Black athlete expelled after intimidation charge. Days after word that White students allegedly used racial intimidation against Black college athletes, one of the players is charged with the same crime. Harold Washington, 18, has been expelled from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut after he was charged with bigotry-based intimidation, harassment and breach of peace against one of two Black fellow basketball players. Washington’s White roommate Charles Merritt was first charged with intimidation and expelled after Washington and the other Black athletes allegedly received threatening, racist phone calls. Two other students were also charged. But police say their investigation led them to interviews and searches connected to Washington when another victim complained of racist comments posted to his Facebook.com page. Washington’s “response was not to the person harassing him,” says Hamden Police Chief Thomas Wydra. “His response was to a fellow victim, and that’s what’s disturbing to us.” No motive, such as whether Washington competed with the other Black student for playing time, was revealed.

Lil Wayne will return to New York tomorrow. Having missed an earlier court date on a weapons charge, due to a dental issue, Lil Wayne returns to court tomorrow on a continuance. The rapper took a red-eye flight from Hollywood to New York after his Video Music Awards performance and win for Best Hip-Hop Video, in order to appear Monday. Weezy was arrested last summer after cops stopped his tour bus and searched the vehicle, allegedly finding a .40-caliber pistol. He’s charged with criminal possession of a weapon.

Actor is confirmed to play ancient Egyptian ruler.
Will Smith will portray Last Pharaoh. Will Smith is set to take on one of his most challenging roles in the film The Last Pharaoh. After earlier reports surfaced of his interest in the role about the ancient Egyptian ruler Taharqa, Variety.com confirms that Braveheart writer Randall Wallace is taking on the screenplay at Smith’s behest. Taharqa ruled Egypt from 690 B.C. to 664 B.C. and became known for his fierce battles with Assyrian king Esarhaddon.

Shhhh! Not while he’s trying to sing!
Actor hushes fans at performance. Terrence Howard takes his newfound music career seriously, according to Web reports. The Oscar-nominated actor whose new CD, Shine It Through, was recently released reportedly shushed a couple of fans at his New York performance last week. The star appeared at “The Beat of Chic,” an event for special invited guests at Bloomingdale’s department store, and was reportedly annoyed by the constant chatter of two women in the front row. “Obviously you two are talking about something that’s more important than my music,” Howard is said to have announced. “Why don’t you share it?” After the man who rapped the words “whoop dat trick” in the film Hustle & Flow stuck the mic in their faces, the ladies apparently decided to shut it up. But it’s not only the two front-row spectators who’ve been underwhelmed with Howard’s musical debut: Fan feedback on the CD has been less than favorable.

DMX gets sweet plea deal on Miami drug charges. After cursing at his recent bond hearing and saying he wasn’t coming back to a Florida court on pending drug charges, rapper DMX has been proved correct. X’s lawyer Brad Cohen, who once competed on Donald Trump’s show “The Apprentice,” got the hook-up: a deal letting the rapper plead guilty to attempted purchases of cocaine and weed, in exchange for time already served in jail and a $483 fine. If he’s not returned to Arizona on a bench warrant within 15 days, the performer is free. Not a bad look after Judge Lawrence Schwartz warned Cohen about X’s mouth; the rapper had muttered, “I ain’t coming back on f–king Oct. 3,” the date Schwartz set after denying bond. “You need to tell your client that I’ve heard the ‘F’ word before,” Schwartz told Cohen. “…He can send it to me anytime he wants to come in, if that’s what makes him happy, but he certainly didn’t help his stature any with what he mumbled as he left the podium.” Apparently, something did help the rapper’s “stature” – he could’ve faced six years in prison, if convicted.

Tyrese Gibson: “Racing is what I do…for real.” Maybe the adrenaline from shooting scenes in his current flick simply hasn’t worn off, but singer-actor Tyrese shows little concern about admitting to an illegal pastime: street racing. The former Guess jeans model says he’s challenged his Death Race co-star Jason Statham to a contest off the set. Nevermind the danger, possible jail time or less-than-exemplary image, the singer says he literally wants to take it to the streets with Statham: “He’s like this big rock star, but let’s take it to the freeway for real. Let’s go get us a high-speed speeding ticket. Let’s go dip in and out of the traffic. So let’s go make it happen. I’m calling him out, and I’m gonna keep calling him out until he accepts my offer because I’m ready. Racing is what I do in the streets for real.” Keep an eye out for Tyrese at a courthouse near you.

Clock ticking as Detroit mayor reportedly turns down second plea offer 

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick could be spending his final week in office after reportedly turning down a second plea opportunity to reduce the felony charges he faces. Kilpatrick last week rejected an offer from prosecutors that would let him plead guilty to one of two felony assault charges, connected with his alleged shove of a sheriff’s deputy at his sister’s home last month. Get more details at BET.com/News.

Singer detracts from her own air time

They both got the good looks, but it appears that only one got the brains. Beyoncé’s baby sis, Solange Knowles, showed a flash of diva-tude during her appearance on a Las Vegas morning news show Wednesday by dressing down a reporter on live TV. The budding solo artist bristled at station KVVU’s request to mention Jay-Z’s Vegas nightclub during the interview. Trouble was, the staff had only asked about raising the subject – during a break – and they agreed not to when Solange’s handler said no. But the singer waited until cameras rolled again to declare: “I have to say that was not a very professional introduction before. Please don’t tie me in with my family and to my brother-in-law’s establishment.” A voice in the studio was then heard saying, “That wasn’t live, Solange. That wasn’t on TV.” The anchor politely apologized anyway, while Beyoncé’s baby sis was left looking all diva-fied for no reason. And for anybody who’s still not clear that the Jay-Beyoncé marriage reports are legit, having Solange refer to the star as her “brother-in-law” pretty much wraps it.

Rap, film star gets irritated by shutter bug

What’s the deal with screw-ups and trouble in Vegas this week? Mos Def completes the performers’ potpourri of embarrassing and allegedly illegal acts taking place in Sin City during recent days: The rap and movie star is being investigated for larceny from a person after he allegedly snatched a camera from a photographer’s neck during a fashion convention at the Las Vegas Hilton. He allegedly created a small cut on the shooter’s hand before handing off the camera to a bodyguard and leaving the scene. Mos has had at least one other encounter with a photographer when he tussled with TMZ.com personnel, unsuccessfully attempting to delete a digital shot that he didn’t approve. Wasn’t there a time when celebs were glad to have their pictures taken?

The Pennsylvania youths allegedly hurled racial slurs at the Mexican immigrant.

Three teens accused of beating to death a Mexican immigrant in a tiny Pennsylvania coal-mining town last month must stand trial, a judge ruled Monday. The judge agreed with prosecutors that there is enough evidence to try 17-year-old Colin Walsh and 16-year-old Brandon Piekarsky on charges of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation; Derrick Donchak, 18, will stand trial for ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault and other charges. All three young men are football players at Shenandoah Valley High School, which is about an hour and a half northwest of Philadelphia. According to witnesses, the defendants yelled, “Dirty Mexican!” and other racial epithets as they kicked and bludgeoned Luis Ramirez, even as he lay motionless in the street. Ramirez, who fathered a child with a local White teen, was frequently called racial slurs by Whites in the community, some youths testified at an earlier pretrial hearing. Seventeen-year-old Ben Lawson testified that “Ramirez was fighting with one of the suspects, Derrick M. Donchak, when another, Colin Walsh, sucker-punched the victim,” The Associated Press reported. “A third suspect, Brandon Piekarsky, then kicked Ramirez in the head while he lay motionless in the street.” Lawyers for Piekarsky and Walsh have said there is no evidence to support the homicide charges.

A Motown vocalist dies of cancer

Motown singer Pervis Jackson, of the popular 1970s group The Spinners, has died. Jackson, whose voice can be heard on hits including “Rubber Band Man,” was hospitalized, suffering from cancer in Detroit . He was 70 years old when he passed on Monday.

Rapper is on Arizona ’s “no bail” hold

The good news is that DMX will go at least a month and a half without being arrested again. The bad news is that he’s locked up in Arizona until his next court date in October after he was collared in Miami last week. X had missed a hearing on Arizona drug charges days earlier, later telling his lawyer that he’d checked himself into a Florida hospital for unspecified reasons. Cops later found the rapper at a Wal-Mart store where he was promptly picked up and then sent back to Arizona , where he’s listed on “no bail” hold. DMX has been arrested more than a half-dozen times on various charges this year.

Prosecutor expected to issue more allegations against mayor

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is expected to add new counts of perjury and abuse of office to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s long list of pending felony charges. The mayor and his ex-chief of staff Christine Beatty were both charged this spring with lying in court to cover up an extra-marital affair between them, and with disciplining two ex-cops whose investigation would’ve exposed the relationship. Both Kilpatrick and Beatty denied under oath having been romantically involved, and the prosecutor reportedly plans to argue that other statements Kilpatrick made about his faithfulness to his wife were untrue. It’s alleged that the mayor had affairs with at least two more women during the time that he denied having fired officers Gary Brown and Harold Nelthorp. The men were involved in an investigation of the mayor’s security detail, which allegedly helped Kilpatrick cover-up secret romances. Get more updates on Kwame Kilpatrick at BET.com!

Pro Bowl safety will get a guaranteed $15 million.The Dallas Cowboys’ franchise player has signed a six-year, $39 million contract with the team. Ken Hamlin, a Pro Bowl safety, is guaranteed to earn $15 million, including a $9 million signing bonus. Hamlin’s deal was complete before a 4 p.m. NFL deadline Tuesday, by which teams were required to finalize long-term deals.

Rays Reyes is ‘relieved’
Major League Baseball pitcher Al Reyes won’t face charges stemming from a fight he had at a restaurant while celebrating his 38th birthday this year. Prosecutors dropped their case against the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, who was hit with a Taser after the April bar fight. Reyes allegedly fell into a ceramic pot and then picked a fight with the man who he thought had pushed him. He later publicly apologized. Robert Heyman, Reyes’ lawyer, says the Dominican pitcher is “certainly relieved.”

Police say that the Salt Lake City shooting was the result of a gang beef.

Three youngsters and an adult have been charged in the killing of a 7-year-old girl who was gunned down while playing on a sidewalk outside her Salt Lake City home on Sunday. Police believe the girl was caught up in the crossfire of rival gangs. Arrested were Frank Benavidez, a 20-year-old; Gabriel Magallon, 17; Mae Johnson, 16; and Tiona Vigial, 16 – all booked into the Salt Lake City Jail on suspicion of first-degree homicide. The young victim has been identified as Maria Del Carmen Menchaca, a second-grader at Riley Elementary. Police say that the girl was playing when somebody fired a gun from a passing Black SUV. They say that Benavidez was driving the SUV. One of the juveniles was aiming his gun at another juvenile, fired a single shot and hit Maria. The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that “Minutes after the shooting, the victim’s relatives ran beneath police tape and struggled with officers as they gathered outside the home. Many shrieked and fell to the ground upon news of the girl’s death. Her body lay on the sidewalk, shrouded by White fabric panels set up by investigators.”