Lil Kim

Who knew there were so many rodeo fans out there?!?

A night after Ty Murray clearly put on the worst Dancing with the Stars performance, the cowboy husband of Jewel managed to stave off elimination. Instead, that dishonor fell to rapping ex-con Lil' Kim and her partner, Derek Hough.

While Hough referred to her as an "amazing soul [and] amazing spirit" soon after the show, he also admitted that his initial reaction to being paired with Kim was nothing short of sheer terror.

"I was like, I think I'm going to get shanked in the middle of a dance. I'm serious. But the second she walked in there she was like a beam of energy, so sweet and so nice. As the weeks went by, I just love her more and more and more and I'm really excited to spend some time with her without teaching her and drilling her."

As for the Lil' one, she took the surprise elimination well.

"I think this is one of the greatest experiences I've ever experienced in my life," she said.

In 2005, Lil Kim was found guilty of conspiracy and perjury for lying to a grand jury about her friends' involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the Hot 97 studios in Manhattan.

As a result, the rapper was sentenced to a year in prison... and ended up as part of the season eight cast on Dancing with the Stars!

According to Kim, fellow inmates loved this reality competition and encouraged her to try out for it; once she had paid her debt to society, of course.

"I'm a huge fan!" the Grammy-winner said. "When I was in prison, me and my girls used to watch it. My girls were like, 'Kim, you need to be on that show.' Everyone watched it faithfully. It's like the #1 show in prison!"

Lil Kim is partnered with Derek Hough on the show. She's psyched about that.

"I was hoping and praying that I got Derek for my partner," she said.

We're just hoping and praying Kim's nipples remain covered throughout the competition.

Lil Kim is back, folks.

The rapper who was jailed for perjury - but not for her horrific fashion sense - is stepping into the spotlight with a pair of new projects.

The first debuts tonight on The CW network: The Search for the Next Doll.

It centers around a competition among scantily-clad women to be the next member of The Pussycat Dolls.

''This is right up my alley,'' said Kim. ''I think [the producers] kind of know that I was born a Pussycat Doll ... 'I know for a fact I paved the way ... At the end of the day I proved that sex sells.''

And Kim Kardashian has since learned from such a lesson. Speaking of Kardashian ...

Lil Kim is also rumored to be dating K-Squared's sex tape partner, Ray J. The pair were spotted together at the Vibe Magazine pre-Oscar party.

Sorry, Whitney Houston, looks like you've lost another man. Although, it bears repeating, this one is Ray J. You might be better off.

We've already talked about the memorable Tori Spelling spoof of Clay Aiken and Kelly Ripa, and the awesome outfit rocked by sexy, newly-single supermom-of-two Britney Spears. But we're not nearly done with our American Music Awards news yet, thanks to the uber-gossip hounds at TMZ.

These guys have all the gossip, starting with Jamie Foxx, the Oscar winner and rapper, who flew solo to the soiree. It didn't take long to write down the digits of an unknown brunette (pictured). What a pimp!

Lil' Kim also hit the scene last night, dressed to kill in a revealing leopard print shirt of some kind. Photgraphers went wild trying to capture the rapper's rare public appearance, one of the few since her release from prison.

Kristin Cavallari ran into the club with her reported new beau, Nick Zano. Guess she is not really dating that ass bag Jason Wahler. Meanwhile, Nick Cannon took off with girlfriend Kim Kardashian. Slugger Jose Canseco of steroids fame was spotted with a blonde in animal print.

Also on the town were Nicole Richie, Snoop Dogg, teen starlet JoJo, and Nelly Furtado -- who was sporting some rather unfortunate bangs.

Who is the favorite rapper of former presidential candidate, John Kerry? Is it Eminem? Maybe. But that Snoop Dogg character is often a hoot, as well.

It's hard to blame a buy for flip flopping on such a pressing issue.

For one night, at least, Kerry only had eyes for one member of the rapping game: Lil Kim. The duo came together to celebrate the Children Uniting Nations national conference in D.C.

Seeing this twosome together is more shocking than news that Brody Jenner and Lauren Conrad have been hanging out. Or that Lil Kim is actually wearing clothes.

As George Bush crushes on Matt Lauer, we're left to wonder how two men with such power can only get close to these B and C-list celebrities. What's the matter, Senator Kerry? Is Scarlett Johansson out of your league?

Quick, take a look at these beautiful people and designer choices from this week's Emmy Awards. Lovely, aren't they?

Sear those images in your mind ... because you're about to see many worse examples of what happens when good people make bad fashion decisions.

Before tonight's MTV Video Music Awards, we thought it would be fun to take a look back. Over the years, this spectacle has led to numerous celebrities that looked far from REspectable ...

Yup, Paula Abdul has always looked awful at award shows. Just borrow Simon's black t-shirt next time, don't try so hard.

Hey, a pair of criminals! At least Martha Stewart looks fairly normal in this dark suit. Busta Rhymes, on the other hand? Ummm ... is that a dress?

Maybe this shouldn't be classified as a "classic" picture. After all, when it comes to Lil Kim, not much has changed.

Consider us speechless. When Prince sings at halftime of the Super Bowl, let's hope he wears a bit more.

Sure, Britney Spears' public image has taken a beating. But has it really fallen to the level of terrifying rapper and convicted felon Lil' Kim?

At least one high-profile publicist thinks so, and is trying to lure Mrs. Federline away from the dark side as a result.

In an e-mail sent to Britney's manager and leaked to Lloyd Grove, Tracey Nguyen of 5WPR writes that the pop princess is in a similar position as Lil' Kim (also Nguyen's client) was two years ago and in dire need of a thorough image rehabilitation.

For the record, Lil' Kim just got out of prison last week after serving a ten-month sentence for perjury. While nude Britney Spears pics showing off the singer's pregnant body in a magazine may never be construed as tasteful, she's clearly not in Kim's disturbing league.

But Nguyen echoes the sentiments of The Gossip and many other celebrity new sources when she attacked Spears' current public relations rep, Zelnick.

"I would never allow any of my clients to do an interview, let alone such an important one, without being there," Nguyen said, in reference to the pathetic display Spears put on in her Dateline NBC chat with Matt Lauer.

Zelnick shot back, stating that Nguyen "must not have taken PR 101, where they teach you that when trying to steal other people's clents, don't diss your own."

Regardless, Spears isn't taking her PR business anywhere, at least for the time being. After a couple of uncut scenes from season two of Chaotic hit the Internet, however? That could be a different story entirely.

Forget being patriotic this Independence Day; be Kim-triotic instead!

On Monday, a day before the nation's birthday, rapper Lil Kim will be released from prison. She's spent the last ten months serving a 366-day sentence for federal perjury, but is being let out early for good behavior.

"I am thrilled to be coming home," Kim said in a statement. "I thank all my fans for all their letters, as well as my family and friends for all their support throughout the past 10 months."

Mr. Rad could not be reached for comment.

Rumors of this news have been making the rounds since Tuesday's BET Awards, where the rapper's mother told reporters she expected her daughter to be released in the coming days. Now, Kimberly Jones is scheduled to leave Philadelphia Federal Detention Center on Monday at 6 a.m. She'll remain under house arrest for a 30-day period after that.

"We are pleased that Kim is coming home to start the next phase of her life," Kim's attorney, L. Londell McMillan, said in a statement. "She has accepted responsibility and handled herself in an exemplary manner."

DMX could learn a thing or two from her.