news archives

January 30, 2003 - The Sun has obtained video stills of Eminem he didn't want you to see. They depict a 19-year-old Marshall Mathers picking his nose sporting a purple outfit and Vanilla Ice hairdo before he got booed off the stage in his first rap contest at Detroit club 1515 Broadway 11 years ago. Old pal Brian Hermon, who took Eminem to the gig, says: "He was very nervous about going on stage but even he couldn’t believe the reaction he got from the crowd." Read more.

January 30, 2003 - Eminem and Nelly are among the artists featured on the 2003 Grammy Nominees CD, due out February 11. The ninth edition of the CD series honors many of this year's Grammy-nominated artists and songs in several major categories. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD will benefit music-related charities, including the Academy's MusiCares Foundation and the Grammy Foundation. Read more.

January 28, 2003 - forever-madd writes "AllHipHop.com reports Universal Pictures has started an ad campaign on behalf of Eminem's hit movie, '8 Mile', in various trade magazines and in New York and Los Angeles trade newspapers, aimed at the voting body of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that votes on Oscars. Read more."

January 28, 2003 - MTV News reports Eminem and Obie Trice will appear with DMX on a track called 'Go to Sleep,' according to DMX's spokesperson. Produced by Slim Shady, the song will be featured on the 'Cradle 2 the Grave' soundtrack, which has been pushed back to February 18th. Read more.

January 27, 2003 - Ananova reports teenager David Pallister repeatedly listened to violent lyrics by Eminem and D-12 ('Fight Music') after he brutally murdered Richard Jones, a defenseless 47-year-old man sleeping at a shelter. Read more.

January 27, 2003 - Dave Tianen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with Florida Christian rapper KJ-52, whose track 'Dear Slim' takes a shot at Slim's lyrics and their effect on kids that listen to them. Asked about the reception the track gets from diehard Eminem fans, KJ-52 admits, "I would be lying if I said I didn't get a few threatening e-mails, but for the most part it's been a very positive response. I'll be honest, if it's just a straight-up - 'I hate you and I'm going to beat you up,' I don't even respond to it. It's not really worth it because you'll never convince them otherwise. But if it's one of those (where) maybe they misunderstood the intent of the song, then I'll take the time to explain it. Usually, nine times out of ten, they'll walk away with a better understanding and really an appreciation for it." Read more.

January 27, 2003 - Tables have turned for Eminem, a white rapper who Dr. Dre introduced to the world in 1999. Now Slim has signed and unleashed 50 Cent, a black artist who many predict could become the next rap sensation. "It's kind of funny how it works, isn't it?" said Eminem. "When we're in the studio, I don't look at Dre and go, 'Wow, you're black!' And he doesn't look at me, and say, 'Wow, you're white!' We don't dwell on color. This is about music. Art. If 50 was white or Spanish or purple and rapped as good as he does, he'd still be in the same position. My prediction: This guy is the next big thing." Read more.

January 27, 2003 - Steppin' Out magazine's interview with porn star Gina Lynn has been posted online. She was hunted down by Slim to appear in his latest video 'Superman', and she reveals that the rapper seems to have a crush on her. "He kept saying how much he liked my eyes," Lynn said. "He kept saying, 'Oh, stop doing that with your eyes.'" Asked what she was doing with her eyes, Lynn explained, "I had that 'Come f-k me look.' I'm really good at that and I think I was driving him crazy. (Laughs) He kept saying, 'Stop it!' While we were on the roof I went to kiss him, and he got real close and started going up and down my body and then he pulled away the last minute. When my manager asked him why he pulled away, he said, 'Oh man, I'm back with my wife now!' He looked really scared!" Read more.

January 27, 2003 - Geoff Edgers of the Boston Globe spoke with Girls Gone Wild founder creator, Mantra Entertainment CEO Joe Francis, on their upcoming project with Eminem. Francis says Eminem actually sought out the GGW crew. ''It's an absolute demographic match,'' says Francis. ''Think about the advertising we buy; you're everywhere. Your name and your image is everywhere. If you're a celebrity and want to raise your profile a little bit, it gets you there." Read more.

January 25, 2003 - This week's edition of Fly Screen featured interviews with Big Day Out acts including Xzibit. They talk about 'Man Vs. Machine', working with Dr. Dre -- whom he calls the Quincy Jones of hip hop. As for working with Eminem in '8 Mile', he says acting is cool and second nature for him. X even did an impersonation of Eminem, a pretty good one at that. As for his appearance on the Weakest Link, he was asked who his weakest link was. X says there is no one weakest link, and he whined about Young MC beating him on the reality show. Watch the Big Day Out Fly Screen special here.

January 24, 2003 - XXL magazine has an interview with Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent in their latest issue.They discuss everything from how it got started to beefs and much more. There is even a section on Shady Records that features spots and pictures of D12 & Obie Trice. Not to mention a section on Aftermath Entertainment and it's future artists & plans many of which are featured on DJ Green Lantern's mix tapes. Check out photos from the feature here.

January 24, 2003 - HitsDailyDouble.com reports Eminem's hit movie '8 Mile' injected between $8 and 10 million into the local economy, according to Jan Lockwood of the Michigan Film Office. A number of categories contributed to that total, including union labor, hotels, construction, office rental and location fees. The film ranked 21st in 2002 theatrical domestic gross with $115 million.

January 22, 2003 - Davey D. writes, "Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of discussion around Hip Hop and Race. The popularity of Eminem has been a catalyst for the impassioned exchanges that have been a long time coming. The most visible debate centers around Benzino and the Source Magazine and their claim that Eminem is a tool for the white power structure [machine]...But this has been a discussion that has surfaced and resurfaced ever since the Beastie Boys hit the scene back in the mid 80s. The discussion of Hip Hop and Race emerged during Hip Hop's Golden Age/Afrocentric era... when groups like 3rd Bass the Young Black Teenagers hit the scene. The introduction of Vanilla Ice also sparked a lot of discussion around the issue of race in the early 90s. Unfortunately we never fully addressed all the issues and concerns that arose out of those earlier conversations.Now that Eminem is blowing up the spot and Hip Hop is a multi-billion dollar a year business, the discussions around race are in full swing again." Read more.

January 20, 2003 - The 12th annual cross-Canada Music Critics Poll is in and amongst the winners were Missy Elliott, Nelly, The Streets, and Eminem -- though Slim also placed second in the Can't Believe The Hype category. Jason Anderson commented, "I'm incensed that Eminem is now liked by old rich people. See how the geezers like it when their kids get back at them by scamming all their Enya and Josh Groban records and hanging around on golf courses." Read more.

January 20, 2003 - Us Weekly spoke with porn star Gina Lynn after her appearance in Eminem's new video 'Superman' as his love interest. She admitted she tried to kiss the rapper off camera, but "he pulled away. He was like, 'Oh, I'm back with my woman.'" The video debuts later this month.

January 18, 2003 - Star magazine has a blind item that seems to fit Eminem and Brittany Murphy to a T. It asks, "This high-voltage couple seemed a perfect match. He's controversial and a huge success, and she's the new 'it' girl in Hollywood. THey'd been dating a month or so when he took her to a big party. Girls swarmed all over the hot guy, and his date was NOT happy. Suddenly, she had an epileptic seizure and had to be rushed to the hospital. The boyfriend never left her side, and she reveled in his devotion. Later he found out she faked the seizure because she was jealous of the party girls. He decided, 'She's crazy - I'm done with her' and meant it." This matches the story Jennifer Watkins told News of the World. Read more.

January 18, 2003 - A photo featuring Moby got Farked -- so naturally several of the doctored photos feature Eminem. Check them out here.

January 16, 2002 - Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly weighed in on the top 10 American Music Award highlights from Monday night's show. At #4 was Eminem. He writes, "If you're going to diss an awards ceremony by not coming to pick up your multiple trophies -- as Eminem didn't -- don't add insult to injury by having a pal call you from the stage. Em's '8 Mile' costar Mekei Pfeiffer assured us that 'This is Eminem on the phone, y'all! He said he wanted to give a shout-out to Dick Clark.'" Read more.

January 16, 2002 - Moby was on Last Call with Carson Daly last night to discuss his ongoing troubles with Eminem. Later, Fat Joe stopped by to try out food from Moby's vegan restaurant TeaNY before performing. For a rough transcript to those portions of the interview, read here.

January 15, 2003 - Bill O'Reilly was furious after Eminem won Favorite Male Performer Sunday night at the People's Choice Awards and how he has been embraced and praised in the mainstream. He had Dr. Joy Browne on the O'Reilly Factor on Monday night to discuss the rapper. Read on for a rough transcript.

January 15, 2003 - Jim Farber of the New York Daily News spoke with Benzino about his ongoing beef with Eminem, which many say is a bid to whip up attention for his new album. "I have a huge deal with Elektra. I'm making good music, I don't have to do this," Benzino asserts. "I'm taking him on because I have real issues." He protested that Eminem "is calling me a girl but he dresses like one in all his videos. He looks like Cindy Brady. Now you tell me, who's the real bitch?" Read more.

January 15, 2003 - In addition to his other wins, Eminem took home the Favorite Hip-Hop Male Artist which was presented and accepted by Busta Rhymes and Nivea. Busta told the crowd, "Well, Eminem couldn't be with us so I'm going to take his trophy to the crib real quick."

January 15, 2003 - The New York Daily News reports Martin Scorsese recalled at Sunday's New York Film Critics Circle Awards his 'Gangs Of New York' star used Eminem music to help get into character. "We'd hear banging on the set," he explained. "It was Daniel [Day-Lewis] working up his rage by working out to Eminem." Read more.

January 15, 2003 - Eminem got the Favorite Pop Rock Album for 'The Eminem Show' at the American Music Awards on Monday night. Daryl Hall and John Oates, and Heidi Klum accepted on his behalf this time.

January 15, 2003 - Eminem's 'The Eminem Show' won the American Music Award last night for Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Album and accepting the award on his behalf was his co-star from '8 Mile' Mekhi Phifer. Standing with cell-phone in hand, with what he said was Slim on the other end, Mekhi said, "I'm right here at the podium right now. Hey, this is Eminem on the phone y'all. What up? Okay. Yeah, he said he wanted to give a shout out to Dick Clark and all the AMAs. All the people up top making a lot of noise up there. I see you. He wanted me to give shouts out to Harlem. My man Malik. Everybody, all my peoples up town in Harlem, everybody. All right. Great speech, AMA."

January 13, 2003 - The National Post weighed in on the ongoing beef between Eminem and Benzino, taking the side of Slim Shady. They write, "First thing's first: Eminem is no Vanilla Ice. Despite the hue of his skin, Eminem is as authentic a rapper as they come. As has become well-known since the release of his quasi-autobiographical movie, 8 mile, Eminem's mother was 15 and dependent on welfare -- and, the rapper claims, drugs -- at the time he was born. He grew up in one of Detroit's nearly all-black housing projects and dropped out of school after grade nine. As a teenager, he taught himself to rap." Read more.

January 12, 2003 - News of the World spoke with the former friend of Eminem, Jennifer Watkins, who details their relationship in 'Cleaning Out My Closet'. Watkins talked about Eminem's romance with Brittany Murphy while the two filmed '8 Mile', and the reaction ex-wife Kim had when Hailie spilled the beans. "Hailie told her that she'd been in bed with Brittany when Daddy came home and fell asleep in the bed with them. Kim threw a fit. She screamed at Marshall down the phone, ‘How could you have that trash in bed with you and my daughter!' Marshall had been desperate to keep his lover a secret from Kim, because even though they were divorced at the time, they had joint custody of Hailie—and he was terrified Kim would go back to court and have her taken away from him. Marshall knew it was no use denying the affair so he tried to explain that he'd come home dog-tired and found Brittany snuggled up with Hailie. He climbed into bed without waking them up and making Brittany leave the bed. But that was the first time Kim had proof that he and Brittany had even been sharing the same bed, and she was mad as hell.If Kim had actually caught them in bed together there'd have been blood on the walls." Read more.

January 12, 2003 - Access Hollywood spoke with Moby on Friday and the artist explained the ongoing fued with Eminem. "At the VMAs, to be honest with you, I don't know what happened," he said. "He was standing on stage and a few people started booing him," Moby recalls. "And I think he thought I was booing. But the truth is, I was applauding, to set the record straight. I was actually clapping. I was applauding because he had just won an award." Read more.

January 12, 2003 - The New York Post reports Eminem has signed a licensing deal with Nesi Apparel to create a collection of sportswear. The new collection, to be called 'Shady,' will be available in department stores for the back-to-school selling period in late summer. The apparel collection will likely be well-received by retailers, predicted David Wolfe, creative director for the Doneger Group, a retail trend and buying office. "Eminem has a wonderful cachet. Especially since parents are [annoyed] by him, he's so appealing to teenagers," he said. Read more.

January 12, 2003 - Porn star Gina Lynn chatted with Entertainment Tonight about her role in Eminem's new video for 'Superman'. Gina explained, "I'm his love interest [in the video], but we also have a part where we have a big fight and he kicks me out of a hotel and I'm all a mess. I had this little psychotic part." Gina denies the prior lovemaking claims though saying, "He was strictly professional. We did our shoot and then we went our separate ways and that's how it went. It was business." The actress is actually 28, not 40 as was reported earlier. Watch the clip here.

January 12, 2003 - Eminem's '8 Mile' soundtrack held on to the #1 spot in the week ended January 5th, despite a steep falloff in sales from the previous frame. The album, which has sold 3.6 million units to date, saw sales of just 119,000 this time out -- down 62%. The sales drop was typical of most albums following the Christmas buying buildup. Read more.

January 9, 2003 - Nominations were announced Tuesday for the 45th annual Grammy Awards, to be presented February 23rd in New York. Eminem was nominated in the Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Male Rap Solo Performance, Producer Of The Year, and Best Short Form Music Video ('Without Me'). Check out all the nominations here.

January 9, 2003 - Well it looks like Eminem fans are off the hook for responsibility in the Moby attack. He says on his official website, "I'm kind of a simpleton, but could someone please explain homophobia to me? Apparently when I was attacked in Boston it was a 'gay bashing' (which is kind of ironic seeing as I'm straight). I've asked this question before, but what in the world do people find so offensive about homosexuality? What about homosexuality is so upsetting to so many people? It's really odd, don't you agree?" Read more.

January 9, 2003 - Jeannette Walls of MSNBC spoke with Eminem's spokesman after a 40-year-old porn star named Ginger Lynn, who appears in his latest video and says she and Eminem "had a marathon love-making session" that lasted 17 hours. "Not true," he said curtly, declining to elaborate. As for reports he had gotten back together with ex-wife Kim, the spokesman said, "No comment." Read more.

January 9, 2003 - Jim Farber of the New York Daily News weighed in on yesterday's Grammy nominations. On hip hop, he comments, "The Record of the Year and Album of the Year bins found room for Eminem, who won't win, but whose appearance at the awards show on Feb. 23 will deliver big ratings for CBS. While Nelly certainly earned his spot in the Album category, he did so by offering hot sales and pop pleasures rather than anything innovative or deep. Missy Elliott put out a far more groundbreaking CD, but it arrived more than a month after the deadline." Read more.

January 9, 2003 - Leon Harris of CNN spoke with Vibe editor-in-chief Emil Wilbekin about the Grammy nominations announced earlier today. Commenting on the Eminem's chances for best album against Bruce Springsteen with 'The Rising', Wilbekin said, "That will be really tough. Eminem did really well two years ago when he won those Grammys. But Bruce Springsteen is an American mainstay. He really uplifted people after 9/11. So that will be a tough race. It's really going to be between those two, I believe." Check out the entire transcript here.

January 7, 2003 - Cindy Adams of the New York Post reports Eminem was spotted shopping at Rebecca Moss, where he bought a coalition pen, one with an Irish and an American flag on it.

January 7, 2003 - Eminem is the big favorite for Tuesday's top Grammy Nominations receipient. "Eminem will definitely be nominated in several categories," predicted Bill Wilson, vice president and general manager at AOL Music. John Norris of MTV News added, "I think Eminem is going to get his due this year. I think that a lot of people felt like he should have won a couple of years ago with 'The Marshall Mathers LP.'" Read more.

January 7, 2003 - Stu Bykofsky of the Philadelphia Daily News reports Eminem was escorted into Glam a little after midnight a few nights back. Eminem was in town to support D12, and entered the club to the sound of a cut off his '8 Mile' album and sat "alone" (one aide and four bodyguards). Eminem was served shrimp cocktail and filet, and he allowed fans to approach for a handshake, but no pictures and no autographs. Beverages for his crew included champagne - two bottles of Cristal and two bottles of Veuve Clicquot - plus a bottle of Hennessy brandy and Bicardi O. He was the model of good behavior and left 'round 2 a.m.

January 5, 2003 - MTV News correspondents Gideon Yago and Iann Robinson weighed in on the year in music, giving their thoughts on Eminem, *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake, and Avril Lavigne. While the two rarely agree on anything, they do agree it was a great year for Eminem. "He's transcended the debate about his content. He had a blockbuster opening movie and soundtrack, and he had a multi-platinum album in a year when there weren't many multi-platinum albums," says Gideon. "I have to agree. Eminem, not for his behavior, but for the amazing album that he wrote, he clearly owned the year 2002. He needs to grow up, but he clearly was the man of the year," adds Iann. Read more.

January 2, 2003 - alwaysbsb writes "Eminem and Britney Spears were the top male and female searched for online by AOL's 35 million members during the past year. According to the 'Best of AOL 2002' lists, the most-searched news story was 9/11.The top message board was 'War on Terror.' The most popular celebrity chat was Aaron and Helene from 'The Bachelor.'

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