IT'S MURRRDDDDDDDER AGAIN: JA RULE'S PRISON RELEASE DATE REVEALED?

Former Murder. Inc. star Ja Rule will reportedly get his first taste of freedom early next year after spending time behind bars on a gun conviction last year.

While details are still coming together, Rule is expected to get released in February.

Ja Rule checked in to his current prison term in June of last year, and in just a few more months, he'll be able to wave goodbye to his cell...hopefully for good! His site has announced that the New York rapper will be released from jail in February of next year, which gives him just 3 months until freedom! The site also posted some recent pics of Ja from behind bars, and it looks like he's been hitting the gym heavy! (In Flex We Trust)

Earlier this year, reports of Rule's jail acquaintances surfaced online.

Serving two years for gun possession, Ja Rule found a new posse behind bars -- a couple of cons he calls "Hevey D" and "Koz." The Queens-raised rap star says disgraced pol Alan Hevesi and corporate greed poster-boy Dennis Kozlowski took him under their wings. From Kozlowski, he got stock tips. From Hevesi, he heard about the perennial impasse in Albany. They watched Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert together. "Outside, you don't meet guys like this every day. This place is amazing," Ja Rule told the Daily News during an exclusive interview at Mid-State Correctional Facility in upstate Oneida, N.Y. The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, has been in prison since June for gun possession and tax evasion. He's not scheduled to get out until February 2013, but he's getting ready for his new album, "Pain is Love 2," to drop later this month -- and networking. "Koz just got out on work release. Not to say I wish he was still here," he said. "But they're both great, smart guys." (New York Daily News)

Last December, the rapper inked an open letter describing his time behind bars.

"My first n*ght here was crazy inmates screaming, banging, and kicking the doors calling the male CO's b*tch a** n*ggas & f*ggots telling the female CO's how they gonna f*ck em, throwing plates of food out their cells onto the floor LOL. WELCOME TO THE GREEN MONSTER! This type of sh*t would never happen upstate at best you'd be in the box for a month at worst the infirmary. I even got into it wit these stupid n*ggas trying to assassinate my character talkin about I'm snitching to the guards and that I'm getting special treatment. I barked on these n*ggas and set em straight cause as a man there's only so much you can take before you snap. At first I tried to ignore there lil comments until they started talkin sh*t like they gonna kick my door and all this clown sh*t. But the funny thing is when I started screaming on them lettin them know they got the wrong n*gga they got excited it was like that's what they wanted to bring the hood out of me. That's when I realized that I'm dealing wit kids they can't be n*ggas my age cause that would've lead to instant confrontation not instant admiration." (VIBE)

A month prior, the rapper released an open letter detailing a failed suicide attempt.

"Today I can truly say I've been through it all. A young kid comes in today they put him in the 18 cell right next to mine he looked kinda depressed coming in but nothing out of the ordinary a few hours go past and all of a sudden I hear someone choking he's trying to kill his self. We all heard it everyone runs to their cell doors and start kicking,banging, calling the CO's. Now I've seen a person get shot and I've even seen someone die from a drug overdose but this was different this was suicide. It was like I can hear the life leaving his body the CO's rush in the cell they saved him. I didn't even think some sh*t like this was possible in these cells. He tied his bed sheet to a pole that's attached to a sink which is about 3 feet off the ground made some sort of noose wrapped it around his neck then threw himself forward into a boston crab carmel clutch type position. I never understood why a person would wanna kill themselves life is love & love is living it's gods most precious gift. After they brought him back to his cell in the suicide suit he cried for hours we tried to console him telling him it's never that bad to wanna kill yourself." (Jailhouse Journal Entry)

Slapped with two years for his 2007 gun conviction, Rule also got issued two additional charges for tax evasion in July 2011.

Rapper Jeffrey Atkins, also known as Ja Rule, was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison for failing to file tax returns with the IRS after admitting that he did not file his taxes for five years, the Justice Department said in a news release Monday. The 35-year-old performer from Saddle River, New Jersey, had pleaded guilty to three of five counts before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz, who imposed the sentence in Newark federal court. (CNN)

KANYE WEST ON VERGE OF PLACING CAREER IN MUSIC MOGUL'S HANDS

Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West is reportedly close to hiring former Def Jam president and music mogul Lyor Cohen to help manage his career.

While nothing is set in stone just yet, reports of the likely partnership have started buzzing online.

GO WEST, BIG MAN: Lyor Cohen is said to be closing in on a deal to manage Kanye West. But rather than replacing Kanye's current manager, Izvor "Izzy" Zivkovic, Cohen will likelymake Izzy part of a bigger play, according to insiders. Is Kevin Liles involved? (11/19a) (HITS Daily Double)

The news comes just weeks after Cohen left his executive positionat Warner Music Group.

In making the announcement, Cohen said, "To all the artists and employees who live and die for the music every day, and who personally sacrifice for the good of the creative process: 'keep on keepin' on' in the tradition of a company that respects and honors the artistic community." Len Blavatnik, Chairman and founder of Access Industries, said, "I personally want to thank Lyor for his dedication and contributions to Warner Music. He has been both a business partner and personal friend and I wish him only the best." Stephen Cooper, WMG's CEO, said, "Lyor Cohen has built something very special here. While we understand his desire to move on to his next challenge, the enduring success of our recorded music division will serve as a great testament to the progress we've made during Lyor's time at WMG. We are grateful for Lyor's contributions, and we wish him the best. I'm confident that given the strength of our talented management team in Recorded Music, we'll be able to drive further success." Following Cohen's departure, the company's senior label executives will report directly to Stephen Cooper. (Market Wire)

Prior to joining the ranks at WMG, Cohen made a name for himselfat Def Jam.

Lyor Cohen has served as the Chairman and CEO, Recorded Music for Warner Music Group since 2011. Prior to that, he served as Vice Chairman, WMG and Chairman and CEO, Recorded Music - Americas and the UK, since September 2008. Previously, Cohen was Chairman and CEO, Recorded Music North America from March 2008 to September 2008 and Chairman and CEO, US Recorded Music since joining the company in March 2004. From 2002 to 2004, Cohen was the Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Music Group. Cohen served as President of Def Jam from 1988 to 2002. Previously, Cohen served in various capacities at Rush Management which he founded with partner Russell Simmons. (Market Wire)

Earlier this year, Lyor landed on Billboard's 2012 Power 100 Index list.

1. Irving Azoff 2. Coran Capshaw 3. Lucian Grainge 4. Martin Bandier 5. Doug Morris 6. Michael Rapino 7. Rob Light 8. Len Blavatnik 9. Tim Leiweke 10. Jimmy Iovine 11. Eddy Cue and Robert Kondrk 12. John Hogan 13. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter & Beyonce Knowles 14. Lyor Cohen 15. Randy Phillips 16. Emmanuel Seuge 17. Frank Cooper 18. Barry Weiss 19. Rob Stringer and Steve Barnett 20. Arthur Fogel 21. Marc Geiger 22. Dan Mason 23. Bob Pittman 24. Roger Faxon 25. Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams 26. Rio Caraeff 27. U2 and Paul McGuinness 28. Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman 29. Daniel Ek 30. Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald 31. Lewis W. Dickey, Jr 32. Peter Grosslight 33. Charles Attal, Charlie Jones and Charlie Walker 34. Robert Greenblatt 35. Van Toffler 36. Monte Lipman 37. Antonio "L.A." Reid 38. Joel Katz 39. Mark Campana and Bob Roux 40. Tim Westergren 41. Peter Edge and Tom Corson 42. Tom Poleman 43. Chip Hooper 44. Hartwig Masuch 45. Rob Cavallo and Todd Moscowitz 46. Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch 47. Nathan Hubbard 48. Jay Brown 49. Evan Lamberg 50. Jon Bon Jovi (Billboard Biz)

JACKIE CHAN WILL RETIRE AFTER NEXT MOVIE

Chinese action star Jackie Chan says his next movie will be his last - at least in the action genre.

The star of the "Rush Hour" series with Chris Tucker, as well as numerous other films including "Drunken Master" and "Rumble in the Bronx," is well-known for performing his own stunts in his films. But at the age of 58, he's made it clear he's going to be hanging up his stuntman clothes.

"Why (do) I have to use my own life to still do these kind of things?" he said. "I will still do as much as I can. But I just don't want to risk my life to sit in a wheelchair, that's all."

Chan wrote, produced, and directed his next film, "Chinese Zodiac 2012," in which he plays a treasure hunter searching for stolen sculptures of the Chinese zodiac animals. It will also mark the end of his career of risking his body - Chan is often cited as the actor with the most broken bones in film history, thanks to his affinity for performing his own stunts. But he says that with stunt doubles and special effects technology, he will still be able to appear in action films in the future.

In the meantime, Chan has become a noted philanthropist, raising millions of dollars for charities in his native China and around the world.

What's your favorite Jackie Chan flick?

"FRIDAY" STAR DODGES BULLET, FLEES B-DAY BASH AFTER GUNSHOT

Comedian Mike Epps reportedly had his birthday bash in Los Angeles cut short last night (November 19) after a gunshot led to clubgoers escaping and police getting involved.

Details of what reportedly went down in Hollywood's Tru nightclub surfaced online early Tuesday.

Someone fired a gun inside a Hollywood nightclub during a showdown between Mike Epps posse and other clubbers -- this according to law enforcement sources. Cops with really big guns (see video above) -- rushed to Tru nightclub just after midnight, responding to a call that a shot was fired inside the club, where the "Next Friday" actor was celebrating his birthday. According to law enforcement sources, a fight had broken out between Epps' camp and other clubgoers when someone pulled out a gun and fired a warning shot. (TMZ)

Rather than stick around, Epps fled the scene amongst other partygoers.

We're told everyone in the club ran for the doors, including Epps, who then fled the scene. No one was seriously injured ... but two women who were inside the club say they were trampled by panicked clubbers who raced for the exits. Another witness who was inside the club tells us, "Everybody scattered, everybody started fighting and everything." The witness says Mike had just arrived to the party when the gun went off ... and at that point the actor jumped in his car and left. Cops are currently investigating, and would like to speak with Epps to sort out what happened. TMZ shot footage of Mike arriving to party minutes before the shooting -- and he told us his birthday wish ... a "big booty girl." (TMZ)

Days prior, the Friday movie franchise star acknowledged fanswishing him a happy birthday.

"Appreciate all the Birthday Love! Thank you!," he tweeted November 18th. (Mike Epps' Twitter)

Coincidentally, fellow Friday After Next co-star/comedian Katt Williams ran into legal problems a few days ago.

Comedian Katt Williams was arrested in Oakland early Thursday morning on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Williams' tour bus was parked outside the Oakland Marriott when the alleged scuffle when down. An 18-year-old Berkeley man claims that Williams hit him in the head with a bottle on the bus, and police tracked Williams down several hours later and took him into custody. (SF Examiner)

NAS CAN'T ESCAPE MONEY PROBLEMS, RAPPER FORCED TO PAY BIG BUCKS

Rap veteran Nas continues to make headlines for his money woes and, specifically, his reported tax-related complications with the state of Georgia.

According to reports, the Peach State is looking to cash-in on Nas' fortunes.

The State of Georgia is rooting for Nas to make a fortune on his concert tour ... because the government just got the green light to garnish a MILLION BUCKS from his earnings to repay a massive tax debt ... TMZ has learned. The Georgia Department of Revenue has filed new legal docs in their effort to collect $1,083,435 from the rapper for taxes it claims Nas owes for the years 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010. (TMZ)

Rather than waiting on Nas to pay up, concert promoter Live Nation is getting forced to withhold fully paying him for his shows.

According to court docs, the GDR obtained an order commanding Live Nation -- the promo company behind Nas' tour with Lauryn Hill -- to garnish his wages until the dept is satisfied. The tour is currently underway, and Nas-- who's also on the hook for millions in unpaid taxes to the federal government -- is sure to make a boatload of money. A rep for Nas tells us the matter has recently been settled -- but the GDR insists the case is still open and they're trying to collect. Pay your taxes, people. (TMZ)

Last month, Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane poked fun at God's Son'spublicized money problems.

"Does Nas make a 150 blood money per week off a mixtape," Gucci asked in a video. "Yeah, blood money. Nas' f*cked up right now. Yeah. Me and you got [whips], I just bought me [something]. Don't you have a drop top? ... You got the white one, I'm getting the black one? Nas got one? [laughs]" (Hood Affairs TV)

The rap mogul lost one of his Georgia homes through foreclosure a few weeks back.

Life's a bitch ... Nas sang it and now he's living it ... because besides being knee deep in tax debt, TMZ has learned the rapper just lost his Georgia crib to foreclosure. According to official records, Nas purchased the 2-bedroom, 3-bath pad back in 2004 for $585,000 ... but according to SunTrust bank (which issued him the loan) ... Nas couldn't foot the bill and defaulted on the payments, still owing $507,000. SunTrust recently foreclosed on the property and then sold it to the highest bidder at public auction last month for $348,500 ... WAY LESS than the rapper paid eight years ago. It's a steal for the new owner -- the house is over 3,500 square feet with a walk-in pool and hot tub ... granite counter-tops ... custom theater ... gym and game room. (TMZ)

Republican Committee Proposes, Then Quickly Retracts, Proposal for Copyright Reform

On Friday, the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative Republicans, posted a brief that suggests a radical reset on copyright law -- one that appears to embrace the concepts of income redistribution and a progressive tax rate on all creators who seek to extend their copyrights. Moreover, it makes the argument by concluding that the changes suggested by the brief would "restore a constitutional copyright system" -- with the implication being that current copyright law is unconstitutional.

However, the brief was withdrawn the following day, with RSC executive director Paul S. Teller saying in an email obtained by Billboard.biz that it had been "published without adequate review within the RSC and failed to meet that standard." The news was first reported in Techdirt.

The quick removal of the brief -- which proposes to truncate term of copyright from its current life of author plus 70 years to 46 in total, and also builds in economic penalties to discourage copyright renewal for the complete 46 years -- has led some to speculate that the real reason for its withdrawal was pressure from film and music-industry lobbyists. A Washington source told Billboard.biz that the brief had in fact been officially approved before it was posted.

RSC Communications director Brian Straessle said, "On issues where there are several different perspectives among our members, our Policy Briefs should reflect that. This Policy Brief presented one view among conservatives on U.S. copyright law. Due to an oversight in our review process, it did not account for the full range of perspectives among our members. It was removed from the website to address that concern."

He added, "I know some want to point fingers elsewhere, but the simple fact is that we screwed up, we admitted it, and we hope people will now use this opportunity to engage in polite and serious discussion of copyright law."

A representative for the RIAA told Billboard.biz that the organization hadn't asked for the brief to be removed from the RSC website, but it appreciates that the RSC clarified that the policy brief did not meet the organization's own review standards.

"Appropriately, it appears the author is now distributing the work personally so that those who are interested may still have access to it, and that it is no longer erroneously being represented as an RSC view," RIAA senior VP Mitch Glazier said in a statement. "Debate is important. So is appropriate attribution of views. We appreciate that there are many thoughtful perspectives on ensuring that the copyright laws adequately protect creativity and culture while fostering innovation, and we look forward to an ongoing dynamic dialogue about these vital issue…we urge all those with views to similarly join in a healthy discussion that will benefit industry and the public."

The brief, which was written by RSC Congressional staffer Derek S. Khanna, argues that the Constitution did not create copyright law to benefit creators but rather "to promote the progress of science and useful arts." In Khanna's interpretation, the constitution meant to say that copyright law's "purpose is to lead to maximum productivity and innovation."

According to the brief, this is a major distinction because most legislative discussions on copyright law are premised upon what the content creators deserve or are entitled by the virtue of their creation, but Khanna argues that is an "inappropriate" interpretation.

Consequently, the brief proposes limiting copyright from its current term of the life of the creator plus 70 years, to 46 years, broken up into five terms with a progressive disincentive tax to discourage the renewal of copyright.

After the first 12 years of copyright for a work, the creator or their estate representative could renew for another 12-year term  but would have to give up 1% of revenue collected within the first term. When that second 12-year term expires, it would cost 3% of revenue collected during the second period to get a further six-year renewal and at the expiration of that time period, another six-year renewal would cost 5% of the previous six years. At the end of 36 years, the copyright would be eligible for one last 10 year-term, but it would cost 10% of all overall revenue during the 36 year-period -- or 10% of all the tax renewal fees paid during the 36 year period. (The paper is unclear on the final fee.)

It appears that by creating a disincentive penalty for copyright renewal, the author has created a mechanism to discourage owners  from re-filing for copyright renewal extensions by hitting them with a progressively higher tax for each period: The more lucrative a copyright is, the larger the refiling disincentive penalty.

In addition to questioning whether current copyright law is constitutional, the brief also argues that  copyright law creates a government subsidized content-monopoly with unjustly enforced massive damages up to $150,00 for each "willful" copyright violations.  The author further argues that content creators enjoy excessive copyright protection that stifles innovation and hurts the consumer.

For example, the brief argues that because current U.S. copyright is so strong it is retarding the robust culture of DJs and remixing. 

The brief concludes by claiming that the current copyright system picks winners and losers -- and the losers are new industries that could generate new wealth and added value. In other words, if copyright terms are cut in half, once the content creators can no longer generate income from their creation, it will lead to the creation of new industries that will be able to generate new wealth from those copyrights and add value.

GAME'S FIANCÉE SAYS SHE HEALED HIS 50 CENT WOUNDS: "I HELPED HIM WHEN HE FIRST LEFT G-UNIT"

West Cosat rapper Game's fiancée Tiffney Cambridge recently discussed her relationship with the hip-hop star and how they met following his fallout with 50 Cent in the mid-2000's.

Cambridge said their early friendship slowly developed into a strong romantic bond.

"Through my sister's kid's dad. His sister does hair in his barbershop, so when I would go get my hair done, I would see Jayceon there," Cambridge said when asked how they met, referring to Game by his government name. "He would flirt back and forth with me, then I would see him sometimes at some parties and he'd just be flirting like, 'Can I take you out?' and all that kind of stuff. ... We had a lot of fun together. When I was with him, I forgot about a lot of the grief that I was going through at that time [with my mother passing]. He helped me and I helped him when he first left G-Unit. We just really developed a unique friendship and through that we just kind of fell in love." (VIBE Vixen)

She also defended her past decisions of turning down Game's marriage offerings.

"The first couple of proposals were him doing anything just to get me back. When I left him, it was, 'Will you marry me? Come on, let's go down to the justice of the peace.' He would just do anything. The last one where he proposed to me at my school was probably the most memorable one, although I was mad at him for doing that because I was caught off guard. I just had gotten my wisdom teeth pulled, so I was in a lot pain. I was not at my best that day." (VIBE Vixen)

Recently, the former G-Unit member spoke on Cambridge's persistence on doing a reality show with VH1.

Regardless, Game said his 37-year-old fiancée "found the heads of VH1 and started taking her own meetings" to forge ahead with the reality show, a move he's concerned about since he's worked to keep his relationship out of the glare of media and public opinion. "I kept her away because I didn't want her in the light because I felt it could harm or hurt her," he admitted. "And she wasn't ready. It's a lot to deal with. And then on the other hand, I was trying to keep it player." (ABC News Radio)

He also recently revealed what careers Tiff would prefer to see him in.

"She would rather me be a fireman, even if I had to go sleep at the firehouse three nights a week. She's rather me be a policeman, even if it means I might die every night I go out to work," Game told MTV News of his lady, his co-star in VH1's upcoming reality series "Marrying the Game.""She'd rather me be a trash man, even if it meant picking up sh-- and shoveling dirt all day, than a rapper." (MTV)