B.I.G. wrongful-death lawsuit reinstated

One of two wrongful-death lawsuits filed by the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. has been reinstated by the judge who had earlier thrown it out. US District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper threw out the lawsuit on March 21 after determining that the family missed a state deadline for bringing the suit, which claims that rogue police officers conspired to kill B.I.G.--real name Christopher Wallace--and that the Police Department covered up their involvement.

The lawsuit was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, and then moved to federal court. After Cooper initially dismissed it, the family appealed, and the judge reversed her decision after finding that federal claims in the case can proceed, the Associated Press reported.

B.I.G. was gunned down on March 9, 1997, while leaving a party at a Los Angeles museum. His murder, along with that of rival Tupac Shakur a year earlier, remains unsolved.

B.I.G.'s family also has another active wrongful-death suit in the matter, alleging wrongful death and civil-rights violations. It ended in a mistrial in 2005 but remains active.

Diamond plays MySpace show, eyes No. 1

Neil Diamond is on track to debut at No. 1 for the first time in his 50-year, 35-album career. Billboard reported this week that the Nielsen SoundScan Building chart projects that Home Before Dark, the singer's latest, will sit atop the Billboard 200 chart next week, with first-week sales estimated at 125,000. Diamond is battling debuts from the likes of Gavin DeGraw, Clay Aiken, Toby Keith, and Josh Groban for the top slot.

Diamond celebrated the release of the Rick Rubin-produced album with a "secret" MySpace show at The Bitter End in New York City on Tuesday night in front of 200 fans. Diamond played a seven-song set of both new songs and classics.

Diamond kicks off a 37-date North American tour on July 19 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

R. Kelly trial begins amid bombshell report

With his trial on 14 counts of child pornography barely underway, R. Kelly is already dealing with a new bombshell report about the case. After a judge denied Kelly's last-minute motion to delay the trial that already has been delayed for six years, the jury-selection process began today.

But before the embattled singer's trial even got underway, the Chicago Sun-Times, which sparked the whole saga when the videotape at the center of the case was leaked to the paper anonymously, published a new report on the case.

The 41-year-old R&B singer, who stands accused of recording himself on videotape having sex with a girl as young as 13, allegedly paid a woman to return an incriminating sex tape featuring Kelly, according to the Sun-Times report. The woman is the same person who will reportedly testify that she had a three-way sexual encounter with Kelly and the underage girl at the center of the case. The girl, now 23, has denied that she is on the tape.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan read the 14-count indictment to some 150 potential jurors who packed the courtroom. Gaughan refused to allow reporters to view the proceedings. The trial's centerpiece is the video footage, which Gaughan ruled may be shown in open court.

DMX arrested at his Arizona home

Nearly nine months after law-enforcement officials raided DMX's Arizona home on claims of animal cruelty--reportedly finding a grisly scene of 12 distressed pit bulls, three dead ones, and firearms--a return to the property showed no sign that he is cleaning up his act, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said today.

Sheriff's deputies went to the Phoenix-area home at 3am this morning to arrest the rapper on charges from their initial investigation. But when they arrived, they said they found unspecified illegal drugs and five more pit-bull puppies, which they removed from the house.

DMX, 37, whose real name is Earl Simmons, initially barricaded himself in his bedroom when officers arrived but eventually surrendered without offering further resistance, police said.

It was the second time this week that DMX has run afoul of Arizona authorities. On Tuesday, state police arrested him for driving at speeds as high as 114 miles per hour on a freeway.

Country legend Arnold dies at 89

One of the pioneers of the "Nashville Sound" has died. Eddy Arnold, whose mellow baritone on songs such as "Make the World Go Away" made him one of the most successful country singers in history, died Thursday, just days short of his 90th birthday.

Arnold died at a care facility near Nashville, as reported to the Associated Press by Don Cusic, a professor at Belmont University and author of the biography Eddy Arnold: I'll Hold You in My Heart. Arnold's wife of 66 years, Sally, had died in March, and in the same month, Arnold fell outside his home, injuring his hip.

Arnold's folksy yet sophisticated sound was dubbed "countrypolitan," a mixture of country and pop styles. "I sing a little country, I sing a little pop, and I sing a little folk, and it all goes together," he said in 1970.

Arnold was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966. The following year he was the first person to receive the entertainer of the year award from the Country Music Association.