Eve and DJ Jazzy Jeff are heroes — they'll be honored by the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy at their 2002 Heroes Awards ceremony on April 22 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The event will benefit the academy's MusiCares Foundation as well as other programs to advance music education and musicians' welfare. ... Kiss bassist and irrepressible self-promoter Gene Simmons will be giving his famed tongue an onscreen workout in the film Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, which stars Tim Allen of "Home Improvement" fame (oh, of course). ... It's Aaron's Valentine Party (Come Get It) — yep, teenage ball o' fire Aaron Carter has his own 90-minute pay-per-view special lined up for February 16 on INDemand and DirecTV. "Aaron Carter's Valentine Party," shot at Baton Rouge, Louisiana's Riverside Centroplex, will also feature several performances by Carter's big Backstreet Boy brother, Nick. ...

Sign up these switch-hitters, stat — Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez are Hollywood's two most bankable musician/actors, notching up #1 and #2, respectively, on a survey of industry execs by The Hollywood Reporter. "Marky"-Mark Wahlberg feels the vibrations at #3, while Madonna, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Ice Cube, Janet Jackson, Cher and Courtney Love bubble under him, according to the Associated Press. ... Photogenic twin-brother act Evan and Jaron are through with being "Crazy for That Girl." They're writing songs for their next album, which could include a new track penned by Evan called "It's So Funny I Could Cry," according to VH1 Radio. ... Rollins Band will record their March 1 and 2 shows at Chicago's famed Metro Cabaret for their first live CD, due in the summer. Henry Rollins and cohorts will warm up for the gigs with dates in Towson, Maryland (February 25), Boston (26) and Buffalo (27). ...

Run-DMC will help kick off the NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday by appearing and performing at a charity auction party held at Philadelphia's Zanzibar Blue. Two nights after the event, which benefits the Inner-City Games Foundation's efforts to enrich young people's lives through sports and educational programs, the rap innovators will join Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, EPMD, DJ Jazzy Jeff, MC Lyte, Public Enemy and Rakim at the Electric Factory's Old School All-Stars party. ... Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold have released albums of their favorite beats, breaks and scratches on the UK label Music of Life. Fatboy's All Star Breakbeats and Oakenfold's Bust a Groove are fodder for DJs, rappers and producers who want a sneak peak into the superstar DJs' record collections and sound files. ...

Reggae/dancehall veteran Capleton — a former Def Jam artist whose past albums have featured collaborations with Q-Tip and Method Man — will release Still Blazing on February 26 through VP Records. The foul-mouthed "slackness" king-turned-Rastafarian is planning to tour behind the LP, which combines hardcore dancehall and old-school reggae flavor. ... Classic rockers Bad Company recorded their recent tour, which featured original singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke along with new members, for a live CD and DVD due in May. The releases will include two new songs and guest appearances by Slash and Journey guitarist Neal Schon on "Wishing Well" and "Crossroads." ...

Good golly, Little Richard will be inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame at the civil rights organization's 33rd annual Image Awards ceremony, which takes place February 23 and will be broadcast March 1 on Fox. "Little Richard has distinguished himself as not only an unparalleled musical genius, but also as a unique and innovative performing artist — fusing pure vocal talent with exhilarating showmanship," NAACP President/CEO Kweisi Mfume said in a statement. ... Van Morrison wrote two songs and sings on one ("Sometimes We Cry") for the second album by his daughter, Shana Morrison. Due April 2, 7 Wishes blends elements of pop, rock and blues, her spokesperson said. ...Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin and Deep Blue Something will headline WorldSong 2002 - The Next Country Over, a concert to promote world peace and harmony during the Olympic Winter Games, on February 21 at the McKay Event Center in Orem, Utah. ...

02.05.02

Portly hellcats Tenacious D threaten to blow Kid Rock off the stage when they open four dates on the Bullgod's spring tour: March 22 in Indianapolis, Indiana; March 23 in Louisville, Kentucky; March 28 in Kansas City, Missouri and March 29 in St. Louis. The dynamic duo have a headlining tour in the works, according to their label. ... Outspoken Hole frontwoman and artists' rights advocate Courtney Love — currently embroiled in a legal battle with her former label, Geffen Records — will participate in a public interview with the L.A. Times on March 16 at the South by Southwest music conference. Singer/songwriter and former Band guitarist Robbie Robertson is the keynote speaker for this year's gathering, which will take place March 13-17 in Austin, Texas. ...

Jo Jo Brim, senior director of A&R at Def Jam/ Def Soul, had no comment whether or not Def Soul has hollered at the newly free-agented Mariah Carey, though he credit her "unprecedented" track record, "amazing voice" and "tremendous following" in saying that she would be a welcome commodity. "If something of that caliber were to happen, it could only mean great things for everybody involved," Brim said. ... Staind, Aerosmith and American Hi-Fi are tied at the top of the annual Boston Music Awards nominations list with seven each, while Godsmack and Cracktorch are loudly nipping at their heels with six. The awards will be doled out on April 11 at Boston's Orpheum Theatre, where those acts will vie for trophies alongside other multi-nommed local heroes such as Dropkick Murphys, the Sheila Divine, Scissorfight and LFO (go to boston.com for a complete list of nominees). ...

Flame-haired, stone-washed '80s mall-pop princess Tiffany ("I Think We're Alone Now") will appear in the altogether in the April issue of Playboy, which arrives on March 4. Yes, she still sings — her most recent album was 2000's The Color of Silence. ...Linkin Park's debut, Hybrid Theory, has been certified seven times platinum after moving 3 million copies in the last three months, according to the RIAA. Other acts earning shiny new plaques are Creed for Weathered (five times platinum) and Usher for 8701 (triple platinum), while Nelly Furtado's Whoa, Nelly!, Enrique Iglesias' Escape, Pink's Missundaztood, Shakira's Laundry Service and Michael Jackson's Invincible have been certified double platinum. ...

Following rapper TiLo's departure from his Methods of Mayhem last year, Tommy Lee has dispensed with the band, — name and all — and is flying solo for Never a Dull Moment, his second post-Mötley Crüe LP, which is set for release on May 21. "Hold Me Down" is the first single off the LP, which features guest appearances by Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger and Deftones singer Chino Moreno. ... Cypress Hill rhyme-roller B-Real recorded a cover of David Bowie's "Fame" with Lee for Never a Dull Moment, but the rapper's part had to be removed due to clearance issues. "Fame-02," sans B-Real, will still appear on Lee's LP. ...

Philly's own Boyz II Men and Daryl Hall & John Oates will provide entertainment at the NBA's All-Star Saturday Night February 9 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. City High, also from the Philadelphia area, will perform the national anthem before the All-Star Hoop-It-Up tournament, which will see Justin Timberlake and Brian McKnight take the court. ... Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, rocker Patti Smith and Brazilian pop singer Bebel Gilberto have joined David Bowie, Nawang Khechog and the Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery on the list of performers scheduled for the 12th annual Tibet House Benefit Concert on February 22 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Bowie and his model wife, Iman, are the Honorary Chairs of the event.

Cake, Nikka Costa and the Roots are among the artists lined up to perform at the Ice House in the Mountain Dew Ice Village in Salt Lake City during the 2002 Olympic Games this month. Cheap Trick, Coolio, Pennywise, Lit, Perry Farrell, BT, George Clinton, Black Eyed Peas, Common, Talib Kweli, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, LFO, Fishbone, Save Ferris, Digable Planets, Dishwalla, Dance Hall Crashers and Mystic also perform on various nights from February 8 to 24. ...

Singer/songwriter Ryan Adams, supporting September's Grammy-nominated Gold, will launch a 10-date tour on February 25 in Los Angeles. The outing, which hits the likes of San Francisco, Chicago and Detroit, wraps March 18 in Boston. ... Robert Moog and Apple Computer, Inc. will each receive a Technical Grammy later this month. Moog invented the Moog synthesizer in 1965 and has been an innovator in analog electronic instruments since, while Apple is known for bringing computer technology into recording studios. ... John Forte, a contributing rapper on the Fugee's The Score and the founder of Wyclef Jean's Refugee Camp All-Stars, will release his second solo album, the hip-hop- and folk-oriented I, John, on April 23.

• Eve
• DJ Jazzy Jeff
• Aaron Carter
• Madonna
• Marky Mark

Mark Wahlberg
Photo: New Line Cinema

"Rock Star," the movie starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, has been given an April 13 release date, and a soundtrack dominated by Wahlberg's fictional band, Steel Dragon, will hit stores on April 3.

Sources close to the production, which was shooting with the working title of "Metal God," say musicians making cameo appearances will include Colleen Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. Vitamin C, playing a fan, and Sean Kinney and Mike Inez of Alice in Chains appearing as members of a fictional Seattle band — not much of a stretch.

Sharp-eyed fans will also spot Myles Kennedy of the Mayfield Four and Chris Hower of Radford in the film, directed by Stephen Herek.

Wahlberg's character is styled after Tim "Ripper" Owens, who fronted a Judas Priest cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group. Wahlberg, fans may recall, used to perform under the handle Marky Mark with his group the Funky Bunch, while his brother Donnie was a member of New Kids on the Block (see "Mark Wahlberg Scores With 'Big Hit,' Discusses Possible Record With Brother").

Steel Dragon features Dokken's Jeff Pilson on bass, Jason Bonham on drums and Zakk Wylde on guitar. The tribute band that gives Wahlberg his start, called Blood Pollution, includes the Verve Pipe's Brian Van Der Ark, Slaughter's Blas Elias and Zakk Wylde bandmate Nick Catanese.

Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind also has a small role in the film as the lead singer of a rival cover group. Jennifer Aniston plays Wahlberg's girlfriend.

The title "Metal God" was axed in favor of "Rock Star" to take the film out of the restrictive heavy metal niche and into a wider, more accessible rock genre, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said. Contrary to published reports, the spokesperson said, the switch was not spurred by a complaint from ex-Priest singer Rob Halford, who uses the "metal god" nickname.

The soundtrack will feature Steel Dragon performing a half-dozen songs written for the movie by such artists as Jay and Jeremy Popoff (Lit), Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson), Peter Beckett (Survivor, Little River Band), Steve Plunkett (Autograph), Sammy Hagar, Desmond Child and Richie Blackmore. Additional tracks for the disc are pending.

The album and film will also feature a new song from the Verve Pipe as well as popular '80s songs by the likes of Bon Jovi, Mötely Crüe and Kiss.

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Time for a history lesson, kids: before his acclaimed performances in "Boogie Nights," "Three Kings," and "The Perfect Storm," actor Mark Wahlberg was hitmaker Marky Mark.

Aided by his Funky Bunch (and the high visibility that comes with modeling underwear for Calvin Klein), Marky Mark scored with the chart-topper "Good Vibrations" and released two albums in the early '90s.

Wahlberg's critically acclaimed acting resume has almost erased his pop-rap past from cultural memory, but Wahlberg recently told MTV News that there has been talk about resurrecting his music career, revealing that he recently met with Interscope Records, but that he doesn't want to jump back into the music scene just yet.

"I don't want to do a record right now and try to push something because the record company has shown interest," Wahlberg told MTV News.

Given the pop music roller coaster that Mark and his brother Donnie (a member of New Kids On The Block) rode in years past, Wahlberg urges today's current crop of pop stars to be grateful for their success and warns that it's ultimately up to record companies whether or not they'll be hot tomorrow, as labels tend to make idle promises and comparisons to great artists with little sincerity.

• Marky Mark

An '80s metal costume ball is being planned for May 13 in Los Angeles, and the event will help provide the crowd scenes for the movie formerly known as "Metal God."

The yet-to-be-retitled film stars Mark Wahlberg and was inspired by the story of salesman Tim "Ripper" Owens, the frontman of a Judas Priest cover band who wound up becoming the new lead singer in the actual group (see "Mark Wahlberg Weighing "Metal" Role For Next Film"). The big-screen version of Judas Priest has been dubbed Steel Dragon, with the tribute band carrying the moniker Blood Pollution.

The L.A. Sports Arena will provide the venue for the costume ball, and bands scheduled to appear onstage include Great White, W.A.S.P., Metal Shop, and the fictional Steel Dragon (with Wahlberg front and center). The event is also touting "a rare appearance by Vic & The Rattleheads," which some metalheads may recognize as pseudonym for Megadeth.

Billed as an "'80s Heavy Metal Charity Party,"the event is expected to attract roughly 12,000 fans, who'll tease up their hair and pay a nominal $5 cover charge with the proceeds benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation for pediatric AIDS research. Celebrity MCs will include Poison's C.C. Deville, and the usual array of Playboy Playmates and exotic dancers will also be on hand.

When Steel Dragon takes the stage at the event, concert footage will be shot for the Stephen Herek-helmed film. The "band" also features Zakk Wylde on guitar, Dokken's Jeff Pilson on bass, and Jason Bonham on drums, as well as actor Dominic West ("A Midsummer Night's Dream"). The departing singer is played by Jason Flemyng ("Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels").

Blood Pollution, the onscreen cover band that spawns Wahlberg, also includes a number familiar faces, including The Verve Pipe's Brian Van Der Ark, Slaughter's Blas Elias, and Zakk Wylde bandmate Nick Catanese. Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind also has a small role in the film as the lead singer of a rival cover group.

The movie's soundtrack will feature mostly original music, some written by the musicians themselves, and some by outside writers.

In related news, Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society has just released a second album, "Stronger Than Death," and recently finished shooting a video that includes Wahlberg for the first single, "Counterfeit God," which is also expected to be included in the movie.

The Black Label Society's tentative touring plans include North America in June and July. Wylde told fans he had been hoping to land a spot on the pending Mötley Crüe-Megadeth-Anthrax tour; a source close to the production says that road trip will most likely be sticking with just the three acts, and that Wylde is lining up his own dates.

• Marky Mark
• Megadeth

Mark Wahlberg may return to music for a new film he's considering, "Metal God," a project in which the rapper-turned-actor would portray a replacement singer hired by a veteran heavy metal band.

• Marky Mark

After flexing his big screen muscle in his own "Players' Club," Ice Cube has reportedly lined up another film role, this time opposite George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.

• Ice Cube
• Marky Mark

Fresh from his star-making turn in "Boogie Nights," rapper-turned-actor Mark Wahlberg is back with a new film, "Big Hit," which opens on screens this Friday.

But despite his recent Hollywood success, the former Marky Mark told MTV News that he hasn't given up his recording interests, and even worked up one song, "Don't Sleep," for the "Big Hit" soundtrack.

"It just kind of came about by accident," Wahlberg said of "Don't Sleep," "I wasn't really talking about doing a song, but somebody had asked me about it. I said it'd be cool as long as it ain't like 'Men in Black' and you're gonna try and put me in the video or nothing. 'Cause I worked too hard to get away from all that to be going back there. But I got to do something based on the character for the movie and that was cool because I'm still active in the studio, just not putting out a record."

Later in an interview with the MTV Radio Network, Wahlberg also talked about his desire to cut a record with his brother, former New Kids on the Block singer, Donnie, and his level of involvement in the studio these days.

"I do want to get into the studio eventually and record a record with my brother," Wahlberg said, "but I don't think right this second is the good time, because my record wasn't really talking about doing a record until all this other success occurred. [145k Audio]

"I've recorded probably four or five albums," he explained, "just never put it out. You know? Its like 'all right, this is the one, we're gonna do this, do this video,' and I'm like, 'no, no I'm gonna wait.'" [120k Audio]

But for now Wahlberg seems quite content to pursue film-acting full time, conscious of the fact that he can always fall back into a career and industry he loves.

"I love [music] more than I love what I'm doing now," Wahlberg said. "Because its you, you know. Making a movie, I mean, you're part of a huge group -- 5,000 people -- when I'm in the studio its just me. I'm writing what I'm saying, and talking about what I want to talk about." [230k Audio]

"If I can find myself in a position," he concluded, "where I can do what I want to do and just make real music that, you know, is not necessarily set up to sell 10 million records, but is going to get heard by certain people, you know, a certain audience, and be appreciated by them, then no problem." [170k Audio]

• Marky Mark

The video-porn industry that sprang up in the pre-AIDS, sexual freedom era of the 1970s is the subject of a new movie that opened this week, called "Boogie Nights." Among the film's stars, playing a character loosely modeled on the late, doomed porn icon John Holmes, is Mark Wahlberg, the one-time "Marky Mark" of b-boy and underwear ad fame.

MARK WAHLBERG, July 91: Although I take it seriously, some just like me because of my r-a-c-e. But I won't quit and I won't stop, 'cause I do hip-hop records just because I love hip hop.

JOHN NORRIS: Ah yes, the Marky Mark we thought we knew. Over a whirlwind two year period in the early 90s, he went from being a New Kids kid brother to tossing his shirt, dropping his pants, and becoming a much-exposed MTV icon. Then came Calvin Klein.

WAHLBERG, 1992, CK advertisement : Save the strange behavior for the kids with dirty drawers.

NORRIS: But visibility does not equal respectability, and as his record sales fell off and he faced a backlash that included allegations of racism, Marky knew it was time to...

WAHLBERG, (in concert): Stop!

NORRIS: So a quiet reinvention began as Mark Wahlberg, actor. Four films -- "Renaissance Man," "Basketball Diaries," "Fear" and "Traveler" -- for the most part, found Mark cast in tough, street-kid roles. And now... Boogie Nights.

WAHLBERG: It was just the opportunity of a lifetime. Those kinds of parts don't come around too often, you know.

MTV: Nor do films like this, about the rise and fall of an extremely well-endowed porn star, screen name, Dirk Diggler, set in the heyday of adult films, the late seventies. For the first time in his acting career, Mark gets to be the hero.

NORRIS: That must have been a nice change of pace -- to play a good guy.

WAHLBERG: Definitely. Yeah, somebody with a little bit of heart, somebody that's kind of human. He's got some pretty inhuman things going on, too.

NORRIS: Maybe the most inhuman is Dirk's tool of the trade, which we actually get a glimpse of in prosthetic form.

WAHLBERG: You have a tendency to forget about it, there's all this other stuff going on and it still comes back and you go, "Oh, that's the thing. That's the thing."

MTV: But even though he does "drop trou", and more in this movie, and even though he's not ruling out an eventual return to music, Mark has gone from being on the brink of one-hit-wonder status to creating a new and promising career for himself.

WAHLBERG: I don't have to be subject to making the next Marky Mark record, you know, dusting off the underwear. Running back out there, "Heyyy!" I don't have to do that anymore.

• Marky Mark

Making the Video Episode Guide 2

• Marky Mark