Entertainment wRap: Snoop Dogg, James Bond

MANILA, Philippines – Here are some entertainment stories from September 8 to 14.

6-year-old girl shot dead, rappers donate to funeral

Rapper-turned-reggae star Snoop Dogg donated money to the funeral of a 6-year-old girl killed in a gang-style shooting, joining a fellow rap artist in supporting her family.

The 41-year-old said the death of Tiana Ricks east of Los Angeles highlighted the need to step up the campaign against gun violence.

Tiana and her 26-year-old father were shot by two men outside their home in Moreno Valley. Police said the shooting could be “gang-related,” although Ricks was not believed to be involved in gang activity.

“Little 6-year-old girls are not supposed to die from a gun shot. But it keeps happening,” Snoop Dogg – who last year changed his name to Snoop Lion – said in a statement cited by the LA Times.

Many rappers have been criticized over the years for glorifying gun culture, although some have spoken out against it, including Snoop Dogg, who announced this year an anti-violence campaign with the Twitter handle #NoGunsAllowed.

Another rapper, The Game (real name, Jayceon Terrell Taylor), said he was donating $10,000 to the youngster’s funeral, adding that her “very sad story hit me in a place nothing ever has.”

Blogger dials 911 over cellphone disruption in cinema

An American blogger annoyed by texting and emailing on smartphones during a movie at the Toronto film festival called police this week.

Alex Billington reportedly first complained to threater managers at the Monday midnight screening of Ti West’s “The Sacrament.”

But when no action was taken, he called the police emergency response line, 911.

He told Canadian media that he was concerned that the film was being pirated by someone who had raised their phone to the movie screen.

Later he admitted that he was chiefly just bugged by the disruptions, and apologized for wasting first responders’ time.

“I overreacted,” he said in a Twitter message.

The Toronto film festival, in fact, enforces strong anti-piracy measures, including staff equipped with night-vision goggles to spot illicit filming during screenings.

James Bond sub car sells for £550,000

The submarine car driven by James Bond in the 1977 film “The Spy Who Loved Me” fetched £550,000 ($860,000, 650,000 euros) when it was floated at auction for the first time in London on Monday, September 9.

Following an intense bidding battle, the Lotus Esprit was finally sold to a telephone bidder at RM Auctions in Battersea, south London.

The car was made for the scene in which Bond, played by Roger Moore, evades gunfire from an overhead helicopter by plunging the vehicle into the water, accompanied by Barbara Bach in the passenger seat.

“We are very happy with that price, it is very strong money for what is an important piece of movie memorabilia,” said Peter Haynes of RM Auctions Europe.

“Bearing in mind it is not a car that can be driven on the road, the price just goes to prove the draw that all Bond-related memorabilia has,” he added.

US judge drops bosses from Jackson death lawsuit

The judge in the lawsuit by Michael Jackson’s family against promoters AEG Live dismissed on Monday, September 9, claims against two executives, leaving their firm as sole defendant.

Judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled that Jackson lawyers have not proved claims that AEG Live chief executives Randy Phillips and Paul Gongaware could be held responsible for the singer’s death in 2009.

The trial, in which the late pop icon’s mother Katherine Jackson accuses AEG Live of negligently hiring the doctor convicted over his death, started in April and could wrap up later this month.

Monday’s decision streamlines the case before the jury, leaving the 12-strong panel to decide if only AEG Live had negligently hired Conrad Murray and failed to supervise him properly.

Murray was jailed for 4 years in 2011 after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for administering the surgical anesthetic propofol to help Jackson cope with chronic insomnia. Jackson was 50. – With reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com

Snoop Dogg, Michael Jackson, and people in movie theater photos from Shutterstock