50 Cent, the Southside, Queens rapper, has never been one to shy away from trying something new. When people wondered if bullet proof vests could be worn in a fashionable way, 50 exclaimed “Yes!” and lead the way. When hip-hop fans had long forgotten about Ja Rule, 50 would not let Rule go peacefully into musical oblivion; instead starting beef with him and giving Rule more press than he had received in years. And when people thought there was no way 50 could make a worse album than Curtis, he proved everyone wrong with the release of Before I Self Destruct.

What’s next for 50? How about a comedy website? Popeater reports that Thisis50Comedy.com will launch tomorrow, starting with a comedy show in Times Square that will stream live on the site. The show will be hosted by Young Jack Thriller, who provides content to Thisis50, 50′s entertainment website. There’s not much on Thisis50Comedy right now, but we’re sure that will change soon.

FishbowlNY obviously enjoys poking fun at the rapper, but check this out: If you’re interested in being there for the launch show tomorrow you can get tickets for only $2.99, and the proceeds are going toward a relief fund for Japan. Nicely done Mr. Cent.

Back in April Harper Collins announced it was launching HarperStudio a new imprint to be headed by Bob Miller, which would forgo the continually escalating bidding wars and book advances that are threatening to sink the publishing world, in lieu of a profit-sharing model, i.e., the writer gets less upfront (Miller says deals won’t top $100, 000) and a larger percentage of the profits.

This means that we aren’t acquiring the same books that other publishers are trying to acquire. In the beginning, we missed the adrenaline rush and the thrill of outspending our competitors. But as anyone who has ever gone to an estate auction off some roadside in Vermont knows, this also means that we aren’t buying things in the heat of the moment, furniture that we start regretting before we’ve barely lifted the broken pieces into the back of the car.

Senior editor Julia Cheiffetz tells us “We are asking some of the larger questions: In our oversaturated media environment how can we make books exciting and relevant and cool? as well as trying to face the very practical issue of returns and skyrocketing production costs.” So what kinds of books are they acquiring? Hint: Isabella Rossellini, Mark Twain, and 50 Cent are all on the list.

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If you haven’t heard “This Is Why I’m Hot,” the lyrically-challenging smash hip-hop single from Washington Heights-born MIMS currently enjoying the number one song slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, you will — most likely at an awkwardly quiet moment in a packed elevator as some pasty white guy’s ringtone.

Yep, “This Is Why I’m Hot” has surpassed 1,000,000 in ringtone sales — more than double the sales of the single itself — an impressive for any artist this side of 50 Cent, particularly one whose album isn’t even out yet. (Capital Records smartly signed MIMS and will release his debut, Music Is My Savior, April 3.)

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Sia Michel, friend of 50 Cent and one-time Spin editor ousted during the magazine’s sale last year, is joining the New York Times as pop music editor. The internal memo via Gawker:

Sia Michel Joins Culture

The departure of Tom Kuntz to the Week in Review created an opening in culture. I am pleased to report that Sia Michel will fill it, joining The Times as pop music editor. Sam Sifton introduces the newest addition to Culture.

Sia brings to The Times both the gifts of a writer and the strategic perspective of an editor. She has been laboring in the fields of freelance journalism for the past year, writing often and well for The Times, as both a critic and profilist.

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