Attorney rustam barbee

It’s okay, Hov. Photo: Kevork S. Djansezian/Getty Images After Jay Z’s attempt to delay his extremely convoluted “Big Pimpin’” trial was turned down, the rap mogul took the stand Wednesday for the first time. The Hollywood Reporter reports that he testified to having zero knowledge that the song even had a sample in the first place. (It does: The hook is a snippet from a song by Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi. Thanks to the some complicated rights issues, Jay and Timbaland are now being sued by Osama Fahmy, Hamdi’s nephew.) “I didn’t think there was a sample in it. Timbaland presented me with a track. I didn’t even think about there being a sample,” he told Fahmy’s attorney. When asked how he couldn’t have known, he explained, “That’s not what I do. I make music.” What else does Jay Z do, exactly? That’s a question his own lawyer had him explain for the court in what resulted in … [Read more...] about Jay Z Accidentally Admitted in Court That Sometimes Even He Forgets About Tidal

Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic The following essay is an excerpt from comedian and Good Girls star Retta’s new memoir, So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know, out May 29. One day in the fall of 2005, I was sitting on my couch, eating Cabaret crackers and watching TV, when I got a call from my manager. “This is big,” he said. Mmm-hmm. I wasn’t falling for that old line. Last time I heard that, I was sent to audition for a part on a kid’s show … with no lines. How do you audition for a part with no lines? Exactly. “Are you sitting down?” I was sitting down. I’m always sitting down. I’d just bought a used DVD set of The Shield and was deep into the corruption of the LAPD Rampart Division. I was on about my 435th episode watching Michael Chiklis, aka The Commish, perpetrate some helluh shady shit. Yo, that show was deep. Rill deep. So, yeah, I was sitting. “This is really  big.” Alright. … [Read more...] about The Story of How Retta Screwed Up Her Audition for Effie in

Photo: Cafe Today marks the start of President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, a historic proceeding of TBD significance that will serve at least two functions as it plays out. The first is an assessment as to whether the country’s institutions will hold the former president accountable for fueling the insurrection at the Capitol last month with his rhetoric, and the second is to function as a kind of litmus test sussing out the shape of the American public’s relationship with politics writ large as we drift deeper into the Biden presidency. Given the incentives of Senate Republicans, the former outcome feels all but predetermined. The latter, though, seems much less clear. It’s been posited numerous times over the last few years that the Trump presidency compelled more Americans towards greater engagement with political news — if not actual political participation — than ever before. But in the wake of Biden’s … [Read more...] about Preet Bharara Navigates the Post-Trump Podcast Boom

Photo-Illustration: Vulture, Getty Images and Shutterstock Update January 5: Page Six is reporting that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are “over” and “in settlement talks.” Kardashian has reportedly hired divorce attorney Laura Wasser to represent her, and West is currently living in his ranch in Wyoming as the couple “get things sorted out to separate and divorce,” a source told Page Six. West has reportedly grown uncomfortable by the Kardashians’ lifestyle and Kardashian has become tired of West’s “crazy shit,” the source said. Kardashian was also reportedly upset that West had only shown up to Kardashian’s 40th birthday celebration in October for one day. “He showed up late and left early, he wouldn’t appear in any of their Instagram shots. All he did was bring over the hologram of her father Robert Kardashian, then got out of there as fast as he could,” the source added, in a quote that will be … [Read more...] about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Don’t Sound Too Married Right Now

Photo: NBC Universal After more than 50 years in the broadcasting business, there are still some surprises to be had for Keith Morrison, the dulcet-toned correspondent of NBC’s long-running newsmagazine, Dateline. For instance, the success of his first podcast, 2019’s The Thing About Pam, which hit No. 1 on Apple Podcasts and will soon be adapted by Blumhouse Television into a limited series starring Renee Zellweger. “I hadn’t given much thought to the podcast world because we were busy enough as it was,” says Morrison, who began his career in radio. “I was somewhat skeptical at the beginning that this would be such a good fit for us, but once you realize that you’re not constrained by all the structure of a television show, you can get more into the details and down the rabbit holes. It was fun.” So fun, in fact, that Morrison has decided to do it again. His new podcast Mommy Doomsday — which follows the bizarre story of Lori … [Read more...] about ’s Keith Morrison Is Getting Used to Podcast Stardom