IDA MAE ASTUTE / ABC
Diane Sawyer and Rihanna on "GMA." (See "Rihanna describes attack.")
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Post a commentSideshow: 'Wild' man gets time served, probation
Joe Francis, the entrepreneur behind the tasteless Girls Gone Wild vid series, was sentenced yesterday to 301 days already served and a year of probation for filing false income tax returns and bribing Nevada jail workers for better treatment behind bars.
Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Inquirer wire services.
The sentence is part of a plea deal prosecutors struck after learning a key witness had withheld information from them.
Francis, who admitted to omitting more than $500,000 of interest income on his '03 tax returns, also must pay $250,000 to the IRS.
"I think we won that one," he said.
Rihanna describes attack
Rihanna yesterday described the fear she felt when she was assaulted by Chris Brown on Feb. 8. "There was no person when I looked at him," she said on ABC's Good Morning America. "He had no soul in his eyes. Just blank."Rihanna, 21, said CB was "definitely my first big love," describing their love as "dangerous" and "an obsession."
For all that, R said she doesn't hate CB: "I actually love and care about him and . . . I want him to do well."
Band burglarized in Philly
The members of Mae, the Virginia alt-pop band that played the North Star Bar on Tuesday and Wednesday, woke up Thursday in Philly to find that their van and a trailer containing all of their equipment had been stolen."It's in these moments that our fans lift us up and remind us why we do what we do. We thank you for the immediate outpouring of love and support," the band says on its Facebook page. Mae planned to play in New York last night using borrowed equipment.
- Dan DeLuca
The Jacksons on TV
Michael Jackson's brothers will be put on display in a six-part reality show premiering Dec. 13 on A&E. The "deeply intimate portrait" will look at how Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, and Marlon cope with MJ's death and prepare for a reunion concert tour.In other MJ news, the movie about Michael, This Is It, has crossed the $100 mil mark in overseas tix sales for a total haul of $144 mil.
Tidbits 'n' pieces
Variety says Justin Timberlake will star in the live-action/animated film Yogi Bear as the voice of Yogi's sidekick, Boo-Boo. Dan Aykroyd is in talks to voice the famous bear.Usher and Tameka Raymond are officially divorced. The couple wed in August '07 and have two sons. No word on custody arrangements.
Golden Girls star Rue McClanahan, 75, is recovering from heart bypass surgery in a New York hospital. Friend Del Shores says the procedure went "very, very well."
Rocking the Berlin Wall
Beyoncé nabbed prizes at the MTV Europe Music Awards Thursday in Berlin for best female artist, best song, and best video. Detroit's Eminem won best male artist.B's hubby, Jay-Z, won for best urban act. Referring to the night's theme, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he said, "I look forward to the day when all those walls come down."
Latin Grammy Awards
Puerto Rican hip-hop duo Calle 13 won five Latin Grammys Thursday in Vegas. The duo gave back, performing their song "La Perla" with Ruben Blades. Alicia Keys skipped the MTV do in Berlin to do a duet with Spaniard Alejandro Sanz. And special guest Juan Gabriel wowed fans with a 40-minute show.
Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Inquirer wire services.
