Rapper, producer, reality star, Mariah Carey’s BFF, and all-around badass Da Brat (real name Shawntae Harris) has just been sentenced to three years in prison for an attack that occurred at Jermaine Dupri’s Studio 72 nightclub in Atlanta this past Halloween. She hit Shayla Stevens, an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader, in the head with an almost full liquor bottle. Da Brat must also must serve seven years of probation and complete 200 hours of community service.

Harris also must get substance abuse treatment and a mental evaluation and attend anger management classes. “She feels a great deal of remorse for what she did,” said Harris’s lawyer, Thomas Clegg. “She is willing to accept responsibility for what she has done.”

A handful of Harris’s family sat on the back row of the courtroom. They wept when a sheriff’s deputy took her into custody. “I love y’all,” Harris, 34, said as she was led out of the courtroom. “We love you too” the relatives replied in unison.

Dressed in black pants and top with her short hair in braids, Harris did not comment other than to answer “yes” several time when the judge asked her if she understood her guilty plea to a felony aggravated assault charge and her negotiated sentencing.

[From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

As a result of the blow Stevens was knocked down some stairs and landed on a cement floor. She suffered a severe facial cut and will have permanent scars. She was in court but didn’t say anything. Stevens is also suing Da Brat for medical and other costs. Da Brat isn’t just an occasional reality TV star (The Surreal Life and Celebrity Fit Club); she’s also a very well-respected – and highly paid – Grammy nominated producer. I doubt she’ll end up serving all three years, but that is a surprisingly long sentence compared to what some people end up doing for even worse crimes like manslaughter.

Here ‘s Da Brat at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of ‘Tennessee’ on April 26th. Images thanks to WENN.

I really admire when a member of the Jackson family shows some restraint. Unlike her brother Michael, who’s always itching for kids (no not in that way…. okay maybe in that way) Janet Jackson says that even though she’s 41, she’s in no rush to get married and have babies. Janet’s been married twice before. The second time no one even knew about it until she announced she was getting divorced. And though she’s been dating producer Jermaine Dupri for six years, she says they have no plans to get married, despite the pressure everyone’s putting on them.

“So many people were putting pressure on [Jermaine], then they started pressuring me,” the singer told The Insider. “Everybody would ask us about it – even friends. If it’s [meant] to happen, it’ll happen,” she says. “I like where we are, and I’m happy where I am. I’ve done it twice before. I’m afraid I might be a jinx. I might be allergic to marriage.” As for children, she admits: “We both would love to have kids. Someday I know it’s going to happen. Exactly when, I don’t know.”

Even at 41, Jackson is not obsessing about her biological clock.

“I get so much pressure .. even my mother mentioned something to me the other day,” she told Britain’s The Observer on Sunday. “But now you can have your eggs frozen and there are all sorts of things you can do. I’ve still got time so I think I’m okay.” The singer – whose new [CD] Discipline is out on Feb. 26 – added, “I’ve got to get a little more kid out of me first before I move on and be childish with my child.”

[From People]

It’s shockingly healthy to hear a Jackson say that they need to get some of their kid out before they have their own child. You know, instead of trying to relive their childhood in some bizarre Peter Pan complex like Michael’s done. Janet has always seemed like the most normal Jackson to me. She’s her original beautiful color, she hangs out with other adults, and once in a while she flashes a little nip. That’s still better than anything you could ever say about Tito. Oh, and she has yet to name any kids Jermajesty, unlike her brother Jermaine. Considering how trendy babies are right now, I appreciate it when a celebrity says she’s got other things on her plate.

Here’s Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy party on February 9th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Ahh, Nipplegate. Not something any of us want to revisit. And while most of us have moved past it (except for a few of you sickos - yeah I see you there, watching it on YouTube on a loop) Jermaine Dupri definitely hasn’t – but who can blame him, it was his girlfriend’s nipple that was exposed for all the world to enjoy. Justin Timberlake pretty much bailed on Janet Jackson during the whole thing. Supposedly he thought she’d done it on purpose and felt betrayed. He also famously had a crush on her growing up, and the two were rumored to have dated briefly. Jermaine Dupri thought it was Justin who betrayed Janet, and he hasn’t let the grudge go. He’s just published a book titled, “Young, Rich and Dangerous” in which he says some not-too-flattering things about Timberlake.

JERMAINE Dupri takes some potshots at Justin Timberlake in his new autobiography, “Young, Rich and Dangerous.” Dupri - still furious at the “Sexyback” star for not standing up for his lady Janet Jackson during her Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction,” when Timberlake was onstage with her - writes, “I think Justin Timberlake is a talented performer. But he’s very ordinary-looking. He could be any skinny white kid from the suburbs of Orlando. You could go to the mall and find another Justin. He doesn’t make his style interesting even when he’s onstage. To me, he just doesn’t look like a star.” Timberlake’s rep declined comment. Dupri also reveals his love for the power of Page Six, writing that he tested our influence by having a pal call to report how he paid $300,000 for Cartier earrings. “I wasn’t so sure they would [print it] . . . But they did! People were tripping over it. I got calls from other celebrity magazines, like Us Weekly, which even did their own follow-up story,” Dupri writes. He adds, “I call the kind of fame you can get through the media The Force. That’s sort of like how Anakin became Darth Vader.”

[From Page Six]

Ohhhh, snap! But really, I have to agree. I don’t know what people get all hopped up about regarding Justin Timberlake’s appearance. I think he’s a really talented singer, but I don’t think there’s anything really attractive about him physically. He’s not ugly or anything, but he’s just sort of generic looking to me. Not that Jermaine Dupri is a bowl full of eye candy either. But who would have thought he and I would agree on so much? He also has a good outlook on the media. He understands the power it holds and how it can help careers if you use it wisely. You can also royally mess your life up if you’re famous and piss off some very powerful people… like me. That’s right Britney Spears, you best get it together. Wait, we’re not talking about you for another week. That’s Whitney Bears to you.

Janet Jackson and longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri have jumped on the Charlize Theron/Stuart Townsend “We don’t need to have a ceremony to be committed” bandwagon. Janet says that, after two failed marriages – one of which she kept secret until she filed for divorce – she’s not really into the idea of another. It’s hard to fault her for that.

“Though Janet Jackson and her boyfriend, producer Jermaine Dupri, have been together for almost six years, the pair have always skirted rumors that they eventually plan to make their coupling official by saying ‘I do.’ And now the 41-year-old singer is explaining just why.

“‘I don’t need a piece of paper to validate what we have,’ Janet told TV’s Extra at the premiere of her new film, ironically titled Why Did I Get Married?. ‘But that’s just me.’

“However, Janet does admit that she’d be traditional about things if they ever did swap vows, saying that she would definitely take Jermaine’s last name, joking that they’d both then have the same initials: ‘J.D.’

“That being said, Michael’s little sister, who has walked down the aisle twice before, says she’s not the one to ask for wedding advice from, joking, ‘You want to ask someone who’s been married twice and divorced twice?’”

[From OK! Magazine]

I like that people are more open to alternative definitions of committed relationships. It may not work in every circumstance, but every relationship is different.

In other Janet news, she’s supposedly writing a book about losing weight. The singer has famously gained and dropped weight in (what appears to be) 50+ pound increments for the last several years. She’s just very carefully avoided being out in public much when she’s “Fat Janet.” That can’t be good for the body, and is a great way to get diabetes. Janet’s never really talked about her weight issues in public, so it’ll be interesting to hear what she has to say, especially considering the extremity of the issue – and her incredible lengths to hide it.

“Michael Jackson’s sister Janet is writing a book on weight problems. The 41 year old singer is planning a book to tell the story of her battles with weight and diet and what she did to slim down. The as yet untitled tome is expected to describe how her weight has yo-yoed throughout her career in pop music.

“’I'm writing a book on my journey of weight loss and weight gain,’ Jackson was quoted as saying in People magazine. Last year, Janet stacked on almost 30 kilograms [66 pounds], which she said had a debilitating effect on her. ‘I could not believe how big I was, how heavy I really was. I would see myself in the mirror, but I wouldn’t look too often. I didn’t want to get used to that image,’ she said.’ However, she’s cautioned that her suggestions in the upcoming book would not have universal application. ‘It’s different for everyone,’ she said.”

[From Sky News]

Well at least she’s willing to talk about it. I think the reason Janet’s weight issues seem so weird is that when she does let herself be photographed, she’s SUPER fit with what looks to be a 12 pack of abs. It’s craziness. So I think it’s just the extremity of the highs and lows that make it so interesting. Hopefully she’ll have some good insight, or at least let us freakishly curious folks know what’s going on.

Janet Jackson is shown at the “Why Did I Get Married?” movie premiere on 10/4/07 thanks to PRPhotos.