Jessica Simpson at her Treats cosmetics launch in New York on Wednesday
Photo: Evan Agostini

Brooklyn Mint, a clothing line the Notorious B.I.G. started almost a decade ago, will finally come to life this year. T-shirts from the collection will debut at the Magic Fashion convention on Monday in Las Vegas and hit stores on March 9, the anniversary of Big's murder. The late MC's mother and managers are now spearheading the project and received help from Jay-Z to get the company off the ground. Jay and Big will appear together on a Brooklyn Mint tee called "Brooklyn's Finest." ...

Ever the entrepreneur, Jessica Simpson launched yet another fragrance product line on Wednesday in New York, what she calls the "fun and flirty kid sister" of her Dessert line. "Treats" are more affordable, simpler, single-note scents, coming in six varieties: bubble gum, lollipop, creamsicle, cotton candy, butterscotch toffee, and Jess' favorite, banana split. Her husband, Nick Lachey, was on hand to test out the "kissability" of the lip gloss, which, like the body lotions, shimmers, mists and creams, will be available at drugstores and Sephora. ... Nicole Richie is partnering up with someone other than Paris Hilton for her next reality role: Richie will star alongside DJ Adam Goldstein (a.k.a. DJ AM) in her upcoming gig as ... a wife. The pair, who have been dating for a year, have gotten engaged, according to The Associated Press. A wedding date has not been announced. ...

Longtime Doobie Brothers drummer Keith Knudsen died of pneumonia on Tuesday at age 56, according to a band spokesperson. Knudsen, who played on such Doobie hits as "Takin' It to the Streets" and "Black Water," joined the band in 1974 and played with the group on its 1982 farewell tour. He rejoined in 1993 after releasing four albums with his side project, Southern Pacific. ... Nas has teamed with filmmaker Spike Lee for his latest endeavor, "Miracle's Boys." Nas wrote and performed the theme song for the miniseries, which will premiere on the N on February 18. The six-part series chronicles the lives of three biracial orphaned teenage brothers living in New York's Harlem neighborhood. ...

In celebration of Black History Month, rapper Cormega will take over teaching duties for a "Black Culture/ Hip-Hop" class at Philadelphia's Temple University. The class, taking place February 18, will also mark the kickoff of Cormega's brief promo tour in support of his upcoming album, The Testament. ... Given the triumphant return of leg warmers and Mötley Crüe, it was only a matter of time before more '80s staples came out of hiding. Enter Warrant, who have announced that they began recording a new album on Friday with producer/engineer Pat Regan (Kiss, Mr. Big). The band hopes to release the album in the summer and tour behind it later this year. Good news for Warrant fans hoping to hear another "Cherry Pie": The band says on its Web site that the album will have "the classic hard rockin' Warrant sound that we all want to hear." ...

Ex-Libertines frontman Pete Doherty finally made bail on Tuesday after spending the weekend in jail on charges of robbery and blackmail, according to The Associated Press. His manager lent a hand by paying $185,000 of the $280,000 bond that Doherty had been unable to produce. The singer's label had already given the court the rest of the bond money. Doherty, arrested on February 2 after he reportedly fought with a man in a London hotel, was jailed on Friday. Now that he's out, Doherty has to attend drug rehabilitation, follow a 10 p.m. curfew, and be accompanied by a security escort whenever he leaves his home. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 21. ... As they prepare for the final weeks of shooting on their long-awaited feature-film debut, "Christmas on Mars" (due, naturally, at Christmas), the Flaming Lips are also gearing up to film the first video for their upcoming album, At War With the Mystics. The clip will be for the song "Mr. Ambulance Driver." Speaking of outer space, the band's bassist/guitarist, Michael Ivins, longtime Lips manager Scott Booker and Booker's wife have all snagged cameos in an upcoming episode of the soon-to-be-canceled "Star Trek: Enterprise." Booker, a huge "Star Trek" fan, said the trio will play miners. ...

The San Diego Padres may have finished six games out of first place in the National League West last season, but they're determined to at least have the best theme music in the Majors. So they launched "Rock the Padres," a call to musicians to pen the official theme for the 2005 season. Fans can go to Padres.com and choose from more than 120 submissions, from acts like the Buckos, Atomic Groove Featuring Carrie Weiland and, um, Gary Hoey (who scored an actual radio hit in 1993 with the song "Hocus Pocus"). Voting ends on Sunday. ... Apparently there's only room for one Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame in Cleveland filed suit against the online Jewish Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday alleging that the Web site, due to launch in March, infringes on the Rock Hall's name, according to The Associated Press. The suit — which comes one month after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the Jewish Hall's application for a name trademark — asks the Jewish Hall to cease using its name and asks for unspecified damages. ...

The Beastie Boys are joining Al Sharpton's call for KFC to enact reforms, and have sent a letter to the fast-food chain asking that it make its suppliers improve the lives of the chickens they raise for slaughter. "You need to require that your suppliers stop chopping off the beaks of birds and require that they stop breeding and drugging chickens to grow so big that they can't even walk," the letter reads. The rappers suggest that if KFC does as they ask, it will improve its business in the process, calling it a "win-win situation." ... Elton John's been called the "Rocket Man," but now, it's more like the "Jet Man." A colorful rendering of the singer sporting his trademark glasses adorns about 20 of AirTran Airways' planes as part of a promotion to demonstrate that those Boeing 717s feature complimentary XM Satellite Radio service on certain flights. ...

02.08.2005

Kanye West and John Legend teamed up Monday night to host a party at Duvet in New York. Legend performed his current single, "Ordinary People," and two other songs from his debut album, Get Lifted, to a packed house that included Missy Elliott, L.A. Reid and hip-hop power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé. ...

Hilary Duff has begun taking classes online from Harvard University. The singer is not a student at Harvard proper, nor has she gone through the school's notoriously difficult undergraduate admissions process, but she is auditing courses through the Harvard Extension School, a continuing-education program that allows the singer to take a few classes online, including sociology, so that she can cram some book-learning in between her music and movie projects. Her sister Haylie will also be taking at least one class with her. ... Fantasia, who was just tapped to co-host the 19th annual Soul Train Awards on March 12 with Brian McKnight, Nick Cannon and Nicole Richie, is deciding between "Baby Mama" and "Free Yourself" as the next single from her debut album, Free Yourself. Meanwhile, the LP was just certified platinum. ...

Stay with us here: Nickelback drummer Ryan Vikedal recently split with the multiplatinum Canadian rock group. Not long after, 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair bolted to join Nickelback — at least that's what 3 Doors Down singer Brad Arnold told Howard Stern on Tuesday morning; Nickelback's representatives would not confirm the defection. To confuse matters further, Puddle of Mudd drummer Greg Upchurch took leave from his band to play with 3 Doors Down on their current tour. A Puddle of Mudd spokesperson said Upchurch is just filling in temporarily while the rest of POM continue work on their next album. So how did all this inter-band shuffling come about? All three groups share a management company, though Arnold told Stern there is no love lost between his band and Nickelback. ...

With five nominations, including Artist of the Year, Avril Lavigne leads this year's pack of nominees for the Juno Awards, Canada's answer to the Grammys. Jazz songstress Diana Krall follows with four nods, while rapper k-os, Shania Twain, Simple Plan and Billy Talent all got three nominations. Since it just wouldn't be an awards show without a nomination for Usher, Mr. Entertainment will compete in the only category he was eligible for: International Album of the Year. He'll duke it out with Eminem, Green Day, Norah Jones and U2 for the award. The Juno ceremony takes place on April 3. ... The release date for Beanie Sigel's The B. Coming has been moved to April 12. Previously slated for December 14, the album is led by Beans' current single, "Feel It in the Air." Sigel, serving a year in prison for a gun charge, has filmed several videos for the album. ...

Lenny Kravitz has announced the dates for his Electric Church: One Night Only Tour. The 27-city North American trek — which will take Kravitz to smaller theaters around the U.S. and Canada — kicks off April 5 in Dallas. ... Kings of Leon have pulled out of a Japanese tour scheduled for later in the month due to a chronic injury in Caleb Followill's hand. The singer/guitarist is expected to be healed in time to perform February 21 on "Late Show With David Letterman" in support of the band's second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, due the following day. ...

Oasis will play four North American shows this summer, with opening act Jet, in support of their as-yet-untitled sixth studio album, due in late May. The shows are June 18 in Detroit, June 20 in Chicago, June 22 in New York and June 25 in Philadelphia. An Epic Records spokesperson said it's possible a few more dates may be added. ... Never one to half-step, Ryan Adams has announced plans to release three albums this year. Cold Roses, a double album, is slated for release on April 19 and is credited to Adams and his group the Cardinals. A pair of solo albums, Jacksonville (July 19) and 29 (November 1), will follow, accompanied by spring and summer U.S. tour dates. ...

• Notorious B.I.G.
• Jessica Simpson
• The Doobie Brothers
• Warrant

As a member of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, and as a session guitarist for Carly Simon, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr and many others, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter has been a clandestine rock and roll hero since the '70s. Now, as a specialist in terrorism, missile defense and chemical and biological warfare, he's also a covert hero for the U.S. military.

He's currently working for the Department of Defense as an adviser to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and has also served as a top military adviser for numerous congressmen and senators.

"To most of the world, Skunk Baxter is one of the great rock and roll guitar players. Inside the Beltway, he's one of the leading experts on military defense, and we listen to his advice all the time," said Republican California congressman Dana Rohrabacher. "He knows all about weapons technology and has a better understanding of the strategic game going on than I do, and I'm on the International Relations Committee."

Along with a roster of high-power politicians and military men, Baxter — who learned everything he knows about military defense from reading war history books, technical weapons texts and defense manuals — is now playing a key role in determining how the U.S. can best protect itself against a major nuclear, chemical or biological attack. And while he may be a big fan of the music of John Lennon, he doesn't believe in giving peace a chance, insisting that the mere threat of American military might isn't enough to sway the behavior of radical fundamentalists.

"I don't buy this idea of deterrence being the ultimate be all and end all, so missile defense is a very necessary concept," he said last week, adding that the U.S. needs to act defensively as well as offensively. "We need to protect our ports and our borders. We need to protect our water and food supplies. Agricultural terrorism is something we've been talking about for the past few years. The Russians at one time had placed warheads on their missiles that were designed to kill crops and livestock. In fact, they had smallpox on some of their offensive nuclear warheads at one point. So this is not a pretty game."

When Skunk Baxter speaks, people listen. At 52, he may look like an aging, non-conformist rocker — his scraggly moustache and beard look like clumps of sugary frosted shredded wheat and his beret and large wire-frame glasses give him an erudite appearance — but his creative, no-nonsense ideas and technical expertise endear him to his conservative military peers.

"Some of these people who are generals now were listening to my music when they were lieutenant colonels or lieutenant commanders, so there was a bond there," Baxter said. "But what they realized is that they're looking for people who think out of the box, who approach a problem with a very different point of view because we're talking about asymmetrical warfare here."

The idea that Baxter is being taken with sobering seriousness by a contingent that generally associates rockers with degenerates is amazing enough, but his transformation from guitar guru to high-tech defense wizard is even more incredible.

Like many musicians, Baxter has always been interested in how technology can be applied to music, and has become adept at working with the science of sound. He's served as a technical adviser for major musical manufacturers such as Akai Digital, Roland and Audio-Technica. And his fascination with circuitry and electronics stretches beyond the musical domain into the military realm. In the '80s, while his peers would drink beer and play video games on tour, Baxter would immerse himself in technical defense magazines.

"Technology is really neutral, it's just a question of application," he said. "For instance, if TRW came up with a new data compression algorithms for their spy satellites, I could use that same information and apply it for a musical instrument or a hard disc recording unit. So it was just a natural progression."

Baxter's evolution from defense technology hobbyist to professional happened more by circumstance than intent. A decade ago, one of his friends was writing an op-ed piece on NATO and weapons systems, and knowing Baxter's fascination with military gizmos, she asked if he would help out. He was so inspired by the project, he wrote his own paper on missile defense and handed it to Rohrbacher, who showed it to his associates.

"His friends said, 'Is this guy from Raytheon or Lockheed?' And he said, 'No, he's the guitar player for the Doobie Brothers.' So naturally that raised a few eyebrows," Baxter said.

Based on the paper, Republican Pennsylvania congressman Curt Weldon, the chair of the Procurement Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, invited Baxter to help form a civilian advisory board on missile defense.

"The next thing I knew, I was up to my teeth in national security, mostly in missile defense, but because the pointy end of the missile sometimes is not just nuclear, but chemical, biological or volumetric, I got involved in the terrorism side of things."

While Baxter is currently in demand as a defense expert, he's not ready to permanently trade in his signature Gibson Epiphone guitar for a cache of Stinger missiles. And his resume is mighty impressive. With the Doobie Brothers, he played on such hits as "Black Water" from the 1974 record What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits and "Takin' It to the Streets" from the 1976 album of the same name. As a member of Steely Dan, he played on "Do It Again" from the 1972 disc Can't Buy a Thrill, "My Old School" from 1973's Countdown to Ecstasy and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" from the 1974 LP Pretzel Logic. Over the past two years, he's played on records by MC Lyte, Michael McDonald, Tom Rush and Evan and Jaron, and in his spare time he continues to produce other acts and give guitar clinics.

"I am honored to be able to work on both sides of the fence," he said. "I will show up anywhere, anytime with a guitar and play to make money, to raise funds, to raise awareness for anything that I can do. And I've also spent many hours burning the midnight oil working on the national security problem with the people I work with. So I am absolutely blessed."

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

• The Doobie Brothers
• Steely Dan

Willie Nelson
Photo: Debra Meltzer

With hearts still heavy and anxiety high in the aftermath of recent terrorist attacks on the U.S., Farm Aid 2001 took on a more nationalistic tone, though organizers Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young were still adamant about farmers' urgent needs. "It's hard to focus on it this time because of so many other things that have happened that are tragic," Young said during his set, "but we've been fighting this battle for a long time."

The day-long concert, renamed Farm Aid 2001: A Concert for America, took place Saturday at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis, before a sold-out crowd of some 24,000.

"Now I'm gonna introduce a great American to do a great song, and we're gonna help him out," Nelson said at the outset of the six-hour portion of the concert telecast live on CMT. Arlo Guthrie took the stage to sing his father Woody's classic "This Land Is Your Land." Many in the audience held up American flags — some real, some printed on paper. American flags also formed the stage backdrop, along with an image of a farmer and a child on a tractor. Nelson, Mellencamp, Young, Martina McBride, Dave Matthews and members of the Doobie Brothers were among those who joined Guthrie as he kicked off the proceedings.

McBride grew up on a Kansas wheat farm and has appeared at Farm Aid four times. Nelson praised her for her ongoing support of the cause as he brought her on for an afternoon set. McBride entertained the crowd — including the throng on the sun-drenched lawn — for the better part of an hour. Her program impressed the Indiana audience and included "It's My Time," a cover of "I Can See Clearly Now," "Wild Angels" and "I Love You."

The crowd especially responded to McBride's vocal fireworks on "Broken Wing." Before closing with "Independence Day," McBride spoke to the crowd about the day. "With everything that's been going on in this country, I feel, for the first time in my life, what it really means to be an American," she said. "I'm so proud of the way that we are all standing together, united and helping each other through this incredibly difficult time, and I'm so proud of you all for coming out here today and helping our farmers, because they are the heart of America. We need 'em and we love 'em."

Nelson has said in the past, "It's a black eye on America ... that we've not taken care of our small family farmers." This year, artists and speakers were expected to encourage the Noblesville crowd and viewers at home to support an overhaul of a program that sends half the nation's federal farm subsidies to only 8 percent of its farmers. But in light of recent events in the U.S., the tone of Saturday's program was more muted than some have been in the past. "Farmers don't really want to get up there and complain about what's wrong with our country's farm policy," Jim Hoyer, farm policy coordinator for the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, told the Indianapolis Star. "I think everybody wants to work together and stand in solidarity against the terrorists' attacks."

At one point, Neil Young sported a ball cap that read "FDNY," the emblem of New York firefighters. "I just made a new friend backstage," he said. "Jim Lenox from Ladder 37 of FDNY is here, taking his first day off. He's been there since the first day." Collaborating with his longtime band Crazy Horse, Young performed a rousing, electrifying set that included "Don't Cry No Tears," "Love and Only Love" and "Rockin' in the Free World." Young wore a "Stop Factory Farms" T-shirt and said American family farmers are being undercut by big business.

Young introduced Matthews as "our newest member of Farm Aid Board of Directors." Playing solo, Matthews dipped into his latest release, Everyday. "I gotta try this song just 'cause I'm scared to do it, so I gotta try this song," he said before "I Did It." He also went back into his band's repertoire for "Satellite." Mickey Raphael, from Nelson's band, played harmonica with Matthews on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."

Playing to a hometown audience, Mellencamp and his band delivered '80s heartland anthems "Jack and Diane," "Small Town," "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." and "Pink Houses," among others. Between songs, the crowd chanted "U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A." "As far as this band is concerned," Mellencamp told his captive listeners, "all we wanted to do tonight is try to entertain you guys and maybe make your day a little nicer."

The Doobie Brothers, including founding members Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston, did a short afternoon set that included "China Grove," "Black Water" and "Long Train Runnin'."

Farm Aid started in September 1985 with a concert in Champaign, Illinois. Just 21 days after coming up with the idea of helping America's family farmers, Nelson had enlisted Mellencamp, Young and John Conlee to join him in the cause. The first concert played to 92,000 people. Among the 54 artists who helped were Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

In addition to this year's hosts and high-profile main acts, the event included performances by North Carolina's Acoustic Syndicate, Jimmy Reyser, alternative country favorite Chris Knight, blues artist Susan Tedeschi, Chicago singer/songwriter Alice Peacock and Kory & the Fireflies from South Dakota.

During the telecast, viewers were urged to contribute to the Fund for World Trade Center Green Market Farmers set up to help relocate five farmers' markets in lower Manhattan shut down by the terrorist bombings on September 11. Also during the event, Harold Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), accepted a $25,000 check on behalf of New York workers experiencing hardships as a result of the attack. Clear Channel Entertainment and the Verizon Wireless Music Center donated the money. Patchwork Family Farms of Missouri and Farm Aid are donating 5,000 pounds of meat to the relief effort. The truckload of food is expected to reach the New York City Central Labor Council's Support Center on Tuesday (October 2).

Headlining the concert, Nelson performed a medley of his signature songs: "Funny How Time Slips Away," "Night Life" and "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." Tedeschi took lead vocals on "Crazy," and the entire cast of Farm Aid 2001 joined Nelson on the concert-closing gospel classics "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "Amazing Grace."

MTVi's parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT.

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

• Willie Nelson
• John Mellencamp
• Neil Young
• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews

k.d. lang
Photo: Just Loomis

For years, Martha Stewart has offered menu and décor tips for fabulous outdoor parties and barbecues. Now she's providing a play list.

And judging by the selections on Martha Stewart Living: Summer Entertaining, due June 5, one might think it's not just pies getting baked at her backyard bashes. The disc includes smooth-groovin' songs by the Doobie Brothers, Donovan, Paul Simon and the Young Rascals, as well as soulful classics by Smokey Robinson, War, the Drifters and Manhattan Transfer. Stewart even gets a little fringey with cuts by Victoria Williams, k.d. lang and Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova innovator Joao Gilberto.

Summer Entertaining is the second offering in the Martha Stewart Living series. Last year she released Spooky Sounds for Halloween, a disc of rattling chains, barking dogs, beating hearts, bloodcurdling screams and other scary sounds.

But her record industry career isn't something new. In 1990 Stewart wrote the liner notes for Dinner for Two, a classical album featuring the works of Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Liszt and others. And between 1968 and 1979, she contributed backing vocals on no less than six albums, including Frank Sinatra's Trilogy. The complete track listing for Martha Stewart Living: Summer Entertaining:

• k.d. lang - "Summerfling"
• Donovan - "Sunshine Superman"
• The Young Rascals - "Groovin'"
• Bebel Gilberto - "So Nice (Summer Samba)"
• Paul Simon - "The Coast"
• War - "Summer"
• Dionne Warwick - "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
• The Doobie Brothers - "Sweet Feelin'"
• Manhattan Transfer - "Soul Food to Go (Sina)"
• Smokey Robinson - "Cruisin'"
• King Harvest - "Dancing in the Moonlight"
• Marshall Crenshaw - "Starless Summer Sky"
• Victoria Williams - "Water to Drink"
• The Drifters - "Under the Boardwalk"

• The Doobie Brothers
• The Drifters
• Paul Simon
• Donovan
• War