1115.org

This is a couple of weeks old, but since Sarabeth is otherwise occupied and I never have time to write anymore, I thought I’d share this insane story:

Rap performers “Foxy Brown” and “Lil’ Kim” were sued by Simon & Schuster Inc. over claims they accepted tens of thousands of dollars in advances while failing to deliver books they promised to write.

The publishing house, a unit of CBS Corp., said in separate lawsuits filed yesterday in state court in New York that Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, and Lil’ Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, signed contracts to write books.

Simon & Schuster said it paid Brown $75,000 under a 2006 contract for an autobiography tentatively titled “Broken Silence.” The publisher said Lil’ Kim signed a contract in 2004 and was paid $40,000 for an untitled novel.

“Both accepted the money and both books never were delivered,” Simon & Schuster spokesman Adam Rothberg said yesterday in a phone interview.

Apparently no one at Simon & Schuster knows what caveat emptor means. How could anyone expect Fox Boogie or the Queen Bee to write books? They don’t even write their own lyrics!