Quick Takes: Reebok drops rapper

Rick Ross’ controversial lyrics that seemed to promote date rape have resulted in the superstar rapper-mogul being dropped as a spokesman for Reebok.

After intense pressure from a number of organizations, including anti-sexism collective UltraViolet, the athletic company announced Thursday that it had parted ways with Ross.

“Reebok holds our partners to a high standard, and we expect them to live up to the values of our brand. Unfortunately, Rick Ross has failed to do so,” Reebok said.

—Gerrick D. Kennedy

No doubt, she’s dancing for joy

FOR THE RECORD:
Dance school: A Quick Takes item in the April 12 Calendar section referred to Jodie Gates as the new dean of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Her title is vice dean and director. —

Jodie Gates — a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet who has since become one of Southern California’s most prominent dance leaders — will become the dean of the new USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

Gates is a professor of dance at UC Irvine.

USC announced the appointment Thursday, saying the school would admit its first students in fall 2015.

In 2012, it was announced that Kaufman was donating an undisclosed sum of money to USC for the creation of the dance school. The philanthropist is the widow of Donald Kaufman, a founder of the home-building company KB Home with Eli Broad.

—David Ng

Sports talk joins lineup at KFWB

Talk radio station KFWB-AM (980) is adding a heavy dose of sports to its programming lineup.

Beginning Monday, former New York Giants receiver Amani Toomer will be on the air with co-host Eytan Shander talking sports weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m., replacing a current-affairs show that had been hosted by Michael Smerconish.

And during the Clippers’ playoff run, Michael Knight will be hosting “KFWB Sports Knight,” a call-in show airing weeknights from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Eric Kuselias will host another sports show weekdays from 3 to 5 a.m.

“As the flagship station of the Los Angeles Clippers, we want to give our sports fans more of an opportunity to be part of the sports conversation,” said KFWB General Manager Valerie K. Blackburn.

Also being dropped into the daytime lineup are short commentaries from Jim Rome and John Feinstein.

—Lee Margulies

McCartney in billionaires’ club

Let it be — as in billionaire.

Paul McCartney remains Britain’s wealthiest musician, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

The newspaper estimated Thursday that the ex-Beatle shares a $1.05-billion fortune with his third wife, Nancy Shevell, whose family owns a U.S. trucking company.

McCartney has topped the musicians’ list every year since it was first compiled in 1989.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats”) is ranked second, with an estimated $954-million fortune.

Adele topped a parallel list for musicians under age 30. She is judged to be worth $46 million.

The full ranking of musicians will be published Sunday.

—Associated Press

Grammy look at ‘Diva of Banda’

The life and career of Jenni Rivera, the bestselling banda and norteña singer and multi-platforming media personality who was killed in December in a plane crash, will be explored in the exhibition “Jenni Rivera, La Gran Señora,” opening May 12 at the Grammy Museum in downtown L.A.

The exhibition will examine Rivera’s legacy as the “Diva of Banda” who sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Rivera also starred in her own reality TV series, “I Love Jenni,” on mun2, Telemundo’s bilingual, bicultural cable network.

Among the artifacts on display will be rare family photographs, some of Rivera’s stage costumes, her personal Bible, concert posters and video footage of the singer’s performances.

—Reed Johnson

Not enough of a ‘Cult’ following

Without calling it a cancellation, the CW has removed the low-rated thriller “Cult” from its schedule, replacing it with reruns of “The Carrie Diaries” and “Oh Sit!”

The series — about a journalist, played by Matt Davis, who investigates the devoted and murderous fans of a TV series titled “Cult” — premiered in February to just 860,000 viewers and went down from there in subsequent airings.

A representative for the network said scheduling of the show’s remaining episodes was still to be determined.

—Patrick Kevin Day

Finally

Spooky: Jamie Foxx will write, direct and produce a five-episode horror anthology for the Syfy channel, to run in October.