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Gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and his bodyguard McKinley Lee were acquitted of murder Tuesday in California Superior Court. Mr. Doggy Dogg (a.k.a. Calvin Broadus) and his bodyguard were charged in the Aug. 25, 1993 shooting death of Philip Woldemariam in what prosecutors claimed was a gang-related incident spurred by an earlier encounter between the rap star and the victim. The defense stated the shooting was in self-defense, and that Lee shot Woldemariam from Dogg's Jeep only after the victim reached for a weapon. Don't count on it taking too long for Snoop to get back into the studio and wrap up the follow-up to his platinum debut, "Doggiestyle" for Death Row Records, home to other outstanding community members such as 2Pac and Dr. Dre ... In other legal news, The Black Crowes were in court and on Court TV (which Columbia Cable of Ann Arbor doesn't offer, because they think we'd rather be watching Home and Garden Television and 10 channels of public access) on Monday, as defendants in a lawsuit filed by a former manager of the band. In the motion filed by Kevin Jennings in Fulton County, Ga., the band's former manager claims he was under contract with the Crowes and is entitled to one-sixth of the band's earnings. The Crowes claim to have released Jennings for a mere $300 back in 1990 ... Get excited, because the Grammys are coming! Yeah! The awards will be broadcasted on CBS from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Feb. 28. The 38th Annual Grammy Awards give awards to what they think are notable recordings released between Oct. 1, 1994, and Sept. 30, 1995. This year's big nominees include Mariah Carey, Joan Osborne, Seal, TLC, Alanis Morissette, Michael Jackson, Hootie and the Blowfish, U2, the Eagles, Pearl Jam and Neil Young. Some of the more interesting nominations include: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, new renditions of the Eagles "Hotel California" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" are nominated. Some of the more comical nominees (as if Alanis isn't bad enough) include Gwar, for "S.F.W." from the "S.F.W." soundtrack, and Van Halen's "The Seventh Seal" for Best Hard Rock Performance.

-- Brian A. Gnatt

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