Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra
Photo: Vince Bucci/ Getty Images

Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra are separating, Electra's rep confirmed Monday.

The couple, who got married November 22, 2003, documented their courtship on "Carmen & Dave: An MTV Love Story" and then their wedding on "Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen + Dave," which aired for seven episodes in early 2004.

"Thanks to MTV, we can give our kids a DVD package about how their parents met and wed," Navarro joked in January 2004 to MTV News (see "Dave Navarro Reveals Reality TV's Little Secret"). "And maybe MTV can document our childbirth. I got some making-of home footage, then I think we're gonna do some kind of C-section delivery, so perhaps MTV can come in and shoot that."

The couple, however, didn't have any children before deciding to call it quits. Electra's rep described the split as "amicable."

Navarro addressed the split on his Web site early Tuesday morning (July 18).

"I just want to say thanx for all of your love and support," he wrote. "I'm sure that you can understand that I wish to keep all personal matters private."

Navarro and Electra spent long periods of time apart, as she shot movies and performed occasionally with the Pussycat Dolls and he played with the Panic Channel and Camp Freddy and hosted "Rock Star." Their time apart often sparked rumors that a split was imminent, but Navarro disputed those rumors on his Web site, writing April 16, "So regarding all the gossip ... Are we getting a divorce? Are we having a baby? Are we doing sex aerobatics? Well, none of these things are true. However, I wouldn't mind trying the sex aerobatics thing!"

As for Electra, she seemed happy with the union during a recent interview in the August issue of Self magazine, which hits newsstands next week. She discusses jamming with Navarro to Led Zeppelin songs and taking a trip to the paint store, where they bought canvases, paints and brushes so they could create art together.

"Sometimes you get so caught up in stuff that you're not really living," she told the magazine. "I'm the most secure in myself now, so that makes me feel happy. I've felt bad long enough, and I'm over it. Now I always like everything to be fun."

Navarro and Electra started dating after being set up on a blind date through a mutual friend. For their wedding invitations, David LaChapelle shot them naked as if they were dead in the morgue.

Both Electra and Navarro were married previously. Navarro wed his first wife, Tanja, in a pagan ceremony in 1990 and married his second wife, Rhian, in a civil ceremony in 1994. The second marriage was annulled after a month. Electra married former Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman in a Las Vegas ceremony after briefly dating in November 1998, but the union was annulled after nine days, with Rodman claiming he had been too drunk at the time for the marriage to be valid.

Electra attributes her impulsive marriage to the deaths of her sister and mother just three months prior.

"I just tried to keep big things constantly happening, so I didn't have to focus on what was really going on," she told Self magazine. "I surrounded myself with people — I didn't really care what kind, so long as they distracted me. I couldn't be by myself for one second."

After a year of trying to avoid the grief, she was "sick of being sad," she told Self. "I did a complete life change. I had friends to let go of, a marriage [to Rodman] I needed to get strong enough to walk away from. I moved. I changed my number. I really tried to get my focus back, do some healing and let myself cry. I needed to be alone and I needed to feel."

• Carmen Electra
• Dave Navarro

Britney Spears' <i>In The Zone</i>
Photo: Jive

A trademark-infringement suit proceeded against Britney Spears on Thursday (September 9) in a San Diego court, where athletic-clothing company Lite Breeze expanded its lawsuit over the use of the phrase "In the Zone." The company claims Spears' use of its slogan as the title of her last album is causing marketplace confusion, and Lite Breeze filed a motion to add Britney's clothing company, Britney Brands, as a co-defendant. Lite Breeze attorney Kathleen Walker said she anticipates the trial will start next year...

Britney's mom, meanwhile, is coming to her defense regarding the singer's recent no-shows at her performing-arts camp and the Video Music Awards. Lynne Spears wrote on the singer's Web site that her daughter was "devastated" that she couldn't make it to the camp because of her doctor's orders, which is why she tried to watch it on a satellite feed. "After 15 minutes into the show, the connection was lost," Spears wrote. "The camp promised to send Britney a tape of the entire performance so she could watch it. We were able to get the connection back up during the dance later that night, and Britney was able to talk to all the campers for a little bit." The singer's mother also made light of all the rumors about her daughter's impending wedding to Kevin Federline, saying that, "if you believe the press, Britney and Kevin have been scheduled to be married every weekend since they got engaged. It all really makes me laugh." ...

In yet more Britney news, a commercial for her Curious perfume — starring the singer in a steamy hotel situation — is slated to debut September 17 on her newly launched Elizabeth Arden Web site. Even steamier, Spears has designed a corset called A Man's Dream for an upcoming lingerie auction hosted by Frederick's of Hollywood to benefit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Susan Sarandon is hosting the event, which takes place in Los Angeles on October 20. Fans wanting to bid on corsets designed by celebs — including Spears, Sarandon, Geena Davis and Edie Falco — can also bid online at www.fredericks.com. ...

Gwen Stefani's solo record, still untitled, now has a release date. According to No Doubt's Web site, her debut is due November 23. ... Lance Bass is appearing in the movie he produced after all. "Lovewrecked," starring Amanda Bynes, just finished principal photography and will feature the 'NSYNC singer in a cameo role as "Dan," a cell-phone-toting assistant to the manager and publicist for the rock star marooned on a tropical beach with Bynes' character. Bass shot his scenes in the Dominican Republic. ... There's nothing lamer than having your favorite CD labeled with a black Sharpie (except perhaps paying $17.98 for it), so Green Day are giving their fans a solution. For $7.99, they'll sell you a five-pack of blank CD-Rs emblazoned with the color artwork from each of the band's four albums, plus one disk that features a rare band photo. ...

R. Kelly is heading a benefit concert for the Congressional Black Caucus on Friday in Washington, D.C. The concert, part of the Annual Legislative Conference, hopes to raise money for scholarships. "I'm privileged and honored to be invited to help such a distinguished group raise money for such a worthy cause," Kelly said in a statement Thursday. "I can't think of anything more important to support than education." ... As if marrying Dave Navarro weren't enough, Carmen Electra is hunting down the most delectable guys in America. She's hosting Bravo's upcoming reality competition "Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model." The show is slated to last eight episodes, starting October 12, and will involve 15 men competing for a one-year contract with the IMG modeling agency. ...

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan are getting into the restaurant biz. They're joining forces with Fuel frontman Brett Scallions to open Snitch, a New York club and restaurant that'll cater to both insomniacs and rockers alike by remaining open 24 hours on the weekends. ... "No Quarter: Unledded" — a concert film chronicling the 1994 reunion of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant — is finally being released on DVD. The repackaged album of the same name will also be available on CD; both are due October 26. The film originally premiered on MTV and features the pair performing 17 tracks, such as "Kashmir" and "When the Levee Breaks," in a variety of locations including Marrakech, Morocco and London. The DVD will also include the extra track "Black Dog," filmed at the American Music Awards, and the bonus video "Most High," a 13-minute interview with Page and Plant. ...

PJ Harvey is hitting the road this fall for a nationwide tour to promote her latest album, Uh Huh Her. Harvey had previously hit the West Coast in August and is this time concentrating on other regions of the U.S., starting October 1 in Minneapolis and closing out in Detroit on October 14. ... On November 2, Capitol Records will release Acoustic, an album of acoustic recordings by John Lennon. Songs on the disc include a live version of "Imagine" as well as versions of "Dear Yoko" and "Love." Of the 17 tracks on the record, seven are being released commercially for the first time. ... The lineup for the 18th annual Bridge School Benefit has been announced. Paul McCartney, Sonic Youth and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals are among the musicians joining event founder Neil Young on October 23 and 24 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The Bridge School teaches children with severe speech and physical impairments. ...

9.08.2004

The new album from Destiny's Child is going to be called Destiny Fulfilled and will hit stores November 16. The first single, "Lose My Breath," is being sent to radio this week. Meanwhile, Beyoncé and her mom/stylist, Tina Knowles, have announced the name of their clothing line, due in the fall of 2005. The House of Dereon is named after Beyoncé's grandmother, who worked as a seamstress and started Tina's lessons in fashion. "To me, this is the greatest way to enter into the fashion world," Beyoncé said in a statement Wednesday. "Inspired by my grandmother, working with my mother, and pursuing a dream we all had for many years, establishing an important fashion company." ...

One of Jennifer Lopez's prized possessions has become a casualty of Hurricane Frances. A 28-foot Regal boat J. Lo had docked outside her Miami Beach mansion was shown little mercy by the devastating storm. A salvaging crew was called in on Labor Day to dispose of the shredded yacht. The boat was not the same one J. Lo used to arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards. ... Genocide in Sudan, a benefit CD featuring songs from System of a Down, Jill Scott, Jurassic 5, Yoko Ono and Danger Mouse, hits stores November 23. All profits will go to the United Nations Refugee Agency and UNICEF to help build awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. ...

Court documents released Tuesday reveal some of the evidence that will be admitted and other evidence that will likely be suppressed in the Michael Jackson child-molestation trial. In the documents, originally filed August 20, many of the items taken during the Neverland Ranch raid and tentatively admitted into evidence — previously only identified by number — are briefly described, such as a dozen computers, a camera, videotape recordings, a tissue, books, bags, various paperwork, an audio cassette recorder, a cassette titled "Earth Song 6-8-89," keys to the master bedroom, an envelope, print ads, a letter, and a case with phone-recording equipment. As for items that are likely to be suppressed, police also confiscated photographs from the Neverland arcade, additional photos found in a safe, a book on robotic dogs, a November 2003 calendar, a Garden City Hotel bag, medicine bottles, a medical log and daily entry logs for the ranch. The next hearing in the case is scheduled to start September 16. ...

A posthumous release from Elliott Smith is about to hit shelves this fall. The DVD "Elliott Smith - Olympia, Washington" features the late musician's solo set on the closing night of the five-day Yoyo A Go Go festival in 1999, including such songs as "Independence Day," "Stupidity Tries," "Easy Way Out," and "See You Later." It's due on November 30 ... Influential post-punk outfit Wire are releasing a DVD/CD set that showcases the only known recording of one of their '70s performances, taken from their oft-bootlegged hour-long studio concert slot on the German rock music show "Rockpalast" on February 14, 1979. "Wire on the Box," due October 26, includes songs such as "Pink Flag," "Former Airline" and "A Touching Display," as well as a 20-minute interview with the band. ... Former Dismemberment Plan singer Travis Morrison will release his debut solo record, The Republic of Travistan, September 28 on Barsuk Records. In anticipation of the album, Morrison has been playing solo shows featuring dismembered (er, Morrison-reworked) covers of Ludacris, Mary J. Blige and Death Cab for Cutie as well as show tunes and spirituals. Band shows in support of the new album begin Saturday in Arlington, Virginia. ...

• Britney Spears
• No Doubt
• Green Day
• Carmen Electra
• Velvet Revolver

Carmen Electra (file)
Photo: Jeff Kravitz

It turns out Carmen Electra's Hutch sandwich with Owen Wilson and Amy Smart was just a warm-up for her next role.

In her follow-up to "Starksy & Hutch," the former "Baywatch" beauty plays an all-out player. Titled "Getting Played," the movie stars Bill Bellamy and Vivica A. Fox, who reprises her character from 2001's "Two Can Play That Game."

"Vivica and I and another actress, Stacey [Dash], we get together and decide to turn the tables on men and see if we can play them," Electra said.

The women choose a random man and film each other seducing him so as to use the footage later to humiliate him. The hitch is that the guy is in on the joke.

Electra has one other film in the can, the animated "Lil' Pimp," although it's still without a release date.

Fans of the actress might also be able to catch her on the small screen in coming months. After shooting "'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave" (see "Dave Navarro Reveals Reality TV's Little Secret"), Electra has been entertaining offers to follow in the footsteps of other MTV reality stars like Jessica Simpson and Kelly Osbourne and star in a sitcom.

"I've done a lot of guest appearances on many different sitcoms over the years, and that's definitely something I'm interested in," she said.

Electra and husband Dave Navarro are also not ruling out returning to MTV or at least doing another project together. "It's magic when we're together," Navarro said. "It doesn't matter where it is, you know. I'll do it on CNN if I have to."

While Navarro is talking with Jane's Addiction about recording again, Electra, who released a self-titled album in 1993, has already been in the studio, although not as a solo artist.

"I've actually been doing a lot of music with the Pussycat Dolls, so it's been fun for me to get back and perform," she said of the burlesque troupe, who are recording a star-studded debut (see "Sing Like Christina And Dance Like Carmen? The Pussycat Dolls Want You").

The Pussycat Dolls are, of course, known for their Hollywood guests, and after making "Starsky & Hutch," Electra knows just the dancer she wants to join them onstage.

"The one great thing about Ben [Stiller] when he's dancing is that he really commits to each and every movement," Electra said. "Ben on the dance floor in those disco clothes battling Har Mar Superstar was hilarious. It was fun to watch."

• Carmen Electra

• Kelis
• Alicia Keys
• Evanescence
• Dave Navarro
• Carmen Electra

Christina Aguilera performs with the Pussycat Dolls
Photo: MTV News

Shoes — or to be more specific, high heels — worn by Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Pink will soon be filled by unknown beauties.

The Pussycat Dolls, the red-hot Hollywood burlesque cabaret act that has also featured guest performances by Brittany Murphy, Carmen Electra, Christina Applegate, Kelly Osbourne and Nikka Costa (see "Christina, Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese Help Bring Back Burlesque"), are searching for permanent singers to aid in recording an album of sorts.

"We're looking for really, really hot girls — insanely beautiful girls with beautiful voices," choreographer Robin Antin, who founded the Dolls eight years ago, said Monday. "We're looking for a triple threat, or at least a double. They have to really, really sing and really, really dance. That's the beauty of the Pussycat Dolls. We already have a few girls who can sing and dance, a lot of really talented girls who've been a part of it for a long time, and we're adding to it."

The Pussycat Dolls are holding an open casting call on December 2 at CenterStaging in Burbank, California (details are available on their Web site). "We're going to build the act on the talent at hand," said Ron Fair, an A&M Records president and producer (Aguilera, Vanessa Carlton) who is overseeing the group.

Fair and Antin are executive producing the album and have already met with the Neptunes, Outkast, Rockwilder and Corey Rooney (Jennifer Lopez) about producing. They expect many of the Pussycat Dolls' past guests to participate, as well as other women, ranging from Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé and Nelly Furtado to Eve and Queen Latifah.

"That's what it's about, people wanting to be involved with the Pussycat Dolls," Antin said. "They all respect what I've been doing and know it's a different audience. I don't know if they will all be a part of it, but we'll have a good selection of people."

Musically, the album will blend a hodgepodge of styles with sexy themes.

"My influences are all over, from punk to rock to disco," Antin said. "I've always called it rock and roll burlesque because I started it purely as a burlesque-inspired show, but it started to change right in front of my eyes, it became more organically this rock and roll flavor with Gwen and Christina. And that's exactly what I've always wanted to do."

When the project is released, probably in the spring, it will be different than anything on shelves, Fair said.

"Don't call it an album. What we're making is going to be a surprise that involves music and visuals," he explained. "There's going to be some technological changes as well as creative changes in the way we go about it."

More important than the item being released will be the supporting performances surrounding it.

"It's not going to be your regular, you know, Destiny's Child goes on tour," Antin explained. "It's going to be a show. It's a theatrical, incredible show. You'll walk in and be surrounded by the whole vibe. I've always loved the whole underground feeling of it, and we're still holding onto that too."

The Pussycat Dolls will give a sneak peek at their new and improved performance on "A Kid Rock Christmas," which airs December 14 on VH1. The women, joined by Electra, perform the Christmas standard "Santa Baby," which they've also recorded for release.

"We went into the studio and these girls who are amazing dancers got a chance to sing and everything fit so well," Antin said. "It's so fun and so sexy, it has the bump and grind feel, but still contemporary. It's just fun."

A special performance Antin and a few of the Dolls did Sunday is also likely to pop up on TV in the spring.

"Jessica [Simpson] had a party for Nick and we sang Happy Birthday to him while she jumped out of a cake," Antin said. "It was funny."

• Christina Aguilera
• Carmen Electra

Gwen, Beyonce, Paris, Game, More At The 2006 American Music Awards

• Gwen Stefani
• Beyoncé
• Weird Al Yankovic
• Game
• Josh Groban