Vincent "Don Vito" Margera (file)
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

Vincent "Don Vito" Margera's fate on two counts of sexual assault is in the hands of the jury. Tuesday saw the presentation of closing arguments, during which Pamela Mackey, an attorney for Margera -- Bam's uncle -- argued that he had been in his "goofy, outrageous and vulgar" persona during his August 2006 Colorado mall autograph signing, during which he is accused of having groped three young girls. ...

Tony Yayo will stand trial beginning January 10 in connection with the case in which he is alleged to have roughed up the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond in March. According to Yayo's lawyer, Scott Leemon, the judge combined the cases of Yayo (born Marvin Bernard) and a man known as an "honorary" member of the G-Unit, Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher, who was also allegedly involved in the assualt, but whose relationship to Yayo Leemon declined to discuss. ...

Big brother and little brother teamed up Monday night: Jay-Z made a surprise guest appearance at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston during Kanye West's set at the JAMN 94.5 Monster Jam Concert. Kanye also brought T-Pain — who played his own set earlier in the night — for "Good Life." Lil Wayne, Fabolous, J. Holiday, MIMS and Akon also performed at the concert. ...

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz broke his foot during the band's performance Sunday night at the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans. Wentz uploaded a gory close-up photo of his severely bruised and swollen foot to his profile page on FriendsorEnemies.com. "For anyone who was at the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, you got to see me jump around," he wrote. "Ended up breaking the bone that connects my shin to my foot; no shows will be cancelled. I am currently trying to get a 'rocker' boot so I can have a walking cast. Currently, my foot is the size of a small car. If you see me at a show, come sign my cast." ...

Don't expect to see Britney Spears gracing the cover of Maxim anytime soon — the magazine has ranked her #5 on its list of the Five Unsexiest Women Alive. One slot ahead of her is Madonna, who Spears seems to be emulating these days, and they're followed by Sandra Oh, Amy Winehouse and the list-topper, Sarah Jessica Parker. ... Some people might not find Madge too sexy these days, but according to a new tome, "Madonna: Like an Icon," Tupac Shakur was more than just hot for her in the past — they actually dated. The book's author, Lucy O'Brien, claims the Material Girl dated 'Pac for one year in her mid-30s before the rapper's untimely death. O'Brien quotes a friend close to the singer, saying ultimately, the rapper's friends quashed the fling. "She was going out with him," one of Madge's friends said. "But homegirls were saying to [2Pac], 'I can't believe you're going out with a white girl.' " Madonna was then subsequently dumped, according to the book. ...

Linkin Park's outreach project, Music for Relief, has set its sights on a new challenge: helping Southern California recover from the devastating wildfires. The band has contributed $50,000 to Direct Relief International — a Santa Barbara nonprofit that has been providing medical supplies to victims — and the donation was matched by SanDisk Corporation, a flash-data-storage-card company. "The wildfires are an unfathomable tragedy," LP bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell said in a statement. "Being able to help victims of a natural disaster like the wildfires is exactly why Music for Relief was founded." The band is also encouraging its fans to make their own contributions through the Music for Relief Web site. ...

Common's still riding strong with his latest album, the recently released Finding Forever, but while he's looking forward, his former label is looking backward with a new compilation of early cuts. ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common, being issued by Relativity/ Sony Legacy, compiles 15 songs from 1992-'97 — but the enhanced disc has four video extras too: for "Take It EZ," "I Used to Love H.E.R.," "Retrospect for Life" (featuring Lauryn Hill) and "Invocation." It's set to street November 27. ... The Roc is in the building: Freeway hosted a listening session at S.O.B.'s in New York Monday night for his sophomore set, Free at Last, due November 20. The Philadelphia rapper previewed collaborations with 50 Cent, Rick Ross and Jadakiss, before Beanie Sigel hit the stage with him to perform their Just Blaze-produced classic, "Roc the Mic." ...

Reggae singer Beenie Man was released from a Kingston, Jamaica, jail on $21,000 bail on Monday after appearing in court on tax-evasion charges, according to The Associated Press. Authorities say the singer (born Anthony Moses Davis) owes about $661,000 in overdue taxes in Jamaica. He's due back in court December 3. ... The estate of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. filed a federal court motion on Monday claiming that prison inmate Waymond Anderson, who once implicated a former police officer in the killing of the rapper, was lying when he recently recanted his testimony. AP reports that the motion seeks access to phone and prison visitation records for Anderson, who is serving a life sentence for murder in a separate case. In an August 20 deposition Anderson said he lied about the alleged police involvement as part of a scam involving the slain rapper's family members and attorneys to win a monetary settlement from the city. The estate argued in its filing that the records will discredit Anderson's story and reveal who was behind his "wholesale assault on the truth." ...

A 20th-anniversary edition of the A Very Special Christmas album — featuring performances by No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Run-D.M.C., Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and U2 — will be released November 20. The package benefiting the Special Olympics will also feature the first-ever DVD collection of videos in the series' history, including performances from the 1998 and 2000 Christmas at the White House specials. ... Two anti-poverty groups co-founded by Bono, the ONE Campaign and Debt AIDS Trade Africa, will merge their operations in the U.S. to create a single organization that will be known as ONE. Reuters reports that the organization will continue to focus on poverty-relief efforts in Africa and the U.S., according to a statement from Bono, in which he said, "ONE and DATA are two organizations with the same outrage: Extreme, stupid poverty in the 21st century makes no sense when the resources and technology exist to do something about it. ... What makes sense is to harness these two forces into a single organization and redouble our efforts. One goal. One team." And in yet more U2 news, National Geographic Cinema Ventures will release a new film, "U2 3D," in late January. The movie will play in 3-D only, in select theaters worldwide. Filmed in South America during a series of U2 concerts on their Vertigo Tour, the film is the first live-action movie ever shot, produced and exhibited in digital 3-D, and strove to capture the intimacy between the band and its audience. ...

Slayer and Halloween are a match made in hell, and this year the metal titans have partnered with MySpace to spook fans into buying their new concert DVD, "The Unholy Alliance - Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted," which also features performances by Lamb of God, Mastodon and more. One of the clips from the DVD, Slayer's performance of their Grammy-winning song "Eyes of the Insane," will stream all day on MySpace TV on Wednesday. ... SoLow.com, which rewards visitors for making the lowest unique bid for prizes it offers, is giving one lucky fan a chance to spend Thanksgiving with the Osbournes. The winner will also get tickets to Ozzy Osbourne's concert in San Diego, as well as a few hundred bucks in cash and a hotel room in Los Angeles. ... Tom Cruise, meet the Sex Pistols. The actor and the notorious punk-rock legends are both slated to appear — and perform, in the case of the Pistols — on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Tuesday night (October 30). Republican presidential hopeful Representative Ron Paul rounds out the odd lineup. ... Forbes has released its list of the top-earning dead celebrities, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain no longer sits at #1 — that spot now belongs once again to Elvis Presley — the King's estate generated $49 million in the past year, while Cobain's name doesn't even make the list. At #2 is John Lennon, whose drew $44 million in 2007, while fellow Beatle George Harrison takes #4 with $22 million. Other musicians on the list include Tupac Shakur at #8 with $9 million and James Brown at #11 with $5 million. Bob Marley is at #12, having made $4 million this year. ...

In the end, nobody at the University of Florida got zapped. Andrew Meyer, of "Don't tase me, bro" fame, will not face any criminal charges for disrupting an appearance by Senator John Kerry at the university, according to AP. And the two police officers suspended while state officials investigated the incident — which became an instant viral phenomenon that spawned remixes, T-shirts and a short-lived cultural catchphrase — have been reinstated after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded that they acted properly when they tased the 21-year-old. ... If it's good enough for Radiohead, it's good enough for Paste. For the next two weeks, the music magazine will be offering one-year subscriptions to readers for whatever price they decide to pay. There's a minimum payment of $1, but anyone who ponies up more than the $19.95 the magazine typically charges for a year will be thanked in print in a future issue. ...

It's a long way from "Gangsta's Paradise" to "Oh!" but Coolio is willing to make the trip. The rapper has signed on to appear in a reality show called "Coolio & the Gang" for the women's cable network Oxygen that will begin airing in the second quarter of 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program will follow the Grammy-winning MC as he raises six teens by himself while trying to maintain his rap career and launch a clothing line in what is described as a real-life version of "My Three Sons." ... The Who are about to launch a subscription service for serious fans, who will get access to a huge library of video and audio content for $50 a month. According to a post on the band's Web site, beginning Monday, superfans will get a free, exclusive double-CD (View From a Backstage Pass) of live performances from 1969-'76 that will not be available in stores, a personalized Who e-mail address, discounts in the Who store, exclusive full-length videos, and streaming and paid download access to every Who song ever recorded.

Pierce Brosnan is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for alleged battery stemming from an incident that happened at a mall in Malibu, California, on Friday, TMZ reports. Robert Rosen, a photographer, claims that after he complimented Brosnan on his James Bond films, the actor began cursing and hit Rosen in the ribs. In response, Rosen kicked the actor, he claims.

Entertainment legend Robert Goulet died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles hospital, AP reports. Goulet, who was 73, had been awaiting a lung transplant after discovering last month that he had acquired a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. The self-deprecating Goulet was a Broadway star, Grammy Award-winning singer, TV show host and actor, appearing toward the end of his career in films like "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear," "Beetlejuice" and "Toy Story 2" (he voiced Wheezy the Penguin).

10.29.07

Gwen Stefani, a Southern California native, is reaching out to victims of the wildfires by donating proceeds of her Tuesday concert at San Diego's Cox Arena to local charity the San Diego Foundation, which is helping the community recover from the ongoing disaster. Stefani announced the effort on San Diego radio station 93.3 KHTS on Monday morning (October 29). "San Diego has always been so supportive of me throughout my entire career ... living in Orange County, it has always been like a second home to me," she said on air, according to a press release from her label. "When I heard about the devastation of the fires at first I felt I should cancel my show out of respect, but then it occurred to me there might be a more useful solution." San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders thanked her, according to the press release, saying the Foundation will use the funds to support its After-the-Fires Fund 2007 effort. ...

Kanye West is bringing his ego to the bookshelf. Following in the steps of his mother, Donda — who released her own book about the artist, "Raising Kanye," earlier this year — 'Ye has put his swagger to paper for "Thank You and You're Welcome," which he co-authored with J. Sakiya Sandifer. According to 'Ye's Web site, the book is a collection of "Kanye-isms" — "the creative, humorous and insightful philosophies and anecdotes used in creating my path to success," he said in a post. "It captures the same wit, playful irony, and piercing insight found abundant in my lyrics." It can be preordered on EchoTunes.com. ...

It seems OiNK's demise has given way to a new torrent site, according to Torrent Freak. Called "BOiNK," the site will be hosted by the Pirate Bay and will launch sometime this week. ... Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High will be expanded with five bonus tracks, three of which are live cuts. The embellished set is due November 20. In other re-release news, the Smashing Pumpkins' latest, Zeitgeist, will be re-released and packaged with a full-length DVD documentary, titled "Inside the Zeitgeist." Due in stores Tuesday, the set will also include three bonus cuts: "Ma Belle," "Stellar" and "Death from Above." ...

Since she was 13 years old, Jordin Sparks has been wearing a sexual-abstinence promise ring that her parents gave her — and the "American Idol" winner says she doesn't plan to take it off anytime soon. "I wasn't ever forced into [wearing the ring]," she told UsMagazine.com. "It's all about making the right choice and not putting yourself in that situation." Sparks, who admitted, "Temptation is always there," said her dream guy will have to have "nice teeth. They could be athletic and sing ... and play an instrument." ... Paris Hilton's planned trip to Rwanda caught a snag when Playing for Good, the foundation coordinating the trek, postponed it last week. But the heiress recently insisted to "Extra" that the trip will happen next year. "I feel like there's a lot I can do, and a lot I can do to help," she added. "I know [Rwanda] went through a lot of traumatic experiences, and I feel like if I go there, I can help save some people's lives." ... Lindsay Lohan's planned New Year's Eve party has just gotten a whole lot quieter. While UsMagazine.com reported last week that the starlet would be hosting this year's bash at red-hot Las Vegas club LAX, the news source now says she's backed out. A representative reportedly told UsMagazine.com that she will no longer be hosting the event, as the actress continues to focus on her work and sobriety. ...

Ozzy Osbourne is auctioning off the quad bike that nearly killed him. The 350cc Banshee still has a dented front bar and split rear guard from the 2003 accident, and is expected to fetch $3,000 in an upcoming sale of memorabilia by the star and his wife/manager Sharon. Bidding begins November 30 in Beverly Hills, California, with some of the proceeds earmarked for Sharon's colon cancer charity. ... Metallica played two acoustic performances over the weekend as part of the 21st annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The band's set included a number of covers, including Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate," Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains," Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page." John Mayer, Regina Spektor, Neil Young and others also performed at the event. ...

Sum 41 have been forced to cancel the remaining dates on their Canadian trek, as frontman Deryck Whibley is having back problems. Whibley is suffering from a herniated disc and has been ordered by doctors to avoid performing for the next six weeks, according to Pollstar.com. He is recovering at the Los Angeles home he shares with wife Avril Lavigne. ... Taking Back Sunday's Mark O'Connell recently underwent back surgery to remove a broken disc. "A disc broke off my spine, and they had to remove part of it," he wrote in a statement. "Everything turned out really great, just recovering right now and it's hurting a little. They said if I take care of myself really well, I'll be just fine." ...

Natalie Portman can't shake her "Garden State" music jones. The actress is putting together a charity mix tape for iTunes called Big Change: Songs for FINCA, which will benefit the organization that works to alleviate poverty in developing countries, according to Entertainment Weekly. The $7.99 album, due Tuesday, will feature exclusive songs and mixes from Norah Jones, M. Ward, Devendra Banhart, the Shins and Beirut. ...

Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Porter Wagoner died Sunday from lung cancer at age 80, according to a Reuters report. The Grammy-winning singer, known for his flashy rhinestone suits and blond pompadour hair, had been a member of the Grand Old Opry since 1957 and scored such hits as "Last Thing on My Mind" and "Green Green Grass of Home." He was also known for championing Dolly Parton in the early days of her career by singing a series of duets with the fellow country legend.

• Tony Yayo
• Jay-Z
• Kanye West
• Fall Out Boy
• Britney Spears

Beenie Man
Photo: mtv.com

The Reggae Gold Live concert, which was intended to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, has been canceled amid weeks of controversy since its announcement.

Some activists protested the inclusion of acts such as Beenie Man and T.O.K. in the show, which was set for July 18 at New York's Webster Hall. The protesters said those two acts in particular have expressed homophobic views in their music in the past.

Foxy Brown and Wayne Wonder were also on the roster.

A statement released by LIFEbeat, the show's organizer, reads: "While the organization's staff and board believe very strongly in the positive purpose and intention of this event, the possibility of violence at the concert from the firestorm incited by a select group of activists makes canceling the event the only responsible action."

LIFEbeat also said it will continue to support the LBGT community and that it didn't want to cancel the event.

"It is very unfortunate, however, that the intended good that could result from bringing this community together around this potentially groundbreaking event will not be realized," the statement continues. "The Caribbean-American community needs our help in bringing attention to this unspoken and often stigmatized illness."

• Beenie Man
• T.O.K.
• Foxy Brown
• Wayne Wonder

DMX
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

DMX is back behind the wheel — and back in trouble with police. The rapper was pulled over in White Plains, New York, on Friday and charged with numerous traffic infractions, according to The Associated Press. DMX (born Earl Simmons) was stopped while driving his 2001 Chevy Suburban at unreasonable speeds and was also cited for changing lanes in an unsafe manner. To boot, police claim he wasn't wearing a seat belt and did not have a driver's license on him. X was given a summons and will appear before a traffic-court judge June 16. Last year, DMX served a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to violating the terms of his conditional release. The charge stemmed from a June 2004 incident at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport during which X allegedly claimed to be a federal agent and tried to steal a car. ...

Lindsay Lohan's ears must have been burning before she walked down the red carpet Sunday night for the New York premiere of "A Prairie Home Companion," since her castmates — including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline and Virginia Madsen — were singing her praises before the actress was even in sight. Streep, who plays Lohan's mother in the movie, called the young actress "simply wonderful," while Tomlin, who plays Lohan's aunt, said one of the threesome's most emotional scenes together hinged on Lohan's performance. "Lindsay has this scene where ['APHC' host] Garrison Keillor says, 'I don't do eulogies,' and she gets really tearful," Tomlin said. "She's just overwrought. We did about five or six takes on that one, and the burden was really on Lindsay, and she was awfully good." Also at the premiere were James Franco, Jena Malone, Kurt Vonnegut, Lauren Bacall and "Grey's Anatomy" star T.R. Knight. ...

50 Cent is joining Rihanna, Beenie Man, Bounty Killa and Elephant Man on the bill of the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, set for July 16-22 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. One artist on the lineup has yet to be revealed, and the Sumfest Web site describes the mystery addition as having a "honey dipped voice and a face that has young ladies across the world weak." ...

Sometimes the Europeans simply have it better than we do. Over the weekend, Metallica performed their 1986 masterpiece, Master of Puppets, in its entirety not once but twice. They played it through on Saturday during the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, and then again on Sunday at the Rock Im Park festival in Nürnberg. The band performed the album's eight tracks — "Battery," "Master of Puppets," "The Thing That Should Not Be," "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "Disposable Heroes," "Leper Messiah," "Orion" and "Damage, Inc." — in the middle of each night's set. ...

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have found a way to show off their new baby while raking in big bucks for charity. The couple announced that exclusive images of their newborn daughter, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, will be licensed to media outlets via Getty Images. The photo service will not profit from the sale of the shots, which will instead go to charitable organizations. "While we celebrate the joy of the birth of our daughter, we recognize that two million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives," Jolie and Pitt said in a statement. "These children can be saved, but only if governments around the world make it a priority." ...

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody's throat is so damaged that the band was forced to postpone dates in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and Toronto. But fear not, fans: the Patrol have already scheduled make-up dates for the postponed shows. They'll play Toronto on June 25, Philly on the 26th and NYC the following night. Their Boston show has been rescheduled for August 15, and they promise to hit Montreal when they return to North America in October. "The elite triumvirate of our agent (Marty Diamond), our manager (Jazz Summers) and our tour manager (Neil Mather) sprang into action like some magical, yet functionary, ballet to reschedule the dates," Lightbody wrote on SnowPatrol.com. "For the most part, they will be added to the end of this U.S. tour in and around the last week of June. I hope that you can all make these new dates, and I'm sorry again for hassle." ...

Sleepy Brown, the Outkast protégé who appears on "The Way You Move," will release his debut album, Mr. Brown, September 26. The first single, "Margarita," features Pharrell and Big Boi. ... Shakira and Wyclef Jean made beautiful music together with "Hips Don't Lie" and now the track has made history. According to Nielsen data, the song was played 9,657 times on the radio last week, becoming the most-played song in pop radio history. Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" held the previous record, with 9,582 spins during the week ending June 5, 2005. ...

LL Cool J joins Diddy, Stevie Wonder and Tom Petty in the ranks of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Golden Note Award winners. LL's award will be presented June 26, when ASCAP will also honor R&B singer Bill Withers with a Rhythm & Soul Award during a ceremony held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. ... Master P and Lil' Romeo are joining country-music star Lee Ann Womack to perform for U.S. troops at the Homefront Celebration in Vicenza, Italy, on June 14. This is the second USO tour for Master P and Romeo, who performed at an event for soldiers stationed in Germany in March. ...

Avenged Sevenfold have posted their cover of Pantera's "Walk," which is featured on Kerrang! magazine's High Voltage compilation, on their MySpace page. ... Scissor Sisters fans can start counting down the days: The band's second album, Ta-Dah, has been fit with a September 26 due date. The release will be preceded by the disc's first single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'." ...

It's official: Fuel need to keep looking for a new singer. Former "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry confirmed that he's going to go it alone. While in Greensboro, North Carolina, for a homecoming celebration Saturday, Daughtry told The Charlotte Observer, "I'm going to be doing my own thing." The contest's favorite rocker, who was asked to front Fuel following his elimination from "Idol" last month, said he expects to announce his career plans after he finishes touring with the "Idol" top 10. The American Idols Live Tour kicks off July 5 in New Hampshire and wraps up September 24 in Pennsylvania. ... First Bun B revealed that he was escorting boxer Bernard Hopkins to the ring for Saturday's light heavyweight bout in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and now Nick Lachey, "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven and fighter Oscar de la Hoya are getting in on the action. Piven and de la Hoya will get the weekend's festivities rolling with a pre-fight party at the Borgata Hotel Casino's Mixx nightclub on Friday, while Lachey will hold court at Mixx the next night as host of the bout's afterparty. ...

Vince Welnick, 55, former keyboard player for the Grateful Dead, died Friday in what the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department termed a suicide, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Welnick, who also played with the Tubes and the Missing Man Formation, was the last in a line of Grateful Dead keyboard players who met tragic early deaths that sparked word of a curse, from original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who died at age 27 in 1973, to Keith Godchaux, who was killed in a 1980 car crash after leaving the band and Brent Mydland, who died of a drug overdose in 1990. Welnick played with the Dead until the 1995 death of leader Jerry Garcia ended the band's four-decade run. ... Carlos Santana and his wife are hitting Macy's Herald Square in New York on Monday to unveil a product that will satisfy those who have always wanted to smell like the guitar icon — or his songs. The Santanas will sign bottles of Carlos Santana, a men's fragrance that promises to be "a rich scent inspired by the music of Santana" at the event.

06.02.2006

Attorneys on both sides of the R. Kelly child-pornography case asked a Chicago judge on Thursday to prevent the public from viewing the singer's alleged sex tape with an underage girl. They said only the jurors, prosecution, defense and judge should see it — the prosecution contended that a public viewing of the tape would do the underage girl "irreparable harm." Defense and prosecution lawyers said the media could view the tape, however, a request Judge Vincent Gaughan is expected to rule on June 8, at the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the R&B singer is fighting another battle over a guardhouse in front of his gated estate in the Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields. Kelly built the guardhouse two years ago but only asked the village board for permission to do so in April. The village trustees rejected the request, so on Tuesday, the singer filed a civil suit, asking a judge to reverse the board's decision. In a previously filed suit, the village board also accused Kelly of improperly parking tour buses and trailers in front of his mansion, violating local zoning laws. ...

Alicia Keys and Gavin DeGraw will present and perform at the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards dinner, to be held June 15 at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel. Whoopi Goldberg and Dr. John will join them at the event, which will honor John Mayer, Kris Kristofferson and Peter, Paul & Mary, among others. ...

Looks like Guns N' Roses won't be opening for the Rolling Stones after all. The Stones put their European Bigger Bang tour on hold after Keith Richards was sidelined with a head injury last month, and now the band has announced that the Nürnberg and Leipzig, Germany, shows that Axl and the gang were set to play in July have been canceled. Richards is ready to get back on the road, however, and the Stones' European tour will kick off July 11 in Italy. "Excuse me, I fell off my perch," Richards said in a statement on the band's site. "Sorry to disrupt everyone's plans but now — it's full steam ahead! Ouch!" Rescheduled dates for postponed European shows are expected to be announced soon. ... Ghostface Killah, Mates of State, We Are Scientists Stellastarr, Northern State and You Hear It First veterans Margot & the Nuclear So and So's have been added to the lineup of the inaugural Desdemona Music Festival, set for June 23-24 at Sawyer Point Waterfront Park in Cincinnati. The 30-act lineup also includes previously announced artists the Walkmen, Fiery Furnaces and Annie. ...

Incubus singer Brandon Boyd will host the Surfrider Foundation's Celebrity Surf Jam, set for June 10 at Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California. "My friends and I have grown up surfing in California and we try to do everything we can to preserve the beaches and oceans that have afforded us the opportunity to surf," Boyd said in a statement. "Through our band, Incubus, we've been lucky enough to raise funds to donate to the Surfrider Foundation in the past. Celebrity Surf Jam is just one more way I can help raise awareness for the need to protect our coastal environments." ... Constantine Maroulis made a surprise appearance at the Vibrato Club in Los Angeles' Bel Air neighborhood on May 26 to debut a few new songs with producer Robin Di Maggio, who worked on the latest Paul Simon album. Ryan Cabrera and Sean Lennon were in the audience. ...

After recording portions of his Life album in Cairo, Ricky Martin returned to Egypt earlier this week to play a sold-out, two-hour show at Cairo's Media City. The Latin-music star had incorporated Middle Eastern music — as well as Asian music, reggaetón, and hip-hop — to make more of a global sound. The next stop on Martin's international tour is Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday. ... Ziggy Marley will release his second solo CD, Love Is My Religion, exclusively through Target stores. "One of my father's goals was to release an album independently," Ziggy said in a statement. "This album and the way it is being sold is important to me in honoring my father's spirit." ... Jurassic 5's Feedback is due in stores July 25, and the week before, the hip-hop group will launch a three-month tour set to make three-dozen stops across the U.S. The trek, which kicks off July 18 at Seattle's Showbox, will visit cities including San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago before wrapping up in Las Vegas on September 13. ... The Zutons have set an August 22 release date for their second album, Tired of Hanging Around. Stephen Street (Blur, the Smiths) produced the disc, which includes the single "Valerie."

[This story was originally published at 2:23 pm E.T. on 06.05.2006]

• DMX
• Lindsay Lohan
• 50 Cent
• Rihanna
• Beenie Man

Beenie Man (file)
Photo: Virgin Records

A British gay-rights group is demanding a genuine apology from Beenie Man after the dancehall star responded vaguely this week to disapproval over allegedly violent, homophobic lyrics.

Claiming his raps promote the killing of homosexuals, the organization OutRage! has for weeks been asking concert promoters to cancel Beenie Man shows.

In the Jamaican icon's "Damn," featured on various compilations, he raps, "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica/ Come to execute all the gays." Another compilation tune, "Han Up Deh," includes the lyrics "Hang chi chi gal wit a long piece of rope" — "chi chi" being a slang term for homosexual (also used on "Bad Man" from 1997's Many Moods of Moses).

"It has come to my attention that certain lyrics and recordings I have made in the past may have caused distress and outrage among people whose identities and lifestyles are different from my own," reads a Beenie statement issued by Virgin Records. "While my lyrics are very personal, I do not write them with the intent of purposefully hurting or maligning others, and I offer my sincerest apologies to those who might have been offended, threatened or hurt by my songs.

"As a human being," he continued, "I renounce violence towards other human beings in every way, and pledge henceforth to uphold these values as I move forward in my career as an artist."

OutRage! called Beenie's statement hollow.

"When someone is sincerely sorry, they acknowledge the wrong they've done and apologize to the persons they've harmed," OutRage! spokesperson Peter Tatchell said Thursday (August 5). "Beenie Man's statement doesn't do any of those things. He's panicked by the threat that he's gonna have concert cancellations all over the United States and Europe."

OutRage!'s campaign has already led to some cancellations in Europe, including a June concert in London, where police questioned the dancehall star about his lyrics. Later in the summer, when The Associated Press questioned Beenie about the lyrics, he said it was part of Caribbean culture.

"The idea that he suddenly had a genuine change of heart in the last two weeks is not credible at all," said Tatchell, who believes Beenie's statement is purposely vague so as not to alienate fans in Jamaica, which is considered one of the most homophobic places in the world, according to London's Guardian newspaper.

Tatchell also accuses Virgin Records of wrongfully attributing the statement to Beenie and claims it was written by the star's attorney during a phone call between himself and the lawyer on Friday. "He drafted it in the lounge at JFK Airport," Tatchell said. "Those are not Beenie Man's words."

Clyde McKenzie, the public relations chief for Beenie's management company, would not comment on who wrote the statement. Beenie Man himself was unavailable at press time.

"I will say that I'm not happy with what has resulted from the whole thing," McKenzie said. "I thought they wanted Jamaican artists to spurn violence against gays. I think [the statement] accommodates gays. I don't think one necessarily has to be specific, because the next thing you know, another group wants an apology. If he gives a blanket statement, that's a safe approach."

Earlier this week, McKenzie took to the Radio Jamaica airwaves to argue that Beenie's statement should not be called a haphazard apology because it was not meant to be an apology, and that Beenie has the right to continue criticizing a lifestyle he does not approve of. OutRage! has since called the comments an attempt to downplay the statement to Jamaicans.

"He said he does not advocate violence against any group of people because of their belief systems or value systems. I think that is a reasonable step to take," McKenzie said. "I also made it clear that [the statement] did not endorse a particular lifestyle. If you say a person should not be hurt because of what he believes in, you're not necessarily agreeing with it."

"This is not about making homophobic comments," Tatchell responded. "It's incitement to murder, which is a criminal offense. ... I just met with the chief law enforcement officer in Britain, and he is seriously considering bringing charges against Beenie Man, his record companies and record stores and radio stations who play his violent, homophobic songs. There's a possibility he will be prohibited from entering Britain on the grounds of committing incitement to murder."

OutRage! is now lobbying U.S. officials to ban Beenie from performing here and vows to continue the pressure until he apologizes and expresses remorse.

"It's also necessary for him to either buy up the CDs with his songs that encourage the killing of gay people or to donate royalties for those songs to an organization that supports victims of gay-bashing attacks," Tatchell said. "We can't accept any apology as long as he's still profiting from these songs."

OutRage! is also targeting dancehall star Bounty Killer for allegedly similar lyrics, as well as Buju Banton, who is wanted for gay bashing in Jamaica.

Beenie Man, who nearly died in a car accident in January (see "Beenie Man In Near-Fatal Car Accident"), released his latest album, Back to Basics, on July 20 (see "Beenie Man Brings It Back To Basics On New LP").

• Beenie Man

Beenie Man (file)
Photo: Virgin

Beenie Man's latest album, Back to Basics, hit stores on Tuesday. But the dancehall-reggae veteran is hardly giddy about it.

"This is my 28th album," he told MTV News on the day of his LP's release. "I'm ... what you say ... used to the feeling."

In March, just weeks after a life-threatening accident interrupted his recording sessions, Beenie Man promised that his new album would be, like its title suggests, a return to a more traditional dancehall style (See "Beenie Man On The Mend; More Traditional Dancehall Album Due In June"). He made good on his promise, avoiding the temptation of crossing over with hip-hop or R&B-influenced sounds.

"No real temptation there," he explained. "We do this music because we need our music. It's good to keep the foundation. You can always cross over if you want."

Sean Paul can be credited with being dancehall's ambassador to the American pop market, but Beenie man paved the road for him with his earlier work just a few years ago, collaborating with producers like the Neptunes and Timbaland and singer Janet Jackson.

"When I was doing it a few years ago, I was alone then," he explained. "Now I have help."

Beenie's return to basics has struck a chord with music fans, who are embracing his single, "Dude." Featured on that single is 17-year-old female dancehall MC Ms. Thing, who herself is due to come out with an album at the end of the year. Beenie feels a certain investment in her success. "She was just a schoolgirl that we turned into a superstar," he joked. "She's got a unique voice. If she's willing to work, she's ready to go."

After the imminent release of his next single, "King of the Dancehall," Beenie Man will embark on a small club tour of the States in August and then return in October for another trek.

• Beenie Man

Turns out the lull in record releases following the Fourth of July weekend was just the calm before the storm.

The Roots have been taking hip-hop to the next level for years, with a focus on live music and a full band backing up rapper Black Thought onstage and in the studio. This week, they release The Tipping Point, an album that borrows its title from Malcolm Gladwell's 2000 book of the same name, which explains how trends "tip" and become mainstream sensations, spreading like viruses.

Bringing the funny to this week's batch of new releases is Adam Sandler with his newest comedic effort, Shhh ... Don't Tell, his first release since 1999's Stan and Judy's Kid, which featured the second installation of the "Chanukah Song."

The Polyphonic Spree's latest, Together We're Heavy, (a title that is both literal, weight-wise, and ironic, sound-wise) hits stores this week. Meanwhile, They Might Be Giants release The Spine, their eighth full-length studio album.

KRS-One is back after just a year between albums. He releasesKeep Right this week, the follow-up to 2003's D.I.G.I.T.A.L. Dancehall star Beenie Man takes it Back to Basics on his new LP.

Jimmy Buffett gets even more laid back this time around, but it's OK: He has the proper documentation to mellow out for a while. The "Margaritaville" singer is releasing License to Chill. Blues Traveler, on the other hand, get a little more active with their live disc, Live on the Rocks.

Some other notable releases this week include Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards' Viking, Widespread Panic's Über Cobra, Dr. John's N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat, or D'Udda, the Fiery Furnaces' Blueberry Boat, Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby's The New Mixes, Volume One and Sparta's Porcelain.

Honorable mentions for creativity this week ... For best band name/concept: the George W. Bush Singers with Songs in the Key of W, an album of songs based on the president's speeches. For best album title: the Texas Thieves with Killer on Craig's List.

Out Tuesday, July 13:

• A Perfect Murder - Unbroken (Victory)
• Ancient - Night Visit (Metal Blade)
• Joan Armatrading - Live! All the Way from America (SLG/Denon)
• Beenie Man - Back to Basics (Virgin)
• Regina Belle - Lazy Afternoon (Peak)
• Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow and Billy Drummond - The Lost Chords (ECM)
• Blues Traveler - Live on the Rocks (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Live on the Rocks (Sanctuary)
• Jimmy Buffett - License to Chill (RCA Nashville)
• C.AARMÉ - C.AARMÉ (Burning Heart)
• Candiria - What Doesn't Kill You (Type A)
• Carbon Leaf - Indian Summer (Vanguard)
• Cattle Decapitation - Humanure (Metal Blade)
• The Cinch - Shake If You Got It (Punk Rock Dirtnap)
• Darlington - Euthanize Me (Disaster)
• DJ Clever - Troubled Waters (Gigantic)
• Dr. John - N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat or D'udda (Blue Note)
• The F Ups - The F Ups (Capitol)
• Ricky Fanté - Rewind (Virgin)
• The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat (Sanctuary/ Rough Trade)
• Michael Franti - Songs From the Front Porch (Boo Boo Wax/ iMUSIC)
• Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards - Viking (Hellcat)
• Von Freeman - The Great Divide (Premonition/ Koch)
• Funeral for a Friend - Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation (Atlantic)
• The George W. Bush Singers - Songs in the Key of W (True Believer/Oglio)
• Otis Gibbs - One Day Our Whispers (Benchmark)
• Gioia - Expose This (Koch)
• Dave Grusin - Now Playing: Movie Themes (GRP)
• Guttermouth - Eat Your Face (Epitaph)
• Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen - Heavy Juice (Concord)
• Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos - While the Music Lasts (Blue Thumb/ Verve)
• Ezekiel Honig - People Places and Things (Gigantic)
• Charlie Hunter Trio - Friends Seen and Unseen (Ropeadope/ Artemis)
• Incapacity - Ninth Order Extinct (Metal Blade)
• Indian Summer - Carbon Leaf (Vanguard)
• Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby - The New Mixes, Volume One (Concord)
• Klement Julienne - Panamerican (Dreyfus)
• Junior Jack - Trust It (Nettwerk America)
• Kool Keith & Kutmasta Kurt - Break U Off (Dmaft/ Oglio)
• KRS-One - Keep Right (Grit/ Inebriated Rhythm)
• Joe Maneri, Barre Phillips and Mat Maneri - Angles of Repose (ECM)
• Märtini Brös - Love the Machines (Poker Flat)
• Mutual Admiration Society - Mutual Admiration Society (Sugar Hill)
• Nanook of the North - The Täby Tapes (Hidden Agenda)
• Only Crime - To the Nines (Fat Wreck Chords)
• David Pack - Unborn (Oglio)
• Joshua Payne - Your Love, My Home (Blue Thumb)
• Guy Pearce - Soundtrack to "A Slipping-Down Life" (Koch/ Commotion)
• Amanda Perez - I Pray (Virgin)
• The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy (Hollywood)
• Rescue - Flamingo Minutes (Slowdance)
• Chris Richards - Tumblers & Grit (Lake Effect/ Emergent/ RED)
• Rogue Wave - Out of the Shadow (Sub Pop)
• The Roots - The Tipping Point (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Tipping Point (Geffen)
• The Roots of Orchis - Crooked Ceilings (Slowdance)
• The Saint - Grown Folk Music (Uncle Junior/ 7 Heads)
• Adam Sandler - Shhh ... Don't Tell (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Shhh...Don't Tell (Warner Brothers)
• Nikola Sarcevic - Lock-Sport-Krock (Burning Heart)
• Sheetal - Love of Ages (Artemis)
• Snapper - The Connect (Thump)
• Sparta - Porcelain (Geffen)
• Steel Pulse - African Holocaust (Sanctuary/ Ras)
• Ken Stringfellow - Soft Commands (Yep Roc)
• Tack Fu - 85 Decibel Monks (Rosemary)
• The Texas Thieves - Killer on Craig's List (Dr. Strange)
• They Might Be Giants - The Spine (Idlewild/Rounder)
• The U.N. - U.N. or U Out (W.O.R.L.D./ 456)
• Voetsek - The Castrator Album (Six Weeks)
• The Waxwings - Let's Make Our Descent (Rainbow Quartz)
• Widespread Panic - Über Cobra (Sanctuary)
• Various artists - 2XH Vs. HHR Vol. 1: Where Is My Robotic Boot? (Hydra Head)
• Various artists - Confuse Yr Idols: A Tribute to Sonic Youth (Narnack)
• Various artists - Jimmy Martin: A Tribute to the King of Bluegrass Vol. 1 (Koch Nashville)
• Various artists - The Blackest Album 4 - An Industrial Tribute to Metallica (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Tranquility: Music for Yoga & Meditation (Vanguard)
• Various artists - Soundtrack to "A Cinderella Story" (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Soundtrack to "My Architect" (Koch)
• DVD: "Latino Freak Show Volume 1" (Music Video Distributors)

July 20:

• Faces - Five Guys Walk Into a Bar (Rhino)
• Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope)
  Read: "Hives Album Preview: Out Of The Garage, Into The Laboratory"
• Ashlee Simpson – Autobiography (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Autobiography (Geffen)
  Read:

• Kevin Lyttle - Kevin Lyttle (Atlantic)
• Old 97s - Drag it Up (New West)
• Pearl Jam - Live at Benaroya Hall (Ten Club/BMG)

August 3:

• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Live (Vanguard Records)
• Cherie - Cherie (Lava)
• Marc Broussard - Carencro (Island)

• The Roots
• Adam Sandler
• Beenie Man
• The Polyphonic Spree
• KRS-One

Beenie Man (file)
Photo: Virgin

Just two months after a near-fatal car accident in his native Jamaica, veteran dancehall MC Beenie Man has almost fully recovered from his injuries. His punctured lungs are healing, and the cut that split open the side of his face is now just a dark scar.

"I'm a fast healer, I'm a strong man," Beenie said last week. In January, Beenie was involved in a single-car accident while driving on mountainous roads just outside Kingston (see "Beenie Man In Near-Fatal Car Accident"). By his own admission, he was speeding, and his wide-bodied Hummer couldn't respond in time to a sudden detour in the road.

"There was no time to turn or to stop so I went straight over," he recalled in his lyrical patois. "After the accident happened ... I looked in the mirror. I couldn't recognize myself. My face was big. My lip was big. So I just went back in the bed, lie down and didn't look in the mirror for three weeks, until my face come back to normal."

The accident happened just as Beenie's latest song, "Dude" (from the reggae/hip-hop fusion compilation, Def Jamaica), was starting to catch on in both dancehall and hip-hop circles. Despite the name he's made for himself with fans outside the dancehall genre, thanks to crossover songs like "Dude" and work with Janet Jackson and the Neptunes, Beenie is making his next album a more traditional dancehall album. Hence, he's calling it Back to Basics.

"Dancehall isn't [like] R&B and hip-hop. It's hard-core music. So when you take it back to basic, you're really giving the people [that] world," he explained. "It's for us to keep the music the Jamaican way, so they can feel exactly what it is." Beenie says the success of Sean Paul showed him that people in America respond to an indigenous Jamaican sound. "What Sean Paul did is great for business," he said. "I lift my hat higher to Sean Paul because he take the music to the level where I want to take it." Beenie is currently putting finishing touches on the album, which is slated for release in June.

Only some residual tearing in his leg muscles stands between Beenie and a full recovery. His brush with death, he says, has taught him that he can't take anything in his life for granted. "I have to take life more serious. See my kids more. Spend more time with my moms," Beenie said. "I almost lost everybody. They didn't almost lose me, I almost lost everybody."

• Beenie Man

Avril Lavigne's second album, the follow-up to 2002's Let Go, is slated for a May 25 release. The skater girl's collaborators on the untitled effort include former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody and Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida. ...

A Perfect Circle have added eight shows to their North American spring tour. The new dates begin April 17 in Indianapolis and run through May 1 in Holmdel, New Jersey. ... Kylie Minogue will appear on the first episode of the new season of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," which airs February 17. Minogue's new album, Body Language, comes out the same day. The first U.S. single from the LP is "Slow." ...

Following a car accident last month, Beenie Man is out of the hospital and recovering in his home in Kingston, Jamaica. He won't be able to participate in a Bob Marley festival in Long Beach, California, on February 14, though his spokesperson said he will be well enough to make the quick hop to Miami for a show the day before. ... Godfather of Soul James Brown has filed papers to seek an annulment from his 33-year-old wife, Tommie Rae, who had Brown arrested last week for domestic violence. Brown is looking for an end to the relationship, insisting she is still legally married to another man, The Augusta Chronicle reported. ...

Will Smith will make another guest appearance on UPN's "All of Us." In the special one-hour episode set for broadcast February 17, Smith plays Robert's college buddy Johnny, who rekindles the flames with Neesee. ... On reggae pioneers Toots & the Maytals' new album, True Love, the man who coined the term "reggae" (though he spelled it "reggay") gets much love from some friends. No Doubt, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, Phish's Trey Anastasio, the Roots, Bootsy Collins, Shaggy, and Keith Richards all appear on the LP, due April 6. ...

David Bowie is launching a second leg of his U.S. tour. The singer's next Stateside visit — with the Polyphonic Spree, Stereophonics and a to-be-announced guest switching off on opening duties — starts in Philadelphia on March 29 and concludes with two New York area shows June 4 and 5. ... Rapper Suga Free hit the jackpot by having Chingy and Morris Day, among other guests, on his second album, The New Testament (The Truth), due March 2. The LP follows Suga's 1997 debut, Street Gospel. ...

Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell and Blondie's Deborah Harry are scheduled to shoot a video on February 11 and 12 in Los Angeles' Griffith Park for "Patience Bossa," their duet which appears on the children's album A World of Happiness. Due March 9, the album features a host of stars, including Gary Oldman, Magic Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson. ... Monster Magnet's ninth album, Monolithic Baby, will be released in North America in March. The disc was produced by Scott Humphrey and features new members Jim Baglino (bass) and Bob Pantella (drums). Tracks include "Slut Machine" and "Supercruel." ...

Los Angeles alternapunks the Muffs are preparing to drop their first album in five years. The as-yet-untitled effort, which follows 1999's Hamburger, is in the mixing stage and tentatively scheduled for release this month. ... Barry Manilow is home recovering after a 24-hour stay in Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California. The singer was admitted to the hospital after complaining of chest pains on Saturday. ...

02.02.04

The Grammys just got regal with the addition of Prince and the princess of pop, Britney Spears, to the show's lineup. Spears, along with Keith Urban, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Joshua Bell, will present awards, while the purple one and Beyoncé are slated to perform. Tributes honoring the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' historic performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," featuring Sting, Dave Matthews and Pharrell Williams; and the legacy of the late Warren Zevon, with Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris and others, have also been added. ...

Reports that 50 Cent had an arrest warrant issued for him on Saturday in New York are false, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department. 50 was involved in an incident in the St. Albans section of Queens in which the rapper drove up to the set of a local hip-hop video shoot, got out of his car and feigned the firing of a gun. Police say the matter was investigated but quickly closed. ... A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Snoop Dogg that accuses the rapper of including an answering machine message in a song without permission. The suit was filed last March by a man who wished to keep his identity secret out of safety concerns. He sought financial compensation for the use of the one-minute message on a song from Snoop's 2002 album, Paid Tha Cost to Be Da Boss, expressing support for Snoop in his rivalry with record exec Suge Knight. ...

Seen recently at the Sundance Film Festival, Outkast's Andre 3000 is slowly making his way from the pop charts to the big screen. He's been cast in "Be Cool," the sequel to "Get Shorty," both of which are based on books by Elmore Leonard. Andre plays the leader of a rap group named the Dub MDs. The film also stars John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel and Cedric "The Entertainer." ... Wilco have joined the lineup for the fifth Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Also expected to be added are the Flaming Lips, who are dedicating the first half of 2004 to completing their consummate work-in-progress, the film "Christmas on Mars." They're hoping to be finished by spring, at which time they'll begin work on the follow-up to 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots with producer Dave Fridmann. ...

"Billy S." singer Skye Sweetnam is checking into the Onyx Hotel. The 15-year-old Canadian will open for Britney Spears on her upcoming tour, which also features Kelis. The outing begins March 2 in San Diego. ... Fefe Dobson will begin a new tour on February 18 in Cleveland. Dates run through March 3 in Boston. Toby Lightman will join the trek starting February 19 in Pittsburgh. ...

Rapper Turk remains in Shelby County Jail in Tennessee on $750,000 bond following his arrest for first-degree attempted murder last week. Meanwhile, police have acknowledged that one of the two officers shot in the drug raid in which Turk is alleged to have been involved was actually injured by friendly fire. Earlier, the county sheriff's office said none of the 12 police officers in the raid had returned fire, but it now says ballistic tests show SWAT officer Jason Pagenkopf was hit in the neck with a bullet used by sheriff's deputies. ... Last November's AIDS benefit concert in Cape Town, South Africa, which featured Beyoncé, U2, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Geldof and Paul Oakenfold, was recorded for a three-CD, two-DVD set, due April 5. The show, dubbed "The 46664 AIDS Benefit Concert" after the identification number former South African President Nelson Mandela wore during his imprisonment, was organized by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. ...

Soft-rock crooner Barry Manilow was hospitalized with chest pains due to stress on Saturday. The 57-year old singer had just returned to his Palm Springs, California, home after a trip to New York. ... The White Stripes are the first band slated to play this summer's Reading and Leeds Festivals in England. The duo were scheduled to perform last year, but the fractured hand Jack White sustained in a car accident in July prevented the band from playing. ...

Mike Patton's left-field supergroup the Fantômas will embark on a monthlong jaunt beginning March 25, though an itinerary has yet to be confirmed. Following a European trek thereafter, drummer Dave Lombardo will get back to work on the next Slayer record. Lombardo's other project, Grip Inc., will release their fourth album on March 16. ... Taproot will head to Chicago in two weeks to record a collaboration with former Smashing Pumpkins/ Zwan frontman Billy Corgan. The band also recently worked with Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter. Both tracks are slated for the next Taproot album, due later this year. ...

A Station fire benefit concert that raised $6,000 is now at the center of a battle over who should receive the money. The band that headlined the show, Draw the Line, wants to distribute the cash to all Massachusetts residents affected by the Rhode Island blaze. However, 22-year-old pianist Arthur Conway, who suffered lung damage and burns in the fire, has sued, claiming the March 8 show was scheduled strictly to help him pay his medical bills. The cash is currently in escrow in Boston while the Massachusetts attorney general's office reviews Conway's lawsuit. ... Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic will perform a free concert in Longview, Washington, on Friday to encourage young people to register to vote. The show is part of Music for America, a series of shows and voter-registration drives to be held across the country. ...

Alien Ant Farm will start a 14-date North American tour Thursday in Sacramento, California. Dates run through February 21 in College Station, Texas, after which the band will head overseas. ... Björk has plans to release a complete box set of all her singles in April, according to her Web site (www.bjork.com). The box will include every single, remix and white label ever issued in her name, including those tracks and mixes released in other countries. Last spring, the singer released a box set of live recordings and accompanying DVDs. ... Atmospheric rockers Broken Social Scene won't be relaxing anytime soon. February 10 will see the release of the Valley of the Giants' debut, which features members of BSS, Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Do Make Say Think. Then on March 23, Broken Social Scene will release Bee Hives, a collection of B-sides and outtakes. ...

• Avril Lavigne
• A Perfect Circle
• Kylie Minogue
• Beenie Man
• Chingy

Beenie Man was moved from the Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine to the private St. Joseph's Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, on Thursday after undergoing surgery following his single-car accident earlier that morning. In a statement, police said they believe Beenie Man was speeding in his Hummer and not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, which occurred along a stretch of the Mandela Highway that was under construction. He is expected to stay in the hospital for at least three weeks. ...

Ron O' Neal, who starred as the uptown drug dealer Youngblood Priest in the 1972 blaxploitation classic "Superfly," died Wednesday night after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 66. While the film was criticized for glorifying the lifestyle of the inner-city drug dealer, O'Neal's character was celebrated by a generation of rap stars, such as Snoop Dogg, who mimicked his sartorially regal street style in his music videos. ... Willie Nelson and Toby Keith will perform at the Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game show on February 1 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. They join previously announced acts Aerosmith and Josh Groban. ...

A hearing held on Thursday to determine whether C-Murder will get a new murder trial has been postponed until Wednesday. According to the rapper's attorney, the court is awaiting testimony from one of the key prosecution witnesses who appeared in the original trial. The witness was expected to appear at the hearing, but the prosecution claimed that it could not locate her to serve her with a subpoena. The defense is now trying to track the witness down to do so. In the previous hearing on December 12, prosecuting attorneys argued that they did not know that the witness was a convicted felon and had no method of finding out this information because her criminal record had been expunged. At the hearing this week, it was established that the witness' criminal record was on file, accessible, and had been there for over a year. ...

Aaron Carter, singer and brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, dropped his request for legal emancipation from his parents after meeting with a family lawyer on Sunday. The request stemmed from allegations that his mother, Jane Carter, had taken more than $100,000 from his bank account without permission. Only two days later, Jane, who separated from Aaron's, father, Robert in March, was arrested for assaulting her estranged husband's new girlfriend, Ginger Elrod. Carter allegedly broke a window to get into her husband's home and then attacked Elrod, pulling her from the bed by her hair and beating her. ... Michelle Branch and Gavin DeGraw are going to college — 18 of them, in fact. They, along with newcomers Joe Firstman and Michael Tolcher, will hit the road this spring on the Virgin College Megatour. Besides the performances, concertgoers can experience an interactive village and receive special giveaways. A full itinerary is expected to be announced next month. ...

The 14th Annual Tibet House Benefit concert hosted by composer and artistic director Philip Glass will feature ex-Talking Heads singer David Byrne, Kinks frontman Ray Davies, Bright Eyes, Keb' Mo', Yo La Tengo as well as a few surprise guests. The show will take place on February 25 at New York's Carnegie Hall. ... R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst will appear on the debut album from Now It's Overheard, a band fronted by Oberst's bandmate, guitarist Andy Lemaster. The album, called Hold on Love, is due March 9. ...

SoCal punks Pennywise will hit the road once again to support From the Ashes, their seventh album, which dropped in September. The five-week trek begins January 21 in Atlanta and runs through February 29 in Minneapolis. Guttermouth, Bleed the Dream and Stretch Arm Strong will open the shows. ... A new collection of music from late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia and mandolin virtuoso David Grisman, Been All Around This World, will be released on March 23. The seventh release culled from collaborations between the two will include covers of Bob Dylan's "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" and James Brown's "It'll Go Crazy." ...

Following a successful reunion tour last fall, Primus will play another 14 shows starting February 24 in Kansas City, Kansas, and running through March 13 in Washington, D.C. The band is playing with its original lineup for the first time since 1996. ... Skye Sweetnam, whose single "Billy S." was featured on last summer's "How to Deal" soundtrack, will release her debut album, Noise From the Basement, on April 20. The 15-year-old co-wrote and recorded the album in the basement of her parents' home with 21-year-old multi-instrumentalist James Robertson. Included are a cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and the girl-power anthem and first single "Number One," which Eric Valentine (Good Charlotte) co-produced. ...

01.15.2004

P. Diddy received the Entrepreneur of the Decade Award from the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition on Wednesday night. Exactly which decade wasn't mentioned, but we're assuming it was related to Diddy's decade-long stewardship of Bad Boy Records. The award was presented on the closing night of Jackson's Wall Street Project Conference, a gathering to discuss minorities in business. Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, Andre Harrell (Diddy's former Uptown Records boss) and Doctor Dre ("Yo! MTV Raps") were also in attendance. ...

Forget "golden tickets." Fans of Beck can win one of his pets. The folksy rocker is giving away his pet bunny rabbit Rocket (seen in the video for "Lonesome Tears") in celebration of the upcoming release of his Sea Change DVD. Fans are being asked to submit an essay through Beck's Web site (www.beck.com) on why they should be entrusted with Beck's animal. One person will win Rocket while four others will win autographed copies of the DVD. The deadline for entry is February 3. ... Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte will appear on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" Thursday (January 15) at 7 p.m. ET to discuss their song "Hold On" and its video, which features real people whose lives have been affected by suicide. ...

The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne will face the music and several questions on March 19, when he is the subject of the SXSW Interview, at this year's South by Southwest Music Conference, set for March 17-21 in Austin, Texas. Artists performing this year include Liz Phair, David Cross, N.E.R.D., Papa Roach and the Walkmen. ... A new song by Duran Duran, "Sunrise," a Chemical Brothers remix of Kylie Minogue's new single, "Slow," and remixes of Sting's "Never Coming Home" and Elton John's "Are You Ready for Love" will be featured on the soundtrack to "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," which comes out February 10. The record will also include Jamelia's U.K. hit "Superstar," the Fischerspooner vs. Billy Squier medley "Everybody Wants You to Emerge," the Basement Jaxx's "Good Luck" and songs by Junior Senior, OK Go and Liz Phair. ...

Fans can catch Nick Lachey's role as crooner Tom Jones on "American Dreams" sooner than expected. The episode of the NBC series on which he appears has been bumped from a March airdate to February 15. ... Fresh off the launch of his record label, BME Recordings, Lil Jon is heading back to the studio next week to begin work on the third Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz album. According to his spokesperson, the album is called Crunk Juice and is scheduled for a September release. Crunk Juice is also the name of Jon's forthcoming energy drink. ...

The Donnas are working on their next album, the follow-up to 2002's Spend the Night, with producer Scott Litt (R.E.M., Incubus). The ladies expect to drop an LP in August. ... Queen's 1976 single "Bohemian Rhapsody," Johnny Cash's 1969 prison album Johnny Cash at San Quentin and Led Zeppelin's 1969 self-titled debut are among the 33 recordings newly inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. A total of 639 titles have been honored since 1973. ...

Anthrax are looking for a few good metalheads for the video for "What Doesn't Die," the next single off their latest album, We've Come for You All, which dropped in May. At 6 p.m. on Monday, the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles should be teeming with fans eager for cameos in the clip, which was conceived by comedian Brian Posehn, best known for his work on the short-lived but long-heralded HBO series "Mr. Show With Bob and David." ... Former Smashing Pumpkins and Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur and her band Auf Der Maur have been tapped to open up for A Perfect Circle on a European tour that starts January 20 in Lisbon, Portugal. Auf Der Maur's self-titled debut, prefaced by first single "Followed the Waves," is scheduled to drop May 4. ...

Former Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland is being tried in Northampton Crown Court in England for sexually abusing a mentally impaired 17-year-old boy who took drum lessons at his house in December 2002. The drummer faces one charge of attempted rape and five counts of indecently assaulting the teen. A second man, 22-year-old Spiros Laouitaris, is charged with four counts of indecent assault in the same incident. Both defendants deny the allegations. The boy's parents encouraged him to take drumming lessons to improve his self-esteem, and after their son took lessons with Holland for a while, they allowed the boy to spend nights at the drummer's house. The boy's parents first found out about the alleged molestation from a letter he sent them. The trial will continue Friday. ... James Lawrence, guitarist for British indie band Hope of the States, was found hanged at Real World studios, a recording studio near Bath, England, owned by Peter Gabriel. Lawrence's body was found Thursday at around 4:30 a.m. Hope of the States were planning to release their debut album in the spring. ...

The British music industry is taking a page from its U.S. counterpart and is cracking down on illegal file-sharing. On Tuesday Andrew Yeates, the director general of the British Phonographic Industry, said the organization intends to increase awareness of the unlawful practice and enforce its copyrights if the warnings are ignored. ...

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Beenie Man
Photo: Virgin

Dancehall veteran Beenie Man was involved in a near-fatal, single-car accident early Thursday morning in his native Jamaica.

The vocalist was driving by himself from his home in Kingston to a dancehall party in Mandeville, approximately 50 miles away, when his Hummer overturned while trying to negotiate a road under construction.

According to a spokesperson, the accident occurred around 4 a.m. just outside the hills of Mandeville. Beenie was taken to a nearby hospital and had emergency surgery Thursday afternoon (January 15) to stop internal bleeding and damage to his ribs and lungs. He will remain in the hospital under observation for three weeks.

While he is expected to recover, his spokesperson said it was not clear how this accident would affect the future of his recording career.

Beenie Man, whose real name is Moses Davis, has been one of dancehall's preeminent MCs since the early 1990s. Before Sean Paul infiltrated U.S. pop music, Beenie Man was the collaborator preferred by hip-hop and R&B artists. He has worked with Mya, Janet Jackson and the Neptunes, among others. He had been in the studio preparing a new album for his U.S. label, Virgin, due later this year.

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