J. Lo's Panties Can Now Be Yours
Lopez to debut line of sleepwear, bras, panties in fall 2004.
by Corey Moss
Are wedding gowns next?
With the announcement Wednesday of the J. Lo by Jennifer Lopez lingerie collection, the actress/singer is now designing just about every possible item of clothing or accessory for women.
Lopez, whose Sweetface
Fashion Company is already making sportswear, swimwear, girl's apparel (see "On The 6(-Year-Olds): Jennifer Lopez Plans Fashions For Girls"), fragrances, jewelry, outerwear, handbags, belts, hats, gloves, scarves and leather goods, will debut a line of sleepwear, loungewear, bras and panties in the fall of 2004.
The collection, which will include full-figure lingerie, will be available in department stores and specialty stores nationally, with plans to expand overseas.
"Our goal as a lifestyle brand is to dress our consumers from head-to-toe with products inspired by Jennifer, and lingerie will be an integral part of the J. Lo look," Sweetface president Denise Seegal said in a statement.
Sweetface is partnering on the lingerie line with the Warnaco Group, an intimate apparel company that also manufactures Calvin Klein and Speedo clothing. The companies will begin releasing design sketches in December.
Lopez, meanwhile, is releasing "The Reel Me," a DVD with a bonus remix EP, on November 18 (see "J. Lo DVD Might Make You Forget About Jenny From The Flop").
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Murder Inc. Drops The Murder
Irv Gotti's label now called 'The Inc.'
by Shaheem Reid
It looks like Irv Gotti is going the route of his friend Suge Knight.
Gotti has decided to change the name of his record company, a spokesperson said — Murder Inc. will now just be called "The Inc."
The CEO of the self-proclaimed "World's Most Talented Record Label" did not offer a statement about why the name was changed.
Since Gotti started heavily yelling his label's name in 1999, he's rubbed some people the wrong way. In 2000, he ran into a brick wall while trying to promote the group LP Irv Gotti Presents ... by his roster, which he collectively dubbed "The Murderers." Some video channels chose not to include the group's name in their video credits and some record stores were initially leery about prominently displaying the Murderers' album.
Over the years, Gotti and Ja Rule have explained that when they yell "It's murder," they're not talking about committing homicide; rather, they're referring to killing the track or achieving success.
Irv was in his old stomping grounds of Jamaica in Queens, New York, on Wednesday night directing the video for Ashanti's "Rain on Me" remix. According to the Inc. camp, the remix clip is mostly performance-based, but does illustrate some more of the highs and lows of relationships. During the shoot, the Incsters didn't use any actors or models, opting instead to literally use the girls and guys next door — residents of Queens' Emerson Housing Projects appear in the vid. The "Rain on Me" remix also features Ja Rule and Charli Baltimore.
Meanwhile, Ashanti's holiday LP, aptly titled Ashanti's Christmas, hits stores on November 18 and features such songs as "Christmas Time Again" and "The Christmas Song" (see "Ashanti Wants To Rock Wit U This Christmas With Holiday LP").
**Gotti is also supposed to be dropping GOTTI from his name.**
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Weeks After R. Kelly Benefit, Charity Wonders Where Money Is
Singer performed for U.S. troops on October 24.
by Jennifer Vineyard
R. Kelly staged a benefit concert for the troops, but did it raise any money?
The designated beneficiary, the Texas Military Family Foundation, was told that it didn't, and so far the foundation hasn't received any proceeds from the event. On
Thursday (November 13) R. Kelly's reps said they're about to rectify the situation, even if it means paying out of their own pockets.
A spokesperson for the Texas Military Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to making the lives of military members and their families easier, said that ever since the October 24 concert in Belton, Texas, they've been trying to get a response about how much money was raised. They said they've repeatedly called and written Kelly's business manager, his lawyer and the show's producer to no avail.
"We didn't receive any funds from the fund-raising concert," foundation Executive Director Julie Curtis-Win said. "It has really left our foundation in a predicament. I wonder how long patience is supposed to last with these kinds of things. What would you do if you were in my shoes?"
The nonprofit foundation was set to send care packages to the troops in Iraq full of essential but hard-to-find items like toilet paper, baby oil and lip balm. Curtis-Win said she was guaranteed around $50,000 for the project, which she thought she was going to receive an hour before the concert began at the Bell County Exposition Center, where the audience included several thousand soldiers from nearby Fort Hood.
Curtis-Win said that despite ample opportunity to produce a check, none was ever handed over. When she tried discussing it with the show's producer, she said, he told her the concert had lost money because beaming the show via satellite to military bases turned out to be four times the estimate he had originally been given.
In a post-concert report given to the charity and obtained by MTV News, the show's producers claim ticket sales totaled $107,045, but that costs — venue production ($33,771), Kelly production ($25,000), satellite feed ($62,095), advertising ($7,588) and ancillary expenses ($6,034) — left them almost $27,500 in the hole.
However, when MTV News contacted Jaguarr Productions, show producer David Bullock said the show broke even. Still, both stories meant the same result — no proceeds were left for the charity.
"I think the producer has taken advantage of us as well as Mr. Kelly," Curtis-Win said. "It's just truly unfortunate that the TMFF as well as Mr. Kelly have been misled. R. Kelly may have no idea of the situation, he is so protected. And I don't blame him. I'm just frustrated. And I'm disappointed. I stuck by Mr. Kelly despite the allegations [of child pornography], even though I'm on the Children's Advocacy Board, because I thought we were going to do some good. That was the intent."
Kelly's spokesperson said the charity's disappointment is premature because accounting figures for the concert aren't due yet. He said everything was still on schedule and that if it turns out that the concert didn't make money, a "nice infusion of money" was going to come to the charity anyway, the exact amount to be determined.
"They will be able to send the care packages," spokesperson Allan Mayer said. "TMFF is definitely going to get the money."
Plus, Kelly's camp noted, the goal of the concert wasn't just to raise money, but also to boost the morale of the troops, and toward that end they felt successful.
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P. Diddy Says He'll Run Marathon Next Year For $10 Million 
Sponsorship for this year's run has raised $2 million.
by Joseph Patel
P. Diddy at New York City Hall on Thursday (Photo: MTV News)
NEW YORK — Last week P. Diddy ran the city, and Thursday afternoon he ran to City Hall to deliver a $1 million check to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, making good on his promise to run the New York City Marathon to raise money for public
schools.
No real money was exchanged because donations are still being collected, but the ceremony commemorated the $2 million total Diddy has raised through individual and corporate sponsorships for his marathon run (see "Diddy Ran The City, Finished New York Marathon In Four Hours"). The other $1 million he raised will be split between Children's Hope, which helps children with HIV/AIDS, and Daddy's House, Diddy's own charity that helps children and teens through social programs.
"This is just a drop in the bucket," the hip-hop mogul said, standing next to the mayor and public schools chancellor Joel Klein. "This is not a one-time thing. This is something that's a lifelong commitment for me. I love children, and I feel like they need more support. I feel the only way it's going to get better is by getting up and getting out there and doing something about it."
Diddy joked that he could move no faster than walking pace a week and a half after completing the marathon in just over four hours. While he said he wouldn't run the 26-mile trek again, minutes later he changed his tune, throwing down another challenge.
"I said I would not run again, but if there's any billionaires or private corporations that would like to see me hurt myself next year, my starting price for the kids of New York is $10 million. I will do it, and I will come in under 3:45 for that check," he said. "As long as the money goes to the kids."
Diddy said people can still donate to this year's campaign at
www.diddyrunsthecity.com.
This report is provided by MTV News