R & amp;B/hip-hop star West to get achievement award

R & amp;B/hip-hop star Westto get achievement award
NEW YORK -- Kanye West will receive the Artist Achievement Award at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards, which will be presented Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
Past recipients of the award, which recognizes both artistic excellence and Billboard chart success, include Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Aerosmith, Janet Jackson, Cher and Destiny's Child.
The awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Fox at 8 p.m.
"Kanye West has not only had a huge impact on R & amp;B/hip-hop, he has transformed modern music as a whole," Tamara Conniff, co-executive editor of Billboard, said.
For those who are not tall,magazine salutes you
NEW YORK -- Angus Young, lead singer-guitarist of AC/DC, tops Maxim's list of the "25 greatest short dudes of all time," standing tall at 5 feet 2 inches.
NBA guard Spud Webb, at 5 feet 7 inches, is No. 2, followed by Napoleon Bonaparte (5 feet 4 inches), Naim Suleymangolu (4 feet 11 inches) and Yuri Gagarin (5 feet 2 inches).
The magazine, in its December issue, claims to be helping women "begin a long overdue fight against their genetically determined shallowness when choosing a partner."
Yoda, at No. 6, is the shortest on the list. His height is calculated at 2 feet 2 inches.
Other great short dudes: Martin Scorsese, Jon Stewart, Prince, Kurt Cobain and two of the Hobbits from "The Lord of the Rings" films -- Elijah Wood and Sean Astin.
Drug charges dropped
SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Drug possession charges against Los Lonely Boys drummer Ringo Garza were dismissed after his wife said marijuana found in their West Texas home belonged only to her, prosecutors said.
Lenora Garza, 25, was fined $2,000 and credited with time served after she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.
The same charge against her husband was dismissed because she claimed sole ownership of a container that held less than two ounces of the drug, County Attorney Chris Taylor said.
Garza, 23, and his wife were arrested in January after their home was searched by police. The arrest was the drummer's second for marijuana possession. He pleaded no contest to a similar charge in 2003.
Today's birthdays
Actress Evelyn Keyes is 86. Actress-comedian Kaye Ballard is 80. Actress Estelle Parsons is 78. TV personality Richard Dawson is 73. Comedian Dick Smothers is 67. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 59. Singer Joe Walsh is 58. Actress Bo Derek is 49. Actress Sean Young is 46. Rapper Mike D (The Beastie Boys) is 40. Rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) is 40. Actress Ming-Na is 38. Actress Sabrina Lloyd is 35. Rapper Kamaal (aka Q-Tip) is 35.
Actress Marisa Ryan is 31. Actress Laura Harris is 29. Country singer Josh Turner is 28.