newsmakers

newsmakers

Rick Ross apologizes for pro-rape lyrics

NEW YORK

A day after Reebok ended its relationship with Rick Ross, the rapper acknowledged that his lyrics on Rocko’s song “U.O.E.N.O.” were “offensive.”

In a statement Friday, Ross said being a musician is “a great responsibility” and that his choice of words in the song “does not reflect my true heart.”

In the song, Ross raps about giving a woman the drug MDMA, known as Molly, and having his way with her.

PSY’s new single diverts attention

SEOUL, South Korea

South Korean pop star PSY’s first new single since his viral hit “Gangnam Style” is stealing attention from inter-Korean tensions.

YG Entertainment, PSY’s agency, says “Gentleman” was released in 119 countries Friday.

PSY co-composed the electronic dance music and wrote the lyrics for the song, which pokes fun at a self-claimed gentleman who enjoys his time at a dance club.

Tensions in South Korea are high, with residents wary of a possible missile test by the North. But South Korean Internet users were more interested Friday in PSY’s new song than North Korea: “Gentleman” was the most searched keyword on top Web portals.

PSY’s manager Hwang Kyu-wan says the video for “Gentleman” will be unveiled at his comeback concert in Seoul on Sunday and then will be uploaded onto YouTube.

Fan meets Seger after semi-coma

AUBURN HILLS, Mich.

The first words of a 79-year-old Michigan woman as she emerged from a five-year semi-coma were, “I want to go to a Bob Seger concert.” And now her wish has come true.

The Flint Journal reports that Evie Branan cheered, threw her hands in the air and danced during Seger’s concert Thursday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills. She also met Seger and his family, talked with crew and band members and received VIP treatment.

Branan is from Flint Township. She called the night “the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

After suffering a stroke that left Branan unable to speak, move or eat on her own, she became a resident of Willowbrook manor’s long-term care unit. She awoke from the semi-coma May 7, 2011.

More Kardashian divorce talks set

Los Angeles

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are getting another chance to settle their divorce case, and this time, a judge wants the NBA player to attend.

Humphries was a no-show for settlement talks Friday, and Superior Court Judge Hank Goldberg set another hearing for April 19. The judge also set a hearing for whether Humphries should be fined for not appearing at Friday’s mandatory settlement hearing.

Kardashian appeared in court, but none of Friday’s discussions were conducted in open court. Humphries’ lawyers said no settlement was reached and that a trial is still scheduled for May 6.

Kardashian and her lawyer have denied the accusation.

Kardashian is expecting a child with boyfriend Kanye West later this year. She was not accompanied by West or any members of her famous family.

Ballet legend Maria Tallchief dies

CHICAGO

Legendary New York City Ballet prima ballerina Maria Tallchief has died at age 88.

Tallchief’s daughter, Elise Paschen, said Friday that her mother died Thursday in Chicago. Tallchief joined the company that would become the New York City Ballet in 1948. She was married for a time to George Balanchine, who founded the School of American Ballet in New York. Tallchief worked with Balanchine on such masterpieces as 1949’s “Firebird” and his now-historic version of “The Nutcracker.”

Tallchief was one of five Oklahoma natives of American Indian descent who rose to prominence in the ballet world from the 1940s through the 1960s. She retired in 1965, when she started teaching the next generation of dancers. She worked with the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet and founded the Chicago City Ballet.

Wire reports