Celebrity Gossip from Hollywood World News

Taco Bell has really pissed off 50 Cent. And insulted him. All due to their dumbass publicity stunt. Taco Bell offered to donate $10,000 to the charity of Fiddy’s choice if he’d change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent, or 99 Cent – to correspond with the prices on their value menu. Fiddy – being the shrewd dude that he is – instantly called Taco Bell out for being insincere and trying to use his celebrity for free publicity. And the dude is pissed.

Apparently, that was a little too much thinking outside the bun for the lawyered-up rapper, who not only took issue with the promo stunt, but threatened to sic his legal team on the chain. “When my legal team is finished with them, Taco Bell is going to have a new corporate slogan: ‘We messed with the bull and got the horns!’ ” Fiddy said. The rapper’s rep went one further, calling out the company’s big cheese on his cheekiness. “This is a sleazy and ill-conceived publicity stunt by Taco Bell’s president, Greg Creed, whose disingenuous offer was leaked to the press before it was even presented to 50 Cent’s agent yesterday,” the rapper’s rep said. As it is, the taco giant’s offer was sent to Fiddy—and, of course, the media—promising to donate $10,000 to a charity of the rapper’s choice if he agreed to the name change. Also requested from the franchise chief was for the newly monikered rapper to pay a visit to one of Taco Bell’s locations and rap his order at the drive-thru. “We know that you adopted the name 50 Cent years ago as a metaphor for change,” the letter read. “We at Taco Bell are also huge advocates for change. We encourage you to ‘Think Outside the Bun’ and hope you accept our offer.”

[From E! News] Companies do occasionally do this, but most celebs politely decline. 50 is the first I can think of to call them out. At first I kinda thought Fiddy was being a jerk for not just saying thanks but no thanks, but once I thought about it a little more, I realized it really is aggravating. Taco Bell isn’t being generous – they know the famous rapper isn’t going to change his name – so they never intended to part with their $10,000. Instead, they’re being cheap, by trying to associate 50 Cent with their corporation to get free publicity. Which I guess I’ve just given them a little more of. Except that the Taco Bell near me is always getting closed down by the New York City Department of Health for a shockingly long list of health code violations. Like rodents and roaches. Which I’m pretty sure end up in the food. There, that should do it. I think I just negated any free publicity. Thanks, Taco Bell. Header of 50 Cent at the Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on September 8th. Images thanks to WENN.

50 Cent & Shaniqua Tompkins in happier times.

Rapper 50 Cent has been ordered by a judge to stay away from his ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins. If he wants to have a visitation with his son, Marquise, he has to pick the boy up from the curb.

 

Shaniqua has a temporary restraining order filed against Curtis Jackson (50 Cent). He has to forfeit guns and firearms and stay away from any premises where Shaniqua is. Shaniqua’s lawyer, Paul Catsandonis said that they would try to get a permanent restraining order against 50 Cent in July.

Curtis Jackson’s lawyer, Brett Kimmel, said that Curtis Jackson has not seen or spoken to Shaniqua for one and a half years. He said that Shaniqua’s petition might be a response to 50 Cent’s petition holding Ms. Tomkins in contempt of court because she refused to allow him to see his son.

50 Cent has slapped Shaniqua with a $20 million defamation lawsuit in Connecticut. She had accused 50 Cent of burning down his house and trying to kill her and Marquise, their son. 50 Cent wants the court to order Shaniqua to allow him to visit his Marquise, 11, as in accordance with an earlier court order. The investigation into the Dix Hills fire that burned down 50 Cent’s house is still ongoing.

Sources: tmz 1, tmz 2.

50 Cent has been ordered by a judge not to sell or demolish the charred remains of his New York mansion until investigators have had the opportunity to go in and find out the cause of the fire. I can’t imagine that he’d get much for the place since it’s been burned down…unless he’s considering selling the land that it’s sitting on. In a fire that destroyed the house where his ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins and their son Marquise were staying, police are labeling the fire “highly suspicious”. Shaniqua has since accused the rapper of starting the fire himself. I know that he won a ruling to evict her and their son, but does he hate them to the point of trying to set fire to his own house to get rid of them? Fiddy was also ordered to put any insurance money received into a trust account until the matter has been resolved. What do you think happened?

50 Cent and I clearly have a different definition of friendship. And I think I like his a hell of a lot more than mine. While I always thought it meant being there for the other person in good times and bad, occasionally drinking too much with them, complaining about men together, and having the occasional naked pillow fight, 50’s idea of friendship involves lavish vintage gifts. And I think that makes a hell of a lot more sense.

50 Cent knows how to treat his costars. Not content to drop off a basket of sugar-free muffins with a note saying “You were totally in the moment,” the rapper-thespian gave his Streets of Fire costar Val Kilmer a car, according to In Touch Weekly. And not some tax-write-off clunker, either. Fiddy bestowed on Kilmer a 1965 Chevy Impala said to be worth $100,000. The two, who play police officers dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, bonded over their appreciation of classic vehicles, which led the rapper to give one of his very own autos to Kilmer. Really? “Yes he did,” Fiddy’s rep told us. No word on Kilmer’s thank-you plans, but you can be sure of this: Muffins just ain’t gonna cut it.

[From E! News] Sounds like the start of a bromance to me. And what a way to kick it off. At first I thought 50 might have some kind of non-sexual crush on Val Kilmer, a la that famous Seinfeld episode. But then I saw a picture of Val Kilmer, and… I have a policy of never making fun of someone’s weight. But let’s just say that if there were ever a time I would consider breaking that rule, it’d be right now. So I’m pretty sure there’s no crush going on here. But I think that explains E!’s joke about the sugar free muffins. Either way, I think it’s very important that I star in a film with 50 Cent. I’d just like a Honda, thanks. Header of 50 Cent performing live in Sydney on April 23rd and Val Kilmer leaving Sushiya restaurant in L.A. on March 5th. Images thanks to WENN.

As you know, rapper 50 Cent’s Long Island mansion was burned to the ground on Friday. His enraged ex-girlfriend and baby mama, Shaniqua Tompkins is accusing 50 Cent of purposely torching the $2.4 million dollar home in Long Island. Shaniqua was in the home at the time with two of her children, one being 50 Cent’s 10-year-old son, as well as Tompkins current boyfriend’s two children and a nanny. Shaniqua Tompkins said, “He tried to kill me and his own child,” Tompkins claimed, as she stood screaming outside the burned estate. The reps for 50 Cent refused to respond her her allegations. The Dix Hills Fire Chief Larry Feld called the blaze “highly suspicious.” He said the fire ignited on the first floor. The arson investigators were spotted taking a 5-gallon container of gas, which was found on the edge of the property. Shaniqua Tompkins stated that 50 Cent threatened her a few days before the fire during a deposition saying, ‘Watch what I’ll do. I’ll have someone come kill you.” Tompkins was in the process of trying to acquire half of 50 Cents fortune, as well as the home that was completely destroyed by the fire. Rapper 50 cent released a statement saying he “is extremely thankful that everyone including his son, Marquise, escaped the burning house safely.” Do you think 50 Cent was trying to kill his baby mama, Shaniqua Tompkins as well as his own child? Images: AP/Getty

Rapper 50 Cent has been in a heated legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins for the better part of a year over a $2.4 million Long Island home. 50 Cent owns the home, but Tomkins and their son live there rent-free. 50 has been trying to evict them or make Tomkins pay market rent for the place, about $5,400 a month. Tompkins claims 50 promised her she and their 10-year-old son Marquise could live in it. In the past she’s also claimed that as the mother of his child, she’s owed the expensive home. The pair have been battling it out in court, and it’s gotten so heated that there have been multiple confrontations, including an “extremely dangerous incident” on Monday at the office of Tomkins’ lawyer. Last night, a “suspicious” fire broke out in the home around 5 a.m. while Tomkins, her two children (include the son with 50 Cent), and three other adults were sleeping.

A multimillion-dollar Long Island home at the center of a dispute between Grammy-nominated rapper 50 Cent and his former girlfriend was destroyed by a suspicious fire early Friday. The blaze occurred just days after a heated confrontation inside the woman’s attorney’s office over the home. 50 Cent does not live in the home and apparently wasn’t there at the time. Six people inside the Dix Hills home were taken to a hospital suffering smoke inhalation, including the former girlfriend and a boy fathered by the rapper. All six were treated and released. A firefighter also suffered a minor eye injury, officials said. Investigators from the Suffolk County arson squad were called to the scene after Dix Hills Fire Chief Larry Feld deemed the blaze suspicious. The fire was reported about 5 a.m. and extinguished about 45 minutes later, Feld said. A passing off-duty police officer helped rescue the six people off an elevated deck in the home’s backyard, Feld said. He referred the case to the arson squad “because of the intensity of the fire.” The rapper’s ex-girlfriend, Shaniqua Tompkins, and two of her children, including 50 Cent’s son, were among the injured. The other three adults in the home were not immediately identified.

[From the Huffington Post] Several of Shaniqua Tompkins’ requests sound outright ridiculous, especially the reasoning behind it. If you have a kid with someone, they obviously owe you child support. But they don’t inherently owe you a $2.4 million home, which is the argument she’s made on several occasions. She also claims that 50 Cent promised her half of all of his earnings. Forever. Via email. And she expects that’ll stand up in court. Her lawsuit is on the docket for June 10th in New York State Supreme Court. 50 Cent’s rep just released the following statement:

“Informed this morning while filming a new motion picture on location in Louisiana, Curtis Jackson expressed deep concern over this fire at his property. He is extremely thankful that everyone including his son, Marquise, escaped the burning house safely. He is confident that authorities will be conducting a thorough investigation of the incident and is eager to review their findings.”

[From TMZ] Obviously the fire seems pretty suspicious. But given the heated nature of what’s gone on between 50 Cent and Shaniqua Tomkins, it’s hard to guess who’s responsible for what. Header of 50 Cent and G Unit performing live in concert at Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia on April 23rd. Image thanks to WENN. Here are pictures of 50 Cent’s house in Dix Hills, from when it was on the market last year. According to Newsday, the house, built in 2002, has 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a 3-car heated garage with a dumbwaiter to the kitchen. It’s located on an acre and also has a pool.