People: Drake top nominee in Hip-Hop Awards
Drake leads the list of nominations for the upcoming BET Hip-Hop Awards, the network revealed Tuesday.
For the second year in a row, the rapper-singer dominated the field of categories. He scored 12 nods, including album of the year, video, collaboration and lyricist of the year.
Big Sean, another emcee in the midst of a banner career year (one that’s positioning the Detroit native as a crossover rap star), follows with 10 nominations. He’s got multiple nods in the video and collaboration categories as well as lyricist and MVP of the year.
Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole also received multiple nominations.
The 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards will be pre-taped at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta and air on Oct. 13. Snoop Dogg will return as host.
John, Putin differ about phone call
Elton John said Tuesday that Vladimir Putin phoned him after the musician requested a meeting to discuss Russia’s anti-gay environment – but Putin’s spokesman denied the report.
There was no immediate way to reconcile the differing accounts.
On Instagram, the British star said “thank-you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today. I look forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia.”
John’s publicist, Gary Farrow, confirmed the content of the Instagram post Tuesday.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies later Tuesday that Putin never called John.
“Putin did not have a conversation with Elton John, and, what’s more, we have not received any requests from him for a meeting,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
Joplin’s Porsche going on the block
Janis Joplin may have longed for a Mercedes-Benz, but she actually drove a Porsche that’s now on its way to the auction block in New York.
The singer’s wildly painted 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet will be auctioned Dec. 10 by RM Sotheby’s in New York.
The car has been featured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland for the past two decades.
It’s being sold by the Joplin family and is expected to bring more than $400,000.
The birthday bunch
Actor Ed Begley Jr. is 66. Country singer David Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers) is 65. Actor Mickey Rourke is 59. Magician David Copperfield is 59. Actress Jennifer Tilly is 57. Singer Richard Marx is 52. Comedian Molly Shannon is 51. Singer Marc Anthony is 47. Comedian-actress Amy Poehler is 44. Rapper Flo Rida is 36. Actress Kyla Pratt is 29. Rock singer-musician Nick Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 23.