Two years ago Eminem beat up a guy in a strip club. No big surprise, right? Right. We haven’t heard a lot from Eminem in a while, but it makes sense that when we would, it’d be for some kind of fight. Well even though the guy laid low for a couple years, he’s decided that NOW is the time to sue the rapper – for the gigantic sum of $25,000.

A man has sued Eminem, claiming the rapper punched him two years ago while they were in the bathroom of a Detroit strip club.

The Detroit News reports Miad Jarbou of Royal Oak filed the lawsuit Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court seeking more than $25,000 in damages. The suit claims Eminem punched him July 13, 2006, at Cheetah’s On the Strip Gentlemen’s Club.

Eminem spokesman Dennis Dennehy declined to comment Friday on the lawsuit.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, wasn’t charged following reports of an incident at the club in 2006.

The strip club is located on Eight Mile Road, the border between Detroit and the northern suburbs made famous by Eminem’s hit 2002 film “8 Mile.”

[From the Huffington Post]

The incident happened after Jarbou and a friend approached Eminem for an autograph in the club’s bathroom. The rapper was at the urinal, and his bodyguard turned Jarbou away. According to his account, he was trying to explain to the bodyguard that he wanted to meet Eminem when the rapper turned around and punched him.

He’s claiming the classic lawsuit issues due to the incident; that he’s undergone physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, has dealt with ongoing serious injuries requiring medical treatment and suffered embarrassment, humiliation, the burden of medical expenses, wage loss and other economic and non-economic damages. So pretty much that one punch ruined his whole life.

Normally I’d think a lawsuit over this was stupid, but the guy’s only asking for$25,000. That’s like a weekend in Vegas to Eminem. I’m surprised he hasn’t just paid it. It seems fair for punching a guy for pretty much no reason.

Images thanks to PR Photos.

Everyone was wondering what’s going on with Eminem since he suffered a recent heath scare and hasn’t been photographed in over a year. He was hospitalized over the holidays in his native Detroit with pneumonia and heart problems. Sources say the 5′7″ rapper/actor weighs over 200 pounds, which is borderline obese for his height. His friend 50 Cent says he’s doing ok, and that reports of his poor health are exaggerated. 50 was interviewed at Sundance, where he announced that he will be starting a production company with the support of Vitaminwater, in which he owned a stake before it was sold to Coca Cola. He was said to have earned $100 million from the sale of the company.

50 Cent is trying his hand behind the camers. “I’m starting a production company right now,” the mogul, who was celebrating his first trip to the Sundance Film Festival, tells In Touch. “I decided to come out here to announce my film career, and Vitaminwater is behind me all the way.” The rapper also spoke out in support of his mentor and friend Eminem… “I got a chance to see him a few weeks ago and people think he is in a worse state than he actually is.”

[From In Touch, print edition, February 4, 2008]

We published what we thought was one of the first pictures of Eminem looking heavy. The National Enquirer labeled the photo “Now” and included no disclaimer that it was a photo reproduction. It was actually a picture from a series taken in March, 2006 and was Photoshopped by the Enquirer to make Eminem’s face look fat. We were not aware that the image was altered until commentors pointed it out to us. Eminem’s grandmother dished to the press the Enquirer that he’s stressed from his two failed marriages to ex-wife Kim and wanted to create a stable home life for his daughter, Hailie, 12. Eminen is said to be binging on take out food and overeating at chain restaurants.

Hopefully Eminem will get his heath back on track soon. He has a new album coming out sometime this year. Get well soon, Em, people want to see you perform again and a few extra pounds don’t matter.

50 Cent is shown in the header image on 9/13/07 on the 5 Borough Tour, thanks to PRPhotos. Eminem and 50 Cent are shown below in an image that’s a few years old, thanks to 50CentOnline.com.

Photo courtesy of the National Enquirer
Eminem suffered a health scare over the holidays and was hospitalized for complications from pneumonia along with heart problems that may have been related. He was reported to have gained a lot of weight and to now be over 200 pounds. According to The Enquirer, he’s just 5′7″, so that would make him borderline obese.

Eminem has dealt with many personal problems over the past two years including the breakup of his re-marriage to Kim Mathers and the death of his best friend, rapper Proof. His mother was also diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and although he reconciled with her in 2006 she has since cashed in on their relationship with a tell-all book alleging that his rags to riches story was largely fabricated and that their family never lived in a trailer, as was shown in his biographical movie, 8 Mile. In the book, “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem” Eminem’s mom also claims that he has bipolar disorder and that he was too wasted to remember re-marrying Kim.

When the news came out that Eminem had gained a lot of weight I looked hard for a new picture of him, but I couldn’t find any photos after a December, 2006 appearance on TRL with 50 Cent.

The National Enquirer has a photo of Eminem along with the sordid details of his eating habits, and I feel kind of sorry for the guy. I’m also a stress eater and I really have to keep myself busy and exercise so that I don’t pig out on carbs. Bread and cookies are what gets me. Eminem has fallen prey to the ever-present fast food and chain eateries:

“He’s got a double chin, a pot-belly and droopy man-breasts. And he’s living a reclusive lifestyle in an attempt to hide his new body,” says the insider.

Eminem’s maternal grandmother Better Kresin told The Enquirer she blames his ongoing food binge on being stressed out about his two failed marriages to ex-wife Kim.

“He really wanted it to work between them, to have a happy family life for their daughter Hailie Jade, something he claims he never had while growing up.”

Eminem’s weight problem is a result of too many trips to Detroit’s Outback Steakhouses and Taco Bells, says the insider.

“Marshall has Taco Bell lunches of burritos and tacos with dessert, then Outback dinners of three filet mignons with all the fixings.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 28, 2008]

Eminem was once super fit so surely he knows what he’s got to do to shed those convenience food pounds. It’s easier said than done, though, and maybe his health scare will provide him with the impetus to make some positive changes in his lifestyle. He’s self medicating with food instead of booze and drugs, and although it doesn’t seem that bad at first it’s something that got out of hand for him and can lead to all sorts of health problems.

Update: The header photo is a direct scan from the National Enquirer that is currently available on the shelves and was not Photoshopped by us in any way. Commentor Shadygal pointed out that this photo is not Eminem “now” as is listed next to it by the Enquirer and was taken in March of 2006. The other photo that is available from this day shows Eminem from the side and he doesn’t look this heavy. It looks like the Enquirer Photoshopped this one, but they didn’t say anywhere that it was a “photo recreation” or that the photo was not current.

An older image of Eminem performing
Did Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, spend too much time drinking egg nog in the snow over the holidays? It seems he’s been hospitalized with pneumonia and a possible heart problem.

Hospital sources tell TMZ Em was taken to a Detroit-area hospital for a serious heart condition and severe pneumonia. Sources tell TMZ Em’s weight has ballooned to 212 lbs.

Eminem ’s publicist told TMZ: “Over the holidays, Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was under doctor’s care at a Detroit-area hospital for complications due to pneumonia. He has since been released and is doing well recovering at home.”

TMZ

The publicist doesn’t acknowledge the heart condition or weight issue at all.

Now, I’m no doctor, but is it possible that the pneumonia could cause heart problems? The heart and lungs are both in the chest. Checking it out on Wikipedia, the symptoms include sharp chest pains. When you have pneumonia caused by bacteria it can also spread to other parts of the body including the kidneys, brain and heart. So what probably happened is that Eminem was warned that he had bacterial pneumonia and be aware of possible heart problems. Hopefully he was just erring on the side of caution and went to the hospital to be sure he was ok.

As far as his ‘ballooning’ weight goes, 212 pounds is about 97 kilograms, which is not exactly huge. It might not be a reasonable weight gain for Eminem, but it hardly makes him obese. Who didn’t put on a little weight over the festive season? I always do, which really sucks here in the southern hemisphere because it’s the height of bikini season.

I predict that Mr Mathers will be back to his regular weight in time for his next album release, which he’s been working on for some months at his Shady Studios in Detroit. The album is due for release in 2008. Get well soon, Eminem.

Note by Celebitchy: It’s impossible to find recent pictures of Eminem, I looked on the photo sharing sites and through the fan sites and there’s nothing. He did look a little heavy in December, 2006 at TRL with 50 Cent but those photos are old. Let me know if you can find anything of him from the past six months. Here are pictures of Eminem as a child, thanks to user Kendra on Flickr. He’s shown in the header performing on an unknown date.

Eminem is from 5′8″ to 5′10″ tall, it’s hard to tell, so 212 pounds would be borderline obese for him if he’s 5′10″, according to BMI calculations.

Eminem’s mother has written a book about the rapper, and in it she claims he is a manic depressive and his trailer park past is a sham. Debbie Nelson says she has written the book, titled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, to tell her side of the story, after years of abuse from Eminem’s fans.

In the introduction she writes, “After his first album, Infinite, flopped, he reinvented himself as white trailer trash with a crazy welfare mom. I was shocked when I first heard the lyrics, but he constantly reassured me it was all a big joke. I went along with it for Marshall’s sake.”

NDTV

She also says her son is manic depressive, and his condition was aggravated by the birth of his daughter and his divorce. She is hoping the publication of the book will help him.

A source said: “(Debbie) just hopes he’ll read (the book) and realise how loved he is. She fears she’ll end up burying him unless he gets help…We all see him teetering on the edge of self-destruction.”

Eminem and Nelson have been involved in a feud for years. Nelson hit her son with a £3.5 ($7) million lawsuit in 2002, claiming defamation.

However, the rapper reportedly agreed to foot the medical bill of £100,000 ($200,000) when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

NME

Somehow, I just don’t think writing a book calling your son a liar and a fraud, suggesting to his daughter Hailie (who is 11-years-old and able to read) that she was a catalyst for her father’s mental issues, and adding that he was too drunk or drugged to remember marrying his ex-wife Kim, is going to be helpful to him.

Deborah Nelson says she wrote the book (or had it ghostwritten by Annette Witheridge) to set the story straight, and that her son “never intended me to become an object of hatred.”

Given Eminem’s habit of writing hate-fueled lyrics about his mother, I’m guessing that the book and the revelations contained within will give him plenty of material for his next album, which he is currently working on.

The book is currently on sale in the UK, and will be available in the US next year.

Note by Celebitchy: According to Crazy Days and Nights and the November 18 edition of Life and Style, Eminem is dating a new woman named Marni Bright. She is a music studio manager and used to be a hairdresser and left her boyfriend of four years to be with him. She better be perfect or he’ll vilify her in his music.

Eminem is shown on BET on 106 and Park on 12/4/06, thanks to WENN.

If you’re anything like me, you were probably sitting around, looking at your wall, and thinking, “Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the richest rap mogul of them all?” If your mirror said Jay-Z, you should give it some Windex. Jay-Z was just named the richest rapper by Forbes.com. I thought they were supposed to spend their time talking about financial markets, stocks, and making people panic over real estate. But it seems that lately, Forbes is spending the majority of their time coming out with “The richest…” lists. Last week they had “The richest bald man” and “The richest one legged farmer.” Okay not really, but I would read Forbes a lot more if they did. Okay not really.

“Jay-Z wins all around, says Forbes.com. He’s got Beyonce on his arm _ and more millions than 50 Cent and Diddy. The rap icon, aka Shawn Carter, is No. 1 on the site’s list of “Hip-Hop Cash Kings,” based solely on 2006 income. He banked an estimated $34 million, Forbes.com said Thursday.

“Jay-Z, president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, released his 11th studio album, ‘Kingdom Come,’ which sold around 2 million copies. Jay-Z, 37, is also part owner of the New Jersey Nets and has endorsement deals with Budweiser, Hewlett-Packard and General Motors.”

[From Forbes.com]

It might be good to be Jay-Z – yeah you have a lot of money, and Beyonce at your beck and call singing that “Cater 2U” song (blech) – but you’d also have to deal with that crazy mother of hers, Tina Knowles. You know, that lady that’s always trying to drape people in the fur of live puppies? Well her clothing line is one of the few out there that still uses fur, and to me it’s all the same thing. Who else makes a lot of money and doesn’t come wit the bizarre mother?

“Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson ranks second with an estimated $32 million. The 31-year-old rapper-businessman oversees his G-Unit record label, clothing line, ring tones and other enterprises, and has sold more than 11 million albums. His latest record, ‘Curtis,’ is due out Sept. 11.

“Diddy (real name: Sean Combs) placed third with an estimated $28 million. A fashion plate, he has a clothing line, Sean John, and heads Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment and its record label. Diddy, 37, is also host of MTV’s ‘Making the Band’ series.

“Rounding out the top five are Timbaland ($21 million) and Dr. Dre ($20 million). They’re followed by Eminem ($18 million); Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Scott Storch (all $17 million); Ludacris and T.I. (both $16 million); Outkast and Lil Jon (both $14 million); Ice Cube ($13 million); Jermaine Dupri and Swizz Beatz (both $12 million); Chamillionaire and The Game (both $11 million); and Young Joc ($10 million).”

[From Forbes.com]

You could be at the bottom of that group and still be doing pretty well for yourself. I have no idea who Swizz Beatz (sounds like the name of a cheap watch) or any of the guys after him are, but I’m pretty sure I could learn to love them, given the chance.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Jay-Z and Beyonce at the Black and White Ball. Header image of Jay-Z at Giant Magazine’s celebration of Rihanna’s new album on June 3rd. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Eminem’s double ex-wife, Kim Mathers, said his performance of a song wishing her dead, in which he choked a blow up doll on stage meant to be her, drove her to attempt suicide by slitting her wrists. She said he had promised not to include that song in his gig in their hometown of Detroi that night, and it just drove her to harm herself afterwards:

The rapper, real name Marshall Mathers, wrote the violent and graphic song Kim about the couple’s turbulent relationship.

Kim was shocked when the song became public saying, “I was embarrassed. I was humiliated. I cried. He’s supposed to be the man that loves me and protects me and here he is completely and totally disrespecting me in the worst way possible in front of millions of people. And in front of our kids, my family, my friends.”

Soon after the song’s release in 2000, Eminem promised Kim he wouldn’t perform it at a hometown concert in Detroit, Michigan.

She adds, “Sure enough he decided to do that song and not only perform the song, but use a blow up doll to re-enact me being choked. I couldn’t take it.”

Kim felt betrayed by the performance and says it pushed her over the edge adding, “I made it home (after the concert) and I went upstairs in my bathroom and I slit my wrists and ended up in the hospital.”

In that song Kim, Eminem details how he chokes her to death while their infant daughter is sleeping after he catches her with another man.

If that woman had an sense she would have left him for good at that point and packed up her stuff. From my cursory examination of the dates, it looks like she stuck around for some more heartache for a few months because they didn’t officially split until 2001. Then she went back to him for another round of marriage in early 2006, which ended in divorce three months later. Mathers has said that Eminem didn’t talk to her the last six weeks of those three months and that he is addicted to painkillers that were prescribed for back back.

Mathers and Eminem have a daughter, Hallie, who is 11. They didn’t do her any favors by trying to make their incredibly dysfunctional public relationship work. Eminem sang about Hailie’s reaction to her mother’s suicide in the song “When I’m Gone,” in which his daughter follows him to a concert in Sweden and says “Daddy it’s me, help Mommy, her wrists are bleeding.”

Eminem and Kim’s second divorce was finalized in December of last year. The details were not made public, and Kim is said to be going to college now to study design.

Eminem is having a rough month. His second marriage to Kim Mathers broke up admit allegations of his drug abuse, his best friend the rapper Proof was shot and killed, and his mother is dying of stage four breast canncer. Eminem must have learned something from tragedy, because he’s decided to put aside the long-standing feud with his mom and has spoken to her for the first time in years. He’s even paid some of her massive medical bills:

It’s nice that Eminem is making an effort, but what the hell is wrong with him that he hasn’t visited his mom in the hospital?

Meanwhile 50 Cent says that Eminem is going to be ok and that hip hop reflects the state of violence in African-American culture and is not the cause:

Maybe Eminem will actually see his mom before she dies. It might help him realize how important family and friends are, and how you shouldn’t hold a grudge.

Kim Mathers, Eminem’s soon to be ex-wife, is planning to get as much as she can in the settlement from their upcoming divorce:

Eminem and Mathers were married for the first time in 1999 and split up in 2001. Eminem received two years probation for pistol whipping a man he saw kissing Mathers outside a club after their first breakup in 2001.

Eminem filed for divorce from Mathers the second time after a mere there months of marriage, six weeks of which they did not speak. Mathers said she was surprised to receive the divorce papers and that Eminem remains addicted to sleeping pills. Eminem has denied the allegations.

Mathers should try to get as much as she can out of the settlement, and it was foolish of Enimen not to insist on a prenup.

Eminem’s estranged wife, Kim Mathers, spoke to a Detroit radio station yesterday morning about the couples second divorce. Eminem filed for divorce from Mathers after just three months. Mathers said she hadn’t spoken to him in over six weeks, but that the divorce was unexpected. She also claimed that he is addicted to pills again:

For his part, Eminem has released a statement saying that Kim’s claim that he’s back on drugs is not true and that she knew he was divorcing her ahead of time:

Mathers has had her own problems with drug addiction and has a lengthy arrest record that includes allegations of assault, cocaine possession, and drunk driving.

Everyone knows that you can’t get back together with your ex and expect it to work unless you both get serious therapy. The same problems come up again in different painful ways. His wife realized that they needed counseling, but Eminem was unwilling to do it. It sounds like he was just stubborn, and thought he could get back with Mathers for the sake of his daughter without doing any of the emotional work required. It’s ironic that he can tell the world his most intimate problems through his lyrics but is too much of a pussy to talk to a shrink.