Seems like 50 Cent doesn't want to put another dime into his ex-girlfriend and their son's living situation. Fitty (real name Curtis Jackson) allegedly bought the $1.5 million Long Island home (pictured) for Shaniqua Tompkins and their 10-year-old son, but now the rapper is sending them to the streets. Tompkins filed a lawsuit in Manhattan accusing her ex of evicting her from the home, claiming "breach of contract." When closing on the house last year,......

Uh oh - there's definitely a little drama for five well-known performers as the Albany DA's office continues its probe into steroid trafficking. The Times Union reported yesterday that Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Wyclef Jean and Tyler Perry were "among the thousands of customers of the pharmacies" DA David Soares' office has investigated. Oh. In other words, the celebrities are just the bold-faced names, and the sources say there isn't evidence that they......

...

Ghostbusters has been in the form of a videogame ever since it hit the big screen in 1984, and since then it's been through many versions and platforms. Seems it has taken nearly 24 years to perfect it though, as it's just been announced the movie will haunt us til the end up time with a series of top-notch videogames to come.First title in what the publisher hopes will be a series of Ghostbusters games......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on 87th St. and Central Park West in Manhattan, a DOA in a tree off Woodhaven Blvd. in Queens, and a burn victim on 42nd St. and Vanderbilt Ave. in Manhattan. Sidewalk chalk outline artist Ellis G[allagher] was arrested by police and held overnight as he was being filmed by a PBS crew last week in Boerum Hill. Charges were dropped the next day and Gallagher......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: two pedestrians struck at 71st St. and Northern Blvd. in Queens, a shooting at St. John's Pl. in Brooklyn, and a collapse at 52nd St. and 7th Ave. in Manhattan. Someone stole the "diamond dress" that Carol Channing wore during her stage run in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," from an unattended luggage cart. The $150,000 dress was about to be donated to the Smithsonian Museum. Annheuser Busch is moving a......

High School Musical Takeover Despite the fact that the most common response we've been hearing is "What the hell is High School Musical?", it appears that Rolling Stone coverboy Zac Efron and his overly theatrical buddies are the toast of the town. Topping the Billboard chart, breaking cable TV records and zombifying tweens everywhere (you've probably bumped into a few already this week on the sidewalk with their faces buried in the lyric book). Even......

There was a fuss - and VitaminWater truck - at the FDNY's Ladder 20 Engine 13 firehouse on Lafayette Street. With good reason: Mets third baseman David Wright was filming a commercial for vitaminwater. Wright, New York's hottie come lately athlete, plays a vitaminwater delivery man - see how his uniform says "David"? Firefighters were taking photographs with their cellphones and Wright seemed to be having a good time. We just hope he's well-rested......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on East 79th St. in Manhattan, another bank robbery on East 89th St. in Manhattan, and a police scooter accident at Adams and Tillary Sts. in Brooklyn. A parking ticket fixer was sentenced to three-to-six years in jail for arranging false-documented excuses to get people out of parking tickets. Robert Deniro and Al Pacino are teaming up as detectives tracking a serial killer in a new......

The incident where a 14-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted by rapper Tony Yayo for wearing a Czar Entertainment t-shirt (Yayo's management company's rival) has now entered the third phase. The first phase was outcry and denial from both sides. The second phase was a press conference held by the Reverend Al Sharpton decrying the violence of the rap industry. And the third phase is the inevitable rap song. The Game, who is managed by Czar......

The Reverend Al Sharpton held a press conference criticizing violence in the hip-hop community. The press conference was prompted by the alleged assault on the 14-year-old child of a rap music management company headed by G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo; apparently seeing the child wear a Czar Entertainment shirt on 25th Street sent him over the edge. While Russell Simmons dropped out of the press conference, Sharpton was joined by the boy's mother Cynthia Reed, the......

After claims that his G-Unit associate Tony Yayo beat up the son of a rival music management company for him, 50 Cent is talking. Well, his lawyer is talking. Benjamin Brafman, familiar for having defended P. Diddy and DJ Star, fired off a few words at the child's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman. Lichtman - and the 14-year-old's mother - claimed that 50 urged his crew to beat up the boy because of a fight with his......

Is beating up a 14-year-old a new low in irrational rap rivalries gone worse? On Saturday, rapper Tony Yayo, who is also a member of 50 Cent's G-Unit, turned himself into police. Yayo and some other men were accused of assaulting a 14-year-old boy on 25th Street. And it wasn't just any regular 14-year-old boy - the boy happened to be the son of Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, head of a rival music management company Czar......

Although the extremely gross clip of Glenn Beck propositioning an US Weekly writer on CNN was amazing, it's too awkward for us to enjoy. So our vote for the best line on TV yesterday is from 30 Rock. One of the plotlines was "Jack (Alec Baldwin) forces Tracy (Tracy Morgan) to attend The Source Awards." Oh, the sitcom wackiness! Naturally, Tracy refuses to go to the Source Awards, because of its history of controversy, and......

SIGNING: Just a few days ago LL Cool J was out signing his book (which, is actually a workout book). Tonight 50 Cent will be at Borders Bookstore with two of his writers for the launch of, wait for it...G Unit books! Some titles: Death Before Dishonor, Baby Brother and The Ski Mask Way. Get there early! 6pm // Borders Bookstore [10 Columbus Circle] // Free THEATER: RiddleLikeLove (with a side of ketchup) is based......

He might be a gangsta, but an incident with the police made him seem a little more wanksta. Rap star 50 Cent was issued summons for driving his hot $500,000 Lamborghini convertible without a license, insurance, or license plates. Police say he made an "unsafe lane change" and had been weaving in and out of traffic. Of course, the driving infractions got more attention when he was pulled over near 32th Street and 8th Avenue......

- Hello, blame game: Former EPA head Christie Todd Whitman says that Mayor Giuliani knew that Ground Zero after September 11 was still toxic, yet opened it anway... yet still, the EPA did claim the air downtown was safe, so how about everyone is at fault? - Wait a second - did Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff acidentally spill the beans on major transportation initiatives in Midtown - like trying to reduce private cars... -......

Last night (or rather, yesterday at 4 in the afternoon) we headed over to the tiny spot that was given to us on the (way end of the) red carpet for MTV's Video Music Awards.The awards were back in NYC this year, and brought a whole lotta Hollywood with them. We stood next to Scott, who held a sign that said "The Internet", and eventually, some of the celebs came by to chat. The Raconteurs......

Hot 97, the city's biggest hip-hop and R&B; radio station, will get the once-over 24-7 by the police as the NYPD is going to install one of their rather conspicuous surveillance cameras outside Hot 97's Hudson Street studios. "We'll keep it in place until Hot 97 is evicted or cleans up its act" is how a police sources explains the decision to the Daily News, as last week the rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard was shot......

The latest news in the fatal shooting during a rap video shoot in Brooklyn is that Busta Rhymes may have witnessed his bodyguard's death. Police Commissioner Kelly announced as much yesterday, and other police sources are saying that Rhymes (born Trevor Smith) may have been playing "peacemaker" between some other rappers. Rhymes had been shooting a video for his song, "Touch It {Remix)," and there were a number of music stars on hand to do......

During an overnight video shooting for a new Busta Rhymes video in Brooklyn, a security guard was shot and killed outside the studio. The victim, Israel Ramirez, a 29 year old from Brooklyn (and raised Morningside Heights), is reported to be Busta's new guard as well as a "longtime member" of the entourage, but police think he was shot because of another fight that erupted on the shoot - not because he was Busta's jewelry......

The Boys Choir of Harlem hasn't had a very easy time, especially after it was found that a guidance counselor molested 14 year old student, but now they need to leave their home at Madison Avenue and East 127th Street. The NY Times looks at the embattled organization, and its struggle to exist amid the financial problems and the Department of Education's allegations that it mishandled the program. The choir operates out of the city's......

On Sundays, Gothamist runs opinion pieces on issues relevant to life in New York. The views expressed below belong entirely to the author. Will Leitch may be one of the newest incarnations of the Gawker empire (with his sports blog, Deadspin) and one of the managing editors of The Black Table, and he may be the force behind the Growth Spurt reading series. That is to say, he may seem like a rising star on......

Elliott Wilson, editor-in-chief, XXL magazine...

Although it would probably be ulcer-inducing, Gothamist wishes we could be in the gallery for the Murder Inc. drug laundering trial. Because things sound totally insane. Yesterday, prosecutors heard testimony about druglord Kenneth McGriff's hit on 50 Cent (McGriff invested in record label Murder Inc.; the feds say Murder Inc. laundered McGriff's drug money) associates were text messaging each other within 30 minutes of the 2000 shooting, though a defense lawyer said that Murder Inc.......

David Yellen, Photographer...

Well, sadly, this wasn't much of a surprise: The attempted shooting of 50 Cent at Hot 97 was apparently masterminded by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and Murder Inc. because of various rivalries. Sigh. The IRS had been investigating McGriff, variously described as a "reputed gangster" and "alleged druglord", and Murder Inc. for their finances and now feel that that they are "involved in an ongoing plot to kill 50 Cent." And the IRS was involved because......

We're proud to announce that Neighborhoodies is sponsoring the Movable Hype 4.0 show on Monday. Amongst other things they'll be giving out goodie bags stuffed with treats! So get there early before they run out, it's first come first served. As if that weren't enough, we're also having a raffle. With admission you automatically get one raffle ticket and if you want to up your chances it'll only cost $1 for each additional ticket. The......

Lloyd Banks and Young Buck of G-Unit, the 50-Cent spin-off group, were arrested for gun possession, along with others in the car. Just hours after their concert with Fitty and Eminem at Madison Square Garden, where the Daily News says they yelled, "F--- the police!" when they walked offstage, the group ran a red light at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue. Police say that since the group was acting "antsy," the police decided to search......

You can pretty much guarantee a fun night when giant hip-hop superstars headline a stadium. They'll be theatrics, hit-after-hit, lots of hand wavin' and crowd sing-alongs (and lots of police). If you check out the Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Jon, D12, and G-Unit show at Madison Square Garden Monday or Tuesday night, you'll also be on TV. It's being taped for Showtime. If that's too mainstream for you, the place to be is Knitting......