Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies

Jeff Hanneman, guitarist for legendary thrash metal band Slayer, has died of liver failure. He was 49. The band posted the news on their website and Facebook page Thursday. Hanneman founded the band with fellow guitarist Kerry King in 1981 and created a sound influenced by heavy metal and punk, writing Slayer classics like “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death.” The full statement on Slayer’s website reads: Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed. In 2011, Hanneman suffered a spider bite and contracted a flesh-eating disease, taking time off from the band to recuperate, but it is unclear if this contributed to his death.


DAVID TUTERA DIVORCE: 'MY FAIR WEDDING' HOST SPLITS FROM HUSBAND
As the host of WE TV's "My Fair Wedding," David Tutera has given countless couples the fairy-tale weddings of their dreams. But his own happily-ever-after is quickly becoming a nightmare. Earlier this month, the celebrity wedding planner filed to end his decade-long domestic partnership with husband Ryan Jurica. According to legal documents filed in Los Angeles and obtained by the site, Tutera is seeking to end the relationship because of "irreconcilable differences." But other documents filed by Jurica two days earlier in Connecticut allege that Tutera's libido is to blame for the split. "After repeated attempts at marriage counseling and therapy, we have been unable to save our relationship due to [David's] addiction to sex." "[David] has engaged in a pattern of hiring sex escorts and prostitutes to support his addiction." Complicating matters further is the fact that the couple are expecting twins via surrogate in July. Both men have requested full custody of the babies-to-be. Jurica is also reportedly asking for spousal support -- which Tutera doesn't want to pay -- and says in his papers that the breakup, initiated by Tutera, sent him into a downward spiral. As a result, he alleges, he had to check himself into rehab. Tutera responded saying,  "The allegations against me are baseless and untrue and I will fight vigorously to defend my reputation in the court of law as well as the court of public opinion," says Tutera. "I believe them to be fabrications of a desperate individual in order to gain a legal advantage in our separation." He goes on the say: "I am saddened by these developments; I am angered by the lies; and I am committed to moving beyond this painful moment to focus on my professional commitments and the upcoming birth of my children."    Tutera and Jurica tied the knot in September 2003 in Vermont, where same-sex marriage is legal. Upon returning to their home in California, where same-sex marriage is not recognized, they filed for domestic partnership.


Chris Kelly's Death a Suspected Overdose
Kriss Kross rapper Chris Kelly reportedly took hard drugs the night before his death, according to the police investigation.  According to the report, Donna Kelly Pratt (reported to be Kelly’s mother), claimed her son had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine the night before his death. She also told police that he felt nauseous all morning and then passed out. Kelly’s uncle, Lamar Williams, told police that Kelly allegedly “had an extensive history of drug abuse.” She told authorities that “they brought Kelly home to recover from his drug use and had done this several times in the past.”As friends and family mourn the death of Kriss Kross star Chris Kelly, authorities in Atlanta say they are investigating the case as a possible drug overdose.  An autopsy is planned for Thursday morning, but police were already looking at drugs as a cause after Kelly, 34, was found unresponsive in his home on Monday, Fulton County police Cpl. Kay Lester said.  Meanwhile, Kelly's mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, released a joint statement with Kriss Kross's former record label, So So Def, mourning Kelly's death.  "It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1," the statement reads. "To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris – the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party."  "Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him." Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith  added his tribute to his close pal in a statement, which reads: "Chris Kelly was my Best Friend. He was like a brother. I love him and will miss him dearly. "Our friendship began as little boys in first grade. We grew up together. It was a blessing to achieve the success, travel the world and entertain Kris Kross fans all around the world with my best friend. It is what we wanted to do and what brought us happiness. I will always cherish the memories of the C-Connection. Kris Kross forever." Kelly and Chris Smith were both 13 when music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri discovered them in an Atlanta mall. Their song "Jump" was a worldwide smash in 1992.

Nicki Minaj attacks Mariah Carey on Twitter

Nicki Minaj has pumped up her feud with Mariah Carey after taking aim at her fellow "American Idol" judge in a series of tweets after the two divas were seen squabbling on the talent show on Wednesday night. The pop pair traded jabs over career success while the remaining four contestants on the show were performing songs currently on the radio on the show. And Minaj wasn't about to let the matter go on Thursday as she took to Twitter to subtly attack Carey. In a series of posts addressed to blogger Perez Hilton, she wrote, "Shes sad I tied her record for Hot 100 entries in only 3 years of being in the game. Yep, a black female rapper. "What u SHOULD be doing (wit your messy a**) is asking why a woman SO successful at her age, is still so INSECURE, and bitter." And she closed out her latest Twitter attack on Carey by hinting that reports suggesting Jennifer Lopez is being lined up to return to the talent show and replace Carey are true, adding, "All dem #1s but JLo phone ringin...? I guess having a personality, being a secure woman, and giving genuine critique still trumps that."

Kobe Bryant battles mom over auction

Kobe Bryant is in a court battle to try to keep his mother from auctioning off mementoes from his high school days in Pennsylvania and his early years with the Los Angeles Lakers. A New Jersey auction house filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday for the right to sell the stuff after the NBA star's lawyers wrote the firm telling it to cancel a planned June auction. The disagreement is a high-value, high-profile version of a question many families face: Can Mom get rid of the stuff a grown child left at home? In this case, the 900 mementoes happen to be worth upward of $1.5 million. Among the first 100 or so items Pamela Bryant intends to sell: the NBA star's jerseys, practice gear and sweatsuits from Lower Merion High School; varsity letters; a trophy for being the outstanding player at the 1995 Adidas ABCD basketball camp; and a signed basketball from the 2000 NBA championship game. And then there are rings, for the 1996 Pennsylvania high school championship, a pair that the Lakers made for Bryant's parents for the 2000 NBA championship and one from the 1998 NBA All-Star game. According to court filings, Pamela Bryant struck a deal in January with Goldin Auctions in Berlin, N.J., which earlier this year sold a rare Honus Wagner baseball card for a record $2.1 million. She got $450,000 up front, which she intended to use for a new home in Nevada. In its court filings, Goldin says Pamela Bryant told the auction house that she asked her son five years ago what he wanted to do with the items that were in her home. ''Kobe Bryant indicated to Pamela Bryant that the items belonged to her and that he had no interest in them,'' the auction house's attorneys wrote. So she put them in a $1,500-per-month New Jersey storage unit. The challenge came Tuesday when Goldin sent a news release announcing the auction. By day's end, Kobe Bryant's lawyer had sent a cease-and-desist letter telling the auction house to call off the sale and return the items to him. Kenneth Goldin, owner of the auction house, says he can't cancel the auction because he's already advanced $450,000 to Bryant's mother and put money into advertising the auction. Kobe Bryant's lawyer Mark Campbell said in a statement, ''Mr. Bryant's personal property has ended up in the possession of someone who does not lawfully own it. We look forward to resolving this legal matter through the legal system.'' Bryant has had a sometimes icy relationship with his mother and father, Joe ''Jellybean'' Bryant, a former pro basketball player who is now coaching in Thailand.


Kurtz leaves DailyBeast after retracted blog post
Columnist Howard Kurtz left The Daily Beast on Thursday, the same day the website retracted one of his blog posts in which he mistakenly accused NBA player Jason Collins of hiding a previous engagement to a woman before declaring this week that he is gay. A person close to the matter said Kurtz was fired because this was the latest in a series of high-profile errors, which detracted from the site's efforts to bolster the credibility of its news coverage. The gaffe also comes as The Daily Beast tries to succeed only online after dropping its print magazine, Newsweek, in December. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokeswoman for CNN, where Kurtz hosts the TV show "Reliable Sources," said the network is reviewing the matter. Kurtz's CNN show is about "how journalists do their jobs and how the media affect the stories they cover," according to the website. Kurtz is a former media columnist with The Washington Post and was The Daily Beast's Washington bureau chief. CNN is also looking into Kurtz's relationship with the website Daily Download, which lists him as being on its board of advisers. A Huffington Post story on Wednesday noted that Kurtz promoted the site with more than 120 links in April, compared with around 20 for The Daily Beast and fewer for his CNN show. In the retracted Daily Beast post, titled "Jason Collins' Other Secret," Kurtz says Collins "didn't come clean" about the fact that he was engaged to be married to a woman before declaring he was gay. But Collins does just that in the eighth paragraph of the Sports Illustrated piece that came out Monday. "When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue," Collins wrote. On Thursday, The Daily Beast retracted Kurtz's post but left an amended version online, saying it "sincerely regrets Kurtz's error." In the amended version, the website replaces the words "didn't come clean" with Kurtz saying Collins "downplayed" the engagement and "didn't dwell on it."


Spinning Gold

Justin Timberlake will star in "Spinning Gold," a biopic of iconic 1970s music entrepreneur Neil Bogart for Foresight Unlimited. Bogart launched the careers of Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, KISS, Parliament, Donna Summer and The Village People. He also died young, aged 39, in 1982. Bogart’s son Timothy Scott Bogart developed the script with Timberlake and wrote the screenplay. Timberlake, Mark Damon, Laurence Mark, Timothy Scott Bogart and Gary A Randall will produce. Shooting kicks off early next year.


Reese Witherspoon, husband enter pleas
Reese Witherspoon and her husband, talent agent Jim Toth, entered pleas Thursday following their arrestson April 19 in Atlanta for disorderly conduct and DUI, respectively, People reports. Toth plead guilty and will face a fine and community service, avoiding jail time; Witherspoon reportedly plead no contest and will be fined $213. Witherspoon said earlier that day, "We went out to a restaurant in Atlanta, and we had one too many glasses of wine," the Oscar winner and mother of three, 37, said, referring to herself and her husband, agent Jim Toth. After their car, which Toth was driving, was stopped, he was charged with DUI, and she with disorderly conduct.  "We thought we were fine to drive," she said, "and we were absolutely not, and we are so sorry and just so embarrassed." She added, "We know better and we shouldn't have done that."  Blaming "poor judgment" for not simply calling a cab, Witherspoon said, "We made a mistake, and it was something that will absolutely never happen again." The police report noted that Witherspoon did not follow the officer's orders and she got out of the car, and spoke in abusive language to him.  "I was so disrespectful to him," the actress acknowledged on GMA. "I have police officers in my family. I work with police officers every day. I know better. It's just unacceptable." She explained, "I have no idea what I was saying. That night I saw him arresting my husband, and I panicked. I said all kinds of crazy things. I said I was pregnant." The actress flashed a look of amazement, then said, "I'm not pregnant. I said crazy things. I had no idea what I was talking about."  Telling her older children about the very public incident, she said, was "the hardest part about it. When you make a mistake, you take responsibility, and we are taking responsibility, and we are doing everything within our power to make it right."


While We're Young

Naomi Watts is looking at the lead role in Noah Baumbach's dramatic comedy "While We're Young". Shooting kicks off this Fall in New York City. Ben Stiller plays a documentary filmmaker and his wife (Watts) whose life is changed when the pair befriend a much younger couple. Adam Driver also stars, while Scott Rudin is producing.


Beyoncé, J.Lo to headline London charity concert for women
Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Florence & The Machine are teaming up for a four-hour charity concert in London next month to benefit women's health and education projects around the world. The "Sound of Change Live" concert on June 1 in London's Twickenham sports stadium could fund at least 120 projects supporting girls and women in more than 70 nations, if all the tickets are sold, organizers said on Wednesday. Organized by the Chime for Change campaign, founded by Italy fashion house Gucci, every ticket buyer will be able to choose which project their ticket will fund in what organizers said was a world first for such a venture. Beyonce, currently on a European tour, will play a 45-minute set. She will be joined in the venture by singer and dancer Lopez, R&B artist John Legend, British indie sensation Ellie Goulding and rapper Timbaland, with more performers still to be announced. U.S. actors James Franco, Blake Lively and Jada Pinkett Smith will be among the presenters. "Our goal is to have a great time together while we unite and strengthen the voices of girls and women around the world," Beyonce said in a statement. Rock promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who helped put on the Live Aid and Live Earth charity concerts, will produce the concert which will also be broadcast internationally. Ticket prices range from $85-$150 and 52,000 tickets are on sale.