50 Cent and Bette Midler at the dedication of the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Community Garden
Photo: MTV News

QUEENS, New York — The gangsta gave a garden.

50 Cent gave a little more to his community on Monday morning (November 3): He and actress/singer Bette Midler were in the New York City borough of Queens for the grand opening of the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Community Garden on Foch Boulevard.

"I love 50!" exclaimed Midler, whose New York Restoration Project got 50's G-Unity Foundation involved in the project.

Midler, who described Curtis Jackson as a "giant" in entertainment, explained how she came to collaborate with 50. "We own 60 of these community gardens," she said. "We took ownership of this one. This one was a very successful one, but they wanted little renovations here and there. We looked all over town for a group that was interested in these sort of things. We found G-Unity, which is Curtis' foundation. They were interested. This garden is mainly for kids, and they do a lot of things with kids."

"It's exciting ... and it was an opportunity for me to do something for the actual kids in the community," 50 said. Fif reportedly ponied up more than $200,000.

The garden features plenty of flowers, a vegetable garden, a community area where people can have barbecues and movies will be shown — and also a rainwater-collection system. Instead of paying for water to be shipped in, the garden collects water and sends it into a tank underground, from which it can then be pumped. Fittingly, the garden was designed by a man named Professor Walter Hood, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of California at Berkeley.

For Fif, it was a chance to give back to the neighborhood he grew up in and to help his youngest fans. A couple dozen 3- and 4-year-old kids from local schools were present Monday morning not only to say thank you to the G-Unit general, but to sing a song ... about plants and vegetables. Hey, maybe Fif will start a G-Unit Jr. division one day.

"We're so glad that you're here with us/ How do you do?" the kids sang. "I'm a string bean/ Long and green/ Hanging from the vine ..."

50 addressed the locals who came out for the event from a podium.

"This a helluva opportunity, for me to collaborate with Bette," he said, after shouting to some friends from the neighborhood he hadn't seen in a while. "I didn't even know Lefty was out of jail," he said, looking into the crowd. "What's up, baby?"

On a more serious note, Fif also said that he expects children to utilize the garden more than adults, and that it was "exciting" to "directly affect their experience."

The MC-turned-philanthropist promised more events like this in the future, such as "50's First Annual 40 Day," geared toward the people who live in and around the borough's South Jamaica Houses (a.k.a. "40 Projects"). Also in the planning stages is "Baisley Day" for the neighborhood's Baisley Park, in which 50's community garden is located.

"We're gonna make it happen the way we been making it happen, right here," he told the crowd.

• 50 Cent And Bette Midler Collaborate

• 50 Cent
• Bette Midler

Pink
Photo: Arista

Pop star Pink, R&B vocalist Faith Evans and singer/actress Bette Midler are among the latest artists added to Sunday's massive benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Folk rockers America, best known for their 1972 hit "A Horse With No Name," round out the latest additions to the show, titled United We Stand — What More Can I Give, according to promoter Clear Channel Entertainment. They join a previously announced lineup that includes 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Michael Jackson (see "Janet Jackson Sending Video To D.C. Benefit; Carole King, Huey Lewis Added").

ABC-TV will air portions of the concert November 1 at 8 p.m. John Stamos will host the two-hour broadcast.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Red Cross Liberty Relief Fund, the Salvation Army Relief Fund and the Pentagon Relief Fund.

For more information on and audience reaction to the attacks, including tips on how you can help, see "9.11.01: Moving Forward."

Share your thoughts on the attacks in Afghanistan in You Tell Us.

• P!nk
• Faith Evans
• Bette Midler
• America

Lil' Bow Wow
Photo: Sony

Rapper Lil Bow Wow and renowned singer/songwriter Paul Simon are the latest artists to be named Grammy performers, though unlike Eminem and Elton John, they won't be performing together.

The Recording Academy on Monday also unveiled several more presenters, including Kid Rock, Mya, Joe, Melissa Etheridge, Bette Midler, Robbie Robertson and Stevie Wonder. The Academy named Simon — an Album of the Year nominee for You're The One — as a performer in its announcement, but did not mention Lil Bow Wow. But the teen rapper is another late addition to Wednesday's Grammy show, according to the Associated Press.

Comedian Jon Stewart will host the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angles. U2, Madonna, Moby, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, 'NSYNC and Faith Hill are among the acts slated to perform (see "Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray Performing At Grammys"). Simon has won 16 Grammy Awards in his career, including three for Album of the Year. He was also named the 2001 MusiCares Person of the Year and was honored with a tribute dinner, concert and silent auction Monday night. Shakira, Jimmy Smits and Lee Ann Womack have also been named presenters, joining a list that includes Sisqo, Carlos Santana and Erykah Badu. The Grammy Awards will air on CBS on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (live ET, delayed PT). (MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS.)

(MTVNews.com will offer complete coverage the night of the awards show, including up-to-the-minute news, Grammy-related feature interviews and a place for users to share their thoughts on the show with the rest of the world.)

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

• Paul Simon
• Bow Wow
• Kid Rock
• Mya
• Bette Midler