Florida Sentinel Bulletin

NEW YORK — A friend of slain radio and TV personality DJ Megatron told investigators Monday the two were chatting on the phone as the deejay went out to buy marijuana when the line went dead, likely because he’d been shot.

The friend was on the phone with the 32-year-old deejay, whose real name is Corey McGriff, at around 2 a.m. Sunday when the line suddenly went dead, police said. The deejay, also known as Mega and or Mega McGriff, was later found shot once in the chest. Police said he had been walking to a store near his home on New York’s Staten Island.

Police were looking at whether drugs may have played a role in his death. He had a few previous minor arrests for possession of marijuana, but no serious crimes. Police said Monday they do not believe it was a robbery. No arrests have been made.

West coast rapper, Mack 10 has been hit with a lawsuit that claims the MC has failed to pay for close to 30 hours of studio time, as reported by TMZ.

According to a lawsuit filed by DoggHouse Studio operator Rodger Carter, the West Side Connection member has an unpaid bill of close to $2,000.

Carter filed the suit in a Malibu, CA small claims court late last month.

Mack 10, who rose to fame during the mid ‘90s as a frequent Ice Cube collaborator and member of the Left coast trio West Side Connection, is currently working on a new album entitled Money Music with California rapper Glasses Malone.

The collaborative LP is set to hit shelves April 12.

LONG BEACH, CA — Rappers Snoop Dogg (pictured right, with his wife, Shante), Warren G and The Game joined family, friends and about 1,000 fans of Nate Dogg to remember the hip-hop singer, who died this month of complications from multiple strokes.

The family of Nate Dogg — whose real name was Nathaniel Dwayne Hale — decided that the ceremony at the Queen Mary Dome would not be open to the public as they previously wanted, but they made 1,000 tickets and shuttles available to fans.

The dome in Hale’s hometown of Long Beach is adjacent to the historic ship the Queen Mary and was the former home of Howard Hughes‘ airplane folly, the Spruce Goose.

Organizers had sought a more central location for the funeral, but none proved large enough for the numbers of expected mourners. A private dinner was planned after the service.

Hale started out singing in church choirs, then formed a group with Snoop Dogg and Warren G while the trio was in high school in Long Beach.

NEW YORK — Aretha Franklin proved her voice is still divine at 69 as she gave a brief but rousing performance at a swank birthday party in her honor.

Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, music mogul Clive Davis, Bette Midler and Gayle King were among the celebrities on hand to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul on Friday night at a late-night birthday party at a Central Park Hotel.

“It’s a fabulous moment,” said Franklin, showing off her noticeably thinner frame in a flowing white and gold gown as she sat at a table with several gifts.

Bennett, who called Franklin “one of a kind” was one of those who came with a present — and his was unique.

More than 100 friends and family gathered to celebrate Franklin, who just a few months ago underwent surgery for an ailment she has declined to disclose. In recent weeks, she’s made more public appearances and is set to resume her stage performances in May. At the party, Franklin seemed full of energy, greeting guests and dancing to the music.

NEW YORK — Chris Brown’s independent publicist, Tammy Brook, has parted ways with the singer, Brook confirmed to Billboard.biz on Friday.

On Tuesday Brown reportedly smashed a window, tore off his shirt and stormed out of the “Good Morning America” studios after being asked repeatedly about his 2009 assault on Rihanna.

He later apologized.

Brook did not directly reference the incident when discussing her departure from Brown’s camp.

In a statement to TMZ on Friday Brook said: “I am an entertainment/music publicist and was hired as a publicist, as they often are, to work specifically on his music publicity for the term up to the release of Chris Brown’s “F.A.M.E.” album, which was released on Tuesday March 22 and is entering the Billboard and iTunes charts at number 1 this week. I love and support Chris and it has been an honor to be a part of this album and I look forward to the possibility of working with him again in the future.”

Brown’s new album, “F.A.M.E.,” is headed for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week, with the set projected to sell over 250,000 copies.

LOS ANGELES — Something to talk about: The final original episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will air May 25, Harpo Productions announced Friday.

Winfrey announced in 2009 that she was ending her hit daytime talk show after 25 years to focus on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Winfrey Tweeted Thursday that she was “hard at work planning the final shows,” and that new episodes would begin April 7.

She previously told THR she is leaving her last two shows up to her Harpo team, including president Sheri Salata.

“I’m allowing for Sheri and the team to plan two days of full surprises,” Winfrey told THR. “I’ve given up control for the last two days. It’s a lot to relinquish. I had to pray on that … and get a guarantee from Sheri there would be no strippers or dancing people coming out of shells.”

Recently, Tom Joyner called out Foxy Brown, saying she had to be kicked off his annual Fantastic Voyage cruise this year.

On Friday, Joyner called out Foxy during his radio stating that he and his staff had to really put in some work to get Foxy to vacate the ship.

“We put Foxy off the cruise. Let’s just say she got put off,” Joyner said. “You had to really act a fool to get put off.”

However upon hearing about Joyner’s on-air comments, Foxy made sure to express her feelings of the situation and added that she was going somewhere where she’d be more appreciated—Belize with her “pumpkin” Shyne.

MIAMI — Rick Ross was reportedly arrested and released on misdemeanor charges.

The report states that the Maybach Music boss was busted last night for possession of marijuana. Cops say they detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from his hotel room and when police investigated, they spotted approximately a gram of it in plain view.

According to reports, Ross was in town to perform at a nightclub as he and his Maybach music group continue to expand and tour.

NEW YORK – Chris Brown allegedly trashed his dressing room at ‘Good Morning America’ and broke a window with a chair after co-host Robin Roberts asked him about his attack on Rihanna.

Brown was on the ABC morning television show Tuesday to promote his new album, “F.A.M.E.,” released the same day. During his interview with Roberts, she asked him about the 2009 attack on his then-girlfriend. An agitated Brown tried to deflect the questions and said: “I’m past that in my life.”

After the interview, Brown performed.