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Odds & Ends: Joss Stone, Justin Bieber & Busta Rhymes
Justin Bieber’s concert itinerary has convinced some schools to reschedule their midterm exams, a guilty verdict is in for two men accused of conspiring to rob and murder Joss Stone, and Busta Rhymes reportedly threw a fit this morning and threatened employees at Miami Beach’s Cheeseburger Baby.
Joss Stone released a statement after the guilty verdict was announced Wednesday at Exeter Crown Court in Exter, England, for Junior Bradshaw, 32, and Kevin Liverpool, 35, on charges of conspiracy to murder, to cause grievous bodily harm and to rob.
“I am relieved the trial is now over and that these men are no longer in a position to cause harm to anyone,” the British singer/songwriter said.
The two men, who denied the charges, were arrested in June 2011, close to Stone’s home in Devon, England. They never made it to their destination thanks to suspicious neighbors who called the police. According to prosecutors, Bradshaw and Liverpool were armed with a samurai sword, knives, a hammer, black bags and gloves. Handwritten notes saying, “Once Joceyln’s dead … find a river to dump her” and “decapitate” were found in the duo’s car.
Liverpool was ordered to serve a minimum of 10 years and eight months of a life sentence. Bradshaw’s sentencing hasn’t taken place yet.
Justin Bieber is so popular in Norway that five schools in the Alesund region are rescheduling their midterm exams so the tests don’t take place on the same days as the pop star’s April 16-17 shows in Fornebu at Telenor Arena.
The schools were worried some students would ditch their midterm exams to see the Biebs.
Photo: Owen Sweeney / OwenSweeneyPhoto.com
Q102 Jingle Ball, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
“I am concerned that students should be concentrating when they take tests and midterms,” Norway education minister Kristin Halvorsen told the Associated Press. “The local schools have the responsibility to schedule the local midterms, and if they think there is any reason to change the dates, they have authority to do so.
She added, “We’ve all been 14-years-old and know that interests can be intense.”
Busta Rhymes really, really wanted a cheeseburger this morning. How bad was that 5:45 a.m. craving? The rapper’s tummy must have been growling because he reportedly tried to cut in line at Miami Beach’s Cheeseburger Baby and then insulted the employees with some homophobic and sexist name calling.
Cheeseburger Baby owner Stephanie Vitori told the Miami New Times that Busta was pretty peeved when the restaurant refused to let him cut in front of the line. After he was denied special treatment and went to wait in his car, the rapper received his order and then came back in the restaurant to continue his tantrum.
Photo: AP Photo
Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 2011, N.Y.
“He was calling our delivery driver Santiago a ‘fag’ multiple times, and me a ‘bitch’ and [telling] me ‘to shut the f**k up’ because we put his salt, pepper, ketchup, and mayo – that he asked for – on the side,” Vitori told the newspaper.
She explained the restaurant was only looking out for Busta as Cheeseburger Baby leave the condiments on the side so the burgers aren’t soggy.
Apparently Busta was freaking out so much that Vitori said she called the cops. After the rapper once again left the restaurant he allegedly called Cheeseburger Baby to complain about leaving off the cheese on his burger (Vitori says that’s not true). The owner said Busta also warned the employees he was “going to ‘come get us.’”
Vitori told the newspaper this is the first time a celebrity has given the restaurant a problem. Previous famous patrons include Jay-Z and Kayne West.