Diddy Will Taxi, But Mariah Won’t ScoopHe’s much more mature than Mariah, who left her dog poop in front of Cavalli. Learn which other celebs can act like grown-ups in today’s gossip roundup!
ByTim Murphy
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Def Jam Wants Its Turn to Retire Jay-ZThe true story of what is going on with Jay-Z at Island Def Jam seems to be unfolding in the gossip pages. Murmurs that the hip-hop impresario was set to leave the label have been buzzing since last year. In July, Ben Widdicombe’s “Gatecrasher” column reported that “he is in negotiations to jump to rival Columbia,” citing this year’s appointment of Jermaine Dupri to head up Island’s Urban group as one cause of strife. At that point, it looked like it was all Jay’s idea to look for a new job. But now, in “Rush & Molloy,” we learn that maybe the Island Def Jam brass aren’t that happy with their 2005 hire:
Island/Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid and his boss, Doug Morris, are said to have found Jay’s demands “excessive” in light of the time he’s been spending on tour. “People have lost count of how many times he’s come out of retirement,” the source says. “Everybody knows he’s not around the office much. Everybody at Universal loves him, but they can’t justify paying him the money he wants when so many people have been laid off.” His contract is said to expire at the end of this month. Friends of the rapper, who last night was celebrating his 38th birthday in Paris, scoffed at claims that Reid and Morris had thrown in the towel.
We’ve heard a lot on this topic: That Jay’s longtime girlfriend, Beyoncé, wants him to quit. That Jay’s singles are tanking. That L.A. Reid is tired of Jay getting all the attention. Which makes us want to yell about something we’ve been wondering for years: When will Jay make an honest woman out of Beyoncé!?
Jay-Z in Jam over Contract [NYDN]
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Here’s … Billy?Billy Crystal is looking to take over a late-night talk show. Jimmy Fallon proposed to longtime girlfriend Nancy Juvonen. Brett Ratner won’t make as much money from Rush Hour 3 as he could have because it didn’t meet expectations at the box office. A White House staffer didn’t recognize David Beckham and asked if he was a friend or relative of the president. Val Kilmer dropped out of playing Adolph Hitler in Hebrew Hammer 2 because he was either scared or too bloated. Staffers at now-defunct Green Stone Media are complaining that the site won’t file for bankruptcy because founders Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem don’t want to be embarrassed.
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Jack Donaghy Is an Angry FatherAlec Baldwin called his daughter “a rude, thoughtless little pig” after he phoned her and she didn’t pick up. Julianne Moore complained about the price of a bottle of water at the theater. Police think the Anne Bass robbery was an inside job. Neither Russell Simmons nor L.A. Reid attended Al Sharpton’s National Action Network dinner, although both were invited. Britney Spears fired her manager because she was mad he made her check into rehab, but her father stands by him. Rosie O’Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck went to Radio City Music Hall together. Donald Trump and Barbara Walters avoided each other at Larry King’s party at the Four Seasons. Paris Hilton hooked up with James Blunt.
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Bitchin’Hip-hop producer Timbaland called fellow producer and former friend Scott Storch “a bitch” at Marquee. Katie Couric was spotted flirting with a young guy who may or may not have been smoking weed at Peasant in Nolita. Manhattan Mini Storage is getting flack from Republicans and Paris Hilton alike for some of its ads around the city. Married Island Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid exchanged a number of rather flirty e-mails with a female co-worker in 2005, but she insists they were just kidding around. Former state comptroller Carl McCall is claiming he’s Elliot Spitzer’s choice to head up SUNY as either chancellor or chairman of the Board of Trustees, but a source close to Spitzer says no way. Jon Bon Jovi is doing charity construction work in Brooklyn.