Lil Wayne's lawsuit
against Quincy Jones III over his 2009 documentary, The Carter,
has ended. A judge ruled against the rapper yesterday, bringing to a close a
case that had dragged on since the film's controversial debut nearly four years
ago.

Wayne had been suing for unauthorized use of his music in the film,
which he considered a "scandalous portrayal" and had attempted to block from
release. In addition to losing his own suit, the judge also sided with Jones in
a counter suit, finding that the Young Money rapper's obstructionist efforts
against the film caused the filmmaker significant financial losses. Wayne was
ordered to pay Jones' company $2,195,000 in damages.

Perhaps the final
nail in Weezy's case came last week, when he missed his day to testify in court
due to being grounded in Louisiana after suffering two seizures while flying. In
his absence, Wayne's lawyer played his infamous
deposition video, during which he refuses to give testimony and threatens
the interviewer. The judge lambasted Wayne for "unreasonable conduct" and
"irresponsible behavior."

John Singleton, Paramount Settle Lawsuit Over Hustle & Flow

It's hard out there for a
producer.

Filmmaker John Singleton has reached a settlement with
movie studio Paramount Pictures over a breach of contract lawsuit
stemming from Singleton's film Hustle & Flow.

Singleton and
his Crunk Pictures sued the studio in 2011, claiming they are owed over $20
million for a broken contract in which Paramount allegedly agreed to fund two
additional pictures in exchange for the rights to Hustle & Flow. The
drama, starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, was a
breakout hit at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and several studios bid on the
rights. Singleton claims he went with Paramount, as opposed to other studios,
because of the promise to fund the additional
pictures.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hustle &
Flow — directed by Craig Brewer and produced by Singleton — was a
success in the market, earning $75 million in gross receipts and winning an
Oscar for best song. But Singleton says Paramount backed out of the other two
films, including one that was to be a Spike Lee-directed concert film
featuring Tracy Morgan. Paramount asserted the right to do so because the
films allegedly weren't delivered by a certain deadline.

Still, the
studio decided to settle the case for an undisclosed amount before going to
trial.

Natina Reed of Blaque Laid to Rest

                                                                          Natina Reed, rapper in the
girl group Blaque, was laid to rest over the weekend after being fatally struck by a vehicle on Oct. 26. Reed, 32, was mourned
by family and friends at a funeral service in Lithonia, Georgia.

Reed
leaves behind a 10-year-old son, Tren, whom she had with the rapper
Kurupt. Both were present at the funeral, as were Reed's fellow Blaque
members Brandi Williams and Shamari Fears.

Blaque had two
Top 10 singles in 1999 with "808" and "Bring It All to Me" ft. JC Chasez of
N'Sync. Their self-titled debut was certified platinum. In a statement last
week, Williams and Fears remembered their fallen group member.

"Natina
continuously embodied the pioneering spirit of Blaque and her undeniable
creativity touched the hearts of fans everywhere. Natina was a mother, sister,
accomplished songwriter, artist and friend," they wrote.

Kurupt, who was once engaged to Reed, reportedly handled all the expenses for
the memorial service.

Gabby Douglas Covers Essence Magazine

The summer Olympics may be long
gone, but America's infatuation with gymnast Gabby Douglas is far from
over. The 16-year-old star athlete is gracing the cover of Essence's December issue looking festive
in gold and black. The issue features the Women of the Year and Douglas is
definitely one to celebrate. She not only helped the U.S. women's team win its
first gold medal in gymnastics since 1996, but she was also
the first woman of color to nab the gold in the all-around
competition.

"In my dreams I didn't
think about how many shows I would be on and how many people would tweet me…it’s
so cool!" Douglas tells Essence.

Powerful
stories about first lady Michelle
Obama, Robin
Roberts, Serena Williams,
Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina
Fulton, and the late Whitney Houston and
Donna Summer
are also included in the issue.