Sometimes when I cover a story I truly wish I had more information about it. Like in the case of Usher’s custody battle, I would love to have been able to watch the entire trial, since it was public from what I know. (TMZ had video of Usher’s testimony, but I’m not aware of it airing in full anywhere.) There aren’t enough hours in the day to pay attention to everything I’d like to know, so I come away from this story about Usher’s custody battle just wishing I could feel better about it. If I knew what the judge knew, would I think this was the right decision? Anyway Usher gained primary custody of his two children with his ex, Tameka Foster. He will be the main caregiver for their sons Usher V, 5 and Naviyd Ely, 3. Tameka just lost her oldest son Kile Glover, 11, (from a previous relationship) who died following a tragic boating accident. This has got to be hard on Tameka, and she’s vowing to appeal the decision. Here’s more on her statements about the ruling:

The bitter custody battle between Usher and his ex wife Tameka Foster ended on Friday, with the singer winning primary custody of the former couple’s two sons. After issuing a statement addressing the death of her son Kile Glover and her custody case with Usher earlier this month, Foster took to Twitter this time to send a brief message after the healines broke.

“Money can buy many things… But in the end. Truth & goodness will prevail,” she tweeted. “I must continue to believe this. Stand firm.” Her previous tweets read: “A woman’s loyalty is tested when her man has nothing… A mans loyalty is tested when he has everything!” and “Don’t fear the enemy that attacks you… Fear the fake friend that hugs you. There’s not much worse.”

The details of Foster’s access to or visitation rights of her children have not yet been released, but the ruling comes as somewhat of a surprise, given the emotionally charged accusations slung back and forth between Usher and Foster during the trial. Foster accused her ex of being too absorbed in his career to be a good father and that he had used drugs in the presence of his sons. She also told Global Grind that she never wanted to enter the custody battle to begin with and was satisfied with their previously agreed upon “joint custody” arrangement.

Usher was, at one point, held in contempt of court for canceling his wife’s credit card at Saks Fifth Avenue. The court ordered Usher to reinstate the card because Foster argued that she needed use of that particular credit card in order to fulfill her duties as a stylist.Usher filed for divorce in 2009 after the couple had been married for two years. The couple’s relationship was fraught with drama with rumors that circulated about Foster reportedly controlling the singer, Usher’s mother’s disapproval, etc.Neither party has commented on the ruling.This is another personal setback for Foster, who is still mourning the tragic loss of her son Kile Glover. The 11-year-old died from severe injuries sustained when he was struck by a Jet-Ski in July.

[From MTV]

We’ve heard that Tameka has gone off on Usher, according to his testimony in court, and that she attacked him for bringing his new girlfriend with him during a custody hand off. That incident may have swayed the judge in Usher’s favor. There have been plenty of other incidents we’ve heard about in which she’s gone off on people and threatened them, so I guess I can see how the judge ruled this way. TMZ has a new report claiming that Usher’s law firm had a close relationship with the judge and that “Usher’s lawyer’s law firm threw an election fundraiser back in 2008 for the judge who presided over the trial… the law firm that represented Usher raised $1,278 for [Judge] Lane in March 2008.” That definitely may have influenced the decision. Even though I’ve never liked Tameka and have reported on her antics for years, I still feel for her for losing her older son and then losing custody of her two boys to Usher. It must be hard to take. I just hope Tameka is ok and that she’ll still be to spend time with her children. Hopefully this is in their best interests.

Header photo from December, 2008. Credit: PRPhotos. Photo of Usher and Tameka below from May, 2007. Usher is shown with his sons on 8-3-11 (stroller) and 8-20-10. Credit: WENN.com

We haven’t paid attention to the Usher custody drama yet, because to be honest the stories broke late in the day yesterday. This Usher story is juicy gossip-wise, but there are kids involved so that makes it more sad than salacious. As background, Usher and Tameka Foster divorced in the summer of 2009. They have two boys together: Usher Raymond V, four and a half, and Naviyd, three and a half. It’s been about three years since Usher filed for divorce and they are still fighting over custody issues. It may have to do with the on-off nature of their relationship, at least toward the end of their marriage, (Usher’s song “Papers” is said to be about Tameka) but it sounds more like petty fighting. If Usher’s testimony is to be believed, it’s all Tameka’s fault.

As background, Usher, 33, has a history of dating older women and letting them take over as managers of his career. He did this with Tameka, pushing his mom out as manager, and he did this about a year ago with his current girlfriend, 44 year-old music executive Grace Miguel. Usher testified in court that during a routine hand-of of Usher, Jr., Tameka spit on Grace, took a swing at her, and threw a plate of food at their car. According to Usher, Grace was back in the car at the end of the driveway. Tameka got so mad at him for daring to bring him with her that she trounced down to the car and started screaming at Grace, saying things like “I’m going to kick your ass,” and “Bitch get out of the car.” When Usher tried to block Tameka from attacking Grace, she hit him instead.

Usher blasted his ex-wife in court today — testifying that Tameka Foster flew into a jealous rage, hitting him, throwing food, and worst of all … spitting on his girlfriend.

Usher took the stand in his ongoing child custody trial with his ex, and under questioning by his attorney, revealed how Tameka once went ballistic and “wanted to fight” … when he showed up at her house with his new sidepiece.

Ush testified Tameka walked to his car and said, “I’m gonna kick your ass. Bitch get out of the car. How dare you bring this woman into my subdivision in my house?”

He added, “She continued to spit. At this point she pulled the door open, tried to swing at her.”

Usher claims he had to get out of the car and block Tameka … who then hit him. Usher said he pleaded with Tameka to calm down, but claims “she threw a plate of food at the car” … as he fled the situation.

You gotta hear Usher describe the intense showdown — and remember, Tameka previously testified she once told the gf, “I will f**k you up.”

[From TMZ]

Usher seemed really earnest, and honest, when he was recalling this. (Video is below and available on TMZ) Either he’s an excellent actor, which is possible since he’s a celebrity and an entertainer, or he’s telling the truth as he saw it. We’ve heard all sorts of stories about what a whack job Tameka is, so I believe it. Usher married her, though, and he knew what he was getting into, considering that he backed out of the first marriage ceremony at Clive Davis’ house at the last minute. He probably realized within a few months that he never should have gone back and made it official.

TMZ has another clip from Usher’s testimony, in which he cries over allegations that he’s a bad dad and parties in front of his boys. He denied that, and it was hard to hear but I think they showed a photo of him smoking pot. He countered that he was in Holland at the time. This whole thing really made me feel sorry for Usher.

Usher is shown at the BMAs over the weekend. I actually like his blue suit. Credit: WENN.com. Tameka is shown in 2008

Tameka and Usher on 2/19/07. Credit: WENN.com

It looked like R&B star Usher was on the fast track to being single again after the dissolution of his marriage to Tameka Foster. But the couple have not only delayed the divorce for undisclosed reasons, but they’ve had some heated exchanges recently regarding custody arrangements for their two young sons, and Usher has actually involved the authorities. TMZ has access to the 911 call Usher made last month after his car was keyed following an argument with his estranged wife. He was careful not to name names, but Tameka’s involvement is implied.

Usher was cool, calm and collected when he called 911 back in September — accusing his “ex wife” Tameka Raymond of vandalizing his truck.

During the call, Usher explains to the operator that he had called cops the night before to file “a complaint because of potential domestic violence between me and my ex wife.”

He then tells the operator that when he woke up the following morning, a person who was fixing a flat tire on his truck noticed that it had been keyed up on the side. During the call, Usher never directly accuses Tameka — but insinuates that the scratch occurred as a result of the incident the night before.

As TMZ first reported, cops investigated the situation, but determined there wasn’t enough evidence to make an arrest.

[From TMZ]

Another account of the disagreement also has Tameka showing up at Usher’s mother’s house. Tameka and Usher’s mother have never gotten along, according to reports. Apparently, it was Usher’s time to have custody with the children, and Tameka was demanding to see them. When Usher informed her that the boys were visiting with their grandmother, Tameka immediately drove to Mrs. Raymond’s home, demanding the children.

Cops were called to Usher’s home three times last month after the singer had an argument with his soon-to-be-ex wife Tameka Foster over the custody of their two sons.

According to police reports, Tameka began fighting with Usher over the phone on Sept. 10. She then drove to Usher’s home, and demanded to take the children who were in his custody at the time. The kids were actually visiting Usher’s mother’s house, so Tameka took a trip over there, and began calling her and knocking on her door. Usher’s mother didn’t answer the door, and called police instead. When the cops arrived, Tameka was already gone. The next morning, Usher reportedly found scratches on his truck, so he called the cops again. The cops were unable to prove that Tameka had anything to do with the scratches.

[From SlashGossip]

Tameka’s rep released a statement denying any involvement, but apparently the police took it seriously enough to file a report. It must be a tough situation for everyone, especially the kids, who are very young and have no idea what’s happening to them.

The divorce proceedings between Usher and soon-to-be ex-wife Tameka seemed to be going fairly smoothly – or at least quietly. There was a bit of smack talking when Usher first filed divorce papers back in June, but nothing that bad. There haven’t been leaks about the negotiations or fighting. In fact Usher had been fairly quiet on the situation, apparently preferring to spill the beans in his latest single, “Papers.” It includes the refrain, “I’m ready to sign those papers” – which apparently he isn’t, according to sources in Tameka’s camp.

On Monday, R & B superstar Usher released his new single Papers about his messy divorce from estranged wife Tameka Raymond, but RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that the singer is the one holding up the process by not signing off on the divorce papers.

A source close to the couple claims the singer has delayed inking the final signatures on papers that he filed at Atlanta’s Superior Court. “Tameka thinks that it’s ironic that Papers is his comeback single when she just wants him to sign the paperwork and finalize the divorce,” the source told RadarOnline.com. “The terms and conditions have been agreed on for around a month but he keeps stalling on them and she’s the one that wants to move on with her life.”

The song – which is from his forthcoming album reportedly now entitled Raymond versus Raymond – was written by Sean Garett and centers on Usher’s split from his estranged wife and former stylist. In Papers Usher talks about giving his all and receiving nothing in return, although he separated himself from the world, especially his mother.

He sings: “I gave my heart and turned my back against the world/ Cuz you were my girl! / I done near lost my mama/ I done been through so much drama / I done turned into the man that I never though I’d be / I’m ready to sign those papers! I done took all I can take, but you leave me no options girl … I can’t deny how much I loved you / I done gave up everything I had too / As hard as it is I’m afraid I’ve gotta say, I’m ready to sign them papers.”

[From Radar]

I wonder what the holdup is? I mean according to Usher, he gave up everything for Tameka, and it still wasn’t enough. I’m can’t explain why, but this makes me feel a little empathy for Tameka for the first time. It sounds like Usher’s not giving her credit for anything. She gave him two beautiful sons, Naviyd, 10 months, and Usher Raymond V, 1. I’m sure she contributed in some way, and it’s unattractive that he’s throwing a pity party and trying to martyr himself. But the rumors have always been that Tameka’s a complete user and was obviously the reason for the rift between Usher and his mom. But still, Usher chose to do what she wanted, and instead of taking responsibility for making bad choices (probably due to her), he’s just blaming her entirely. I don’t like her at all so it feels strange to defend her, but I just find the lyrics to be unbecoming at best.

Here’s Usher visiting La Voile Rouge beach in St Tropez on August 22. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Usher’s estranged wife, the much-maligned Tameka Foster, has penned a blog entry for the Huffington Post in which she may have lifted another woman’s concepts without attribution. Aisha Curry, author of the book “Pretty For a Black Girl,” says that her nonfiction book, published last year, is so similar to Tameka Foster’s recent essay on women and race, “She’s Pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl,” that friends asked her if she wrote it. I purchased the book in question to compare, and it looks like Tameka did read it and that she may have incorporated the same concepts into her essay, but it’s hard to tell for sure. Curry says that she’s upset that her ideas are being used, but isn’t outright accusing Foster of plagiarism. I made a comparison between the essay and the book, and there’s more on that below.

When Tameka Foster posted the blog entry “She’s Pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl…” on The Huffington Post, both celebrities and regular women alike celebrated her blog message on Twitter and Facebook.

Unbeknownst to them, while they were saluting Usher Raymond’s soon-to-be ex-wife’s essay on skin complexion, author Aisha Curry, who wrote the book ‘Pretty For a Black Girl’ (AuthorHouse/$10.49) read the piece and felt outraged that her tome had been apparently been lifted and used by Foster, who allegedly passed the work off as her own.

“My heart sank into my stomach. All the hard work, all the sleepless nights I had endured was playing back in my head as I read this article written by a woman I didn’t even know,” Curry told BV Buzz. “Why did I feel so connected to this article? Suddenly, it came to me. It was my work! It was my work, my voice, but in her words. I was frozen. Tears began rolling down my face as I read line after line after line. I couldn’t believe it. The idea that someone could gain notoriety from an issue that I first brought to the forefront is mindboggling. People were praising her for tackling an issue that had never been exposed. Hello?!? I wrote the book on it and started it years ago. The only difference between her article and my book is she used ‘dark-skinned’ and I used ‘Black.’”

Curry said she began writing ‘Pretty For a Black Girl’ in 2007 after receiving compliments about her beauty, only to have them followed up with a reference to her ethnicity.

“One day about five years ago, I was absolutely tired of being told that I was pretty for a black girl,” she explained. “I started asking my friends if they had heard this statement before, and as time went on, I realized how prevalent the issue was.”

The 96-page pocket-size book, which was self-published in March 2008, was written as a labor of love by Curry, a Bible college student who is dismayed at the idea that Foster plagiarized her hard work on Aug. 11, 2009 for The Huffington Post.

“I received the link and it changed my life. A friend told me that they had read an article in The Huffington Post called ‘She’s Pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl’ written by Tameka Foster. I knew the title was similar to my book but I didn’t jump to any conclusions,” Curry recalled. “So, I went to the site and began reading this article. If she would have changed the words ‘dark-skinned’ to ‘black’ it would be exactly the same title as my book. My frustration quickly turned to anger and I sought God for answers. ‘What do I do? What can I do?’ At that moment, the appropriate reaction was tears. All I could do was cry! Thankfully, I had the support of my family and close friends who surrounded me with love. They quoted scriptures from the Bible, which gave me strength. I began to receive phone calls from people who had read the book and they said: ‘Wow, I felt like I have heard all that before!’ That’s when I decided to do something. I picked up the phone and called as many supporters as I could.”
The Fresno, Calif.-based mother and wife of a professional athlete acknowledged that there is the slim chance that Foster could have penned the blog essay, however, she believes otherwise.

“I cannot and will not say she stole my idea, because you never should assume. However, I will say that It seemed like one heck of a coincidence and everything I touched on she did,” Curry offered.

[From BVBuzz.com]

I bought Curry’s book as an e-book and compared her passages to Foster’s essay to see if I could find any plagiarism. There were very similar ideas, but these concepts aren’t new and Foster might be expected to independently come up with some of these ideas on her own. In one section, in with Foster talks about the “Willie Lynch” syndrome in which slaves were purposefully pitted against each other, her ideas follow Curry’s in the same order and it looks like more than just a coincidence. There is also some sort-of similar wording, suggesting she read Curry’s book at one point.

Tameka Foster’s essay:
There is an adage “hurt people, hurt people”. If this is true then we must examine the root of negative words and judgments that are passed on people. Unfortunately, we have internal stereotypes based off of skin color and facial features that stem from years of programming, dating back to the “Willie Lynch” method for creating a slave. In this infamous formula, one of the main factors in separating and creating division was placing the lighter skinned blacks in a higher position in the house, while those with darker skin were made to stay in the fields and deemed “less desirable”. Much like the Caste System in India. No matter what strides we make as a people, these issues continue to plague and rot our souls, causing significant decay to a portion of our population and truly hindering our progress. Perhaps we show progress in our wallets and lifestyles but not in our mind set.

Aisha Curry’s book, p. 59
However, we still use slave-minded mentalities against one another. These actions can also be traced back almost three hundred years ago, with something called Willie Lynch syndrome…. Willie Lynch devised a plan that would keep black people divided…. One of his main focuses was to cause dissention by pitching the old black slaves against the young black males… He also incited factions between the young and the old, the dark skinned slaves and light skinned slaves, and the males and females… Sorrowfully, we see that some of us are still controlled by this awful conditioned mindset right now today, two hundred and ninety seven years later… We have made great strides but not all is said and done.

[Comparison between e-book version of Aisha Curry's "Pretty for a black girl" and Tameka Foster's "She's pretty for a dark-skinned girl" essay, emphasis added]

Note that Curry doesn’t focus as much on the separation of light and dark-skinned slaves as Foster does. The flow of ideas is in the same order, but there aren’t enough similarities to make a claim of plagiarism. I scanned through the book and compared it to Foster’s essay and there are at least two other mildly similar paragraphs. Here’s a google document that compares those two sections.

Given the very similar titles of Foster’s essay and Curry’s book, along with the parallel concepts, I would say that Foster at least read “She’s Pretty for a Black Girl,” and that it inspired her essay. I don’t think she’s plagiarizing per se, but she should have listed her research sources and credited Curry’s ideas. This controversy is taking away from a very positive and thought-provoking message from Curry and Foster. Curry seems to realize this, and is gracious but honest on her blog, writing “It was just too coincidental for me. Something I worked hard to achieve was know being represented by someone else. Well on the positive side at least there is someone out there who understands and is trying to change the minds of others. I can’t accuse someone for doing anything. So, all I can do is continue to work hard and help others see the issues behind the words Pretty for a black girl.”

If you’re interested in reading more about this issue, Curry’s book can be downloaded for only $3.95 through her website, AishaCurry.com. I read parts of it this morning and found it both honest and absorbing. You can tell that Curry put a lot of heart and work into it. These are issues that I never deeply considered as a white woman and my eyes were opened, especially by Curry’s personal stories.

Here’s a video of Aisha Curry explaining her book:

Tameka Foster is shown on 7/19/08. Credit: WENN.com

Things are getting nasty in the divorce between Usher and soon-to-be ex-wife Tameka. In fact their friends are predicting the entire process is going to be heated. Someone told Usher that Tameka was stepping out on him around the time she got pregnant with six-month-old Naviyd. Usher believes it might be true since he and Tameka were only together once around the time she conceived. Of course, like they told you in seventh grade sex ed, it only takes one time. But Usher’s suspicious nonetheless, and insisting on a DNA test.

From the moment wife Tameka told him she was pregnant with 6-month-old Naviyd, the R&B singer was suspicious, reveals insiders. “The first thing Usher said was, ‘How did this happen?’ – because he was gone a lot, and their sex life was very, very limited,” revealed a friend of the star. Now pals are urging Usher to determine paternity with a DNA test, reveals a source. “People have been telling him that around the time the little boy was conceived, Tameka got together with another man.”

Usher loves both his sons and is going to fight for custody, divulged his friend. “But he’s determined to get truthful answers.” Meanwhile, Tameka is fighting back hard – charging that 30-year-old Usher has been playing around, revealed an insider.

“Tameka also insists that Usher is Naviyd’s father. She says that although they weren’t spending much time together, they did get together for one night of passion. And that’s when she got pregnant.”… By the time Naviyd was born this past December, the couple was reportedly already separated. “now the war is truly on,” said the insider.

[From the National Enquirer, print edition, July 6 2009]

From the way the friend phrases it, it almost sounds like Usher is going to fight for custody of both of his sons regardless of paternity results, which could be interesting. The Enquirer goes on to talk about how scared Tameka is that she’ll end up poor again, and as a result she’s going to fight tooth and nail for everything she has. There’s as much as $80 million at stake here, and everyone was calling Tameka a gold digger long before she and Usher tied the knot.

Neither of these two strike me as model spouses, and they’re being remarkably immature for grown adults. Their friends are passing information about the two like it’s eighth grade. Luckily their sons are too young to know what’s going on. But I’m sure the drama is just beginning.

Here’s Usher arrives for the Dior fashion show at Paris Fashion Week yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Over the weekend rumors of an impending split were confirmed when the news came out that Usher had filed for divorce from his wife of two years, Tameka Foster. Outlets reported that the two have been separated for about a year, with the birth of their second son sixth months ago only delaying the inevitable. Now RadarOnline is reporting that Usher, 30, has been carrying on with an “older female industry executive.” Tameka is somewhere between 37-39 (reports vary) so he seems to have a preference for older women:

RadarOnline.com has uncovered the secret behind Usher’s pending divorce with stylist Tameka Foster.

Sources tell us that the R&B star has “fallen” for a female industry executive.

As Usher is preparing to dissolve his rocky marriage with 38-year-old Foster, his family and friends sit elated with the choice–one they say is long overdue.

“He can’t dump Tameka fast enough. No one likes her. Since the day it became known he was dating Tameka, friends and family have been telling him she’s not right for him,” a source tells us.

None more than Usher’s mother, Jonetta Patton–who boycotted Foster and her son’s planned August 2007 wedding after her future daughter-in-law attempted to have her fired from her post as Usher’s manager.

“And Tameka threatened to ban her own mother from the ceremony because her mom had lost her false teeth,” says the insider.

The ceremony in question never took place. A week after the scheduled date, Usher and Foster exchanged vows in an attorney’s office in Atlanta, GA.

It’s been downhill ever since. A shady criminal past on Foster’s part skewed their trust–she’s been busted for petty theft and even welfare fraud when in her teens and early twenties.

Last fall, rift rumors really heated, making Foster desperate.

“Tameka was fighting to save the marriage,” our source says. Even recently, when the singer “traveled to Cleveland for basketball play-offs last month, Tameka followed him. You had the farcical situation of Tameka running around town trying to find him and Usher ordering friends not to tell her where he was staying.”

Friends were all happy to oblige in concealing his whereabouts. It remains unseen how they feel about his new, and older, lady love.

[From RadarOnline]

These two called off their planned lavish wedding in June, 2007 at the last minute and eventually married in a civil ceremony. Usher was said to have been upset that Tameka never told him about her criminal past, which was exposed in The National Enquirer just a few days before they were originally set to wed. There was also a lot of family drama with these two, with some claiming Tameka made Usher fire his mother as manager so she could step in and control his career.

In February, Tameka had life-threatening complications from elective plastic surgery in Brazil just two months after giving birth to a second son with Usher. (She also has three other sons from previous relationships.) She suffered cardiac arrest and had to be revived. Usher rushed to be with her and sent a specialist down to care for her. He was said to have been upset that Tameka never told him that she was going to Brazil to get liposuction. Maybe he wasn’t around enough to realize she was gone.

Usher and Tameka do have a prenuptial agreement, according to People Magazine, so Tameka is not likely to come away with a large portion of Usher’s earnings. She’ll probably get some excellent child support though.

Usher and Tameka are shown on 12/31/08. Credit: PRPhotos

I’m doing my best not to say anything snotty as I sadly report that Usher and wife Tameka Foster have officially parted ways. While Tameka is no one’s favorite person (even Usher’s), and the couple have long been reported as having marital issues, they have two very young sons and this is very sad for them.

In Touch can exclusively reveal that Usher and his wife, Tameka Foster, are divorcing. “The Grammy winner has been living apart from his wife for nearly a year after almost two years of marriage,” the insider exclusively tells In Touch, adding, “Usher’s primary concern is for his children. He is a great father and just wants to do what is right for them.” The soon-to-be exes have two kids together, Usher Raymond V, 18 months, and Naviyd, 6 months.

And the insider says that it’s more than just talk — the divorce papers were filed in Atlanta this morning. The couple has faced problems in the past. In November 2008, In Touch reported that Usher was flirting with girls at a party in Miami, and even asked a model what she was doing afterward. And in February, In Touch revealed that although Usher flew to Tameka’s side after she suffered cardiac arrest from cosmetic surgery in Brazil, he “had no idea that she was there to have surgery.”

[From In Touch Weekly]

It was loudly rumored that the pair was breaking up (or already had broken up) late last year – and then Tameka announced that she was pregnant with Naviyd. If they’ve been living apart for a year and Naviyd is six months old, that means they separated when Tameka was three months pregnant. Considering how loud the rumors were at the time, I wouldn’t be surprised if Usher and Tameka were already living apart, and then had a brief reconciliation.

Usher, you’ll remember, famously had doubts about the marriage from the beginning. Tameka came between him and his mother, who had been his manager for over a dozen years. Usher fired his mom at Tameka’s urging, and his career took a nosedive (she’s since been rehired). He canceled their lavish Long Island wedding the day before it was supposed to take place – though later ended up marrying Tameka – albeit at a courthouse.

This relationship has been on its last legs since before the pair walked down the aisle. It’s so sad since they have two little kids, but it’ll probably ultimately be better for them than growing up watching an angry, bitter marriage. Though I’m sure we’ll all have an angry, bitter divorce battle to witness first.

Here’s Usher shopping at Cross Creek in L.A. on June 2nd. Header of Tameka and Usher hosting the New Year’s Eve celebration at The Bank Nightclub in Las Vegas. Images thanks to WENN.com .

According to the Brazilian press, Usher’s wife Tameka had some very serious complications during her plastic surgery. Usher pulled out of the Grammys at the last minute as a result and flew to Brazil. E! says Tameka was having liposuction. However she never got to the actual surgery – she had a heart attack while she was being anesthetized. Anesthesia always carries some risks, as just about every medical television drama points out. But they’re very real, and it’s more complicated than most people realize. It’s one of the many reasons anesthesiologists are paid so highly. It sounds like it was very serious, and Tameka is lucky to be alive.

Despite the best attempts by Usher and his family to keep the situation under wraps, new details have emerged on the nature of wife Tameka Raymond’s “serious” medical emergency.

“The family has demanded total privacy,” a spokeswoman for São Paulo’s Sírio-Libanês hospital told the Agence France-Presse. “The hospital is barred from giving any information,” said the rep, beyond confirming the 37-year-old mother of two is currently listed in stable condition. But the blackout hasn’t prevented Brazilian news outlets from digging beyond the official statement from Usher’s camp, which says his wife had suffered “complications from routine surgery.”

The news site G1 got much more specific, reporting that Foster was rushed to the hospital’s intensive care unit last Friday after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a liposuction procedure. The life-threatening condition reportedly came on as the R&B star’s wife was being anesthetized. According to G1, doctors at the hospital placed Raymond in an induced coma for 24 hours to stabilize her. She is currently in recovery.

While Usher quickly, and relatively quietly, canceled his Grammy weekend appearances to be by his missus’ side, G1 reports that he and his mother likely had company during their flight to Brazil. Dr. Gabriel E. Hunt Jr., a neurosurgeon from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, is said to be down in São Paulo to lead Foster’s care.

[From E! News]

That’s incredibly scary, but it sounds like Usher did exactly what he should have done. He dropped everything and got one of the best doctors he could to fly with him to Brazil. Obviously cosmetic surgery always carries risks – the death of Kanye West’s mother Donda last year is a sad example. Novelist Olivia Goldsmith died during cosmetic surgery back in 2004 after she went into a coma. The website Plastic Surgery 101 has an article on the risks of anesthesia during elective surgery – fatal allergic reactions are uncommon but do happen. Obviously we don’t know exactly what happened to Tameka, but it’s definitely reason to think long and hard before electing to have optional surgery.

Here’s Tameka and Usher hosting the New Year’s Eve celebration at The Bank Nightclub in Las Vegas. Images thanks to WENN.

Chris Brown and Rihanna have canceled their Grammys performance. Chris Brown was wanted for a domestic battery felony involving an “unknown female” who called 911 after a domestic dispute early Sunday morning. Both Chris and his girlfriend Rihanna attended Clive Davis’ Grammy party on Saturday Night together, and while Rihanna was thought to have been involved LA police say that they do not release victims’ names. Brown turned himself into police last night and was released on $50,000 bail.

Singer Chris Brown has turned himself in to Los Angeles Police in connection to a domestic violence felony criminal threat incident, Usmagazine.com has confirmed.

He was driven in a black Escalade Sunday and was lying down in the backseat, a source tells Us.

“He turned himself in around 7 p.m. to one of our stations and is being interviewed by detectives now,” officer Karen Smith tells Us.

Brown, 19, was taken into custody at 6:30 p.m. and was booked for criminal threat at 7:41 p.m. He posted $50,000 bail and was released.

The case is being presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office; additional charges may be filed.

He is due in court March 5.

Brown is being investigated for an incident that occurred early Sunday morning near Hancock Park in L.A.

An unidentified woman phoned 911 and claimed she got into a fight with the singer and he attacked her.

Police say the woman had visible injuries. When officers arrived, they found the victim, but Brown had already left the scene, police say.

Both Brown and his girlfriend Rihanna pulled out of Sunday’s Grammy Awards at the last minute

US Magazine

Presumably Chris Brown has canceled his Grammys appearance to attend to this matter. The incident is currently under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, and their spokesperson was careful to point out that any visible injuries change the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony. These can be very small injuries, “as small as a scratch”. It is possible that while this is obviously an argument that has gotten out of hand and escalated to violence, this doesn’t mean that the woman is severely injured. Reports do not suggest she was hospitalized, so hopefully this is the case.

A conflicting report suggests that Rihanna and Chris Brown were in a car accident leading up the Grammys, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Rihanna’s rep declined to address any of the rumors, simply saying she was well.

Usher has also bowed out of his Grammy commitments. Josh Groban took his place at Clive Davis’ pre-party party, and confirmed that there was a family emergency.

Usher canceled a performance Saturday night to rush to his ailing wife’s side, according to a report.

The R&B singer skipped Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy bash after his wife Tameka experienced complications from plastic surgery in Brazil, “Access Hollywood” reports.

A neurosurgeon is reportedly on the way to South America to aid Usher’s wife of a little over a year.

The “Love in this Club” crooner’s cancellation was due to a “serious illness in the family,” Davis announced at the party, but didn’t elaborate further.

New York Daily News

Brazil isn’t a third world country, but I’d feel more comfortable having my surgery done near my home by a surgeon recommended by my family doctor. Most people consider plastic surgery to be a low risk operation, and it is as you are theoretically in good health, unlike surgery to treat an accident or illness. Obviously any surgery can go wrong, and I hope Tameka, who gave birth to her 5th son (her second with Usher) in December, recovers well. At this stage all that is confirmed is a family illness.

Rihanna and Chris Brown are shown in Paris on 12/19/08. Credit: Fame. Usher and Tameka Foster are shown on 12/31/08. Credit: PRPhotos