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October 31, 2002 - The Sun reports Eminem is back with ex-wife Kim Mathers, and the father of Kim's six month old girl is furious. "Eminem lives in a mansion with guardhouse and gates," Eric Hartter fumed. "With his money and his lawyers, he’s keeping me from my little girl. I know Eminem is a good father to Hailie. All I’m asking is the chance for me to be a dad to my daughter." Read more.

October 31, 2002 - Eminem will be chatting with Pat O'Brien on Access Hollywood on Thursday. Tonight's show previewed the rapper blasting how he has been portrayed in the media. Slim admits he gets so mad sometimes he almost cries about it. Tune in Thursday for more.

October 31, 2002 - HitsDailyDouble.com reports early sales figures show that Eminem looks set to land on top of this week's album charts with the rapper on pace to clear between 700-800,000 units of the '8 Mile' soundtrack. This will be enough to easily best Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped' and the Nirvana greatest hits album, both tabbed to sell around 300,000 units. Read more.

October 30, 2002 - The Mirror reports Brittany Murphy has admitted she "had" '8 Mile' co-star Eminem. "I'm just grateful to have had him in any way, shape or form, in my life." She refuses to elaborate, adding: "I want to respect the one ounce of privacy he has left and the one ounce I'm losing."

October 30, 2002 - The New York Daily News profiled Eminem's new movie '8 Mile' and spoke with David Itzkoff, an editor at Spin magazine. "There's a good balance between the film's grittiness and its gallows humor," says Itzkoff. "For the fans that know this story so well, there's enough invention and added depth in terms of what's fictionalized, and it's not too treacly. For people who don't know the story, they'll come out with a better perspective of why the music is the way it is." Read more.

October 30, 2002 - Eminem has been added to the list of all-star performers at the MTV Europe Music Awards on November 14 in Barcelona. While Triumph the Insult Comic Dog isn't expected to make the trip, Em's rival Moby is on the bill, along with Foo Fighters, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Enrique Iglesias, Pink, Robbie Williams, and Wyclef Jean. Read more.

October 29, 2002 - Hot 97 played a new cut from Benzino taking a shot at Eminem. Haven't seen it anywhere on the web or p2p's yet though. The second verse of the track says: 
"The only M and M i know is Made Men 
By the way, he aint never gonna play me
I'll show this bitch what it really is to be Shady
I dont care how many records you sold
You cant walk through the hood without the men in black
Disrepect your moms bitch? you deserve a smack
It aint a black and white thing yo thaat shits in the past
I got some whiteboys from Boston that'll bust yo ass"

October 29, 2002 - Rolling Stone caught up with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg and asked him about the soundtrack for Eminem's film debut '8 Mile', which drops today. "Em and I handpicked the artists that we liked," says Rosenberg. Included on the lineup are proteges and label mates 50 Cent, Obie Trice and D12, a surprise appearance by Macy Gray, as well as songs from hip-hop stars Jay-Z, Rakim, Gang Starr and Nas. Read more.

October 29, 2002 - HitsDailyDouble.com reports Eminem's '8 Mile' soundtrack looks set to easily win next week's album chart battle with its release tomorrow. Most figure it will sell at least 800,000 copies, while Christina Aguilera ('Stripped'), Nirvana ('Nirvana'), Shaggy ('Hey Sexy Lady'), and Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter ('Now Or Never') will battle for the rest of the top 5 slots.

October 29, 2002 - Extra TV spoke with '8 Mile' stars Brittany Murphy and Eminem about the rapper's debut film role. Slim says he had to do a lot of soul-searching to find his character, Jimmy, and exposed a deeply personal side to the rapper that's rarely seen by the public. He says, "It took me back to that time…before I was Eminem, before I was anybody…I was humbled." Watch the clip here.

October 28, 2002 - BBC reports a chainsaw wielding Eminem impersonator caused panic when he decided to make a dramatic entrance to a fancy dress party - but got the wrong address. A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said, "The poor occupant was clearly frightened out of his skin. The guy turned up at the door with the chainsaw running and must have looked terrifying. Luckily he had simply gone to the wrong door. It must have been rather embarrassing for him." Read more.

October 28, 2002 - Glenn Gamboa of Newsday spoke with Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, who again addressed comparisons to fellow white rapper Eminem. "It's great to be talked about alongside him," said Skinner. "But I don't really think we're alike really - other than both being lairy [Brit slang for controversial.]" Read more.

October 26, 2002 - Alyssa Vitrano of YM.com caught up with Christina Aguilera and asked the singer to clear up the whole fued with Eminem. "The reason why he got so mad, and why he retaliated so harsh at me, was partly because he was trying to separate himself from whole pop MTV thing and he saw me on this MTV show choosing my 10 top videos," Slim said. "I guess he got really angry because I chose 'Stan' as one of my favorite videos — I thought [Eminem] was a really cool rapper — but [then I realized] that song was about killing his wife. I heard that and was just like, that's not cool. It's a personal issue. Watching what my mom had to go through, I don't take that stuff lightly. [Christina grew up with a father who was violent toward her mother.] I wasn't dissing him, but I said my piece — I told girls out there not to put up with a guy's sh**. I guess he heard that, because I heard him talk about it when he dissed me in an interview. How cliché is that? Like you get mad at a girl for speaking her mind — it's so high school." Read more.

October 26, 2002 - Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly gave his prediction what Eminem will be doing in 2032: "Following a 10-year sabbatical (lasting from 2021-2031), the now-portly rapper reemerges as a born-again Christian, renouncing his past work as 'crass and profane.' He records a hit children's album, 'Glinda the Good,' based on the character created by 'Wizard of Oz' creator L. Frank Baum, and dedicates it to his granddaughters. In 2032, he changes his name to 'Mr. M&M' after inking a lucrative deal with the candy company." Read more.

October 26, 2002 - Director Ron Howard gave his thoughts on Eminem's debut acting role in '8 Mile', giving the film a big thumbs up. "'8 Mile' is more Brian [Grazier]'s brainchild. Curtis Hanson directed it, so I'm more of a fan cheering it on," he said. "When I saw the movie, all I can say is I liked the screenplay, and I loved the movie. It's surprising. It's going to be a little controversial, but it's really terrific drama." Read more.

October 26, 2002 - WENN reports Xzibit predicts big things for his pal Eminem in the rapper's debut acting performance in '8 Mile'. "I've seen it and it's over the top. It's going to win awards," Xzibit said. "The film is miraculous. I play a bully." Xzibit explained his decision to take part in the film saying, "I'm in '8 Mile' because it's family orientated. I was more than happy to do it because we're all family." Read more.

October 26, 2002 - When Eminem's new movie '8 Mile' opens November 8th, fans will get a glimpse of Marshall Mathers, not his alter egos Eminem or Slim Shady -- and that's the way director Curtis Hanson wants it. "He's in every scene," Hanson says. "One cannot hold the screen for a long period of time without conveying some kind of inner truth. I knew going into it that he had experience performing and also adopting a character, Slim Shady. What I was looking for was actually the opposite of that. When you adopt a characterization, that's artificial. You hide behind that. What I needed in this story was the appearance of a complete lack of artifice. I needed the appearance of one more or less exposing himself emotionally." Read more.

October 25, 2002 - AllHipHop.com chatted with Royce Da 5'9 and asked the rapper if there be any future 'Bad Meets Evil' projects with the two. "Nah. I don’t think so," he said. "I think Em’s perspective on the whole thing is like he’s not in it for the money anymore. He’s really fed up. He just wants to look out for his daughter. He’s doing him, and I’m doing me. We parted ways. It happens. That’s my dog. I love him to death. But no, I’m not up under him no more." Read more.

October 25, 2002 - MTV's Total Request Live today talked a bit about the Mariah Carey 'Charmbracelet' track 'Clown', which many are saying is a diss towards Eminem. John Norris reports Carey says this is in fact about any guy who talks a big game when, in fact, when you get beneath the tough outside, he is kind of a softy underneath. She says, no it is not necessarily about anyone. Carson said, "She's a lunatic to take on Eminem. Keep it to yourself." Norris added, "Not a good idea."

October 25, 2002 - Launch.com spoke with British rapper The Streets, aka Mike Skinner who yet again addressed his comparison to Eminem. "Well, it's great that they're comparing me to him, and not Vanilla Ice," laughs Skinner. He does admit that when he first started making rap records, before he found his own (decidedly British) voice, he attempted to imitate his American hip-hop heroes. "I think if you're really passionate about hip-hop, then that is the starting point, y'know? You try and emulate what you're into, and that's your goal. But then you get older, and you realize that you have to be yourself. I don't think I'm capable of being someone else, actually. I think all I'm capable of doing is being myself." Read more.

October 25, 2002 - Vibe magazine features Eminem on the cover of its November issue. In the article, Zadie Smith compares Eminem to Tupac Shakur on a number of levels, and Slim gives credit to Tupac. "I love that Tupac cared about his people, from his background, his generation," Eminem says. "He cared what they thought, and anybody else who didn’t understand him could go to hell." Check out the entire interview here.

October 24, 2002 - The New York Post reports Mariah Carey hits back at Eminem in the song 'Clown' on her upcoming album 'Charmbracelet.' The rapper had said of their reported romance, "On the whole personal level, I'm not really feeling it. I just don't like her as a person. I learned a lesson from it: Don't believe the hype . . . She doesn't really have it all together." Carey sings, "You should have never intimated we were lovers. I gotta break it to you delicately - who's gonna love you when it's over? Who's gonna care?" Asked if she wrote the song, Mariah said from her listening party Tuesday night, "I wrote all the songs except for one or two." Read more.

October 24, 2002 - Star magazine quotes Eminem talking about a group he gets along with - kids. "Kids are a lot smarter than we think," he said. "My younger fans have a sense of humor and can determine right from wrong."

October 23, 2002 - Christina Aguilera has told Aftonbladet that she had ended her fued with Eminem. "Three years ago he decided that I said some bad things about him on MTV," Aguilera told the Swedish newspaper. "Just recently, at the American MTV Awards, I met him and we could talk about this. I told him that I never said what he thought I said and he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s over and done with now.’ Then we hugged each other." Read more.

October 23, 2002 - More from Moby at the Q Awards on rival Eminem. He told The Mirror, "I have nothing ill to say about Eminem, I just wish him luck and hope that he gets a life."

October 23, 2002 - Eminem tells Entertainment Tonight that he hoped to leave a good impression with '8 Mile' "The positive aspect [of this movie] is that no matter where you come from, you can break out of that cycle," he said. "You can make something of your life." One person he left a good impression with was co-star Brittany Murphy. "The first time I met Marshall, he immediately made me feel comfortable with myself," Brittany remarked. "He's an extraordinary actor. He's very honest and straightforward." Read more.

October 22, 2002 - The Sun reports Moby has ended his feud with Eminem. The dance star told the paper at the Q Awards: "I hope he gets a life now and leaves me alone."

October 21, 2002 - Hugh Hart of The Denver Post spoke with music and movie insiders who all seem to have big expectations for Eminem's '8 Mile'. Some have been wondering if Slim is worthy of Oscar buzz in the film, and Tom O'Neill, author of 'Movie Awards: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics, Guild & Indie Honors', concurs. "The buzz on '8 Mile' at this point is excellent," O'Neill said. "People are beginning to whisper, 'Do you think it's really possible that Eminem could be nominated for an Oscar?' Critics are at least asking the question." Kim Osorio, executive editor of The Source added, "You've got to understand where Eminem comes from. Even though he's white, he comes from the hip-hop community. Like any MC, whatever color, he started out at the bottom and worked his way to the top because he has so much talent in terms of writing rhymes." Read more.

October 21, 2002 - Richard Roeper of 'Ebert & Roeper' caught the '8 Mile' premiere at the Toronto Film Festival last month and told Blender magazine, "There was more buzz about '8 Mile' than any other film. There are certain moments when peple were applauding in the middle of the movie. It almost had a concertlike atmosphere to it. It's that kind of movie, a little 'Rocky'-ish, 'Saturday Night Fever'-ish." As for Slim's Oscar hopes, Roeper says, "Eminem does come with a lot of baggage. But there was a time when people thought Frank Sinatra was just a pop singer. He won an Academy Award."

October 20, 2002 - Philip Sherburne of San Francisco Weekly chatted with England rapper Mike Skinner of the Streets. Being a white hip hop artist, he invariably gets asked about Eminem comparisons. Skinner says, "I don't think I am [like him], really. I just think it's that I'm quite lairy [rowdy] and I speak my mind. Eminem's the other person who does that people would know about." Sherbune says "the comparison makes no sense," explaining that, "Instead of hotheaded hooliganism, Skinner offers cool pacifism." Read more.

October 18, 2002 - While Eminem turned 30 today (October 17), his *NSYNC "rival" Chris Kirkpatrick turned 31. Happy birthday to both. Slim fans might want to check out the birthday drama that went on earlier today on Detroit's 95.5 FM here.

October 18, 2002 - Mojo from Detroit's channel 955 morning show 'Mojo In The Morning', became the referee in the feud between Kim Mathers and her cousin Jennifer. Jennifer was on the show promoting her book 'Cleaning Out MY Closet' in which she writes about her experiences as a former friend of Marshall Mathers. Eminem himself eventually calls in to clear up allegations, and also talks a little about his upcoming movie '8 Mile'. Listen to the interviews here.

October 18, 2002 - Star magazine chatted with a Mariah Carey insider who says the singer has bounced back from her emotional meltdown and breakup with Eminem, dropping 30 pounds, and is ready to soar. The pal says Mariah revealed, "I don't need a man." The source added, "Her relationships got too complicated. She's trying to keep her life simple and positive now. She was too driven in her career and this started falling apart. Now she knows you have to be happy with yourself before anything else in life." Friends worried after she split with Eminem last fall, but she showed them she could overcome it. "After she and Eminem stopped seeing each other, Mariah said she realized that she had to get on with life on her terms," the insider revealed.

October 17, 2002 - A completed auction on eBay has a person bidding $1,025 for Eminem's garbage. The items in his trash include a past due bill collection notice from Disney Direct for some Alice in Wonderland ornaments , which reads "Dear Marshall Mathers", a doctors bill final notice for X-rays of his ribs, skull, and sinuses on 04-01-1993, and an Easter card from Kim to Eminem. Check out more on the auction, including scans of the items, here.

October 17, 2002 - Popdirt.com's previous poll asking what you thought of Eminem at the Video Music Awards had a pretty even split. 40.95% said he sounded like a whiney Moby bullying bitch, while 40.21% said he's just standing up for what he believes. 18.85% asked, "Who lip-syncs a rap?" For the complete results, click here. We keep it Eminem for the new poll, asking fans how you think '8 Mile' will open.

October 17, 2002 - The London Telegraph reports Eminem has made a new friend in Cambridge-educated author Zadie Smith. The pair met when Zadie interviewed Eminem for an American magazine. "He was sweet, lovely and shy," she reports. Eminem told Smith he'd read 'White Teeth' and loved her work.

October 16, 2002 - HitsDailyDouble.com reports that in addition to the surprise performance of Eminem with D12 after a screening of the movie at Michigan State University taped for 'MTV Jammed' and the premiere of 'Lose Yourself' on MTV today, promotion for the Eminem starring '8 Mile' will include:
MTV Jammed (11/6), Movie House, TRL (11/8).
BET Hood Tour week of release, 106 & Park (11/8).
Covers of last Sunday’s L.A. Times Calendar section, Entertainment Weekly, Spin (November.), Vibe (October).
In-theater marketing through street teams.
CD will contain a unique pin number for fans to access exclusive Web content.
The film was previewed at the Mix Show Power Summit in Puerto Rico. Read more.

October 15, 2002 - CDNow.com reports Eminem made a surprise appearance at the screening of '8 Mile' at the Michigan State Auditorium in East Lansing, Michigan. The closing credits include Slim's new his 'Lose Yourself', but fans got a surprise treat when the screen raised and Slim and his posse D12 performing the track live instead. They performed a 45 minute set, which will air at 10 p.m. November 6th on MTV. Read more.

October 15, 2002 - Katrillion.com chatted with MTV VJ Quddus who gave props to Eminem. "I think Eminem is the hottest star out there," he said. "He's sharing a lot. He's getting personal and everything is very relevant. The honesty is there and I appreciate that. 'Cleaning Out My Closet,' he's calling his mom out for God's sake. That should be respected. He puts out what he feels," Quddus continues. "He doesn't try to put out anything manufactured. He sees his vision through and we feel it that much more." Read more.

October 13, 2002 - Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times chatted with '8 Mile' producer Brian Grazer and Eminem about the film. Boucher asked Grazer why he thought Eminem was the one who could star in a "meaningful" hip-hop film. "I never had any doubt," Grazer says. "Just seeing him on TV for six seconds I knew he could act. And then when he came here and I was with him, I couldn't keep my eyes off him.... And this movie is going to change the way a lot of people look at him." For his account, Slim said the film "made me strip my ego back down to the guy I was in '95. Everything from the schooling in acting to the broke world that Jimmy lived in was strange. It brought me back to actually feeling like the guy I was." Read more.

October 13, 2002 - Boom Selection has the rock version of Eminem's 'Cleaning Out My Closet', though they don't mention which track is providing the instrumental. Check it out here.

October 12, 2002 - The second half of Access Hollywood's interview with Christina Aguilera aired on Friday, where she explained what went down when the singer confronted Eminem at the MTV Video Music Awards. Christina said she spoke her peace with Slim and it ended in a hug. Billy Bush said their battle was somewhat like a brother and sister fighting and Aguilera admitted, "Maybe because we both speak our mind and that can clash sometimes, I don't know." Check out a video clip here or read on for a transcript.

October 10, 2002 - In his interview with Radio 1 on Wednesday, Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC commented on meeting Eminem at the Video Music Awards. Unlike Slim has been on his records towards the boy band, Justin was full of compliments for Slim, "Eminem, I'm a huge fan. I was so excited at the VMAs this year. I got to meet him. I was so excited. I almost asked him for his autograph. I'm just kidding. We shook hands." He added, "I think he's one of the most talented hip hop artists ever, and he's still not finished." As for Slim's criticism of *NSYNC's music, "I admire him for sticking by what he thinks."

October 10, 2002 - WENN reports Eminem and Afroman have become casualties in Croatian as hard-hitting officials have seized Eminem t-shirts and jailed an 11-year-old boy for wearing one in a tough new stance against the country's rising drug problems, claiming the hip hop acts promote drug use. Outraged Croatian t-shirt seller Ratimir Nikic fumed, "Just because someone wears an Eminem T-shirt doesn't mean that they are taking or promoting the use of drugs."

October 10, 2002 - Globe magazine reports Eminem treated his bodyguards and pals to $30,000 worth of clothes at the Fox Hills Mall in Culver City, California. He got everybody hip hop style clothes, and Nike Air Jordan's. WHile at the mall, Slim signed autographs for hundreds of fans.

October 9, 2002 - Craig David stopped by MTV's Total Request Live on Tuesday to talk with Quddus about his new album 'Slicker Than Your Average' and to introduce his new video for the first single off the album, 'What's Your Flava?' Craig gave props to Eminem after his 'Cleaning Out My Closet' video played saying, "He is a super-star status, doin' his thing. He is sayin' things that are real and people connect with that, rebellious, they love it, he is doin' great." For a complete transcript, visit RNBDirt.com.

October 7, 2002 - A Derry court has heard that a man charged with trespassing told police, "I'm Slim Shady, the real Slim Shady", when asked his name. When police informed the court of his reply, Resident Magistrate Bernie Kelly said, "Is this where I'm supposed to say 'will the real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up?'" Read more.

October 5, 2002 - Peoplenews.com quotes director and Madonna husband Guy Ritchie saying of Eminem: "I'd direct Eminem because he's a talented man, and I've got a lot of time for talent."

October 4, 2002 - Bono has been named the most powerful person in the music business by Q Magazine. Following the U2 frontman was Universal Music chief Doug Morris, then rapper Eminem. Others on the list included deceased Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. Read more.

October 1, 2002 - Rolling Stone magazine spoke with Slum Village's T3, who says Detroit alum Eminem is the artist the group reveres the most. "When Em was on, it was inspiration," T3 remembers. "He took as many battle scars as we did for this thing called universal music, man. Like us, like Slum, we never seeked out to be in the forefront, it just kind of happened."

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