DJ Mehdi Dead at 34
French DJ and producer DJ Mehdi has died at the age of 34. Mehdi, born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, was a key figure in the French electro scene and a lynchpin of the Ed Banger label along with Justice, SebastiAn, Mr. Oizo, Uffie, Feadz and Cassius. Mehdi was on a plexiglass mezzanine with several other people, when it collapsed ... killing Mehdi and sending 3 others to the hospital. So far, no word on the condition of the other people injured in the collapse.



Jennifer Aniston's mom has a stroke

Jennifer Aniston's 75-year-old mother, Nancy Dow, is in a Los Angeles area hospital after suffering a serious stroke. The "Friends" and "Horrible Bosses" star was spotted going into the hospital with her new boyfriend, actor-screenwriter Justin Theroux to visit Dow Friday. When Dow suffered the stroke and what her current condition is were not reported. "Justin has been very supportive and there with [Aniston] all the way," an unidentified source says. "It's a very hard time for her right now." Aniston's publicist declined to discuss the story, telling MSNBC, "This is a private family matter." The actress and her mom were on the outs for years after Dow wrote the 1996 book "From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir," however, they had since reconciled,

Rapper pleads guilty to battery, will go to jail

Authorities in suburban Atlanta say rapper Gucci Mane will serve six months in jail after pleading guilty to battery and other charges. DeKalb County Solicitor-General Sherry Boston said Tuesday that Mane, whose real name is Radric Delantic Davis, pleaded guilty to two counts of battery, two counts of reckless conduct and one count of disorderly conduct. A police report said Davis pushed 36-year-old Diana Graham out of his Hummer as it rolled down a suburban Atlanta street on Jan. 28. State Court Judge Eleanor Ross sentenced the rapper to serve six months in custody followed by several months on probation. The judge also ordered him to complete 12 weeks of anger management classes; pay $5,091 in restitution to the woman for her medical bills; and pay a $3,000 fine.

Ramirez charged with domestic battery

Former All-Star slugger Manny Ramirez was arrested in Broward County, Fla., on Monday night and charged with domestic battery. Ramirez was released Tuesday from Broward County Jail on $2,500 bail on the domestic battery charge. Broward Circuit Judge Jon Hurley ordered that he have no direct contact with his wife.  According to a police report, Ramirez and his wife were arguing in their bedroom when he slapped her face, causing her to hit her head on their bed's headboard. She told the deputy she was afraid the situation would escalate and called police. Ramirez denied hitting his wife, according to the police report. Ramirez's wife had injuries consistent with her story, but did not want medical treatment. A source confirmed that Ramirez lives in the home with Juliana and his sons Lucas and Manny Jr. Ramirez, 39, retired from baseball earlier this year following a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs. His use of banned substances, which came to light late in his career, has called into question achievements that would have otherwise resulted in election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ramirez was the 2004 World Series MVP, made 12 All-Star teams, and hit 555 home runs in a 19-year career.

Retired players sue Brady, NFLPA

A group of retired NFL players filed a lawsuit against the NFL Players Association, union president DeMaurice Smith, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and former player Mike Vrabel, claiming they did not have the authority to negotiate on their behalf during the labor dispute. The federal class-action lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in Minnesota, claims the defendants had no right to agree to the terms of retiree benefits after the NFLPA decertified on March 11. Hausfeld said the suit does not threaten the labor peace reached by the new collective bargaining agreement, but seeks to "to readjust the deal to better reflect the interests of the retirees which would've been done by the retirees themselves." He argued that the CBA does not address a number of concerns for the retirees and claimed the current players used the retired players' interests as collateral in negotiations. "The retirees' rights were sacrificed for the benefit of the active players," Hausfeld said. The group of retired players includes 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Carl Eller, Chuck Bednarik and John Hannah.
 The Oscar-winning mom of two was photographed on in Los Angeles sporting a big ol' shiner, a bandage on her forehead and bruises and abrasions on her face from the vehicular run-in. The actress, 35, has decided not to press charges against the 84-year-old woman who ran into her as she crossed a Santa Monica street on Sept. 7. Witherspoon was briefly hospitalized after the collision. The driver, who is said to feel awful about the incident, received a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.



Swizz Beatz Side Piece Tells Her Side
Yesterday texts between Alica Keys' husband Swizz Beatz and a singer from Houston, TX were released online. Christina Elizabeth released a statement regarding her and Beatz affair: I’m only making this statement because I’m being put out there as a liar and I am very embarrassed. I would like to confirm that the rumor about Swizz Beatz cheating on Mashonda with me is absolutely true. I would also like to confirm that the rumors about Swizz “sexting” me, even in his present marriage, are absolutely true. I am also confirming that I lost my cell phone and someone else posted all the stuff that you see on the internet. I’ve known Kasseem since 2007. We met at Solange Knowles’ (whom I do not associate with) birthday party in Houston, TX. A gentleman from Kasseem’s entourage approached me and said that someone wanted to talk to me. After I asked who it was, he pointed at Kasseem. I knew he was “Swizz Beatz”, but I did not know anything else about him. I gave him my phone number and he called me right away and invited me to eat at Katz’ Deli on Montrose Blvd. The next morning, he invited me to accompany him at Radio One (979 The Box) for his interview. Later that week, he went on an overseas trip with Mashonda. I received a call from him saying “My wife is about to call you. Tell her nothing happened.” When Mashonda called me, this is exactly what I did. He did not contact me after that. They got a divorce and although we stayed in contact afterwards, there was nothing too drastic. I’m guessing this is when he was dating Alicia. Recently, we’ve been contacting each other (as you’ve all seen), but I haven’t physically seen him. We were making plans to, but I had to work and I wasn’t going to take off work to go see him. I live on my own, I have responsibilities and I strongly believe that if you are not contributing to those responsibilities, there is no reason for me to neglect them to entertain you. Even though Swizz offered and offered and offered to buy me things, the only thing I accepted was plane tickets to go see him. He’s a wonderful man and I had a great time with him as well as a great relationship.

Executors to give $30 million to Jackson heirs

Two years after Michael Jackson died deeply in debt, his estate has generated more than $310 million, enabling executors to distribute a preliminary payment of $30 million to Jackson's mother and children, and to unnamed charities, according to court documents. Executors also disclosed that Jackson's mother, Katherine, is putting the family's fabled Encino compound up for sale and wants the executors to negotiate the purchase of a new residence for her and the children, Paris, Prince and Michael Joseph Jr., known as Blanket. The Encino property, where Jackson grew up and where several of his siblings lived in a cottage near their parents' home was appraised at $4.15 million in 2010 but has since undergone extensive renovation. Katherine Jackson and the children moved out and have been living at a leased Calabasas home that is for sale for about $10 million. The executors said Katherine Jackson has identified a number of homes in that price range that would suit her needs and that of the children. The executors said the trust and the California attorney general's office, which is representing charities as beneficiaries of the estate, have been pressing for distribution of funds.




T.I.'s Lawyer Blocked from Fighting Re-Imprisonment
Prison officials in Atlanta have barred the rapper's lawyer from challenging the decision to put him back in prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons sent T.I.'s lawyer a letter yesterday, explaining the rapper was "not entitled to legal counsel" during the process by which officials review the decision to lock him up again. T.I.'s lawyer originally sent the Bureau a letter last week, asking to be present at the hearings -- but the Bureau flat out rejected him. According to the Bureau's response, two hearings have already occurred without T.I.'s lawyer present -- one last week and one the week before -- but it's unclear what transpired.


Levi Johnston's Tell All Book
Johnston's book, (who knew he could read, let alone write)  "Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs," directly  contradicts much of what both Sarah Palin and Bristol Palin have been saying  in public.  The tell-all is due out on September 20th. Some of Johnston's memoriesinclude the following:* Bristol claimed that the two first had $ex on a camping trip while she was highly intoxicated on wine coolers. Johnston's book argues that the two were $exually active well before the trip and Johnston would often curb Bristol's drinking as it made her "lose her judgement." Upon hearing the news of the pregnancy, Bristol's father, Todd Palin, became aggressive and told Johnston to quit school and get a job.  Sarah Palin wanted to adopt Bristol's baby Tripp as her own to "avoid a scandal," but both Johnston and Bristol were against the idea. Johnston was indeed present for the birth of his child, something that Sarah Palin has denied in interviews. Johnston denies getting another girl pregnant despite what Bristol has publicly claimed.



TV NEWS
It looks like Michael J. Fox will be back in the Emmy race next year: The actor is returning to The Good Wife this season for a sizeable run.

NBC News says it has hired Meredith Vieira as special correspondent for "Rock Center with Brian Williams," its new U.S. prime-time newsmagazine. Vieira left her post as co-anchor of the daily morning program "Today" last May after five years to spend more time with her family. The former moderator of "The View" will now report for "Rock Center," as well as "Today," "NBC Nightly News" and other NBC News programs. She will additionally contribute to special network programming, including the 2012 London Olympic Games.



Charlie’s Angels vet Cheryl Ladd will appear in an October episode of CBS’ NCIS as a love interest for David McCallum’s Ducky.



House creator David Shore tells TVLine exclusively that Wentworth will appear as a patient of the week in an episode that takes place after Dr. Crankypants gets sprung from jail. “He plays a real altruist,” says Shore. “And there’s some question as to whether that’s his symptom or not.” Save for a 2009 guest stint on Law & Order: SVU, Miller has kept a relatively low TV profile since wrapping up his Prison stint more than two years ago. His House episode is slated to air in late October.



Fox’s new comedy I Hate My Teenage Daughter has nabbed one of this summer’s big-screen scene-stealers. Wendi McLendon-Covey, who played Rita, the nympho-esque member of Maya Rudolph’s wedding party in Bridesmaids, has joined the pilot of Teenage Daughter. The actress will play Principal Diego, the woman running the high school attended by the bitchy offspring of Annie (Jamie Pressly) and Nikki (Katie Finneran).



Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to ABC’s almost-over All My Children on Wednesday, Sept. 21, and her mysterious role has finally been revealed. The Buffy vet will play a “delusional” patient at Pine Valley Hospital who thinks she’s Erica Kane’s daughter! How perfect is that for the original Kendall Hart?



TV personality, Nancy Grace, says she's confused that Ryan O'Neal is so mad at her that he turned down an offer to be on "Dancing With The Stars" because SHE was already signed on to do the show.. Nancy insists she never said anything bad about Ryan or his drug addicted son, Redmond.  She denies she ever called Ryan a bad parent. Grace says she considers O'Neal to be one of the great actors of our time and she found his relationship with Farrah Fawcett "an inspiration."



A new man is about to enter Amelia’s life on ABC’s Private Practice — for better or perhaps for worse. Wes Brown, whose TV credits include the role of True Blood‘s Luke McDonald and NBC’s Trauma, is joining the Thursday-night drama for a four-episode arc, playing Ryan, a handsome stranger who will figure into Amelia’s ongoing addiction storyline. And not necessarily in a good way.

Broadway icon Nathan Lane has signed on to star in a pilot for a half-hour comedy series, USA Network said. Lane is best known for his work in the stage shows "The Addams Family," "The Odd Couple" and "The Producers," as well as the films "The Birdcage" and "The Lion King." Next up, he is to star on the small screen in "Untitled Douglas McGrath Project," which is about an unlucky actor whose Broadway aspirations must be put on hold when he returns to his Texas hometown when his father becomes ill.