to perform a concert at the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 13, a powerful storm blew through the area, and a huge gust of wind ripped down the stage scaffolding. Seven people were killed and 45 were injured -- one of which was an 8-year-old girl.
Numerous victims of the stage collapse filed a massive civil lawsuit on Nov. 22 in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, claiming Sugarland and the companies involved with the construction of the stage were negligent and contributed to the accident.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, which include the families or the estates of four people killed and dozens who were injured, allege that Sugarland, Live Nation, Mid-America Sound Corp. and other events companies failed to provide a safe stage area and ignored inclement weather concerns.
The concert should have been canceled and the crowd evacuated, the lawsuit stated.
On Feb. 16, Sugarland's lawyers responded to the claims and denied all accusations against the band, saying Sugarland had nothing to do with the stage's construction. Among their many other defenses, "some or all of the Plaintiffs' claimed injuries resulted from their own fault," because some "failed to exercise due care for their own safety" or "knowingly and voluntary assumed and/or incurred the risk of injury to themselves."
The band's lawyers also denied Sugarland was responsible for deciding whether or not to cancel the concert because of weather concerns, calling it an "Act of God."
"The incident at issue in this litigation resulted from a gust of wind of unprecedented intensity, which caused a structure that may have been improperly designed, maintained and/or inspected to fail. As such, this was a true accident or Act of God," the response reads.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted a six-month investigation after the incident. Their report, released on Feb. 8, found that the heavy equipment supporting the stage was not properly built and that Mid-America Sound Corp., an events production company that constructed the roof and rigging used to hold the lights and sound equipment, had not taken appropriate measures to inspect the stage area.
IOSHA determined that Sugarland did not employ the workers who built the stage and therefore was not responsible for the incident, but fined Mid-America $63,000 for three serious violations of industry standards.
A spokeswoman for Mid-America told ABC News that the company had not yet paid the fine, and is meeting with IOSHA next week to discuss the report.
Sugarland's attorneys are now seeking a jury trial, but declined to comment to ABC News about the allegations.
Lead vocalist Jennifer Nettles told Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts in a November interview that while she did not feel a sense of responsibility for what happened, she wept after hearing some fans were killed in the stage collapse.
Prior to the moment when the stage fell, the band was waiting underneath it, and was uninjured in the accident.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Mariah Carey was among the first to tweet a heartfelt eulogy for Whitney Houston a week ago when the singer passed away, and Carey later canceled an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America because she said she was still mourning for her late friend. After attending the star's funeral on Saturday, Mariah finally made her appearance on Good Morning America Tuesday, during which she spoke about Whitney.
At first, she declared herself "almost incapable of talking about this, still," but then, she told ABC's Robin Roberts, "We all loved her. We were all inspired by her, and we all loved her. May she rest in peace, and her legend's gonna go on forever."
Asked what it was like to work with Whitney on their hit duet "When You Believe," Mariah said, "It was great and I don't think people could ever understand our relationship. There was always this supposed rivalry in the beginning, and then we did the duet and we became friends. I saw her toward the end and...I loved her." Mariah later tweeted a link to a YouTube video featuring a montage of her and Whitney singing together.
Carey also talked about her husband Nick Cannon, who recently announced plans to quit his radio show after struggling with health issues that included kidney failure and blood clots in his lungs. "Nick is doing well," said Mariah. "The best thing, I think, was the choice that he made to leave the radio show and just focus on [America's Got Talent] and Up All Night."
She added, "The thing is, he's a young, healthy person and it's about changing the lifestyle...it's just a lifestyle choice, and an awareness of what can really happen to you no matter how young or in great shape you are So I think he's gonna, like he always does, turn something that happened into a positive thing."
Mariah also revealed that she's working on some new music -- specifically, she mentioned a song that she wants to get done next week. "It just happened and I feel like it's appropriate for the moment right now," she said.
