Phoenix News Blog

Alice Cooper got a speed-camera ticket:

 

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Rapper DMX has some choice words of advice for his fans: "Stay the f- out of Arizona."

He also appears to harbor a grudge against the sheriff of Maricopa County:

"For the record, f- Sheriff Joe."

The video aired by gossip Web site TMZ.com has all the cuss words bleeped out, but DMX's points aren't lost. The rap star, who last year became a fugitive from Arizona justice for a short time, was apparently chatting about Arizona to a fan (or paparazzi) following a recent restaurant outing.

 

Image: www.deadspin.com

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Maloney's Tavern can't cash in on the exposure from pro ballplayer Josh "Body Shots for Jesus" Hamilton's January night of drunken debauchery:

The Tempe bar closed its doors in March due to the bad economy.

Hamilton, a Texas Rangers outfielder, can be seen having a great time with some local gals (none of whom was his wife) in pictures being widely circulated on the Internet. Deadspin.com first published the photos over the weekend.

Image: From Ferbrache's Twitter site

Sharra Ferbrache

A former Green Bay Packers player famous for his use of steroids has been sued by an ex-girlfriend who claims he posted sexually explicit pictures of her online -- under her own name.

Tony Mandarich of Scottsdale, who recently released a tell-mostly-all book about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, purchased a Web domain last September under the name of his ex-girlfriend, Sharra Ferbrache. Then he proceeded to put up the pornographic still-shots and video, Ferbrache claims in the lawsuit. (Click here for Courthousenews.com scanned-in version).

A review of the "Who Is" information related to the domain, www.sharraferbrache.com shows that the owner is a possible employee of Mandarich's (see below).

The associated address in Scottsdale for the domain's owner is the same address and phone number as for Mandarich's Web-site management business. Mandarich is also featured on the site, which purports to be Sharra's "fan site."

Warning to folks using work computers -- turn the volume down if you choose to log on! The site was working as of 1:30 p.m. today.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Tami Farrell

Donald Trump stripped Miss California, Carrie Prejean, of her crown today -- and also of her status as 1st Runner-Up for the 2009 Miss USA Pageant.

The organization has already decided that Tammi Farrell, 1st Runner-Up for the Miss California pageant, will become Miss California. But what about the position of 1st Runner-Up for the Miss USA Pageant, a title that also implies a succession to Miss USA should the top beauty queen prove unable, or unworthy, of the crown.

Shouldn't Miss Arizona, Alicia-Monique Blanco, the 2nd Runner-Up for the bigger contest, should move up in the ranks and become a proverbial heartbeat away from being Miss USA?

Pageant officials "are trying to figure that out now," says a representative of the Miss Universe Organization -- which runs the Miss USA contest -- in Washington D.C.

Image: www.thedirty.com

Image: www.wavemag.com

Julie Amparano knows something about creative writing.

The former Arizona Republic writer was fired in 1999 after her bosses accused her of inventing people to quote in her columns. Now her byline's back -- this time on a play featured Sunday at the Arizona Women's Theater's Pandora Festival this Sunday. Here's the synopsis:

Mary fights to hold her family together in the face of her looming death, but her visiting children dredge up tragic, funny and sometimes crazy memories of their upbringing.

Since her star fell at the Republic, Amparano's co-authored a children's book, taught English at Arizona State University West and worked on a Latino-themed Web site (no longer up and running) with her husband. Thanks to the Internet, her bad reputation in the newspaper biz is likely to always proceed her.

 

Earl Simmons, better known as Rapper DMX, left the Maricopa County Jail after serving 90 days on theft and animal cruelty charges. He could be back soon.

While in jail, DMX allegedly assaulted a guard, resulting in another criminal charge. Though the sentence on those charges has been fulfilled, DMX still had to post a $10,000 bond for the alleged assault. He's scheduled for a May 19 pre-trial hearing on that charge, court records show.

DMX supposedly wants to start a Christian TV show. At least he's got no plans to start a dog-training company.

 

A topless photo of Miss California published yesterday (that's part of it, at the right) on the locally run gossip blog, "The Dirty," could be the tipping point for pageant officials who are considering taking away her crown. The officials are also ticked Carrie Prejean has been shilling for Jesus and an anti-gay-marriage group in her spare time.

Gossip site guru Nik Richie, who was revealed to be California resident Hooman Karamian -- or is it Corbin Grimes? -- after getting busted for a DUI in Scottsdale last year. Karamian has scored with this one, pulling in hundreds of thousands of visitors to his site. We admit it -- we took a peek.

Rapper DMX, who's serving 90 days in jail for animal abuse and theft, faces an assault charge following a tiff with a jail guard -- a legal problem that could send him to prison.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was first put in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Tent City jail after his January sentencing. Staff recently moved him to "lockdown" at the Towers jail in downtown Phoenix because he wouldn't stop swearing at guards, says Lisa Allen, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.

In lockdown, inmates don't get the normal, disgusting gruel served to everyone else -- they get "Nutra-loaf," a gross slab of mystery food.

It seems any publicity isn't always good publicity.

Kid Cudi in Kanye West's latest video

Kid Cudi's bad behavior at Canal restaurant in Scottsdale on Saturday spoiled an otherwise great All-Star game event with NBA star Allen Iverson, says a spokeswoman for Reebok who didn't want her name used.

"It's unfortunate that the action of one person ... has taken over ink space that should have been reserved for how wonderful the event was," says the woman, who works for a New York City public relations firm. "It's unfortunate that it's gotten a ton of play on the blogosphere."

Reebok and Allen Iverson (the Pistons player in red Reeboks pictured below) sponsored the event to play up Iverson's 13-year partnership with the shoe company.

 

On the heels of our post today about rap producer "Suge" Knight catching some punches over the weekend is another rap-and-basketball-related fight story -- this one involving an aspiring star from Cleveland named Kid Cudi.

Reportedly, Cudi (real name: Scott Mescudi) started the fight at Scottsdale's Canal restaurant, where he was scheduled to perform on Saturday, because he wanted to wear Air Jordans instead of Reeboks at the Reebok-sponsored party.  

After several articles started showing up about the fight -- Kid Cudi took to his blog and posted his own account of what happened. Here's a sample:

 

Famed gangsta rap producer "Suge" Knight (right) sure knows how to keep it real.

The founder of Death Row Records, former home to legendary rappers Tupac and Snoop Dogg, used his face as a battering ram against another man's fists early this morning during a fight at the W Scottsdale Hotel.

Police say Knight is at the hospital getting help for his injuries. Cops busted two men (that's them in the police mug shots below) after the fight: Robert Carnes Jr., who claimed he is the manager for rapper Akon, (TMZ.com quotes a guy who denies that), and Thomas Leon Anderson Jr.

Both dudes had to be tased by Scottsdale police. The fight was evidently business-related, though police are still trying to sort out what happened, says Sgt. Mark Clark, Scottsdale police spokesman.

Charles Barkley's mugshot met the definition of "shitfaced," and so did his blood alcohol level on the night he got caught for driving drunk in Scottsdale.

The former Suns b-ball player's blood registered .149 on the alcohol dial, say reports, just barely missing the state's .15 threshold for "extreme DUI" penalties. A conviction on a regular DUI charge still means a day in jail and a mandatory installation of a breath-test device in his vehicle.