Eve's "Whip It!" & LeBron James' "More Than A Game" Score Low Box Office Sales

Eve's new film Whip It! and LeBron James' More Than A Game documentary debuted over the weekend with estimated box office sales $5.1 million combined.
The films faced stiff competition from Sony Pictures' Zombieland and the new animated movie Cloudly with a Chance of Meatballs.
Zombieland opened to a healthy $25 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates to take first place. Meatballs still fell harder than last weekend (33 percent), generating an estimated $16.7 million for an $82.4 million total in 17 days. Fox Searchlight's roller-derby film Whip It, generated even less audience interest, opening to a very weak $4.9 million. It cost $15 million to make. Lionsgate saw a strong performance from its launch of More Than a Game, about NBA star LeBron James. Docu grossed $196,681 at 14 playdates; per-screen average was $14,048. (Variety)

Eve's latest film project was directed by Charlie's Angels star Drew Barrymore.

Eve will co-star in Drew Barrymore's directional film debut, Whip It!, based on a beauty-pageant contestant turned roller derby competitor. The project focuses on a misfit woman looking to relieve her small-town complications by joining a team of roller derby women based out of Bodeen, Texas. (Press Release)

James' film shows the NBA superstar's rise to fame from childhood to his current status in the league.

The movie documents how James and a group of inner-city kids who used to practice on a linoleum floor gym at a Salvation Army managed to put Akron on the basketball map. Director Kris Belman, who spent eight years making the film, delved into the backgrounds of each of the players in the 'fab five' and compiled an extensive collection of never-before-seen footage that includes home movies and locker-room meetings. Slated to hit theaters on October 2, the movie will show at subsequent Nike tour stops in China and Europe before returning to the states to visit New York and Los Angeles. (Clevescene)

The film is also accompanied by the star-studded "Forever" collaboration track which features Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem.

"I got some good friends that manage Drake, Ye and Wayne," James said during a press conference last month about the song's creation. "So through a mutual friend and we got an agreeance we thought it would be great if they could do a song for us for the soundtrack...Jimmy Iovine from Interscope of course had a huge part, Polow Da Don did a lot of things for the soundtrack. The soundtrack is great, I'm looking forward to it also being an intricate part of the whole movie and everything." (Rap Radar)

Bounty Killer Denied Entrance Into Trinidad, Forced To Exit Country

Dancehall artist Rodney "Bounty Killer" Price was reportedly barred from entering Trinidad by police and was unable to perform at a scheduled concert over the weekend.
Bounty was denied entry to Trinidad and Tobago and sent back to Jamaica by Immigration authorities upon arrival at Piarco International Airport. The Cease Fire show was supposed to also feature fellow Jamaican act Vybz Kartel. Produced by Jacho Entertainment, the show was advertised as a peaceful coming together of Bounty and Vybz on the same stage for the purpose of mending fences. (Trinidad Express)

While a confirmed explanation has not yet been revealed, speculation has begun to grow.

The reason for his barred entry was not immediately clear but C News reports indicate that the order barring the singer was issued on behalf of the Ministry of National Security. The singer`s last appearance in Trinidad resulted in Bounty being charged with using obscene language on stage. (Caribbean World News)

He was previously arrested while performing in Trinidad.

The last time Bounty Killer was in Trinidad, he was arrested on stage and charged with using obscene language. Authorities in Jamaica arrested him for the same reason during last year's Reggae Sumfest. (Associated Press)

Killer was given a felony charge over an assault which allegedly took place around 2007 last July.

Jamaican rapper Bounty Killer has turned himself in after police accused him of assaulting a man outside a nightclub. Attorney Thomas Tavares-Finson said Thursday (July 9) that his client was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and unlawful wounding and assault. Police say the incident happened two years ago. (Baltimore Sun)

Method Man Arrested, Turns Himself In For Tax Evasion Charges

Wu-Tang Clan's Clifford "Method Man" Smith has reportedly turned himself in to New York authorities and has been arrested on charges related to tax evasion.
Grammy Award-winning hip-hop star Method Man turned himself in to authorities this morning after failing to pay nearly $33,000 in back personal taxes, officials said. The Wu Tang member -- whose real name is Clifford Smith -- walked into the Staten Island DA's office at about 8 a.m. to face felony charges in connection with neglecting to pay $32,799 dating back to 2004. (New York Post)

Further speculation shows the rapper owing just under $33,000 to the government.

The Wu Tang rapper reportedly surrendered to cops on Staten Island this morning on charges of failing to pay four years worth of income taxes. According to WABC in New York, Meth owes $32,799 to Uncle Sam -- not including fees and penalties. (TMZ)

The arrest was made public Monday morning.

The arrest was announced by District Attorney Daniel Donovan and New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Jamie Woodward this morning. "Taxes are the burden that all citizens share in a civil society, whether you are an 'average Joe' on the street or a high-profile rap artist," said Donovan in a press release. "Because of the alleged action of people like Mr. Smith, law abiding citizens face higher taxes and reduced government services. Failure to properly report and pay your taxes is a crime against all citizens and will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted." (SI Live News)

After previously joking about not paying his taxes due to being "high," Mef later retracted his statement.

"The reporter said I didn't pay my taxes," Mef said in a video. "It was a play on the Afro[man] song. We was playing around...We were joking around at the end of the article and it wasn't fair that the Daily News put that headline up there, but when you make a movie like How High and sh*t, people always gonna paint you like that and that's the bottom line...Whose gonna really honestly believe that a motherf*cker forgot to pay his taxes because a motherf*cker was smoking too much weed...I may not do any more interviews ever based on how they take your words outta context, ya dig? It's all good though. Y'all be good." (World Star Hip Hop)

Chris Brown Debuts Lil Wayne Collabo, "Make Sure Y'all Request It At The Radio" [Video]

Chris Brown recently debuted "I Can Transform Ya," his new song with Lil Wayne, which is reportedly the singer's first single from his upcoming album, Graffiti.

Chris Brown released a track titled 'I Can Transform Ya' today on his blog site, Mechanicaldummy.com. The song, the first official track Brown has released since the February altercation with ex-girlfriend Rihanna that resulted in his guilty plea to an assault charge, is said to be the first single from his upcoming album, Graffiti. (Billboard)
Breezy played the record during a live blog broadcast yesterday.

"So, like I said, if you wanna actually hear the song, like, I just played it, you can actually play it on the chat," Brown explained. "You can go to mechanicaldummy.com, ChrisBrownWorld.com, it's gonna be everywhere, so, make sure y'all request it at the radio. I don't think it's on iTunes yet, so, I don't think you can download it, not 'til later. So, if you like the song, go 'head and request it. All the fans, I love y'all, thank-you so much for all the support over all the times, I'm still here. I'm gonna try to make as much music as possible for y'all while I'm doing the community service at the same time. [laughs] I thank all of y'all and I love you, bye." (Justin TV)
He also promoted the song's debut via Twitter.

"CHANGE OF PLANS: IM GOING TO RELEASE MY SINGLE TOMORROW INSTEAD OF WEDS.," he wrote on Monday (September 28). "TELL EVERYBODY... I CAN TRANSFORM YA, I CAN TRANSFORM YA.LOL RT: STREAMING LIVE TOMORROW TUESDAY, SEPT. 29th 3:30 PM/EST http://www.justin.tv/mechan...thx everybody who likes the song... and to all the fans.. i love you u so much... request at yall radio asap.. thx" (Chris Brown's Twitter)
Swizz Beatz, the producer of the song, recently spoke on linking with Breezy and Weezy.

"[Chris has] got something to prove," Swizz said in an interview. "He worked on 60, 70 songs. He's just on fire. I told him, 'Listen, man, just stay focused on your music. They gonna throw shots at you. Time heals everything.' He has great support; his mother is amazing. I was really scoping out the situation, it could have been something I didn't want to be around, but I really got a great vibe. Honestly...The Wayne part is just nothing to talk about...He really showed his a** on this one. It's probably the best feature verse since the 'It's Me [B*tches]' remix. He really went in on the 'Transformer' joint." (MTV)

Sales Wrap: SALES WRAP: Jay-Z Slides Down To No. 2, Drake Still Successful At No. 9 & Sean Kingston Lands On The Charts

In this week's Sales Wrap, Jay-Z is forced to fall back a notch, Drake is still seeing success at No. 9 and Sean Kingston makes a decent debut on the charts.

The self-proclaimed greatest rapper alive's The Blueprint 3 took a slight dip this week falling one step to No. 2 with 134,100 sold copies losing out to Pearl Jam's Backspacer which moved 189,300 units to go No. 1. According to Nielsen Soundscan, Hovi's latest No. 1 debuting album has sold 908,100 copies in just three weeks.

Award-winning singer Whitney Houston's I Look To You dropped two slots to No. 4 with 65,800. Houston's comeback album has been able to rack up 620,300 scanned discs after a month on shelves.

Young Money artist Drake's So Far Gone retail re-release slid three spots to No. 9 with 36,100. Going into his third week in stores, the rap newcomer's latest offering rests at 109,700 moved units.

Pop group The Black Eyed Peas' E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) fell to No. 16 moving down six slots with 29,000. With a solid four months under their belts, the group has been able to secure 1,140,300 scanned discs.

Rap newcomer Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon: The End Of Day took a slight hit falling 13 positions down to No. 17 with 28,300 units sold. Going into his third week on charts, the Kanye West associate's debut album has sold 132,600 records.

R&B singer Trey Songz's Ready dropped seven slots to No. 21 with 19,200. Headed into its fifth week of availability, the singer's third solo project has moved 223,900 albums.

Soulful singer Maxwell's Black Summer's Night moved down six spots to No. 27 with 16,600. After three months in stores, the singer's comeback album rests at 778,700 scanned discs.

Southern rapper Lil Boosie's Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz took a hard hit falling 27 positions down to No. 30 with 15,000. With just two weeks under his belt, the rapper's latest album has secured 63,900 sold records.

Sean Kingston's new album Tomorrow landed on the charts this week at No. 37. The singer's latest effort has moved 12,600 pieces after seven days in stores.

Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon took a hard fall as Only Built For Cuban Linx Part II dropped 18 slots down to No. 40 with 12,000. After three weeks on shelves, the rapper's long-awaited release rests at 101,200.

Grammy-winning singer Beyonce's I Am...Sasha Fierce moved down four positions to No. 44 with 11,100. With 45 weeks under her belt, the singer's third solo project has sold 2,424,800 records to date.

Eminem's Relapse fell 14 spots down to No. 45 with 10,900 units sold. After 19 weeks of availability, the rapper's comeback album has sold 1,339,400 copies.

Evening things out in Top 50 is Pitbull's Rebelution which dropped 12 slots to No. 48 with 10,000. Going into his fifth week in stores, the rapper's latest offering has sold 82,000 records to date.

Be sure to check back next week to see how new releases from Warren G, Playaz Circle, Ghostface Killah, Mack 10 and more perform on the charts.

Rihanna bares (nearly) all in a very sheer chiffon dress

Rihanna is ever one to make a fashion statement - and she certainly turned heads in this sheer dress. The singer barely kept her modesty in the artfully designed number - stripes of darker chiffon material just about covered her as the star went bra-less at Paris Fashion Week. She was at the British designer Gareth Pugh's Ready To Wear 2010 fashion show, held in a dimly lit hall of the Palais de Tokyo museum in western Paris, and wearing a version of one of his designs. Sheer madness?...

Furtado makes smart entry into Latin music market

MIAMI - Nelly Furtado's musical career has been filled with drastic changes. She started as a funky hip-hop/fusion phenomenon, soaring to success with her 2000 debut "Whoa, Nelly" and its Grammy-winning hit "Fly Like a Bird," then veered into a Brazilian-tinged world-beat detour. She returned to the mainstream in 2006 with the bestselling sexy pop/hip-hop of "Loose." Now Furtado is back with a new sound and a new identity - Latin songstress. Her latest album, "Mi plan," a pop-rock record filled...