ALBANY - Gov. Paterson gave the Legislature another take-it-or-leave-it proposal Friday - this time over a whopping hike in cigarette taxes.
Paterson included a $1.60 per-pack increase in the state's cigarette tax in the emergency spending bills he sent the Legislature to keep the government running for the next two weeks.
Taxes on cigars, chewing tobacco and other tobacco products also would be increased from 46% of the wholesale price to… Continue
That's Mayor Bloomberg's message to art vendors in the park, food trucks idling on the streets, street fairs clogging the avenues - and even Mr. Softee.
"The little stand is now getting to be these enormous trucks with generators," the mayor said on his WOR-AM radio show.
"We are moving stores into the street. And they sit there and they park and they take up parking places and they block… Continue
NEW YORK — Battle-scarred rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight and volatile hip-hop star Kanye West faced off Friday over a beef involving a bullet — with a conference table between them.
The two rap titans were there for West to answer questions about a celebrity-packed Miami Beach party where an unknown gunman shot Knight in the leg. West hosted the 2005 fete at the posh Shore Club before the MTV Video Music Awards, held that year in… Continue
In a new interview with The New York Times Magazine, Eminem declares that his "overall look on things is a lot more mature than it used to be," a statement that apparently extends to his views on gay marriage.
At one point during the piece — which will appear in the Sunday, June 20, issue of the mag — Em is asked by the Times' Deborah Solomon if he'd support a gay marriage bill in his home state of Michigan. Somewhat surprisingly, he said yes ...… Continue
Nicki Minaj is now no bi-sexual? She told Black Men magazine, "I don’t date women and I don’t have sex with women." She's a heart breaker for the lez community.
Omarion sounded off about Trey Songz stage antics though…but didn’t call any names.
I don’t know about those other artist, but I can’t be kissing everybody in the mouth. I’m just saying. You don’t know where they been. You know who I am talking… Continue
He said to In Touch: 'Justin Bieber is someone I'm not just endorsing as a talent, he's someone I'm nurturing as an artist.
'He's my artist. He's an incredible talent. He's a young man who I think represents all of what's needed in this time to be an artist and be successful.
'You look at the different genres of music now, and it's either electric dance or acoustic sound - you've got the Jonas Brothers, and you've got Lady… Continue
For those who don’t know, the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2010 NBA Championship after an epic battle between the Boston Celtics, but Kobe let it be known that he has one more ring than Shaquille O’neal. Kobe has always lived in the shadow of Shaq, with the media and commentators contributing Kobe’s first 3 rings to O’neal. These two have had an internal beef since Kobe allegedly raped a young lady in Colorado in the Summer of 2003, then tried to snitch… Continue
The State Liquor Authority recently approved the sale of 192-proof booze - meaning the potent potables are 96% alcohol.
Some shop owners and imbibers are raising a glass to the hooch, believed to be the strongest ever available in the state, particularly folks in Polish and Russian communities who've had to travel to New Jersey for the stiff brew.
"It's incredibly sharp. It takes your breath away," said… Continue
KINGSVILLE, Texas - Police say a 1-year-old girl died after being left in a hot car in southern Texas for about 45 minutes.
Kingsville Police Chief Ricardo Torres says the child's mother had just returned home from picking up her children when she mistakenly left the toddler in the family car Wednesday afternoon. Kingsville is about 140 miles southeast of San Antonio.
No charges have been filed, but the case has been turned over to… Continue
Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be undefeated in the ring, but he suffered a loss to Just for You Entertainment yesterday (June 16th) in court.
While the victory was extremely small, The New York Post reports that a judge awarded Just for You Entertainment $6,000 because Floyd's label Philthy Rich Records signed Freck Billionaire to a contract in violation of a previous agreement with Just for You.
Just for You was seeking over $600,000 in… Continue
Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL player and current Old Spice pitchman, has inked a talent deal with NBC, reports Variety. The deal will likely keep Mustafa in-house with the network, which will set him up to audition on several shows and, the industry mag says, possibly cast him in pilots down the road.
It's been a long road and a big career change for Mustafa to get to this point. From 1997-2000, he played professional football, with… Continue