Lil' Kim leaves jail in style

Chances are, Lil' Kim's Fourth of July celebrations were a bit more spirited than yours.

That's because 10 months after going to jail for committing perjury, Kim was released, as expected, two days ago on Monday, July 3--two months early. She also did so in style, clad in sunglasses and a white blouse, carrying flowers, and blowing kisses to fans in Philadelphia.

Still, she can't start all the celebrating just yet: Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, must remain under house arrest for 30 more days.

She was convicted in March 2005 of perjury, after testifying in a 2001 trial about a shooting outside the Hot 97 radio station in New York. When she was originally sentenced, US District Judge Gerald Lynch ordered Kim to spend one year and one day behind bars, but she left early Monday on good behavior.

"I'd like to thank the city of Philadelphia for the overwhelming support that I received, in addition to the staff at the [Philadelphia Federal Detention Center] and all of my supporters," Kim said in a statement. "Many special thanks go out to my fans who were critical in helping me get through these past 10 months. I am looking forward to adjusting to back to my normal life and getting back to work."

Kim's celebrity status has yet to diminish despite her jail sentence. Her latest album, The Naked Truth, a reality show on BET, Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown, and a nomination for best female hip-hop artist at the 2006 BET Awards all came while the Queen Bee was serving her sentence.

Mariah goes on Barney-purple diet

Grammy-winning singer Mariah Carey will now eat only purple food three days each week--if reports in British tabloids such as The Sun are to be believed. Carey's new diet was concocted with the help of her nutritionist, who said purple vegetables and foods, including plums, red grapes, grapes, and beetroot, will ward off the visible effects of aging on anyone--including the 36-year-old pop star.

"Purple products are nature's best weapons in the battle against aging," said an unidentified source quoted in the tabloid. "Purple food can prevent breakdown of collagen and slow the wasting of muscles.

"There's a saying that 'a plum a day keeps a facelift away.'"

Hill, Urban voted most beautiful female, male country stars

Readers of Country Weekly magazine voted Faith Hill the most beautiful woman in country music. The poll, released Friday in the magazine, identified Keith Urban as the top-ranking male face in the country-music world.

"To thousands of fans, Faith embodies the ideal woman who really 'has it all'--classic beauty, a superstar career, a great marriage to Tim McGraw, and three lovely daughters," the article says. "No other country star projects a sexier, more stunning image."

Sara Evans, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, and Shania Twain rounded out the rest of the top five women, in order.

Jobs requests to serve on Disney board without pay

Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Computer and a member of the Walt Disney Co.'s board of directors, would rather base his livelihood on the former, not the latter. The architect behind the iPod-making Apple asked to not receive compensation for serving on Disney's board, and the board OK'd the change.

The latest "pay cut" in Jobs' public life comes after he traded a majority stake in Pixar Animation Studios for stock of Disney. Jobs is also well-known for his one-dollar annual salary as Apple chief executive.

Austin released after seven weeks' detention

The prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai pardoned American Grammy-winning producer Dallas Austin after he was held on possession of 1.26 grams of cocaine in the Middle Eastern emirate.

"He is on a plane and safely out of the country," Austin's attorney, Joel A. Katz, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Austin's exit from Dubai--the most populated of the seven United Arab Emirates--comes after a close call Tuesday, when he was sentenced to four years in prison. Later, Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, pardoned him for unknown reasons.

Austin had been held in the country for about seven weeks before his release. Dubai police detained Austin--well known for his work on songs by TLC, Boyz II Men, Madonna, and others--after he appeared suspicious returning to his airplane to fetch an item. He was visiting Dubai to attend supermodel Naomi Campbell's birthday party.