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      *If “Hustle & Flow’s” Djay thinks it’s hard out here for a pimp, he should try executive producing a film in the upcoming sequel.  According to the Los Angeles Times, the film’s director Craig Brewer, co-producer Stephanie Allain and actors Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson and DJ Qualls say they are still waiting for their promised cut of the $9 million John Singleton pocketed from Paramount-MTV for distribution rights. Singleton, on the other hand, is heated over being perceived as the bad guy.

      The production’s backstory has been told many times. When Hollywood rejected the “H&F” script at every turn, Singleton reached into his own pocket to complete much of the $3.5 million-budgeted film. At Sundance in January, a bidding war for the property jumped off with Paramount-MTV winning distribution rights for $9 million. The studio also gave Singleton an additional $7 million to develop two more films.

      According to the Times, Anderson, Allain, Howard, Anderson and Qualls had all worked for close to scale in return for a piece of the profits, but have yet to see a penny of their promised money. Paramount told the Times that Singleton began getting multimillion-dollar chunks of payment in the spring and had received 99% of the $9 million fee around the time of the film's July premiere.

       Even though the film grossed only $22 million at the box office, and much of the sum will go back to Paramount for the purchase and marketing of the film, Singleton is still contractually obligated to share his profits from the $9-million sale with the creative team, said Brewer's attorney Mark Litwak.

       "Paramount did pay the vast majority of the money eight months ago,” Litwak said. “Craig worked for modest wages, to say the least, and he was promised a very reasonable and customary share of the back end. The issue has been raised repeatedly with John over the last six months, and frankly a lot of people are furious with John. I find it amazing that so much of the goodwill that John had generated by going into his own pocket to get the movie made — a lot of that goodwill has been lost now that he hasn't paid."

       Singleton, meanwhile, says that Paramount only gave him an initial payment of $2 million in May, and the rest has slowly trickled in over the following months. All the while, he said, he's had to foot the bill for additional costs on the movie.

       "I took all the financial risk on the film," he said. "We made a collective decision to do a professional mix for the film, and that cost was not covered by Paramount. That was covered by me. They're dealing with me as an individual and not as a studio — I had to act like a studio. I was making sure that no one would get paid until after all the bills would get paid. I always planned to pay everybody by the holidays.

       "I don't like somebody saying I'm a shyster. I resent people making comments when everybody's life has been changed from 'Hustle & Flow.' Everyone has a career now."

      Allain, who sold her home to finance her daily living expenses during "Hustle & Flow’s" 22-day shoot, declined to comment. She and Brewer have a new production deal at Paramount and have busy making "Black Snake Moan," which is coincidentally also being produced by Singleton.

       "We're great," Singleton insisted of their relationship in the Time's article. "We just finished another movie that I helped get made. I got that greenlight before 'Hustle & Flow' came out. This is a matter of business."

                                     ------- New Music From Meli'sa Morgan  --------

Meli’sa Morgan is back with her brand new album, “I Remember… ” featuring her hit singles “Back Together Again” with Freddie Jackson, “I Remember…,” and “Will You.”  Album In Stores Now on Orpheus/LuAnn. Check us out at www.Orpheusent.com.