Beth Ostrosky
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Howard Stern's fans know her as "the lovely Beth O," the object of Double A's affections and the svelte blond model who's been by the shock jock's side since 2000. But on October 3, Stern and Beth Ostrosky made it official, tying the knot after a 20-month engagement.

They had a quiet ceremony officiated by Mark Consuelos, the husband of "Live With Regis & Kelly" co-host Kelly Ripa, and held at the ritzy Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan. The wedding was attended by 180 guests, including Joan Rivers, Chevy Chase, Rob Zombie, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, John Stamos, Barbara Walters and Donald Trump. During the evening, the Sterns were serenaded by 1970s songbird Phoebe Snow, who sang the wedding classic "You Send Me," and Billy Joel entertained guests with a rendition of "The Stranger" during the reception. Train's Patrick Monahan also performed before the night was through.

(Check out pictures of Sarah Silverman, Rob Zombie and more celeb guests at the wedding.)

"Chevy Chase doing an impromptu [and X-rated] speech was fun," Ostrosky told MTV News on Monday night outside the New York premiere of "Filth and Wisdom," a new film that marks Madonna's directorial debut. "Billy Joel serenading us was not planned, and my best friend got up and spoke. Jimmy Kimmel made a surprise speech at the altar as Mark Consuelos was officiating. It was so much fun."

The last few weeks have been especially busy for Mrs. Howard Stern, 36, who has been training for the upcoming New York City Marathon, set for November 2. Ostrosky, who is a vocal proponent of animal rights, is participating in the marathon to raise money for the North Shore Animal League. She hopes to raise more than $250,000 for her cause, which fans can support by visiting her Web site, GoBethO.org.

All the proceeds raised through Ostrosky's sponsorships will benefit the Animal League's mission to find permanent homes for more than 20,000 orphaned animals.

"Between getting married, the honeymoon and my marathon training, it's been crazy," she said. "I did my first 20-mile [run] on Saturday, and we moved. We've moved into a new apartment, so it's all at once."

How did Ostrosky keep up her training amid all the hectic wedding planning? "That, to me, is the top priority," she said of the marathon. "The getting-married part was easy. The planning was a little more difficult, but it was the training that took top priority."

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• Howard Stern
• Madonna
• Train
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Madonna and Justin Timberlake at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on Monday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

NEW YORK — As Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies go, Monday night's didn't seem to promise much controversy, like Van Halen's induction last year or the Sex Pistols' the year before that, unless you consider the induction of dance-pop icon Madonna into the hallowed hall to be scandalous.

And apart from a handful of Eliot Spitzer quips, the evening — which also saw the inductions of John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures, the Dave Clark Five, Little Walter and '70s hitmakers Gamble and Huff — didn't have much controversy either. That is, until Madonna opened her mouth.

After an innuendo-filled introduction from Justin Timberlake (during which he lauded Madonna for her "shapely body of work" and for how she's "always been a woman on top" who "fully enjoys that position"), the sinewy singer ascended the stage and thanked seemingly everyone who helped shape her career, from her earliest dancing teachers to the critics who have blasted her over the years, and told her she was "talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder — they helped me too, because they made me question myself and they pushed me to be better, and I am grateful for their resistance."

(Check out 52 different music videos from Madonna's long and legendary career right here.)

Then, Madonna clarified a story Timberlake told during his introduction. He'd recalled getting an injection of vitamin B12 in the butt from Madonna during recording sessions for her new album. Timberlake said that, during the sessions, he started feeling ill. That's when Madonna proceeded "to pull a Ziploc bag of B12 syringes out [of her purse]." He said she then instructed him to "Drop 'em."

"I don't know what you say to that, so I immediately dropped my pants," he said. "She gave me a shot in my a-- and looks at me and says, 'Nice top shelf.' That was one of the greatest days of my life."

Madonna, however, remembered the incident slightly differently. "Everything he said is basically true, but I didn't say 'Drop 'em.' I said, 'Pull your pants down.' I like to be accurate because you know I am a control freak."

After quoting from the Talmud, she called Timberlake — who'd said, "She became the biggest name on the planet the old-fashioned way: She earned it" — a "f---er." Moments later, she blurted out the word "mother----er" for no discernable reason.

Those words served as a fitting preamble for the punk-paced covers of Madonna songs from a leathery and topless Iggy Pop, who, along with the Stooges, paid tribute to the singer with covers of "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light," during which Pop tossed out an F-bomb. At one point during that performance, the cameras panned to a horrified-looking Clive Davis.

(Check out this backstage footage of Madonna greeting Iggy and the Stooges — including bassist/rabid Madonna fan Mike Watt — after their performance.)

After Pop hobbled offstage, Billy Joel — there to induct his pal John "You'll Always Be the Cougar to Me" Mellencamp — spit out a string of obscenities too, eliciting laughter from an audience that included Chevy Chase, Michael J. Fox, Meg Ryan and even Princess Firyal of Jordan.

The night got off to a much slower start, by comparison. After some opening remarks from Rolling Stone founder and Rock Hall chairman Jann Wenner, legendary R&B singer Patti LaBelle stirred the decked-to-then-nines audience with a towering rendition of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now," which was written and produced by inductees Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

"You've been touching the world with your music for so many years," LaBelle exclaimed, honoring the team responsible for '70s-era soul hits from Lou Rawls, the O'Jays, Jerry Butler and many others. "You've touched my life. You've done a wonderful thing. Keep on touching, brothers."

Also inducted — posthumously — was legendary blues harmonica player Little Walter, who died in 1968; he joined the hall in its sidemen category, as he was a frequent collaborator of Muddy Waters'. Ben Harper said of Walter, who helped pioneer the use of electronic distortion, that "he defined an instrument, he defined a sound, he defined a genre."

Surf-rock icons the Ventures were inducted next, and followed up the honor by performing two of their biggest hits, "Walk, Don't Run" and the theme from "Hawaii Five-O." John Fogerty, who introduced the Ventures, praised the band for having recorded 250 albums over the course of their career. "Nowadays, some of us would be happy to sell 250 records," he joked, making a reference to the dire state of the music industry.

A pink shirt-sporting Lou Reed strutted onstage to induct revered songwriter Leonard Cohen. His often disjointed tribute to Cohen included a recitation of the genius musician's lyrics — printed out on at least 30 pages Reed pulled from his pocket. "We're so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is," Reed noted, before Damien Rice delivered a rendition of Cohen's "Hallelujah." "This is a very unlikely occasion for me," Cohen, wearing a black tux, admitted. "It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about. So, I'm reminded of a prophetic statement of [music critic and longstanding Bruce Springsteen manager] Jon Landau in the early '70s. He said, 'I have seen the future of rock and roll and it is not Leonard Cohen.' "

After Madonna's induction and Joel's hilarious introductory speech, Mellencamp — sounding like he'd just downed a shot of molten steel — emerged to claim that "nobody put themselves behind the eight-ball more than I did." He spoke of having surgery when he was just six weeks old, explaining that doctors had worried he'd be paralyzed below the neck. The 56-year-old rocker said he never knew of the surgery until his teen years, when a classmate asked him about the scar behind his neck. "I'm lucky to be standing here for any number of reasons," he said, after snuffing out a cigarette as he mounted the stage.

Last came '60s popsters the Dave Clark Five, whose singer, Mike Smith, died just two weeks ago. Clark admitted it was a bittersweet time for the English group. "We wanted it to be the five of us here, but we know he's smiling down on us, knowing he's a hall of famer," Clark said, adding that he's absolutely delighted that his band's being inducted into the "American" rock hall.

Actor Tom Hanks inducted the band, and told stories about first seeing them on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Finally, Joan Jett, Fogerty and Mellencamp capped off the long night, playing the group's "Bits and Pieces" and "Glad All Over."

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• Madonna, Justin Timberlake, More At 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony
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• John Mellencamp
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John Mayer
Photo: Mat Szwajkos/ Getty Images

In addition to adding the two most-nominated artists of the year to the performing roster for Sunday's Grammys — Kanye West and, via satellite, Amy Winehouse — the show will also feature live sets from John Mayer and gospel great BeBe Winans. Added as presenters are Usher, Will.I.Am, Dierks Bentley, Cuba Gooding Jr., Carole King and Roselyn Sanchez. ...

Common has come up with a title for his new LP: The Believer. The Chicago legend told MTV News he hopes it will be out by November. ... Timbaland has signed a deal to release a straight-to-mobile-phone album, one track at a time over the next year. The unusual scheme hatched with Verizon Wireless, which will give its V Cast subscribers an exclusive chance to access the songs each month, according to Billboard Biz. Tim, who is up for five Grammys, will work with a different artist on each track while touring the country on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus, which will spin off making-of footage for V Cast subscribers on a dedicated Timbaland channel. Each mobile track will be released just days after it is produced in full-length download, ringtone and ringback version, and will only be available through V Cast and Verizon for $1.99. At the end of the year, a compilation album will be released through Verizon. ...

Pitbull and Baby Bash likely ran into each other at last year's Wango Tango music festival in Southern California — they both performed there — and now the two are joining forces for MTV Trés' Sucker Free Latino spring tour. The two headliners will hit 13 cities starting March 15 in Orlando, Florida, and ending April 4 in San Diego. ... Family, friends and close music-industry associates of the late Big Pun gathered in a private ceremony Thursday night at New York's Studio 450 to honor the eight-year anniversary of the Latino rapper's untimely death. Donations were made both to Pun's family and his foundation, the Christopher Rios Memorial. An attendee told MTV News that the rapper's daughter, Vanessa, paid tribute to her father with a rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." ...

Teddy Geiger is still busy working on the follow-up to 2006's Underage Thinking — as well as his role in the upcoming flick "The Rocker" — but in the meantime the 19-year-old troubadour has launched a cell phone contest with Mozes. During the month of February, fans can leave messages for Geiger on Mozes.com, after which he'll pick one of the fans to chat with. ... Flyleaf and Seether will team up this spring for an eight-week U.S. tour that kicks off April 8 in Denver and runs through May 31 at a yet-to-be-announced city. A partial list of dates can be found at either band's Web site. ... Thrice have a busy May ahead — the SoCal rockers have a show booked for almost every night that month. The band will actually set out on tour the month before that, beginning April 16 in San Diego, and will bring it to a close May 29 in Hollywood. ...

Members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Saturday Night Live" castmembers Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers, and others turned up at New York's Webster Hall on Monday night for a party thrown by Chloë Sevigny. The actress invited legendary punks the Slits to play at the event, which celebrated Sevigny's new clothing line. ... Working for a Nuclear Free City — whose Businessmen and Ghosts album was a finalist for this year's Shortlist Music Prize — are hoping to capitalize on the success with a brief run. The Brits will hit the road February 29 in San Francisco and continue playing gigs through Austin, Texas' South by Southwest fest in mid-March. ... Still hooked on Phish? Fans can gobble up a bunch of rare items donated by the now-defunct jam heroes for an online charity auction being put on by the mother of the band's drummer, Jon Fishman. Posters signed by Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell, as well as rare Phish shirts and additional items from Oysterhead, Moe. and the String Cheese Incident. Proceeds from the auction, which ends February 21, will go to the Mimi Fishman Foundation, which raises funds for various charities. ...

Now that his Rolling Stones movie, "Shine a Light," is about to hit the big screen, legendary director Martin Scorsese is set to begin work on a yet-untitled documentary about reggae icon Bob Marley. Variety reports that the movie will be authorized by Marley's family and will be released in February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday. ... Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are creating a live-performance attraction based on "American Idol" at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida. The yet-unnamed attraction, which should open this year, will allow budding singers to "audition" on an "Idol"-like set in front of an audience of 1,000, with a daily winner getting a pass to the show's regional auditions. Visitors will be able to pick their song beforehand, rehearse in a sound booth and, if they pass the audition, work with a vocal coach before performing in front of the live audience and a panel of judges during one of the seven daily shows. ...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain might have a lot of independent-minded supporters, but heartland rocker John Mellencamp ain't one of 'em. The Arizona senator and Republican front-runner stopped playing the unabashedly liberal Indiana singer/songwriter's "Our Country" at his campaign events after Mellencamp's publicist sent a letter questioning the logic of using the tune, according to The Associated Press. "Are you sure you want to use his music to promote Senator McCain's efforts?" read a letter sent to the candidate's campaign on Monday. "Logic says that the facts might prove to be an embarrassment, were they to be circulated widely." The McCain camp said Thursday that the song, and a few others by Mellencamp, would no longer be played at events. Mellencamp publicist Bob Merlis told AP that the situation made Mellencamp uncomfortable and that he couldn't imagine McCain would want to be associated with him. "You know, here's a guy running around saying, 'I'm a true conservative,' " Merlis said. "Well, if you're such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?" ...

Billy Joel will be the last artist to play New York's Shea Stadium before it's torn down. The piano man will perform at "The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy" on July 16, during the New York Mets' final season before moving to Citi Field in 2009. The show will make Joel the only artist to have played both Yankee and Shea Stadiums.

2.7.08

Lindsay Lohan just spoke publicly for the first time since leaving rehab in early October — she gave an interview to the U.K. edition of Glamour for its new cover story — but the starlet has more to say. She told Harper's Bazaar for its own LiLo cover story that she'd like to have a low-key relationship, that she's trying to smoke cigarettes less often and that she's "always been a homebody." She also spilled who she would like to make music with next — "I'd love to work with Timbaland. I'd love to work with Kanye West, 50 Cent if I could" — and admitted, "When I look back on this last year, it's like, what was I thinking?" Harper's Bazaar's March issue, in which the story appears, hits stands February 19. ...

Christina Aguilera just made her first public appearance this week since giving birth in January, and now comes news that the singer is already digging into her next album. "This whole incredible thing has taken place in my life," the new mom recently told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, so there's "so much in me to write about. The next record, I want to have a lot of fun with it. [I've been] brainstorming for the last nine months. This next album will have a whole new me, a different me, so it's a lot to look forward to." She also spoke about her son, Max Liron Bratman — "he's constantly changing, and doing these incredibly cute things and stinky things" — and even touched on Paris Hilton spilling the beans about Aguilera's pregnancy during VMA weekend last year. "It was funny," Aguilera said, taking the high road. "We all looked at each and laughed it off. She did it in a sweet way. It wasn't a tattle-on-me sort of thing." ...

Britney Spears' father, Jamie, had previously been granted temporary conservatorship powers over the singer for a week, during which time it was expected when the powers were granted that she would be in the hospital. Now that she's out, some legal questions were raised in court Thursday (February 7) when Spears' co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, and the attorneys for the conservatorship appeared for an emergency ex parte hearing. Since the hearing was closed and the court documents were sealed, according to a court clerk, no one could say what happened in the hearing. But Adam Streisand, who tried to represent the singer at a previous hearing, only to be ejected from the court, was definitely not present on the singer's behalf, since prior to the hearing, his firm released a statement that he "has decided he will not represent her at this time." Streisand met with Britney Spears on Wednesday "to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate," but following the meeting, he learned that there was a court order preventing the singer from retaining counsel of her own choosing. ... Despite all Britney Spears' troubles, she still has Danjahandz on her side. The producer recently told MTV News that he'd like to hook up with the singer in the future. "I would work with her again. Hopefully she'll get better," he said, admitting that he hadn't heard of her recent hospitalization. "I definitely have ideas [of] what I would do with her." ...

As had been previously rumored, when Beyoncé takes the stage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, she'll be joined by none other than reclusive rock legend Tina Turner, the Recording Academy has announced. Other additions to the show's lineup included Kid Rock, who will perform, as well as presenters Akon, Nelly Furtado, Prince, Jason Bateman, Tony Bennett, Cher, Tom Hanks, Quincy Jones, Joe Mantegna, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart and Stevie Wonder. ...

Can't remember the last time you bought a CD single? Well, here's a reason to consider picking one up: Ashlee Simpson will meet fans and sign copies of her new "Outta My Head" single February 14 at a Walmart in Dallas. ... Sevendust have a friend in ... Chris Daughtry? Yup, it's true: The Daughtry frontman recently teamed with the hard-rockers to chip in a guest vocal for the band's new song "The Past." The track will be included on Sevendust's April 1 LP, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, which will also feature contributions from Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy. ... This year's South by Southwest festival just got a little more hip-hop-friendly. Ice Cube and N.E.R.D. have hopped onto the sprawling roster for the Austin, Texas, shindig, which will go down March 12-16. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a group that helps career musicians in need — is putting up for auction an original Clash T-shirt printed by bassist Paul Simonon. The item will be up for bidding on eBay for 10 days starting Saturday. As MTV News reported late last year, Simonon originally gave the shirt to punk poet Patti Smith 30 years ago, and after she passed it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daughtery, he in turn donated it to Sweet Relief — but the group was not able to raffle the tee because of sweepstakes laws. ...

Don't believe those stories about how infighting and personal disputes are the reason the Spice Girls have canceled most of the remaining dates of their reunion tour. Trying to combat the rumors, the Girls posted a one-minute apology video to fans on their Web site on Wednesday, reiterating that the decision to cancel shows in China, South Africa, Australia and Argentina was due to "family and personal commitments." In the video, Mel C explains: "There has been a lot of rubbish in the media over the last few days, so we wanted you to hear it from the horse's mouth. We're very sorry not to be able to get to all the places we really, really wanted to get to." Several members say that the tour went a month longer than they had actually intended when they first announced the reunion last year. Victoria Beckham adds, "Our kids need to go back to school, and we always said our families are our priorities. So we want to thank all our fans. Sorry we haven't got to see everybody." The singers then get into a mock fight before Mel B screams, "We hate each other? Are you kidding? We love each other!" ...

A star-studded gala organized by Madonna at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday night to benefit sick and poor children around the world raised $3.7 million. Hosted by Chris Rock, the $2,500-to-$10,000-a-plate dinner and live auction attracted guests Drew Barrymore, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Dita Von Teese, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Amy Adams, Brooke Shields and Salma Hayek. But, according to The Associated Press, the event also made some officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, a bit uncomfortable with its mix of charity and commercial promotion. The event was paid for by luxury-goods maker Gucci, which used the occasion to promote the opening of its flagship store in New York's Manhattan borough on Friday and put its logo along with UNICEF's behind the walkway on the red carpet. Rihanna, Timbaland and Alicia Keys performed at the event. The night's most expensive auction item was a $600,000 bid to tour with Madonna and take a dance class with her and Gwyneth Paltrow. ...

Eva Mendes left rehab briefly on Thursday. "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly," a representative for the actress who was not named told TMZ.com. ... Having conquered the reality-TV world, Public Enemy court jester Flavor Flav has signed on to try his hand at scripted comedy. The sometime rapper will star in a new half-hour comedy series on MyNetworkTV called "Under One Roof," which creators call a classic "fish-out-of-water" story. In the show, for which 13 episodes have been ordered, Flav will play Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother and, predictably, wreaks havoc by parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter's uptight wife, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series is slated to launch in the spring.

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Amy Winehouse at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Amy Winehouse stumbled through her performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday (November 1) shortly after giving a very brief acceptance speech when she won the Artists' Choice honor. The singer — who was announced as a last-minute addition to the show when she canceled her planned performance at the mtvU Woodie Awards on November 8 — gave a brief "thanks" when she accepted the award, and later appeared to have difficulty remembering the words to her own song and danced unsteadily as she performed. And while this year's MTV Video Music Awards belonged to Justin Timberlake (and Rihanna), JT wasn't able to replicate his success abroad at the EMAs. While he was the most nominated artist, he left with no awards — and maybe even more stunningly, he was outdone by Avril Lavigne, who nabbed Most Addictive Track ("Girlfriend") and Solo Artist of 2007. Other winners included Nelly Furtado (Album of the Year), Linkin Park (Band of 2007) and 30 Seconds to Mars (Rock Out). Justice won the Video Star prize, which they also took home last year. ...

Britney Spears is being sued for $15,000 by a former manager who says she didn't keep up on her payments to him of commissions on her royalties for her first four albums — including on her $7 million advance in 2002 — movies, tours, books, etc. Johnny Wright, who was her manager through February 2003, filed a breach-of-contract suit in Orange County, Florida, claiming Spears didn't provide proper accounting of all her gross receipts. He is seeking compensatory damages, consequential damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and attorney's fees. ...

Like Britney before her, Lindsay Lohan is trying to make sure that her upcoming deposition — pertaining to a lawsuit filed over her 2005 car accident in West Hollywood, California — won't be videotaped, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Her lawyers are reportedly requesting that the deposition — which Lohan is scheduled to give December 3 — be sealed instead if their request is denied. "The court should act to prevent such an unwarranted invasion of [Lohan's] privacy, especially where the nature of the allegations ... are so inflammatory," her court papers state, according to Daily News. Her lawyers are also requesting that deposition testimony and written responses from other witnesses be made unavailable to the public. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern denied a motion by her attorneys on Friday for an immediate ruling on whether the deposition will be videotaped, saying he will consider it November 28 instead. ...

Don Imus' radio comeback is now set in stone: The controversial shock jock will be back on the airwaves after a nine-month hiatus on December 3. Imus will return to New York's WABC-AM, which is home to another inflammatory jock, Rush Limbaugh. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a vocal Imus critic, issued a statement on the development through his National Action Network, saying they've "always maintained that wherever Don Imus goes back to work, the company should clearly outline to advertisers and trade organizations like the National Association of Black Journalists how they intend to safeguard against Mr. Imus returning to his former vile and biased behavior. One would think if they were sincere about his apologies and his new commitment they would enthusiastically meet with advertisers and the NABJ to voice these assurances. If they do not, then we exercise the right in the next 30 days to visit advertisers to ask what has changed since they withdrew their support to Mr. Imus's show six months ago. If there are no guarantees that the same conduct they withdrew support from will be duplicated upon his return, we will certainly act accordingly. Mr. Imus has the right to make a living, but we have the right to make sure he does not come back to disrupt our living. Particularly since these are the commitments he made personally." ...

Vanessa Hudgens isn't all smiles these days — the "High School Musical" star is battling with one of her managers over money she allegedly owes him, according to TMZ.com. Brian Schall claims Hudgens owes him $150,000 after he helped her earn more than $5 million by advancing the starlet's funds for her recording and songwriting career. But Hudgens argues that she was too young to sign her contract — when she did so in October 2005, she was 16 years old — and she subsequently disaffirmed it on October 9 of this year, according to the site. Papers filed in court by her lawyer say California's Family Code "provides that the contract of a minor is voidable and may be disaffirmed before (age 18) or within a reasonable time afterward." ... In related news, Aaron Carter has extricated himself from a contract he signed with Lou Pearlman, according to TMZ. The singer's attorney filed suit against the disgraced boy-band mogul in May 2006, requesting that Carter he released from the contract, which he signed as a minor. A bankruptcy judge ruled in Carter's favor and ordered that the contract with Pearlman and his label, the bankrupt TransContinental Records, is no longer in effect — but it's not yet known who orders Carter's recordings with the label. Carter is also seeking an accounting of royalties. ...

What do Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Genesis, Kenny Chesney, Maná and the Police have in common? Well, in case you're not on the concert-revenue tip, they've been drawing fleets of fans to their shows, making them finalists for the 2007 Billboard Touring Awards. JT and the Police are among the nominees for Top Tour and Top Draw, while Timberlake has also been noticed in the Breakthrough Artist category. Aguilera has a nod in the Top Package category for her tour with Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane, and she's up for Breakthrough Artist as well. Prince's stretch of 21 shows at London's O2 arena earned him a spot in the Top Boxscore category, along with Bonnaroo and the U.K.'s Download Festival. The awards — based on the artists' box-office performance from January 1 through September 30, as reported by Billboard's Boxscore chart — will be presented 5 in New York as part of the 2007 Billboard Touring Conference. ...

Lance Bass' publicist is denying that the 'NSYNC star was ever married, despite what E! Online reports Bass said in a recent interview, according to The Associated Press. "People do stupid things in the heat of the moment," he had said, referring to a trip to Vegas he supposedly made with an ex-girlfriend. "I've been in Vegas where I've gotten married for, like, five minutes ... it was one of those crazy moments where you're with a friend and you're like, 'Hey, wouldn't it be fun if we did this?' And that's all that happened. It's the Vegas thing to do ... the only reason we did it is because we wanted to get free drinks all night. And we didn't get one. We're like, 'We just got married!' They're like, 'Ah. Whatever.' " But Bass' publicist Ken Sunshine subsequently told AP that, "He never really got married. That's why there's no record of it. ... By saying he was married in Vegas, it was a way to get free drinks." A clerk at the Clark County marriage license bureau said no license under Bass' name could be found in a search of records dating back more than 30 years, according to AP. Bass has been making the rounds to promote his new memoir, "Out of Sync" — which reveals why he kept his homosexuality hidden for as long as he did. ...

The Emmy Award-winning television program "Biography" will air a program on Guns N' Roses on November 29. The show will be part of a string of music documentaries that is also set to include Jennifer Lopez and Fleetwood Mac. ... Try this marketing scheme on for size: The Jonas Brothers are partnering with Gibson Guitars to record their next album while aboard one of the company's tour buses as they trek along the West Coast on the Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Tour. The group will also be playing additional gigs on the tour, and at special shows in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, fans will be able to enter a contest for a private meet-and-greet at Gibson Guitar Showrooms. ... Joel Madden has dismissed rumors of tension between he and girlfriend Nicole Richie, while the pregnant socialite has also denied a report that she has been smoking, according to People. "Having a baby is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me, and to us," Madden said. His band Good Charlotte recently toured Australia, after which he and Richie spent "a great little getaway" in Thailand. "Now we're just getting home, getting settled in L.A. and getting ready," he said. Their baby is reportedly due in January. ...

Da Brat was reportedly involved in a serious physical altercation early Thursday morning at Jermaine Dupri's Atlanta nightclub, Studio 72. According to WSB-TV in Atlanta, police arrested Da Brat (real name: Shawntae Harris) on felony aggravated-assault charges after she got into a heated confrontation with a waitress. Da Brat is said to have struck the waitress in the face with a bottle of rum, causing cuts on her face. The waitress was taken to a local hospital for treatment; Da Brat is being held at DeKalb County jail, according to WSB. Spokespeople for Da Brat and her longtime mentor Dupri had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment at press time. ...

Jonathan Davis fans will be in for a surprise when they check out the Korn frontman's upcoming solo tour: He'll already have a concert CD/DVD package available for purchase, if everything goes according to plan. Billboard.com reports that Davis will film a small show for friends, family and the press on November 8 — the day before the tour kicks off in Hartford, Connecticut — and transform it into a limited-edition package that will be available, at least initially, only on his tour. The DVD will chronicle bandmember tryouts, rehearsals leading up to the recording and more. ... The Smashing Pumpkins have rescheduled five gigs they had been forced to postpone after Jimmy Chamberlin experienced chest pains, sending the drummer to the hospital. The Pumpkins will now play the Nashville gig on November 11 and the one in Austin, Texas, two days later, after which they'll hit Atlanta for a pair of shows November 15-16 and play the rescheduled Dallas show two days after that. Chamberlin was released from the hospital Wednesday after an angiogram revealed that he had a partially blocked artery. ...

Guess who was an OiNK user? None other than Nine Inch Nails boss Trent Reznor. In an interview with New York magazine about the new Saul Williams album, Reznor said, "I'll admit I had an account there and frequented it quite often," of the now-shuttered file-sharing site. "At the end of the day, what made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store. Pretty much anything you could ever imagine, it was there, and it was there in the format you wanted. If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn't the equivalent of that in the retail space right now. iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc. Amazon has potential, but none of them get around the issue of pre-release leaks. And that's what's such a difficult puzzle at the moment. If your favorite band in the world has a leaked record out, do you listen to it or do you not listen to it? People on those boards, they're grateful for the person that uploaded it — they're the hero. They're not stealing it because they're going to make money off of it; they're stealing it because they love the band. I'm not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want." ...

Jacob "The Jeweler" Arabov pleaded guilty on Wednesday to falsifying records and giving false statements to investigators looking into a multistate drug ring, The Associated Press reports. Arabov, 42, the "King of Bling," who has made custom jewelry for everyone from Kanye West to Bono, agreed to a plea deal that will have him serve up to 46 months in prison and pay a $2 million penalty in exchange for prosecutors dropping money-laundering charges against him. Arabov was arrested at his New York jewelry store in June 2006 and accused of being part of a conspiracy to launder about $270 million in drug profits for the Black Mafia Family, a crime ring that operated out of the Detroit area beginning in the early 1990s. ... Linda Stein, 62, former co-manager of the Ramones and ex-wife of Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, was found dead on Monday in her apartment on New York's Upper East Side; she was killed by blunt-impact trauma to the head, police told New York's WCBS. Stein was also known as a real-estate agent to the stars, finding spots in New York for Sting, Billy Joel, Steven Spielberg, Calvin Klein and Bruce Willis. Police are treating the death as a homicide. ...

Black Lips — who took Brooklyn, New York, by storm with a circus parade in September — are bringing their maniacal ways to the big screen. The group will transform itself into a fictional late-'80s underground punk band for "Let It Be," a feature film due to begin production in May. The film will be directed by newcomer Roger Rawlings ("Neurotica"), and produced by Andrew Meyer ("The Breakfast Club") and Winn Coslick ("The Bottom"), and feature both original Lips music and key songs from the era. ... Swedish indie-rockers Peter Bjorn and John will try to make sure they're remembered as one of the year's most buzzed-about bands with an extra handful of 2007 U.S. shows. The "Young Folks" squad will play Houston (November 23); Dallas (November 24); Indianapolis (November 27); Cleveland (November 29); Louisville, Kentucky (November 30); Cincinnati (December 2); and Millvale, Pennsylvania (December 3). ... Touch and Go Records celebrated its 25th anniversary with a three-day bash last summer — now another prominent Chicago indie-rock label, Thrill Jockey, is getting ready to blow out 15 candles with a two-day shindig of its own. The Fiery Furnaces, the Sea and Cake, Eleventh Dream Day and many more artists who contributed to the label over the years will convene at the city's Logan Square Auditorium for the event, which will include two stages and be held December 14-15. ...

Talks between Hollywood screenwriters and studios hit an impasse on Wednesday, and with mere hours to go before their contract was set to expire, the writers were on the verge of the first major strike against the film and TV industry in 20 years. Reuters reports that talks broke off when the deadlock could not be broken between the writers and studios over writers' demands that they get an increased share of DVD revenues and Internet downloads of their work. Leaders of the Writers Guild of America ruled out declaring an immediate walkout when their contract, which covers 12,000 members, expired at 12:01 a.m. (3:01 a.m. EDT) on Thursday. According to the AP, the union instead said it would brief its rank and file at a meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday night. In the meantime, WGA members may continue to work under terms of the old three-year labor pact, though a spokesperson said, "They will technically be working without a contract." No further talks were scheduled, but an industry spokesperson said after Wednesday's eight-hour session that union negotiators had told studio officials they would contact them on Friday. If a walkout does take place, studios and TV networks have stockpiled scripts that could last into next year. ...

Believe it, "X Files" fans: A film sequel will start production in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December, according to Entertainment Weekly. Creator Chris Carter is slated to direct, and TV series stalwarts David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will revive their respective roles for the project, which has been in the works since the release of "The X Files: Fight the Future" in 1998. "If we didn't do it now and the [writers'] strike was protracted, it would force the movie to come out several years from now," Carter told the magazine. "And that was too late. It was either now or never." ... The woman who was ordered to pay more than $220,000 in the first verdict in a music-downloading trial, Jammie Thomas, has raised more than $16,000 so far in donations on FreeJammie.com. Now she's begun offering a whole range of gear to help raise more for her defense fund, including "Free Jammie" dog T-shirts ($17.49), white thong underwear ($9.99) and women's tracksuits ($49.99), as well as mugs, beer steins, teddy bears, kid's clothes, hoodies and boxer shorts.

10.31.07

Lil Wayne made a brief appearance in an Atlanta courtroom on Wednesday (October 31) for an arraignment in connection with the year-old drug-possession charge that recently landed him in an Idaho jail on a fugitive warrant. According to Wayne's lawyer, William Head, the rapper was only in court for about 20 minutes during the nearly three-hour preliminary hearing and will return on November 20, when a judge could rule on defense motions questioning whether the hotel search that originally resulted in Wayne's arrest on drug charges was legal. The defense also filed a motion requesting to examine the evidence in the case in order to have a fingerprint analysis done on the objects, which Head said were found in a room that the rapper was not staying in. ...

Cynthia Reed, mother of the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, spoke out Tuesday about Tony Yayo's pending trial, in which he is accused of having roughed up the boy. "I am looking forward to a trial, and it is important that justice be done," she said in a statement. "Trials bring out facts, and I know the facts will expose the cowardly act of G-Unit's member Yayo of assaulting my 14-year-old son." Leemon responded to Reed's statement by saying, "At trial, I am confident the evidence will show that Tony Yayo did not hit anyone. These baseless allegations against Yayo are nothing more than an attempt by a bitter business rival to disparage and embarrass him. Our investigation has uncovered more than one witness to the incident who will testify that Yayo did not hit 'Lil Henchmen.' This is nothing more than an attempt at legal extortion." The trial begins January 10. ...

In yet more legal-oriented rap news, Game went to court Wednesday for a brief pre-trial hearing, according to TMZ. The hearing pertained to allegations that the rapper (real name: Jayceon Taylor) threatened a person with a gun during a pickup basketball game at a park in Los Angeles earlier this year. Game's spirits were high, according to a TMZ video in which he rants about everything from dressing up like 50 Cent for Halloween to helping out Britney Spears — "I'll shampoo your hair, rub your feet, watch your kids and be your bodyguard," he said. He's due back in court November 14. ...

Britney Spears hasn't had much to say to the media lately — save some choice words for the paparazzi, that is — but she broke the brief silence by going on Ryan Seacrest's radio show Wednesday morning. When asked about the recent media coverage of her child-custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline, Spears replied, "People say what they want and do what they do. It's sad how people ... how cruel our world can be. But at the end of the day, you gotta know in your heart that you are doing the best that you can." When Seacrest asked Spears if she is in fact doing the best she can with her kids, she reassured him: "Oh God, yeah, yeah." Spears also talked about the Tuesday release of her new Blackout LP, saying she spent the day watching movies. Seacrest also asked her about her rumored romance with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Spears, who was on a speakerphone with Alli Sims and Sam Lufti, replied, "Who?" ...

Ashley Tisdale, Good Charlotte, Jordin Sparks, Corbin Bleu, the Jonas Brothers and more will hop aboard the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when it snakes its way through the streets of New York on November 22. Catch the show from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones on NBC. ... The American Music Awards are shaping up to be a night for the ladies — Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and Nicole Scherzinger have joined previously announced performers Fergie, Rihanna, Celine Dion (and Daughtry) for the ceremony, which will air live November 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

The new season of "American Idol" is still a few months away, but that's not stopping the juggernaut's presence on TV. Former contestants Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler will be celebrity contestants on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" on Thursday and November 15, respectively, while judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will crop up in animated form in the November 11 "Family Guy" episode, in which Stewie auditions for the judges. And in yet more TV news, the "Simpsons" episode featuring Jack Black — who voices the owner of a new comic book store — will air November 18. ...

The ink has dried on Radiohead's deal to distribute its In Rainbows album — well, outside North America, at least. Billboard.com reports that the band has finalized a deal with XL Recordings — which released Thom Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, last year — that would entail the international distribution of the album but allow the band to cut a different deal in North America. The New York Times previously reported that the band had been planning to sign with Coran Capshaw's Side One Recordings to distribute Rainbows domestically, although Radiohead's U.S. publicist, Steve Martin, later told MTV News he could "neither confirm nor deny" the story. The album doesn't have an international release date yet, but according to Billboard.com, it will likely coincide with the Radiohead.com deluxe Discbox release on December 3. Sales figures for the album — for which the band allowed fans to name their own price — have not been released, but Radiohead manager Bryce Edge recently said reports of 1.2 million being sold were "exaggerated," according to Billboard. ... Lupe Fiasco and industry heavyweight Steve Stoute were on hand at the Bowery Hotel in New York on Tuesday night as Bitter: Sweet performed as part of a T-Mobile Shadow launch party. ...

A Maryland couple have dropped their lawsuit alleging Wal-Mart deceived customers by selling copies of Evanescence's Anywhere but Home LP containing explicit lyrics without parental-advisory labels. Trevin and Melanie Skeens had sued the department-store chain back in 2004 after they purchased the album for their daughter's 13th birthday. The news comes nearly 22 months after a judge refused to certify the complaint as a class action, which would have allowed anyone who bought the record in Maryland to hop onboard and collect compensation. ... Van Halen have booked their first gig of 2008, which could be an indication of a second leg being added to the band's current reunion run. The only show that's confirmed for next year so far will go down March 30 in St. Louis. ...

Coldplay have been teasing fans in recent months with updates on their next studio album, and now, in a new post on their site, they say they're almost done with the effort. The band revealed that two new songs, "Famous Old Painters" and "Glass of Water," have come into play for the album, which was already poised to include "Cemeteries of London," "Poppy Fields," "42," "Yes!," "Lost," "Violet Hill," "Rainy Day" and "Leftrightleftrightleft." "It feels like a very dense record," read the post. "There are so many melodies and colors packed into a relatively short space (42 minutes)." Regarding the album's producer, the post continued: "As you'd expect with Brian Eno, there's experimentation and exploration. But the music still has integrity. It's real and honest. There's no posturing or bombast. When the deadline comes and the work is done, this will be the album I always dreamed we'd make." Coldplay were more specific about the yet-untitled 2008 album in a previous post, saying the effort would have a "Hispanic theme." ...

Want to party with Ozzy Osbourne? Want to get arrested? Approximately 40 of his fans in Fargo, North Dakota, got a very unpleasant surprise on Monday when they received invitations to a supposed pre-gig bash that turned out to be a police sting operation, according to The Associated Press. Fans — who happened to have outstanding warrants — were reportedly told about a party to be held at the Venue at Playmakers before the metal legend's show with Rob Zombie at the Fargodome. The bash was sponsored by PDL Productions, a fake company made by Cass County Sherriff Paul D. Laney as part of an effort to crack down on scofflaws who had ignored court summons and failed to pay fines. "It was more of a warrant party," Laney told AP. "Some actually thought it was pretty funny. I think they were upset with themselves for being had." The security staff, which wore PDL Productions shirts, turned out to be deputy sheriffs, North Dakota probation and parole agents, and members of the local drug-enforcement task force. Laney got even more creative with the sting by adding a subtle clue into the mix — each "security" T-shirt also featured a festive Halloween skull, and the image of a sheriff's-badge star could be seen in its right eye socket. ...

Lordi's manager was shot at following their Friday gig in Louisville, Kentucky, according to EscToday.com, Web site for Eurovision. (The monster-themed Finnish metal outfit created a stir when it won the broadcasting group's famed Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.) Rikk Scholvinck was reportedly with his bodyguard at the time of the incident, and although neither was struck by gunfire, one of the band's fans was robbed at gunpoint. According to Scholvinck, after the gig, a van appeared next to Lordi's bus, and four or five teens jumped out. "One of the men with a gun took a fan, a girl, put the gun to her head and forced her to lie down on the ground," said band frontman Mr. Lordi (real name: Tomi Putaansuu), according to the site. "Also, one of the boys froze on the spot while the others fled away, including Rikk and the bodyguard, while another man started shooting at them. Luckily, he missed and no one was hurt. Rikk ran to the bar and called the police, who arrived soon. In a moment we were surrounded by like five police cars, but the guys managed to escape. They were a group of drug addicts that had stolen the [van] earlier that night, and police were already looking for them but have still not managed to catch them." Lordi handed the assaulted fan a lifetime all-access pass to their shows worldwide. ...

Iron Maiden have announced a pair of shows in the U.S. as part of their Somewhere Back in Time world tour. The metal gods will play at the Forum in Los Angeles on February 19 and at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on March 14. ... Speaking of Iron, Iron and Wine only played four shows in the U.S. after releasing their latest album, The Shepherd's Dog, in late September — but thirsty fans shouldn't worry, as more Stateside gigs are on the way. After finishing a two-week run of shows in the U.K. on Sunday, the band will return to America, rest a little, and then head out for another string starting November 27 in Tucson, Arizona. That tour will end December 11 in Austin, Texas, and will be followed by another European trek starting January 14. ...

According to a statement from Earache Records, two members of Polish death-metal band Decapitated were seriously injured in a car accident involving their tour bus and a truck carrying wood in Gomel — which is on the Russian-Belarus border. Frontman Adrian "Covan" Kowanek and drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka sustained serious head injuries as a result of the accident and were taken to a hospital in Moscow for treatment. No additional information on the accident has been made public. ...

The Mars Volta-affiliated indie punk label Gold Standard Laboratories shut down this month, according to a letter founder Sonny Kay posted on the GSL site. Over its 14-year span, GSL released material by the Rapture, !!!, the Locust, Melt-Banana, the Faint and Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who co-owned the label. The post reads: "We've experienced the onset of factors that have seriously limited our ability to maintain what we feel is the essence of the label; the experimental attitude and artistic freewheeling of times past are simply no longer sustainable. Rather than compromise our goals and beliefs, or allow our course to be charted by financial constraint and an industry in flux, we've decided the time has come for GSL to cease releasing new music, and to close this chapter of our story."

• 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards Performances
• 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards: Show Highlights

• Amy Winehouse
• Lindsay Lohan
• Vanessa Hudgens
• Justin Timberlake
• Da Brat

Busta Rhymes
Photo: Interscope

Chopping off his signature dreadlocks probably had nothing to do with it, but perhaps aligning with Dr. Dre's Aftermath imprint did the trick. Whatever the reason, Busta Rhymes should be sporting the widest grin he can muster today as the latest SoundScan totals show that The Big Bang will open at #1 on Billboard's album chart, marking a first in a career that spans 15 years, seven solo albums and a stint with Leaders of the New School.

Week-one sales of The Big Bang, Busta's first collection of fresh material since 2002, topped out at nearly 209,000 copies — more than enough to earn Rhymes his inaugural chart-topping debut. The success has to taste sweet for Busta, especially after his last release, 2002's It Ain't Safe No More, opened at #43 with 62,000 scans — the rapper's first LP to debut outside of the top 10.

Rhymes' current retail dominance helped him usurp the Billboard crown from previous champs AFI. Second-week sales of the rockers' Decemberunderground slipped 43 percent to finish the week with 104,000 sales and the chart's #3 ranking. The Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way spends a second-straight week at #2 after selling 130,000 units.

There's no stopping the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," which climbs one spot to #4 with 79,000-plus scans after 23 weeks in stores. The #5 slot belongs to a newcomer: One-X, the second LP from Canadian rockers Three Days Grace, which sold 78,000 copies its first week out. The soundtrack to the animated feature "Cars" follows at #6 with 75,000 scans, just in front of Stadium Arcadium, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Rick Rubin-produced double album. During its sixth week of release, Arcadium sold another 74,000 copies to finish at #7.

Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang holds at #8 with 73,000 scans, followed at #9 by Yung Joc's New Joc City, which slides six spots with nearly 70,000 sales. Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later drops to #10 after selling 64,000 copies during its second week in stores.

Busta and Three Days Grace led a total of 13 new releases that will crack the Billboard 200. Billy Joel's 12 Gardens Live, a two-disc souvenir from the Piano Man's recent 12-show stand at Madison Square Garden, opens at #14 with 44,000 scans. Widespread Panic's Earth to America put up first-week sales of close to 21,000 for a #48 bow. Sonic Youth's Rather Ripped debuts at #71 with 16,000 sold, while Shadows Fall claim #83 after first-week interest in the New England metallers' Fallout From the War turned into 13,000-plus sales.

Regina Spektor debuts at #135 after selling nearly 8,000 copies of Begin to Hope. Anatomy Of, an album's worth of covers from Ozzfest 2006 performers Between the Buried and Me, finishes at #151 with sales just shy of the 7,000 mark. Keb' Mo's Suitcase claims the #176 slot, selling close to 6,000 copies, and Frankie J just makes the cut at #198, selling 5,000 copies of his new Spanish-language album, Un Nuevo Dia.

• Busta Rhymes
• Three Days Grace
• Billy Joel
• AFI
• Dixie Chicks

• Britney Spears
• Jennifer Lopez
• Michael Jackson
• Whitesnake
• Jessica Simpson

John Thompson, the attorney who helped get Howard Stern in hot water with Clear Channel and the FCC, has faxed a complaint to the FCC about a Mary J. Blige segment that aired on Sunday's edition of CBS' "60 Minutes." In a profile of the artist, Blige mumbled the word "sh--" under her breath during a vocal take in the studio. Thompson filed the complaint to FCC Chairman Michael Powell and his senior legal adviser. MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS. ...

Indie-rock darlings Guided by Voices have written their final album. After the August 24 release of Half Smiles of the Decomposed, the Dayton, Ohio, group will tour, and then disband. However, frontman Robert Pollard will still write and record as a solo artist. "I've always said that when I make a record that I'm totally satisfied with as befitting a final album, then that will be it. And this is it," he said in a statement. "I love the guys in the band, but I'm getting too old to be a gang leader." ... Fifty-four-year-old singer/pianist Billy Joel was injured in a single-car accident in Bayville, New York, over the weekend, crashing into an unoccupied house and lacerating his left hand. It was Joel's third car accident in two years, but police say he wasn't intoxicated. Joel was on his way to pick up a pizza and ineffectively maneuvered a tricky part of the road. ...

Kid Rock wrapped up the first leg of his North American tour on Saturday in Universal City, California. However, he won't take much of a breather before he kicks off the second leg. A slew of new dates has been scheduled, from May 6 in Portland, Oregon, to June 26 in Noblesville, Indiana. ... The White Stripes took home top honors at the 13th annual Detroit Music Awards Friday night, for Best National Album (Elephant) and Best National Single ("Seven Nation Army"). Jack and Meg White beat out other Motor City stars such as Eminem, Kid Rock and Aretha Franklin. ...

Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe has ordered the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. to stop its hip-hop-themed marketing campaign for its Kool brand of cigarettes. As part of a 1998 settlement reached between the tobacco companies and 46 states, tobacco companies cannot market their products to children. Rowe, who oversees the enforcement of the settlement, says Brown & Williamson's rap iconography in its marketing was specifically targeting black youth. ... Good to gooooo! Elephant Man has been tapped by Puma for a TV ad campaign celebrating the shoe company's sponsorship of the Jamaican Olympic Association. The 30-second spot, set to Elephant Man's "All Out," features the dancehall artist and Jamaica's 200-meter junior-world-champion runner Usain Bolt passing a relay baton in and out of a Kingston, Jamaica, recording studio. ...

Metallica, the band that once declared war on Napster and Internet downloaders, have posted four more concerts from their archives on the Web site www.metallicavault.com. Fans who own the band's most recent disc, St. Anger, can unlock the site with a code inside the packaging, and download the shows for free. Metallica are currently on tour with Godsmack, and are selling board recordings of all the shows on www.metclub.com. ... More than 20 people were arrested for drug-related offenses Friday and Saturday at the Livestock 14 concert in Zephyrhills, Florida. The event featured performances by Hatebreed, Soil, Drowning Pool, Damageplan, Sevendust and others. There were two arrests for battery, one for driving under the influence and others for cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy possession. One man was arrested for housing four tanks of nitrous oxide inside his camper. Three people overdosed and an additional 12 were treated at a local medical center. ...

The Get Up Kids have hopped aboard the Honda Civic Tour, which also features Dashboard Confessional and Thrice. The jaunt kicks off May 13 in Portland, Maine, and runs through June 30 in Pittsburgh. ... Chimaira will miss Monday's Jägermeister Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, because of multiple bus problems with multiple buses. The band was traveling from Truesdale, Missouri, to the venue when its bus conked out. A temporary replacement was called in, but soon after the group boarded, it too broke down. Chimaira plan to hook up with another bus in time for their Tuesday show in West Des Moines, Iowa. Last year, the band had similar bad luck, surviving a bus accident and a video set fire. "It's the same sh--, different tour," frontman Mark Hunter said. "I don't think we can ever do a tour without some type of catastrophe." ...

Varg Vikernes, the Burzum frontman who is serving a 21-year prison sentence in Norway for the 1993 murder of a rival in the band Mayhem, has been sentenced to 14 more months in jail. His sentence was extended as a result of his failed escape attempt late last year, in which he was charged with car theft and possession of an AG3 automatic rifle and 700 bullets. ... Kittie have brought on Lisa Marx (ex-To See You Broken) as their new second guitarist. The band met Marx at a Seattle area Kittie show, and jammed with her soon after. Kittie's upcoming album, Until the End, is scheduled for release this summer. ...

Spacehog frontman (and hubby of Liv Tyler) Royston Langdon and ex-Blind Melon guitarist Roger Stevens have merged to create Sparticle, with drummer Rene Lopez rounding out the trio. The band has played a handful of shows, including dates at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest and in New York, while shopping around a three-song demo for a record deal. ... Alive and Amplified, the third album from New York garage rockers the Mooney Suzuki, is due August 10. Produced by hitmakers-for-hire the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff), the LP follows 2002's Electric Sweat. ...

04.23.2004

The White Stripes were on hand Thursday to help Loretta Lynn celebrate the release of her new album, Van Lear Rose, at a party at Nashville's Hermitage Hotel. More than 500 guests attended, including Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith and Crystal Gayle. Jack White produced the album, which hits stores on Tuesday. ...

No vacations for Suge Knight. He was released from Mule Creek State Prison on Thursday around 5 a.m. and he immediately got on a plane to Los Angeles to join his family and close friends. On Friday morning, Knight dove right back into his CEO duties at Death Row, holding marketing and promotion meetings for the upcoming compilation LP he's trying to put together benefiting the families of U.S. troops in Iraq, as well as for Kurupt's Against the Grain LP. According to Tha Row, Kurupt's first single is "Stalkers." ... Eminem won a "cyber-squatting" lawsuit against a British company that had been using the rapper's likeness and music to sell mobile ringtones and photo messages. The company, Visitair, registered the domain name eminemmobile.com last year to sell the ringtones. As a result of the ruling, the domain name now becomes Eminem's possession, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which arbitrated the suit. ...

Scott Weiland got a breather on Friday when his DUI trial was postponed. He's next due in court on May 11, two days before his band Velvet Revolver are set to launch their tour in St. Louis. ... Sting is releasing three separate videos — all shot by Nick Quested — for his new single, "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)," with each one for a different mix of the song. One of the mixes is a collaboration with Twista, another features Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. The main storyline of each video centers around a Brooklyn, New York, warehouse party, with each of the clips showing different events taking place around the festivities. ...

Two days after he was indicted by a grand jury, Michael Jackson released a statement via his Web site asking the media to leave him alone. "As I release this statement there are helicopters hovering above my residence, reporters staking out and photographers lurking behind bushes, running rampant around my compound," wrote Jackson, who is living at a secluded estate in central Florida. "I am respectfully requesting that media organizations please respect my privacy and that of my children." ... In other Jackson news, media outlets covering his case, as well as the singer's lawyers, have asked the California Supreme Court to remove a gag order imposed on both sides. "The protective order bars those who are most knowledgeable about a criminal case that has garnered intense public interest from speaking to the public about the case, cutting off the best sources of truthful, timely information," a petition filed Friday read. ...

The 24th annual CMJ Music Marathon is set for October 13-16 in New York. Daytime events will be held at the Jacob Javits Center and the Westin Hotel in Times Square, while more than 50 venues will host the nightly performances. Participating artists have yet to be announced. ... The world's first charitable music download site will launch in June. Warchildmusic.com, an arm of the War Child organization, which helps children in war-torn countries, will feature exclusive tracks updated each month. The first crop will include tunes by Travis, Badly Drawn Boy and Spiritualized. ...

D.C. punk band Fugazi have begun selling CDs of their live shows dating back to their maiden gig on September 3, 1987, via their Web site www.fugaziliveseries.com. In keeping with the band's ethos, the albums are reasonably priced at $8 for a single disc and $10 for a double-disc set. ... Liz Phair will headline the Chicks With Attitude Tour, traversing the country from August to September. Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson, Katy Rose and Charlotte Martin will also be aboard for the ride. ...

Best known for their banging but ridiculously titled "Shh ... (Hope Diggy)" two years ago, Apex Theory have not hung it up after the departure of singer Andy Khachaturian. Instead, guitarist Art Karamian will handle vocal duties as the band works on its next album. ... Auf Der Maur, the band fronted by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, will support their self-titled debut, due June 1, by opening up for the Offspring. The trek begins May 11 in Minneapolis and wraps June 2 in New York. ... The pride of the Garden State stoner-rock scene, Monster Magnet, are set to release their sixth album, Monolithic Baby!, May 25. Following a tour of Europe with Gluecifer and the Quill, the band plans to embark on a North American tour. ...

• Mary J. Blige
• Guided By Voices
• Kid Rock
• Elephant Man
• Metallica

The Rolling Stones
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

While the World Health Organization said that it believes the worst of severe acute respiratory syndrome is over in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam — which got a clean bill of health on Monday for being the first nation to contain the virus — SARS is still affecting tour and promotional plans for many artists who were set to visit those regions.

The Rolling Stones were the first to pull out of Asian concerts — their first-ever concerts in China — when news of the disease broke in March, though they did play two shows in Singapore. They also postponed two Hong Kong concerts on the Asian leg of their Licks World Tour and promised to reschedule the concerts “as soon as possible,” according to a statement.

Subsequently, Moby called off dates in Singapore and Hong Kong, apologizing to fans on his Web site and promising to reschedule the dates at a later point as well. Carlos Santana pulled out of an April 11 show in Hong Kong, where the virus crossed from China. He played his concert that night in Osaka, Japan, instead.

Now, the latest Asian concert cancellation comes from Mariah Carey, who has postponed her forthcoming Singapore concert, to take place June 11. She expects it to be staged instead sometime in July, following her Japanese tour, or in November, following her European tour dates.

Not every artist has been scared away from Asia by SARS, however. While every other major musical event in China was canceled, Paul Oakenfold took stages in Shanghai and Beijing, as well as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in early to mid April as part of the Thirst Tour, a joint venture between the DJ and Heineken to discover new DJs around the world.

Travel warnings for Asia, however, only affect a handful of touring artists. For most, it’s the recent Toronto cases that cause the most concern. On Thursday the WHO advised against travel to Toronto, the only epicenter outside of Asia to list fatalities, despite assurances from the Canadian government that there is nothing to worry about. "We all believe that the World Health Organization came to the wrong conclusion," Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien told reporters on Friday. "We believe Toronto is a good place to visit, and it is a safe city.”

Toronto, which is set to host auditions for “Canadian Idol” next month, saw American Idol's Kelly Clarkson canceling her promotional visit on Monday, where she was scheduled to appear on "Canada AM" and MuchMusic's "On Demand" and to perform at a Cineplex Odeon theater. Lisa Marie Presley had canceled her Toronto promotional visit earlier this month.

Billy Joel and Elton John were due to perform to a sold-out crowd at the city’s Air Canada Center on Monday, but canceled the show. Ticket refunds are available, but promoters said plans are under way to reschedule the engagement. And Styx canceled a concert scheduled for Tuesday (April 29) at the city’s Hard Rock Café, since the band was told that if it came into contact with SARS, it would be quarantined in America upon their return, and decided not to take the risk, according to a statement. And Ravi Shankar postponed his Toronto concert — scheduled for Friday (April 25) — until October.

Other acts scheduled to perform in Toronto in the near future include Matchbox Twenty (Air Canada Center, May 7), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Air Canada Center, May 13), Poison (Molson Amphitheater, June 3), Boston (Molson Amphitheater, June 10), Coldplay (Molson Amphitheater, June 11), and Dixie Chicks (Air Canada Center, June 12). There's no word yet if any of those shows will be affected or not.

At last count, Toronto had 140 confirmed cases and 19 deaths. In contrast, Hong Kong has been one of the epicenters of the viral outbreak, with 1,510 cases and 115 deaths. Probable cases have also been recorded in Brazil, Israel, Russia and the United States — New York City has twenty probable and suspected cases alone. Since first reports of the death of an infected U.S. businessman in a Hong Kong hospital in mid-March, SARS has killed over 265 and infected about 4,800 people worldwide. It has a mortality rate of about six percent.

For more information about SARS, log on to www.cdc.gov or call the Centers for Disease Control’s public response hotline at (888) 246-2675.

• The Rolling Stones
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• Elton John

Billy Joel
Photo: Columbia/Sony

Billy Joel suffered minor head injuries Saturday night in a car accident in far eastern Long Island, New York, and stayed overnight in a hospital before being released.

Joel, 53, was driving his blue 2002 Mercedes Benz on Route 114 in Sag Harbor when he lost control of his car and slammed into a tree. Paramedics removed the piano man from the vehicle and took him by ambulance to East Hampton Airport, where he was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.

A hospital spokesperson said Joel was flown to the facility because it was unclear how seriously he was hurt at the time of the accident. The spokesperson wouldn't detail Joel's injuries, but said he was in satisfactory condition upon release.

Joel was alone in his car when he crashed, and faces no charges. Police did not give him a Breathalyzer test, and no further investigation is planned, the Associated Press reported.

Last summer, Joel lost control of his car in East Hampton and hit a fire well and post. He suffered minor lacerations and bruises, but refused medical attention, Newsday reported. A week later, Joel checked into a substance abuse rehab center in New Canaan, Connecticut (see "Billy Joel In Hospital For 'Personal Problem' ").

• Billy Joel

Billy Joel
Photo: VH1

Billy Joel has checked himself into a Connecticut substance abuse and psychiatric hospital, according to his label, Columbia.

The 53-year old artist entered New Canaan's Silver Hill Hospital for "a planned 10-day stay to deal with a specific and personal problem that had recently developed," according to a statement released Wednesday (June 19). The statement offered no further explanation.

Wednesday's issue of The Advocate of Stamford was the first to report the singer's stay, explaining that Joel was undergoing treatment for an unnamed illness at the hospital's chemical dependency treatment center. Columbia's statement said he "scheduled his stay in Silver Hill several weeks ago and expects to leave in a few days, as planned."

This would be the second bout of ill health for Joel this year. In March the singer postponed and rescheduled a tour with Elton John due to illness (see ).

• Billy Joel

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