Salsa Great Joe Cuba Dies Joe Cuba, the “Father of Latin Boogaloo,” best known for his electrifying, pulsating salsa grooves, has died, the Latin Examiner reports. He succumbed to complications from a bacterial infection a day after being taken off life support at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was 78.  ”I’m hurt and saddened because for me he [Joe Cuba] symbolized my birth as an artist and singer,” José “Cheo” Feliciano, 73, told the Latin Music Examiner on Monday. “At the time, I was a fortunate percussionist, but Tito Rodríguez told me that I had to quit the congas and start to sing. So on Oct. 5, 1957, I got married and on the same night, instead of going on my honeymoon, I went to my first gig as a singer with the Joe Cuba Sextet,” he added. Others in the Joe Cuba Sextet were Jimmy Sabater (timbales), Nick jiménez (piano), Tommy Berríos (vibraphone) and Slim Cordero (bass). Joe Cuba was actually born Gilberto Calderón in 1931 into a New York-based Puerto Rican family. A conga player, Cuba revolutionized the percussive sounds of salsa in the late 1960s, the Examiner writes. “Along with fellow salseros Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz and the late Ray Barretto, he was at the forefront of a bubbling Latin soul beat that emerged in New York in the early 1970s.”

No Telling What You Might Land from Neverland Auction For the right price, you could be the proud owner of Michael Jackson’s famous white glove or of a one-of-a-kind photo of the King Of Pop garbed in an Elizabethan dress holding a crown on a pillow or a 1999 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph limo with an interior of  24-karat gold elaborations. In April, you might just want to show up at the Neverland Ranch auction, where thousands of Jackson’s belongings will go on the auction block. In addition to the aforementioned items, there are at least three suits of armor, fine artworks, costumes, awards, furniture and goo-gobs of other things. “Michael Jackson was a collector of everything,” said Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, which will conduct the sale from April 22 to 25 in Beverly Hills. “We’ve never seen a collection that is as extensive and eccentric as his.”

Bonds’ Perjury Trial Nears The mega-high-profile perjury trial of slugging superstar Barry Bonds will begin on March 2. The former San Francisco Giants outfielder has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements and obstructing justice. The charges emanate from his appearance before a grand jury in the infamous BALCO Steroid Case. If convicted, the all-time home-run king could spend as much as two years behind bars. At issue is whether U.S. District Judge Susan Illston will allow urine samples that tested positive for steroids, which prosecutors claim belong to Bonds, and whether she will permit potential jurors to be asked if they were aware of Alex Rodriguez’s recent admission to steroid use. Among those slated to take the stand are former teammate Bobby Estalella, Bonds’ former girlfriend Kimberley Bell, Bonds’ former personal shopper Kathy Hoskins and Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics. Others who might be called to testify are former Major Leaguers Benito Santiago, Armando Rios, Randy Velarde and Marvin Benard.

Bankrupt Vick’s Home Goes to Auction Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s home in Sugarloaf, Ga., will go to auction next month, documents filed in court Tuesday show. The ex-football star, who is serving a 23-month prison sentence on felony charges stemming from dogfighting, filed bankruptcy recently. The minimum bid for the eight-bedroom home in the gated Sugarloaf Country Club will be $3.2 million. Vick is scheduled to be released on July 20.

A nude explicit photo of Madonna, which was sold to Playboy when she was a struggling, 20-year-old dancer, could go for $10,000 at auction. A representative of Christie’s auction house says that the photo, taken in 1979 and appearing in the men’s magazine in 1985, is one of six photos from the shoot sold to Playboy. Lee Friedlander took the full-frontal image, according to People magazine. Matthieu Humery, head of Christie’s photography department, says that of all the photos, this is “maybe the most explicit one.” Another photo of Madonna to be auctioned is by Helmut Newton; in that photo, the pop star is wearing lingerie, according to People.

Jill Scott is Pregnant
R&B singer/actress Jill Scott is pregnant with her first child. She revealed the news to reporters at the Television Critics Association conference in Los Angeles on Friday, People magazine reports. “The first trimester I spent in Botswana,” said Scott, who is due April 25. “That was one of the biggest challenges of my life. First trimester! You’re sick every morning. It was seven hours time difference, the heat, the bugs, the 14 hour days.” Scott said she discovered that she was pregnant just before leaving for Botswana where she filmed the show. The three-time Grammy Award winner, who is engaged to drummer Lil’ John Roberts, says she’s glad she went through with the plans to film. “My doctors gave me a clean bill of health and said you can do this, so I did it,” said Scott, 36.

Fantasia’s N.C. Home is Saved 
American Idol winner and Broadway star Fantasia Barrino was able to hang onto one of her North Carolina homes, after a last-minute agreement was reached between the mortgage company and the singer’s representatives, People magazine reports.  The details of the arrangement were not disclosed. The million-dollar, Charlotte-area home would have hit the auction block Monday, to be sold by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. The money would have been used to compensate Broward Energy Partners for the $68,000 loan it advanced Barrino to pay taxes, the magazine reports.

Vick Wants to Auction His Home
Former Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick wants a bankruptcy judge to let him sell his huge home near Atlanta at auction. Vick has been trying to sell the eight-bedroom mansion for more than a year. It lists at $4.1 million. Read more here.

The Eagles’ Westbrook is Gimpy
Philadelphia fans are likely trembling amid reports that Eagles running back Brian Westbrook is nursing a sprained ankle. He did not practice on Wednesday, which could mean that he is questionable for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants in the NFC divisional playoffs. Since Westbrook is the most lethal weapon in Philly’s arsenal, most football experts say that the star running back is crucial if the Eagles stand a chance against the defending Super Bowl champs in the frigid Giants stadium. “The good thing is that I didn’t tweak anything against the Vikings,” a hopeful Westbrook told ESPN.com. “I took a pounding on the turf but I didn’t re-injure anything so I’m not starting from in a hole this week.” Westbrook will reportedly take some anti-inflammatory medication on Saturday night and Sunday morning to prepare for the game. In the Eagles’ 26-14 victory against Minnesota last week, Westbrook finished with three receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown and 38 rushing yards on 20 carries. During the regular season, Westbrook rushed for 936 yards and had an additional 402 receiving in 14 games. He also scored 14 total touchdowns.

NPR axes Black-oriented News & Notes program. National Public Radio said on Thursday that it is cutting 64 jobs and cancelling two programs, including the Black-oriented News And Notes program, formerly anchored by BET veteran Ed Gordon. The move is part of an overall 7-percent work force reduction, which comes as public radio officials struggle with a projected but “manageable” $2 million deficit for fiscal 2009, on a budget of $168 million, The Baltimore Sun reports.  A drop in corporate sponsorships in a failing economy has led to a projected deficit that has risen to $23 million, officials say. In addition to the layoffs, NPR, with a current staff of 889, will not be filling 21 open positions. Many of the staff cuts were realized by canceling two shows, Day to Day and News & Notes. Both are scheduled to go off the air March 20. News & Notes, a public affairs show hosted by Farai Chideya that looks at the news from an African-American perspective.

Auction house pulls King papers from sale. Sotheby’s has withdrawn from auction three papers related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after his estate claimed the documents that were to be sold by Harry Belafonte are really estate property. Actor and activist Belafonte himself asked that the papers be withdrawn from Thursday’s sale, said Lauren Gioia, a Sotheby’s spokeswoman. Belafonte’s documents included a handwritten draft of King’s first anti-Vietnam war speech in 1967 and had a pre-sale estimate of $750,000 to $1.3 million.

The Godfather of Soul’s valuables will go to an auction tomorrow Christie’s auction house is set to put the late singer James Brown’s red jump suit, sofa, hair curlers and grooming products up for bid to settle his estate debts. A South Carolina court has ruled that the auction can proceed tomorrow, and it will include 350 items. Photos and awards that belonged to the star entertainer are expected to help raise between a half-million and $1 million dollars. The auction was delayed last week by heirs of the singer, who claim that his will was not valid.

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