Source: www.celebritymound.com

Alice’s Wonderland just got a bit bigger to accommodate all of the quirky new characters that invade famed conceptual photographer Justin Monroe’s twisted mind.

On Nov. 25, 2008, leading publisher Bruno Gmunder will officially debut Down The Rabbit Hole, Monroe’s first-ever photo-book, which presents the artist’s inimitable and vibrant style of sexy photography, and plunges art enthusiasts into a world of surreal fantasy, sinister humor and visual allegory. The book contains a collection of highly conceptual imagery that takes us on a journey through a world of fantasy and hyperrealism, from which Monroe calls a “red pill ride!”

The 160-page, full-color, hardcover (10“ x 14“) book will be available through large retail outlets like Amazon.com and TLAbooks.com, and in local retailers around the world. Down the Rabbit Hole will feature such prominent personalities as diva model extraordinaire Janice Dickinson, legendary performer Amanda Lepore and sex icon Jessica Rabbit.

Some of the photos from Down the Rabbit Hole include Dickinson as “Glinda the Good Witch” on the verge of a nervous breakdown; porn star Erik Rhodes as a souped-up superhero; Kama Sutra, the art of pleasure; a tea party you won’t forget; and one very dirty bunny!

Here are some of the questions from the interview with Justin Monroe:

Q.) With your first book, Down The Rabbit Hole, where does your inspiration come from that makes you so different from other photographers out there?
A.) I get my inspiration from everything, whether it’s from a dream, to a movie or a song, people on the street, the model walking in to do a job, porn, the news…you name it. Its a collaboration of internal data. I think what sets me apart from other photographers is that I have an unending mental library of ideas and a wide range. When you see one of my images you can definitely tell that it’s mine. But, I can go from dark, cold, gloomy, low-key and depressing to a bright, colorful, funny, high-key story. I can go from luxury to poverty or beautiful to grotesque, One day I can work on an assignment that requires me to shoot my subject very raw and grungy, and the next day I can be shooting a super polished and elegant diamond campaign. This is what turns me on. This is why I am a photographer.

Q.) What do you want people to gain from your art? Are you trying to send an important message, or are you just simply being creative?
A.) I hope people get a bit of enjoyment, and better yet, a laugh or a
hard-on, or both. I strive to breathe life into my work so that the viewer feels something. Thats why I sometimes push my models right over the edge of their own comfort level. In fact, I do not care if the viewer feels uncomfortable…I actually live for it.

Q.) Down the Rabbit Hole is Bruno Gmunder’s first-ever book featuring female content. Quite an accomplishment, Justin! How did you swing that?
A.)It was a bit of compromise on myself and the publisher. A lot of dialogue and a common goal, to create something with staying power that won’t get lost in the mix.

Q.) Your book features such divas and starlets as Janice Dickinson and Amanda Lepore. They’re both two very dynamic women. What was it like working with each of them?
A.) Its like the lion and the lamb. Janice is a powerhouse of a woman and a talent, so she would be my lioness. Cats scratch, claw, and sometimes bite, and so does Janice, but when she is on the set, she is ready for business. Her work-horse ethic and determination is why she was coined, ‘World’s First Supermodel.’ Janice is not messing around. Her fierceness is why I chose her for my book. Amanda, my lamb, is like shooting a beauty from an old Hollywood movie. She brings class and poise to the set of which I have never seen. But do not be fooled. She can take you there and back. Amanda is a true chameleon. She can take on any chair actor, and serve you back a masterpiece.

Q.) Some people say that Amanda Lepore is like a human palette, in that she can shape-shift her looks drastically. Did you find this to hold true?
A.)Not only her looks, but her entire demeanor from one shot to the next. From glamour to daddy’s little she-devil, Amanda is a true actress.

Q.) You’ve already started working on your next book, Eat This. Quite the prolific photographer! What will this book be like?
A.)A clash of cultures. Imagine two trains on one track. The first train, the ‘Hollywood Express,’ carrying supermodels and celebrities, famous and infamous. And, the second train, the ‘Redneck Nougat,’ carrying trailer trash, convicts and drug addicts. Imagine if these two trains were to collide creating a super sexy mess. A scorching hot mockumentary of our society, showing us that white trash has never looked so hot!

Q.) If you could select three new celebrities to photograph next, who would you choose. And, why?
A.) Uma Thurman. Love her look and she looks like she would go all out to get the shot! I have been in love with her since ‘Kill Bill.’ Brad Pitt, for all of the obvious reasons. I prefer him trashy, not classy. And, Amy Winehouse, since I’m sure it would be a crazy experience!

Q.) You have some pretty surreal and sometimes creepy photos. When you go home at night and turn off all the lights, is it hard for you to separate the visions that you photograph from reality?
A.) My photographs are my reality. I have very vivid dreams and I actually count on them for a lot of my content matter. It is my obsession. I could not separate them if I tried. They are what makes me, me.

Q.) Give me one word that epitomizes your style of photography.
A.) Transgressive

To purchase Down the Rabbit Hole, or for more information on Justin Monroe, please visit www.justinmonroe.com.

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard appears in only her birthday suit on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

In a new ad, Beard appears next to the tagline “Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin. Don’t Wear Fur.” The two-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. team captain will unveil the ad on Wednesday—just days before the start of the Beijing Games, her fourth Olympics.

Check out all the details here:

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/amanda_beard?c=abadvoscb08

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Lawyers for the “Hairspray” star wouldn’t comment Monday, but civil lawsuits will be inevitable after the brawl she and her father were involved in with “America’s Top Model” contestant Bianca Golden and her mother.

The plump 19-year-old reportedly was saving five seats in the airport lounge at Turks & Caicos when Golden, also 19, wanted to sit down. Blonsky’s mother, Karen, told TMZ that Golden, who’s 5-feet-11, “punched [4-foot-11 Nikki] in the head.” Blonsky’s father, Carl, then allegedly beat Golden’s mother, Elaine, so badly she had to be airlifted to a Florida hospital.

Asked about Golden’s condition, or whether the model will sue Blonsky, Elizabeth Gubitosi, vice-president at Golden’s agency, Major Model Management, had no comment.

Blonsky, who was released on $6,000 bail, will have to appear in Turks & Caicos criminal court on charges of assault. Her father is still being held there. Bianca Golden was also charged with assault.

Blonsky is already involved in a big lawsuit brought by the people who discovered her, only to be dropped six days after they got her the “Hairspray” role, claim Margaret Karaszek and Michael Ostrowski.

The singer/actress has told the story on “Oprah” that she heard about the role while working as an ice cream scooper and won it at an open call. But, says Ostrowski, “We worked with her since she was 13-1/2 years old. We found her when we reached out to vocal coaches on Long Island, when they were looking for a young overweight singer for Jack Black’s ‘School of Rock.’
“She didn’t get it, but we stuck with her for 3-1/2 years,” he alleges. “We got her six or seven blue-chip auditions. Then we heard about ‘Hairspray.’”

Ostrowski says he hired a videographer and produced a DVD on which Blonsky sang “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Hairspray’s” opening number, and two other songs and acted out two scenes from the musical. “I contacted the head of production at New Line,” says Ostrowski. “He showed it to the director and the casting director, and they e-mailed us the next day.”

Ostrowski also alleges he drove Blonsky in a blizzard to a private audition in February 2006. “She was one of only four to get a major callback.”

She got the part and dumped him, Ostrowski claims, adding: “I believed in her tremendously.”

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

BELOVED former Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. died broke, in debt to the IRS, and left his estate in such a shambles that it still hasn’t been straightened out.

And according to “Deconstructing Sammy” (due next month from Amistad/HarperCollins), by journalist Matt Birkbeck, Davis didn’t have to die.

After a cancer diagnosis in August 1989, doctors recommended surgery on his throat that offered an 80 percent chance of survival. He opted instead for radiation, which had a slim 30 percent survival rate. Davis made his decision based on his dismal finances. If he couldn’t sing, he reasoned, he couldn’t make money.

Among the book’s other bombshells:

* Following his divorce from May Britt in 1968, Davis was pressured into marrying a black woman. He wed Altovise Gore in 1970 and pressured her into participating in wild parties.

* Among the many men Altovise befriended was former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whom Davis met in the 1970s when Rumsfeld worked for the Nixon administration. Rumsfeld remained friendly with Altovise after the legendary entertainer’s death, even to the point of calling her when she was living in poverty in Pennsylvania in 1993.

* When Sammy’s good friend and long-time conductor, George Rhodes, died in 1985, he asked another good friend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to give the eulogy. Jackson agreed but for a price: He demanded $5,000 in cash, four first-class plane tickets and two suites at the Four Seasons Hotel. Davis, who was broke, turned to bodyguard Brian Dellow, who took an advance off his credit card to pay Jackson’s fee.

* Despite more than $50 million in lifetime earnings, Davis died in 1990 some $15 million in debt, owing more than half to the IRS for investments in bogus tax shelters.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Two dancers in the Top 4 of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance collapsed at rehearsals Saturday and had to be rushed by ambulance to nearby Cedars Sinai Hospital–just days before the reality series season finale.

“Two went in [Saturday] and so there was no more rehearsals, and today [Sunday] all the rehearsals were called off,” ballroom expert and SYTYCD judge Mary Murphy confirmed to PEOPLE at Fox’s 2008 Teen Choice Awards in L.A. on Sunday. “The kids are completely dehydrated – two of them. I’m sure they’re doing a lot of blood work to see if there’s anything else.”

A source close to the show said that the two dancers are out of the hospital, doing better and will return to rehearsals Monday. Reps for Fox had no comment and did not release the identities of the two dancers.

Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, Katee Shean, Courtney Galiano and Joshua Allen are the four remaining dancers in the competition.

Murphy went on to explain that in all fairness, “the other two [dancers] could not rehearse as well, and so hopefully everybody is going to be in the same boat…hopefully everybody will be refreshed by having a full day off.”

Leading up to the finale, the dancers have been putting in 10 to 12 hour rehearsals a day, because “they want it so bad,” says Murphy, adding “so, they keep pushing themselves and pushing themselves and not letting anybody know that, ‘Hey, I’m running on empty,’ and then it catches up on them and then they collapse.”

The live finale airs Thursday on FOX (8 p.m. ET) and will feature a special performance by the Jonas Brothers.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

According to AOL Music’s PopEater, Lesley Roy is “About to Pop!” The 21-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist from Ireland is blowing up in the US with her explosive debut single “I’m Gone, I’m Going.” Roy recently premiered the video on FN MTV, and she is set to release her debut album, Unbeautiful, on September 30th through Jive Records. Unbeautiful was produced by Max Martin (NSYNC, Kelly Clarkson) and boasts songwriting credits from the likes of Katy Perry and Desmond Child (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith).

Check out the PopEater article in full at http://www.popeater.com/2008/07/28/about-to-pop-lesley-roy/ where the Irish rocker talks about her favorite song on the record and the inspiration behind her lyrics.

Check out the video for “I’m Gone, I’m Going” :

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Check out all the details at Hollyscoop.com

http://www.hollyscoop.com/selena-gomez/selena-gomez-talks-about-miley-and-nick-jonas_17104.aspx

Source: www.celebritymound.com

The Knicks City Dancers are adding a unique spin to their recent squad tryouts. So far, sixteen women have been newly added to the Knicks City Dancers. However, there are three dancers who are still in the running for the one remaining spot…and the Knicks are letting the fans decide who the last girl will be!

Voting ends tomorrow August 5th, so visit MSG.com right now to meet the three stunning runner-ups, watch videos of their tryout auditions, and then vote for your favorite:

http://msg.com/knickscitydancers/

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Comedian Bernie Mac was in “very, very critical” condition late Saturday at a Chicago hospital, according to a Chicago Sun-Times source who knows the comedian’s family.

The revelation came after Mac’s publicist told Chicago media Saturday that she had received multiple calls from news outlets regarding “absolutely untrue” rumors of the star’s demise.

“It is a very horrible rumor,” publicist Danica Smith said. “It is absolutely untrue. Nothing has changed from yesterday.”

The 50-year-old south suburban resident’s hospitalization was reported Friday. His publicist said then that the “King of Comedy” was admitted for pneumonia but was responding well to treatment, and should be released soon.

Smith also said she didn’t know when Mac, whose real name is Bernard McCullough, entered the hospital. She said the pneumonia was unrelated to Mac’s sarcoidosis, a chronic disease that can inflame tissue, particularly in the lungs. Smith said Mac’s sarcoidosis has been in remission since 2005.

His wife, Rhonda McCullough, has been with him at the hospital.

Mac’s long list of television and film credits include “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Ocean’s 11,” “Transformers,” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

What started out as a fun Friday night quickly turned into a frightening experience for patrons of an Atlanta nightclub early Saturday morning.

DeKalb County police spokesman Marcus Hodge said gunfire erupted at a celeb-filled party held at Club Dreams at 3595 Clairmont Road around 3:30 a.m.

The party, which kicked off the third annual So So Def Summerfest weekend, was hosted by Atlanta-based music mogul Jermaine Dupri.

Hodge said the shooting occurred after some patrons were allegedly double-charged by security guards to enter the VIP section of the club.

Hodge said some patrons became rowdy after allegedly being double-charged and were escorted outside the nightclub, where the shooting took place.

Hodge said an unknown male pulled out a gun and began firing shots. Hodge said a security guard employed by the club was struck in the arm.

Hodge said none of the celebrity guests, which included R&B singer Usher, rapper Nelly, actress Regina King, actress Gabrielle Union and actor Larenz Tate, were injured. Many other celebrities were in attendance.

Hodge told WSB-TV the security guard was transported to an area hospital. The guard, whose injuries were not life-threatening, was treated and released.

Authorities said they are still interviewing witnesses to determine the gunman’s identity.

“The shooting was an isolated incident,” said a representative for So So Def Summerfest Weekend.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Despite dramatic rumors about the state of his health, “Bernie Mac is still alive and being treated in a Chicago hospital for pneumonia and is expected to make a full recovery,” his rep tells PEOPLE.

“We once again ask that the press respect his privacy and that of his family,” says Danica Smith.

The actor-comedian (real name: Bernard Jeffery McCullough), 50, was hospitalized in Chicago for pneumonia, Smith told PEOPLE on Friday.

“Mr. Mac is responding well to treatment and will be released soon,” she said in a statement. “He asked that his privacy and that of his family is respected while he gets well.”

It was further stated that the pneumonia was not related to Mac’s 2005 diagnosis of sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in organs such as the lungs or lymph nodes.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

The out-of-shape Queen of Soul was “out of it” as she was helped out of the event at Russell Simmons’ East Hampton estate a few days back. “It took five people,” said our witness. “She was dressed in an off-white, low-cut shirt and pantsuit with jacket and pearls. She was just oblivious to what was going on.” A rep for Franklin said, “You are completely misinformed.”

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

STARRING on Broadway is working for Aubrey O’Day. Her role as Amber Von Tussle in “Hairspray” has earned her a huge gay following that went nuts when she showed up as the surprise performer at Chelsea club Barracuda’s Tuesday night karaoke party and belted out show tunes for more than an hour. “She was amazing - everyone went crazy for her. It was packed - she pulled people up on stage to dance with her,” said one fan. Next Tuesday, Lydia Hearst will try singing at the club.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Shayne Dahl Lamas was in good spirits when she appeared at Lifetime’s How to Look Good Naked charity fashion event in Hollywood July 25 - less than 24 hours after she and her fiance, The Bachelor: London Calling’s Matt Grant, had announced their split in a joint statement.

“It’s about hitting the gym, baby! It’s about getting my mojo back!” Lamas tells Us Weekly in its latest issue, on newsstands now.

What went wrong between the English financier and the aspiring actress?

While Lamas reveled in the media attention, even posing for the cover of Girls Gone Wild magazine, Grant was reticent to continue a high-profile life, Us Weekly reports in its latest issue.

“I’m used to the Hollywood BS [her dad is actor Lorenzo Lamas], but it really got into Matt’s head,” Lamas tells Us.

“After he moved to L.A. and saw her constantly partying and clubbing, he realized that she wasn’t behaving like a woman who was ready to be in a serious relationship,” a source close to Grant reveals.

Check out the new issue of Us Weekly for the full scoop on Lamas and Grant’s breakup including the cheating rumors, plus details on Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas’ wedding gown and an update on Bryon Velvick and Mary Delgado.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Despite his ex-fiancée’s claims, Bachelor Matt Grant is definitely not okay with Shayne Lamas keeping their engagement ring.

“It wasn’t a ‘gift’ so much,” the British-born financier tells PEOPLE. “It’s not a television or a handbag. It’s a symbol of marriage that didn’t happen.”

Lamas, 22, recently told PEOPLE she planned to keep the 2.85-carat Tacori platinum-and-diamond eternity ring “safe and clean and in a glass box — like a glass slipper.” She claimed Grant was fine with that, adding, “He wants to come over and look at it.”

But the star of The Bachelor: London Calling insists that conversation never took place.

“We never discussed this,” he says. “I never said it was cool to just keep it. If she said we spoke about it, she just made it up. Sometimes she thinks she can say anything and I’ll go along with it.”

Almost as soon as the final rose was presented, Grant and Lamas were dogged by rumors of romantic discord. They finally announced their split earlier this month.

Grant, 27, says he doesn’t want the ring back. But he does think Lamas — daughter of TV’s Lorenzo Lamas — should auction off the bauble for charity.

“Let’s have something good come out of this,” he explains. “Why hold onto it? What’s the point?”

Grant’s new proposal: Auction off the ring and have each donate their half of the proceeds to a favorite charity. (Grant’s pet cause is the abolition of puppy mills).
Grant says that the show’s sponsors paid for the engagement ring, which he valued at $65,000. So it’s not his money at stake.

“But at the end of the day, it was mine to give to her,” he argues. “And thus I’m like, ‘C’mon!’ I’m sure Shayne will agree it’s best going to charity.”

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

JOVIAL actor Seth Rogan found out the hard way that just because it’s your premiere, doesn’t mean you can do anything you want. Rogan was at the Maxim party for his new flick, “Pineapple Express,” on the rooftop of the Solamar Hotel in San Diego where, spies said, he was smoking a funny-smelling hand-rolled cigarette. One onlooker said, “He was told to put it out immediately or leave.” A rep for Rogan - who told Elle this month, “I have a terrible case of I-wanna- smoke-weed- all-day” - declined to comment.

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

The engagement has ended, but former Bachelor fiancée Shayne Lamas says she has every intention of keeping the ring.

In the first interview since announcing her split from The Bachelor: London Calling’s Matt Grant, Lamas says she has prepared a permanent home for the 2.85-carat Tacori platinum-and-diamond eternity ring now that it’s off her finger.

“I have it and I am going to keep it forever for the rest of my life,” Lamas tells PEOPLE. “It’s safe and clean and in a glass box like a glass slipper.”

And according to Lamas, Grant has no problem with that arrangement. “Of course (he doesn’t),” she says. “He wants to come over and look at it.”

Fans of the ABC reality show watched Grant get down on bended knee and present the ring to Lamas with the winning rose in the final episode of The Bachelor.

But a month after the episode aired, the two were no longer living together. While dogged with persistent Internet reports of discord, Lamas insists the two never had to deal with infidelity.

“I did not cheat on Matt,” insists Lamas. “I would never, ever cheat on Matt. He was my fiancé.”
The break-up came on the heels of reports that Lamas was spotted partying in Vegas with a local businessman. But according to Lamas, the two had already split by then.

“I want to clear this up 100 percent. That [Vegas trip] had nothing to do with our break-up,” says Lamas. “I was in Vegas with friends. Matt and I had already broken up. So I was a single 22-year-old woman having fun.”

Upon her return from Vegas, Lamas says the couple announced their split to the public. Though they are no longer an item, Lamas insists she and Grant are still amicable and talk “daily.”

“If I find the man, I’ll do it,” says Lamas, who plans on being “single for a while,” but is not counting out marriage in the future. “But I’m going to give this the two-year test. And then marry him. I think I’ve learned that two months is a little too short.”

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Former IRON MAIDEN star BLAZE BAYLEY has been rocked by a family medical crisis - his wife has fallen into a coma after collapsing at their home.

The rocker has released a statement thanking fans who have offered him and his family words of support as they pray for his partner Debbie’s recovery.

He reveals his spouse, who is also his manager, suffered a brain haemorrhage at the family home in Tamworth, England on July 6, 2008 and has been in a coma
ever since.

He says, “She has had three neurosurgeries; each one has been a success.

“Debbie is now in a coma that could last days, weeks or even months. She is breathing on her own and she is stable, but she is still in critical condition.

“I visit her every day that I am not out with the band, and talk to her about what is going on with the band and how well the new album is doing. Her family and close friends are also at her bedside every day.”

Bayley reveals letters from fans have been a great help and he reads them to his wife: “Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support to Debbie and
to me. A lot of them I have read out to Debbie in hospital.”

But Bayley - who has reformed his previous band Wolfsbane - refuses to put his music career on hold and stage a bedside vigil for his wife, because she would want him to rock on.

He explains, “She has worked so hard to get the band going and to make the new album possible that I feel it is important to continue with what she has started for us.

“So I am not cancelling any shows that she has arranged for the band, because I know that is not what Debbie would want.”

Bayley recently credited his wife, who he wed on Valentine’s Day last year, for straightening him out after financial problems and alcohol abuse sent him spiralling into a severe depression.

(WENN)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Country singer Chris Cagle has been found not guilty of domestic violence after his girlfriend refused to testify against him.

Cagle and Jennifer Tant were both charged with domestic violence after police said they got into a drunken fight May 28.

Tant invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself Thursday in Davidson County General Sessions Court. Her case was dismissed after prosecutors chose not to go forward.

Cagle, 39, declined to comment after the verdict. His attorney, Bill Ramsey, said in a statement that the charge never should have been brought.

Cagle is still scheduled to stand trial Sept. 23 in Tucson, Ariz., on a misdemeanor assault charge. He is accused of striking a man after a benefit concert.

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Marissa Jaret Winokur and her husband, King of the Hill writer Judah Miller, have welcomed their first child, Entertainment Tonight confirms.

Zev Isaac Miller, born via surrogate, weighed in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces.

The baby was born Tuesday.

Winokur, who survived cervical cancer seven years ago, competed on the past season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars but was eliminated during week 10. She tracked her progress with a diary on Usmagazine.com.

“Since I have a baby on the way this summer, I won’t be able to join the tour – you can’t be on tour with a baby!” Winokur, 35, wrote in her final entry.

“So my poor son will just have to watch all those videos and I can say ‘This is what I was doing while you were cooking!’”

Of motherhood, Winokur, who won a Tony award for her role in Broadway’s Hairspray, blogged: “The baby is going to change my life, and I will be a bit more ready because I can’t really control everything that is what I have learned here. So I am looking forward to learning more.”

(source)

Source: www.celebritymound.com

Check out the conclusion of NKOTB’s “Making of Summertime” video series. Watch the guys get their groove on in the Tiki Bar, film the doo-wop segment in Malibu, and end with a heartfelt finale. Their new album will drop on 9/2, and “Summertime” is available on iTunes now.

Source: www.celebritymound.com

LATEST: Rapper DMX has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of theft and identity theft.

The troubled star has been accused of using a false identity to avoid paying hospital medical expenses and was charged in Arizona on Tuesday.

Authorities claim the rapper gave medical officials the fake name of Troy Jones and the incorrect social security details while receiving treatment for pneumonia at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in April.

Appearing in court on Thursday, DMX, real name Earl Simmons, refuted the charges. It has been a year of legal woes for the rap star - in January, he was arrested for allegedly speeding down a Phoenix, Arizona freeway. In May, he was charged with suspected drug possession and animal cruelty following raids on his Arizona home.

A month later in June the star was arrested for allegedly attempting to buy drugs from an undercover officer, and earlier this month he was taken into police custody for violating his bail terms relating to a previous driving incident in June.

(WENN)