Akon charged in fan-throwing case

Nearly six months after he picked up a fan and threw him off the stage at a show in Poughkeepsie, NY--a move that was caught on video--Akon is facing criminal charges from the incident. The 34-year-old Senegalese singer is scheduled to appear in Fishkill Town Court on Monday morning for arraignment on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment, a violation, according to a news release Thursday from police chief Donald Williams.

The charges stem not from the 15-year-old boy who was thrown after he allegedly tossed a CD onto the stage, but from a fan who said she suffered a concussion when the boy who was thrown landed on her. Abby Rose told the Poughkeepsie Journal that she has hired a lawyer and spoken to Fishkill police.

Fall Out Boy pull Sendak images

Fall Out Boy's attempt at homage to the beloved children's book Where The Wild Things Are got them in a bit of hot water with its author. In a statement issued on its Web site, the band said it has removed all images in its stage set that were intended to pay tribute to the Maurice Sendak tome.

"We have great respect and affection for his book, and it was our intent only to pay homage to it, not to infringe any rights. FOB sincerely apologizes to Maurice Sendak for using images from Where The Wild Things Are in our concerts and elsewhere without authorization."

FOB bassist Pete Wentz is a vocal fan of the books and told MTV News in August that he looking forward to the Spike Jonze-directed film adaptation of it. "I'm so excited to see the new movie," he said. "I've only seen one picture, but it was stunning--I think it's an [Dave] Eggers script. This movie was a long time coming. When I was a kid, I wanted to be Max when I grew up, which was insane because he was another kid. I think every parent should read this story to their kid."

Foxy Brown released from solitary

At 29 years of age, Foxy Brown will get a chance to show the world if she has learned how to play nice with others. In jail, that is. The rapper--real name Inga Marchand--was released from solitary confinement this week at Riker's Island prison. The rapper had been sent to solitary for 76 days but was let out after 40 days for good behavior.

Brown was sentenced on September 8 to a year in jail for violating her probation after several arrests, including an altercation with two nail salon employees in August 2004, assaulting a neighbor with a BlackBerry cell phone, and throwing hair glue at a beauty supply store clerk in Florida.

"Foxy is out and her spirits never wavered," Brown's manager Chaz Williams told Billboard.com. "While in solitary, she continued to answer each and every fan letter. She also told me she wrote some pretty hot songs while there. She's back in the law library and looks forward to ending this chapter in her life."

Report: DuBrow had been dead for six days

Although the coroner in Las Vegas has yet to issue a report on the cause of death of Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow, details are emerging. For one, the singer had been dead for six days before his body was discovered by a paramedic friend of one of his girlfriends. Original Quiet Riot bassist Kelly Garni posted a statement online this week about how DuBrow's friends came to learn of his death and how he was found.

Garni wrote that following phone calls with Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali and two of DuBrow's girlfriends, the paramedic broke into DuBrow's home after seeing his keys on the counter and knowing that he hadn't been heard from in almost a week. He found DuBrow dead in bed, and authorities later determined that he had been dead for six days.

Garni wrote that detectives told him that there were no signs of foul play and that it was being treated as an "accidental death."

Birdman arrested on drug charges, released

Cash Money Records cofounder Bryan "Baby" Williams, aka Birdman, was arrested this week on drug possession charges along with 16 other people who were riding in an RV that was pulled over in Tennessee. The rapper told MTV News that he was not found in possession of a pound of marijuana, as had been reported, and was charged with misdemeanor pot possession.

"We was on the bus. I was asleep in the back," he told MTV. "Why they pulled us over, I don't know. The people are making the situation out worse than what it is. We got arrested for a misdemeanor amount of [marijuana]--we didn't have no pound. The police just found something minor in a garbage can the dog sniffed. We all got out on bond."

Williams, 38, also refuted reports that he was with an 18-year-old woman who claimed to be his wife. "I'm not married," he said. "Never! Been! Married! Plus, that girl was 18! I don't get down like that! Plus, if I was married, why would I keep it a secret?" Williams is free on $1,500 bond and is due back in court on March 18.

Mannie Fresh's sister murdered

While Birdman was dealing with the aftermath of his arrest for pot possession, his Cash Money Records cofounder Mannie Fresh was dealing with the reported murder of his sister. According to WWLTV in New Orleans, Fresh's sister, Angela Bryant, was shot and killed Wednesday night in her New Orleans home. Police said the 42-year-old mother's two young children, ages 2 and 7, were present but not physically harmed.

Bryant's husband, who had been out of town when his wife was killed, arrived at the house before noon and was distraught, according to the WWLTV report. The couple got married last month, and Bryant celebrated her birthday with family on Wednesday night.

"We are still working on the motive of this," New Orleans police superintendent Warren Riley told reporters. "We do have some limited information and limited information relative to leads at this time, but it's still very early at this point."