Essay 728

The following appeared on Datelinehollywood.com…

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POLICE FEAR OPRAH-RAPPERS FEUD COULD SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL

Hollywood — The bad blood between Oprah Winfrey and rappers Ice Cube, Ludacris and 50 Cent has led police to call for a peace summit in a desperate effort to stop the violence.

In the latest incident, Ice Cube was fired on at a house party in South Beach, Florida over the weekend. The rapper was not seriously hurt, but a bullet did graze his right shoulder. Ice Cube told police that he spotted a fat, bald man with a mustache, holding a gun, and running out of the house right after the shooting.

“I didn’t get a long look, but it was enough to convince me that it was Dr. Phil,” said Ice Cube. “Everyone knows Dr. Phil is super tight with Oprah. She wants a war. She’s going to get a war!”

Ice Cube and fellow rappers Ludacris and 50 Cent have recently attacked Oprah for refusing to book hip-hop acts on her influential talkshow. After the public criticism, the violence suddenly erupted.

50 Cent, who prides himself on having been shot nine times and surviving the ordeal, was shot another seven times last month while coming out of a hip-hop radio station in New York City. After the shooting, 50 Cent went to a record-signing party, a late dinner with a few close friends, a nightcap at a local strip club before his bodyguards drove him to a hospital to be treated for the gunshot wounds. Ice Cube is said to be in great condition.

“In that case, witnesses say the shooter was a woman,” said Det. William Markey of the NYPD. “Some say she shouted, ‘How do you like us now, bitch?!’ We have one witness who says she looked like Gayle King, who is Oprah’s closest friend. We’re still looking into that, but we haven’t been able to confirm that.”

Oprah’s longtime boyfriend, Steadman Graham, became a victim of an apparent retaliation two weeks ago when he was attacked outside Lantana, a restaurant on Lake Michigan Drive in Chicago.

“He was on the sidewalk, waiting for the valet guy to bring him his car when the incident happened,” said Courtney Giffin, a spokesperson for Graham. “He was suddenly hit three times by three different cars that drove up onto the sidewalk. We don’t think it’s a coincidence that all three cars were Pontiac G6s , the same cars Oprah gave to her audience a couple of years ago.”

Steadman is still at Chicago Memorial Hospital recovering from serious injuries.

Police agencies in several cities have called on Oprah and the rappers to attend a peace summit next month.

“We’re not going to attend this peace summit,” said Ice Cube and 50 Cent in a written statement. “This isn’t over.”

Oprah has made no comment about the incidents, but Ludacris has backed off his threats and says he plans on attending the peace summit.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of crazy, violent people in my time,” said Ludacris. “These shootings have been happening, but Oprah hasn’t said a word about it yet. Can you imagine what would happen to me if Oprah told her audience to go after me. I’d have 50 million crazy bitches hunting me down. No way!”

According to an insider, Ludacris decided to back off after watching a recent episode of Oprah where she gave away free items to her audience.

“It was one of those special episodes, Oprah’s Favorite Things,” said the insider. “Although she made no reference to her feud, most of the favorite things she gave away were semi-automatic guns, grenades and rifles.”