Eminem donates to Hip Hop 4 Habitat

Although he's dealt with his fair share of turmoil on the domestic front in recent years, Eminem is doing his part to help those in need of a home. The rapper has made a donation today to Hip Hop 4 Habitat, a project where members of the hip-hop community will build a home for a family in need, according to the Detroit News. Eminem--real name Marshall Mathers--contributed an undisclosed sum of money through his Marshall Mathers Foundation to help launch the project.

Hip Hop 4 Habitat is looking to raise $75,000 to build a 1,100-square-foot home near Mack Avenue and Lakepointe Street on Detroit's east side. It's tentatively set to be built over one week in October. Following the completion of the home, Detroit rapper Trick Trick--who said today he will help build the home--will give a concert for volunteers.

The Game arrested on threats charge

The Game was arrested in Los Angeles late Friday on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to the Los Angeles Times. The arrest, which came after police searched the rapper's Glendale area home for three hours Friday afternoon, is in connection with an incident that occurred in February, police told the paper. The Game is suspected of threatening a person with a gun during a pickup basketball game at a park in South Los Angeles, the Times reported.

The Game was booked on Friday and released early Saturday morning after posting $50,000 bail. Local news crews captured the scene as police led Game from his home on Friday. The rapper maintained his innocence, telling onlookers, "I want to say that I'm not guilty, and that I love California."

Pink Floyd members pay tribute to Barrett

The surviving members of Pink Floyd took part in a tribute concert last week to pay respects to their former frontman, Roger "Syd" Barrett. Guitarist David Gilmour, bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason, and keyboardist Rick Wright all appeared on stage at the "Syd Barrett--Madcap's Last Laugh" gig, held at the London Barbican venue, although not all at the same time. The long-feuding Gilmour and Waters appeared separately, the BBC reported, and were not photographed together.

Gilmour, Mason, and Wright performed "Arnold Layne," the group's first hit and one of Barrett's best-known works. Waters performed a solo version of his own track, "Flickering Flame." The event also included performances from Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, and Robyn Hitchcock. Everyone but Waters contributed to an all-star finale of one of Barrett's best-known compositions, the psychedelic track "Bike" taken from the band's debut 1967 album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

The concert was held to pay homage to Barrett, who died on July 7, 2006, at the age of 60, following complications from diabetes. The artist had spent the better part of the past 30 years living in seclusion in Cambridge, England, after being forced out of the band due to deteriorating mental-health issues.

Sheryl Crow adopts

Sheryl Crow has adopted a two-week-old boy and named him Wyatt Steven, the singer/songwriter announced on her Web site. "We are enjoying some very private family time. Just wanted to let you know," read the post. The boy, who Crow said was born two weeks ago, is her first. "His name is Wyatt [after my dad] Steven [after my little brother and Scooter]," she wrote. Scooter is the nickname of her longtime manager and friend, Steven Weintraub. No other details about her newly adopted son were revealed, but Crow's publicist told Reuters that the child was born in the United States.

Crow, 45, postponed a North American concert tour in February of last year to undergo "minimally invasive" surgery for breast cancer. She announced during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October that she was cancer-free. The singer's surgery came about a month after she and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, himself a cancer survivor, broke off their engagement, ending a high-profile two-year relationship.

Lily Allen worries about appearance

Under the headline, "Fat, ugly and sh***er than Winehouse," Lily Allen has posted on her MySpace blog that she is unhappy with her weight. "I'm on my own in America again," she wrote. "I used to pride myself on being strong minded and not being some stupid girl obsessed with the way I look. I felt like it didn't matter if I was a bit chubby cause I'm not a model, I'm a singer. I'm afraid I am not strong and have fallen victim to the evil machine. I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle. I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery, and laser lipo suction."

Rick Rubin moves to Columbia

Rick Rubin is now officially the cochairman of Columbia Records, marking the much-acclaimed producer's continued elevation into the ranks of the top execs in music. As previously reported, Rubin was courted by Columbia after a string of successes with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dixie Chicks, and Neil Diamond. Columbia released a statement this afternoon confirming the Rubin hire and stating that he would "form a dynamic and creative executive partnership" with Columbia chairman Steve Barnett. There are no initial details on what Rubin's exact role at the label will be or where he will be based.

As part of the deal, Rubin will bring his American Recordings imprint to the company. American, which for the last year-plus has been distributed by Warner Music Group, has a roster that includes Slayer, Dan Wilson, and (International) Noise Conspiracy. It also controls catalog from Johnny Cash, The Black Crowes, Danzig, and The Jayhawks.