~*~ Star Flash ~*~
MASTER P’S SCHOOL DAZE
Who knew Master P was so generous? The rap mogul has just donated $500,000 to save his former elementary school from closing, reports MTV News. When M.P. heard that St. Monica Elementary -- the New Orleans school where the rapper attended first through eighth grade -- was shutting down, he immediately bust out his checkbook to support the struggling school and the local church that runs it. And the really cool thing about P? He’s totally modest about the whole deal. "When they told me what the situation was, I figured that this was a good opportunity to save some of the kids, to give them the opportunity that I had," says the rapper. Let’s hope other stars pick up on his tip.
BRANDY JOINS "DIVAS LIVE"
This just in: Brandy has signed on for the next VH1 "Divas Live" concert, according to the New York Post. She’ll join Cher, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, and one other "surprise guest" for the event, which will take place at New York City’s Beacon Theater on April 13. At 20, Brandy is the youngest of the bunch, but we’re pretty sure she’ll be just fine. Word is Ms. Moesha can "diva fit" with the best of ‘em.
KATE ‘FESSES UP
Now that Kate Moss has cleaned up her act (the superwaif is fresh out of rehab), she coming clean about her personal life, too. The model finally confessed to British Voguethe real reason why she and Johnny Depp called it quits. "He was away a lot of the time and I’d go shopping, do that ladies-who-lunch crap," she told the mag. "It was so boring, the most lonely, shallow place. I was going insane." (Hmmm, we’re guessing those were liquid lunches considering her slight frame and rehab stint.) Kate also claims that while the glam world of modeling contributed to her drug problem, she thinks she would’ve landed at Camp Dry-Out even if she flipped burgers for a living. "Modeling just speeded things along," she says.
SOLO SPICE
Who needs the Spice Girls? Not Geri Halliwell a.k.a. the artist formerly know as Ginger Spice. The singer’s first solo single titled "Look At Me" is set to hit British airwaves May 10, then debut in the U.S. May 17, reports Billboard magazine. Ging . . make that Geri, filmed the video for the tune last week in Prague. Let’s hope she fares better than Scary a.k.a. Mel B. Even with help from Missy Elliott, Scary’s first solo single I Think I Want You Back (from the Why Do Fools Fall in Love soundtrack) was a bomb.
GWYNETH’S NEW GUY
Looks like serial dater (oh, and Oscar winner) Gwyneth Paltrow has a new man. Just hours after thanking her "friend, Ben Affleck" in her Best Actress acceptance speech, Gwyn was seen looking quite chummy with Felicity’s Scott Speedman while making the rounds of Oscar after-parties, according to the New York Daily News. The stars’ reps are practically killing themselves trying to assure the press the two are (surprise!) "just friends," but we’ve heard that one before. The two are currently filming Duets with director (and Gwyn’s pop), Bruce Paltrow. How cozy!
ODB BUSTED FOR DRUGS
Wu-Tang’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard is in trouble with the law -- again. He was arrested Monday after New York City cops found a small amount of crack cocaine in his 1996 Range Rover, according to the New York Post. Police discovered the drugs while questioning the rapper for driving with a suspended license. Maybe Ol’ Dirty, who also goes by Sweet Baby Jesus, should just change his name to Trouble.
DEMI, DANCE DIVA?
Looks like Demi Moore has found a new career -- dancehall queen. Do You Love Me, a tune featuring Demi reciting verse by ancient Persian poet Rumi, is blazing up dance charts thanks to Long Island dj John Hernandez, according to E!Online. Demi originally recorded the poem for chum/spiritual advisor Deepak Chopra’s album, A Gift of Love: Deepak & Friends. Hernandez, a Deepak devotee, discovered the sultry spoken word track, added a techno beat, and the rest is Billboard history. Not to worry, we’re pretty sure Demi’s going to keep her day job.
CALISTA + BEN, CONT.
Looks like we got it all wrong. Calista Flockhart isn’t dating Ben Affleck -- she’s seeing Ben Stiller. According to E!Online’s Ted Casablanca, Ms. McBeal and the funnyman were spotted snuggling at an L.A. movie theater. According to Casablanca, the two were looking quite "couply." We’ll keep you posted.
BEN + SANDRA
Speaking of Mr. Affleck, seems it was dislike at first sight for Ben and his Forces of Nature costar, Sandra Bullock. According to Entertainment Weekly Online, the stars admit their on-set relationship got off to a rocky start. Sandy’s biggest pet peeve regarding Ben? "Ben can never show up anywhere on time," complains the actress. As for Sandra’s most annoying trait? Her privacy paranoia. "She never tells me anything," Ben bitches. And then there’s that talking thing: "She’s just WAA WAA in your ear all the time," grumbles the Good Will Hunting star. "She’d make a great wife . . . for a deaf man." Ouch. Luckily, the two sorta grew on each other -- in that brother-sister way, we guess -- and became buddies by the end of filming.
CARTOON BAD HABITS
Looks like cartoon characters need to clean up their acts. A new study from the University of North Carolina found that more than two-thirds of animated films from the past 60 years feature ‘toons smoking and drinking. And it’s not just the villains behaving badly -- "good guys" are hitting the bottle and puffing, too. Jeez, and to think people made all that fuss over poor Tinky-Winky. All he did was carry a purse.
BRITNEY TV
Move over Moesha. Make way for Britney Spears. Yep, the perky singer is in talks with Columbia TriStar Television to develop her own television series. According to Entertainment Weekly Online, Spears has inked a deal with the same development team that brought us Dawson's Creek and Party of Five, and is currently listening to story ideas. But there's one thing Britney won't do: sitcoms. Her manager says Brit wants into sink her teeth in more dramatic stuff. Hmmm, that shouldn't be a problem working with the Po5 peeps. She'll be dodging cancer and waging child custody battles in no time.
CK GETS FOXY
Foxy Brown just landed the hottest spot in New York City – a billboard smack-dab-in-da-middle of Times Square. Today's New York Daily News reports the rapper just posed for a Calvin Klein jeans ad which will be featured in magazines and get major sky-time in Times Square. Cool with us -- we'd rather see a healthy Foxy (known for her big appetite) working CK gear than those strung-out junkie types Calvin usually goes for.
BRANDY IS JUST FINE, THANKS
To all those whispering that she's having a meltdown, Brandy has just one thing to say: Step off. "I was a little sick," Brandy told USA Today regarding reports that she was becoming a total stress case. "It wasn't because I was overworked or anything. It was my fault. I don't get enough rest. I'll work all day and stay up all night." We hear that. Luckily, the singer is getting some down time soon. Brandy said she's planning a tour this June, but will have two months of R&R before she hits the road.
MADONNA-RICKY MARTIN DUET
The Material Mom and Latin sensation Ricky Martin are going to make beautiful music together. According to MTV News, Madonna is set to record a duet with the former Menudo member for his upcoming album. The two first met backstage at the Grammys in February. (Madonna practically burst into a chorus of "Oh, Ricky, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind. Hey, Ricky!" upon meeting Martin, whose performance at the awards show brought down the house.) Rumor has it that the Rickster will also be Madonna’s date for Oscar night, although neither would confirm the match.
LEO FIGHTS BACK
Leonardo DiCaprio is speaking out against the environmentalists who claim his latest flick, The Beach isn’t Earth-friendly. "I don’t want a bad reputation as somebody who endorses something hostile to the environment," Leo told Britain’s Daily Telegraph. The movie, currently filming in Thailand, has been under attack from environmentalists who say the filmmakers are destroying area beaches. Wrong answer, says Leo. "From what I have seen, (the allegations) are false . . . They took tons of trash off the beach and it looks better than it ever has before," claims the peeved star. So there.
CLAIRE DANES, SUPERMODEL?
Claire Danes is close to signing a deal to star in Head Over Heals, a comedy set in the modeling world, according to Daily Variety. We bet that Claire -- who’s no stranger to high fashion -- will adjust just fine to her glam role. Up next for our fair Claire: a fierce remake of the TV classic The Mod Squad, due out March 26.
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