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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 12, 2003
A hip-hop network founded by music impresario Russell Simmons on Tuesday called off a planned boycott of Pepsi products, saying it had reached an agreement with the soft drink giant.
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which had threatened the boycott after Pepsi pulled an ad featuring rapper Ludacris, said the deal calls for Pepsi to make a multimillion-dollar donation over several years to the rapper's foundation.
But Pepsi spokesman Larry Jabbonsky denied Tuesday that the company had agreed to donate money to the foundation. He said Pepsi hadn't decided "how and to whom funding will be allocated."
Hip-Hop Network spokeswoman Jody Miller said the agreement was reached Monday night but some details were still being worked out.
If you missed Michael Jackson's 90-minute career killer Thursday on ABC, you're in luck, reports TV Guide Online. VH1 is scheduled to rebroadcast Living With Michael Jackson at 9 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. Monday.
ABC, meanwhile, is in talks to secure another airing of the British documentary later this week.
The surviving members of the Grateful Dead, who retired the group's name and dubbed themselves the Other Ones after the death of Jerry Garcia, have decided to rename themselves the Dead.
Bassist Phil Lesh, guitarist Bob Weir and drummers Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart will inaugurate their new name -- which has served as their nickname for years -- at a Valentine's Day benefit concert in San Francisco.