From the Los Angeles Times
Quick Takes
March 28, 2008
T.I. facing prison after guilty pleaRapper T.I. pleaded guilty in Atlanta on Thursday to federal weapons possession charges, and will receive a sentence that includes prison time after he completes a period of community service.
In the year that he is awaiting sentencing, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, must complete 1,500 hours of community service, at least 1,000 of them talking to youth groups about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.
Harris, 27, whose sixth album debuted at No. 1 on the sales charts last July, pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, unlawful possession of machine guns and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
From the Associated Press
Ailey receives Kaufman grantLos Angeles philanthropist Glorya Kaufman, who in 1999 donated $18 million to UCLA to fund the renovation of its historic Dance Building, has made a $6-million pledge to the New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, pushing the company's endowment to $55 million.
The troupe disclosed Kaufman's donation, her largest to date to a dance company, in New York on Thursday as part of a broader announcement about 18 months of planned activities commemorating its 50th anniversary. Company executive director Sharon Gersten Luckman said those plans included a Library of Congress archival exhibition on the history of the Ailey company that will be on display at Walt Disney Concert Hall from October through March, as well as a tour stop in Los Angeles in mid-March.
The Ailey company, which performed earlier this month at the Orange County Performing Artscenter and held L.A. auditions for its summer program, also plans to create one of its dance camps in the Los Angeles area.
"I have funded many institutions of dance. However, I wanted to be involved with the soul of dance, and my staff and I sought out the very best," Kaufman said. "We need a resurgence of dance and music, no question."
Kaufman is the widow of Donald Bruce Kaufman, founder with Eli Broad of the home construction and financing firm Kaufman & Broad, now KB Homes.
-- Diane Haithman
Remy Ma held after convictionGrammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma was led out of a Manhattan courtroom Thursday, weeping and in handcuffs, after being convicted of shooting a woman outside a nightclub last summer.
The defense had conceded that Remy Ma, whose real name is Remy Smith, fired a shot toward a friend she suspected of stealing $3,000, but said it was an accident.
Smith, 26, faces up to 25 years in prison following her conviction in state Supreme Court for assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion. She was ordered held without bail until sentencing April 23.
From the Associated Press
