50 Cent won't change his name – not even for the sake of tacos. The rapper is suing fast-food chain Taco Bell, claiming the restaurant has used his name without permission in a new ad campaign. As part of their Why Pay More? adverts, Taco Bell cheekily suggested that 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, change his moniker to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent.

Given that they didn't care about 50 Cent's approval, we wonder why Taco Bell didn't go even further – recommending he change his name to Oh Gosh Taco Bell Your Products Are So Delicious.

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Rapper and hip-hop mogul 50 Cent sued Taco Bell on Wednesday, saying the restaurant chain made him the star of its hip-hop themed ad campaign without his permission and without paying him a fee.

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, accused the Mexican-style fast food chain of "diluting the value of his good name" and employing a guerrilla advertising campaign to fool consumers into thinking he had endorsed the chain, said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court.

"Without seeking or obtaining Jackson's authorization, defendant Taco Bell made him the star and focus of its nationwide advertising campaign by using his name, persona and trademark to promote Taco Bell's business and products," court papers said.

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50 Cent has a great sense of humor — just listen to the ad libs on his dis records. But when it comes to other people trying to make money off his name, he's not laughing. The rapper sued Taco Bell on Wednesday (July 23) for making him an unauthorized spokesman for the chain in a recent ad campaign, Reuters reports.

The news organization obtained the legal papers, filed in Manhattan federal court, in which 50 and his lawyers allege that the restaurant chain engaged in some unjust promotion. Taco Bell released a letter addressed to 50 in which the company suggested he change his name for a day to "79 Cent," "89 Cent" or "99 Cent."

"We know that you adopted the name 50 Cent years ago as a metaphor for change. We at Taco Bell are also huge advocates for change. We encourage you to 'Think Outside the Bun' and hope you accept our offer."

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First things first: I can't stand 50 Cent. I thought his first single, '98s "How To Rob," was great and everything he's done since has been somewhere between lukewarm diarrhea and a steaming pile of shit. I just never got into the whole "I got shot 9 times, that makes me a great rapper" crap. A person's ability to rap doesn't have anything to do with their ability to retain lead. And rhyming "wanksta" with "gangsta" is the most retarded shit E-V-E-R.

On the other hand, I really love Young Buck, mostly because he's local, unrepentantly thuggish and he'll start shit with just about anyone—Lil Wayne, Dj Khaled, your mom—anyone. Plus he'll do stuff like this:

That's right, the dude stabbed a motherfucker for throwin' a punch at Dr. Dre. That's gangsta. Vitamin Water? Not so gangsta—in fact, I'd say that rebranding Kool-Aid for the Volvo-and-Dockers set is the least gangsta thing a person could ever do. Totally not cool. But where's the beef, you ask?

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Fitty Cent's street cred took a knock Thursday - but at least he proved he's fit to be a father.In a bizarre courtroom encounter that most rap stars would dread, Fitty was ordered to take a drug test before a Long Island judge would give him permission to take his son on vacation.

Fitty complied, the test came back clean and now he's free to take 11-year-old Marquise away.
The 33-year-old rapper, who once did time for selling crack, was in Suffolk County Court in Central Islip to ask Judge David Freundlich for permission to take the boy on vacation from Aug. 3 to Aug. 12.

Freundlich ordered the quickie drug test - at the request of the boy's guardian - and the G-Unit frontman did not hesitate."I haven't seen my son in a while. That's why I came here today," the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said after he passed the test."It was a little bit of a bomb," the legal guardian, Theresa Mari, admitted afterward.Mari did not object to the father-son get together once the test came back negative.

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50 Cent has been given visitation rights by a Long Island judge, who ruled in favour of the rapper - meaning Fiddy can now see his 11 year old Marquis.

50 - real name Curtis Jackson - and the boy's mother Shaniqua Tomkins, had to take drug tests at the hearing. Unfortunately for Tomkins however, her test showed she had cough syrup in her system (says TMZ.com), while Jackson was proven to be drug-free.

As such, the rapper was granted visitation rights and can also have an unrestricted visit between August 3rd-12th. A re-visit in court is scheduled for September 15th.

50 Cent has been given the right to see his 11-year-old son Marquis, after a Long Island judge ruled in the rapper’s favour.Both 50, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, and Shaniqua Tomkins were required to take drug tests before the judge granted visitation, with the result being that 50 gets an unrestricted visit with his son from August 3 – 12.

The rapper tested clean while Tomkins’ test reportedly showed up cough syrup, says TMZ.com.The courts will re-visit the parental access case on September 15.

As previously reported, Tomkins accused Jackson of being responsible for a fire at her home, and of threatening to kill her.He refused to discuss the case in detail, knowing his son will some day see the media coverage of the battle saying."I really don't wanna talk about it, because my son at some point will have the opportunity to see the tapes. She's still his mother, and I'm still his father, regardless. He's gonna love both of us.”

LUNCH BREAK: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz, getting a bite to eat at Cafe Med in Los Angeles.

FAMILY GUY: Ryan Gosling, bringing his mom and sister to jazz night at Hollywood hot spot Green Door.

MEATY COMEDY: Sarah Silverman, grabbing a burger at 25 Degrees in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

FAMILY JEWELS: Katherine Heigl, stopping into Avakian jewelers with her mom at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

GIGGLE FEST: Jamie Lee Curtis and hubby Christopher Guest, laughing in their orchestra level seats during Ricky Gervais' comedy show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

BLAME CANADA: Joan Rivers, having dinner at Schwartz's deli in Montreal while in the city for the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.

COLDPLAYA: Leonardo DiCaprio, having lunch with Lukas Haas at La Scala in Beverly Hills a few hours before hitting the Coldplay concert at the Forum with his girlfriend Bar Refaeli.

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In last week's Chicago Sun-Times, Kanye West’s management team was reported to be considering signing up the rapper for anger management classes. The article was released after an “insider” in the Kanye camp told the told the Sun-Times gossip columnist that they thought anger-management classes would improve West's own "personal psychological well-being and relationship with friends," as well as help him get some lucrative endorsement deals. However, West vehimently denied the allegations on his blog. He wrote, "the media is saying I'm going to anger management something or 'nother. I have never had any conversations about anger management." He jokingly added, "If anything, I need anger enhancement."

3 Doors Down will perform a two-song set before the 2008 MLB Home Run Derby which takes place Monday July 14 at Yankee Stadium. The Derby and one song from 3 Doors Down’s performance will be broadcasted live by ESPN. The band will perform their current single “Its Not My Time” from their new, self-titled album and their smash hit “Kryptonite” for the sold out crowd.

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50 Cent is known for being a lot of things in life. He's been known as a thug and is now mostly known as an impressive business man. However, with all of the glamor surrounding his music and movie star lifestyle, little is ever said Fif as a father. Curtis Jackson is now putting that as a priority as he fights to see his eleven year old son Marquis.

"I'm not going through a custody battle; just a transition," 50 told MTV. "I'd like to be able to just see my baby."While his son has traveled with him on major tours in the past, things have changed and their time together has been taken away."In the summertime, for the first two years I was successful, my son has traveled with us on those tours. He was on the Rock the Mic Tour, he was on the Anger Management Tour. This summer, when he's free, it's, like, no communication. It's tough."

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