Feds name accomplice in hip-hop murder

April 18, 2007

Federal prosecutors in New York have alleged that a low-level career bandit may hold the key to one of the more high-profile mysteries of the hip-hop world: Who killed rap pioneer Jam Master Jay? In court papers, the prosecutors identify Ronald "Tenad" Washington as the armed accomplice of a second unidentified gunman who shot Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, inside his Queens recording studio in 2002. They say Washington also is a suspect in the fatal shooting in 1995 of Randy Walker, a close associate of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The papers were filed this month in the federal trial of Washington, who was convicted in a string of armed robberies that occurred just after Jay was killed. Washington, 45, has denied any connection to either the Mizell or Walker cases. (AP)

Music producer Phil Spector (below left) was confronted yesterday with prospective jurors who declared they had already decided he was guilty of the murder of Lana Clarkson. "Honestly, I think he did it," a young aspiring actress said during jury selection in Los Angeles. She said she believed celebrities often have things handed to them and as a result they "just act inappropriately." The next prospect questioned said she also concluded that Spector was guilty. She had written on her questionnaire: "In my opinion Phillip is at fault for her death." Clarkson was shot in the foyer of Spector's home on Feb. 3, 2003, after going home with him from her job as a hostess at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. Spector, a top record producer in the 1960s and '70s , has pleaded not guilty. (AP)

Paris Hilton was ordered yesterday to appear in court May 4 for allegedly violating her probation in a reckless driving case by driving with a suspended license. Prosecutors in Los Angeles are seeking to revoke Hilton's probation, which could result in a sentence of up to 90 days in jail. In January, Hilton pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education, and $1,500 in fines. On Feb. 28, she was ticketed for misdemeanor driving with a suspended license. (AP)

Actor Rip Torn (left), who beat drunken-driving charges three years ago, has decided not to fight this time. Torn, 76, pleaded guilty Monday night to driving while ability impaired and agreed to pay $380 and give up his license for 90 days. Torn, a star of television's "30 Rock" and the "Men in Black" movies, was arrested in December on a charge of driving while intoxicated after his car hit a tractor-trailer in North Salem, N.Y. He refused a sobriety test. (AP)

Rocker Eddie Van Halen will serve as an honorary NASCAR official this weekend in what will be the guitarist's first post-rehab appearance. Van Halen will participate Friday in pre-race activities at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event at the Phoenix International Raceway, unveiling a limited edition Fender Stratocaster guitar series. The guitarist entered a rehabilitation facility early last month, four days before he and his Van Halen bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (BILLBOARD)

Chow Yun-Fat's withdrawal from a major Chinese historical epic directed by John Woo -- the man who made him an icon -- has raised questions about whether a local son has forgotten his roots. Chow, who starred in Woo's classic 1986 film, "A Better Tomorrow," dropped out of the director's $80 million "Red Cliff" just as shooting got under way. He was the film's biggest star. The 51-year-old Hong Kong actor said he submitted a request to pull out through his lawyers Friday because he only got the script last week and didn't have enough time to prepare. Officials for the movie dispute this, saying they couldn't work with Chow because he made unreasonable demands. (AP)

Aishwarya Rai will wear a traditional hand-embroidered sari with intricate goldwork on her wedding day, the actress' favorite designer said yesterday. Rai, a former Miss World, will marry actor Abhishek Bachchan (with her at right) on Friday in Mumbai. Bachchan, 31, comes from a famous Bollywood family -- his father, Amitabh, and mother, Jaya, are among India's best known actors. A red-and-blue air-conditioned tent with huge mirrors was being readied in a garden adjoining the Bachchan's suburban family home for what is billed as India's "wedding of the year." Bachchan and Rai, 33, became engaged in a private ceremony in January. (AP)

UK pop singer Lily Allen (below) has canceled most of her US tour, excluding performances at this year's Coachella and Bonnaroo music festivals, among several others. Allen revealed the news on her MySpace.com blog. Allen joked that the reason for canceling her tour "is because my mummy and daddy are very rich, and I have never been in a position where I have actually had to do any hard work before." She went on to say that after touring for more than a year, she is tired, and believes her shows of late have been subpar. Allen added that she's been "getting really drunk" recently, and has become "so nervous about doing bad shows." Wrote Allen: "I am not falling apart at the [seams], I am not suffering with exhaustion, I am not pregnant, and I am not going to rehab." (BILLBOARD)