Coolio Pleads Guilty to Possession of Concealed Weapon: ‘I Do Not Condone the Use of Firearms’

Coolio Pleads Guilty to Possession of Concealed Weapon: ‘I Do Not Condone the Use of Firearms’

Coolio pled guilty to possession of a concealed weapon in Los Angeles Wednesday.

The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., avoided jail time and instead was placed on probation for three years, as well as ordered to complete 45 days of community service. The felony charge will also be reduced to a misdemeanor if he remains on his best behavior and does not use or carry a gun for one year.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Coolio, 53, told reporters outside of court, according to TMZ and the Los Angeles Times. “I do not condone the use of firearms, illegal or legal. Thanks to the court and the attorneys handling this for me so I can still do the good work that I do … I was very worried. I don’t do crime and I am not into anything illegal, so it should be easy .”

David Beckham Has Boys’ Night Out With Sons at L.A. Kings Match

Four Beckham boys are better than one!

Kourtney Kardashian Steals Sister Kim’s Racy Style at Kanye West’s L.A. Concert

Kourtney Kardashian and Kim Kardashian rock similar styles one month apart. (Photo: AKM-GSI)

Kourtney Kardashian wore something very Kimlike at Kanye West’s Tuesday show at the Forum in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old stepped out in a sheer, lacy black bodysuit paired with black lace-up pants and a denim “Pablo” jacket — merchandise from the tour — for her brother-in-law’s performance.

The ensemble was similar to ones her younger sister Kim Kardashian, 36, has worn in the past. Those Kardashians do love their bodysuits! And they’ve been known to regularly steal each other’s style.

Meanwhile, Kim — accompanied by “a dozen or so armed guards, as well as Kourtney and

Surprise! Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson Have Been Secretly Married for Months

Surprise! Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson Have Been Secretly Married for Months

Surprise — Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson are married!

The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony on June 13 in Paradise Valley, Arizona, PEOPLE confirms after obtaining a copy of their record of marriage.

The ceremony was officiated by agent and close friend Peter Carlisle, who often posts photos of Phelps, Johnson and their 6-month-old baby boy, Boomer Phelps, to his Instagram account. TMZ was the first to report the news.

During the Rio Olympics in August, Phelps told PEOPLE that the couple had a date set for a wedding — but it seems they had already been married for more than two months at the time of the Aug. 23 interview.

Bruno Mars to present new song at MTV Europe Awards

Bruno Mars will return to the global concert stage when he performs his fun-loving new song at the MTV European Music Awards, the network announced Tuesday.
The funk-pop singer, who scored a string of hits before taking a hiatus, will sing his “24K Magic” at the EMAs, which will be broadcast live on November 6 from Rotterdam.
The youth network said that Mars was the first in a series of performers it would announce for the

Africans tuning into more local TV programmes

Raised on the backstabbing intrigue of 1980s American soaps “Dallas” and “Dynasty”, and later, the heady drama of South American telenovelas, Africans are enjoying a surge in local TV content they can finally identify with.
It took a while, but in the past decade local programming has soared in sub-Saharan Africa’s key economies, a rise driven by both foreign satellite networks and television stations on the continent.
This growth has delivered up local shows such as Kenya’s comedic “Real Househelps of Kawangware” — a play on the US “Real Housewives” series — along with talk shows, political satire and continent-wide reality TV such as “Big Brother Africa” and “Project Fame”.
And demand is set to grow with the number of households owning a television expected to double to more than 150 million in the next 10 years, according to TV market research firm Dataxis.

Drake sets new record for American Music Award nods

Rap chart-topper Drake on Monday earned a record 13 nominations for the American Music Awards, topping the mark set by late king of pop Michael Jackson.
The Toronto rapper, whose “Views” has been the top-selling album released this year in the United States, was in the running for Artist of the Year and raked in other nominations thanks to his slew of collaborations.
But on the same day as his nomination glory, Drake postponed the final three performances of his “Summer Sixteen” tour under doctors’ orders, his spokesperson said.
“Drake suffered a severe ankle injury during the tour which he did his best to power through. By doing this, he made his injury worse,” the spokesperson said, adding that Drake needed time to recuperate and “give fans the performances they deserve.”
Drake, whose hits such as “Hotline Bling” have won him an avid fan base, had been due to play

Felabration: Gbajabiamila, others urge Nigerians against mental slavery

Nigerians have been urged to liberate themselves from mental slavery in other to gain economic freedom.
This was the position of Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiala, Adebola Williams and Executive Director, Moyo Pan-Afrikan Solidarity Centre, Sister Affiong L. Affiong yesterday at the eighth Fela Debate Series held in Ikeja, Lagos.
The debate was moderated by Executive Director, Centre for African Culture and Development, Prof. Sophie Oluwole.
They declared that the first slavery was worse than the second slavery, which they referred to as mental slavery. They spoke on the topic ‘Movement Against Second Slavery’, a title of one of Fela’s songs, noting that the movement seems to have lost steam, as the black man has been

London Film Festival opens with spotlight on diversity

The London Film Festival opened its 60th edition Wednesday with a spotlight on ethnic minority actors and filmmakers, reflecting a debate over the lack of diversity currently raging in Hollywood.
“We really wanted to shine a light on black stars,” festival director Clare Stewart told AFP as the event opened with a tale of inter-racial love in Botswana by British director Amma Asante who was born to Ghanaian parents.
“I’m incredibly excited by just how dynamic, and broad, and urgent and challenging and entertaining are a lot of the films that are coming from black storytellers in this line-up,” Stewart added.
First up was Asante’s “A United Kingdom”, an account of the real-life marriage of Botswana prince Seretse Khama, played by David Oyelowo, and a white English woman, Ruth Williams,

Nigerian actress Rahma Sadau banned after on-screen hug

A leading Nigerian actress has been banned from the Hausa-language film industry because of her “immoral” behaviour, the main industry body says.
Rahma Sadau caused offence by “hugging and cuddling” pop star Classiq in a video, it added.
The industry, commonly known as Kannywood, has been under fire from conservative Muslim clerics who accuse it of corrupting people’s values.
They regard it as taboo for men and women to hold hands or kiss in public.
Ms Sadau, who is said to be on a holiday in India, has not yet commented on the ban imposed by Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (Moppan).
Its chairman, Muhammadu Kabiru Maikaba, SAID that the ban was “total”.
“This is not the first time that she has been doing these wayward things. We have been warning

Kim Kardashian made herself a target for robbery on social media – Police

Kim Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint of millions of pounds worth of jewellery after making herself a target by flaunting her lavish lifestyle on social media, police have said.
The 35-year-old reality TV star reportedly had a gun held to her head before she was tied up and locked in the bathroom of a luxury residence in the French capital where she was staying during Paris fashion week.
She was “badly shaken but physically unharmed,” a spokeswoman said.
Five masked and armed men were involved in the raid and escaped with a jewellery box containing a ring worth €4m (£3.5m), as well as other valuables worth between €5m and €6m (£4.4m – £5.2m).
Four days ago, Kardashian West posted a photograph of a huge diamond ring on her left hand captioned with three diamond emojis.
Johanna Primevert, chief spokeswoman for the Paris police department, said: “This is the result of people who obviously posed as policemen and who assaulted Ms Kardashian in a private hotel in her room by threat of a weapon.
“This kind of incident is extremely rare in Paris. This is a star who is famous worldwide.