Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz
Photo: Mark Mainz/ Getty Images

The news happens all the time, even while you're enjoying your weekend. Check out this brief rundown to bring you up to speed this morning — a quick heads-up from your friends at MTV News.

Here's what we've got:

Lil Wayne has no shortage of creative partners, working with everyone from Kanye and Beyoncé to DJ Drama, but one old friend might be Weezy's least expected collaborator. Former Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh told us that he won't let a business conflict with Baby prevent him from working with Wayne. "As much as I'm a part of [Wayne], he's a part of me. I don't see nothing wrong with it."

It can't all be Howard Stern's doing, so what is keeping Sanjaya in the "American Idol" running? Grandmas, little girls and pity votes all make the top 10. And no, "his flawless voice" doesn't rank.

Perhaps "Grindhouse" was just a little too gory for the Easter weekend crowd. The Quentin Tarantino/ Robert Rodriguez double feature couldn't knock "Blades of Glory" from #1— and also got its clock cleaned by two kids' movies.

And the Game took time out this weekend to talk with Shaheem Reid about his new mixtape — and also spoke out about his relationship with Young Buck, the G-Unit dis "Body Bags" and Tony Yayo's alleged attack on Jimmy Henchman's son.

Quote of the Day: "I have the whole 'Grease' soundtrack [on my iPod]. I've never really admitted that before." — "Hostel" mastermind Eli Roth

Here's what everyone else is talking about:

Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson had a "pretty intense" weekend, People reports, with one partygoer spilling to the magazine that the two were "holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes and smooching" at an L.A. club on Saturday — a day after Fall Out Boy announced the delay of their upcoming tour due to "personal issues." Sounds like the pair — described as on-again/off-again by Ashlee's camp — may have been on.

Corgan and Chamberlin are in, Iha's out, and somebody's got to play bass. Buddyhead.com claims to have a line on the rest of the Smashing Pumpkins lineup, reporting that Ginger Reyes (a.k.a. Ginger Sling) of the Halo Friendlies will be taking over for original bassist D'Arcy Wretzky, while Jeff Schroeder (former guitarist for SoCal bands the Lassie Foundation and Violet Burning) will play guitar.

Who'd have guessed that "The Charlotte Church Show" would be can't-miss TV? First we saw Amy Winehouse stumble her way through "Beat It," and now PerezHilton.com has posted footage of Fergie getting way into Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" alongside Church on the British singer's stage.

Wolfgang Van Halen is relieved that his dad checked himself into rehab, according to a post on Blabbermouth.net. And that's not just because Eddie's getting help — it also means Wolfie doesn't have to step into Michael Anthony's touring shoes just yet. "I'm too young for the experience," Wolfgang told People. "I know there are a lot of bad things out there."

"Hey, we're doing that too!" Microsoft wants consumers to know that Apple isn't the only company with plans to drop Digital Rights Management software, PC World reports. Noting that EMI's decision to eliminate copy protection is not exclusive to Apple, Microsoft Zune spokeswoman Katy Asher said Friday that you can expect to purchase unprotected music to play on the Zune "as soon as our label partners are comfortable with it."

Reports that Young Jeezy is planning to promote the USDA single "White Girls" with a white-female street team are not true, Blood Raw tells SOHH.com. "That would be a gimmick and we don't do gimmicks over here," he said.

You probably won't be seeing "Overkill: The Broadway Revue" anytime soon. The New York Post's Page Six reports that Motörhead's mighty Lemmy isn't a fan of Broadway musicals. Shocking, isn't it?

And with Will Ferrell holding #1 at the box office with "Blades of Glory," shooting for a second of fame in his next sports comedy might not be a bad idea. "Semi-Pro" — a 1976-set basketball comedy starring Ferrell and Andre Benjamin — begins shooting in Michigan at the end of the month, and is seeking extras, local NBC affiliate WDIV reports.

• MTV News RAW: Fall Out Boy In Flight

• Fall Out Boy
• Ashlee Simpson
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Fergie
• Dolly Parton

Entertainer of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait

Female Vocalist of the Year
Terri Clark
Alison Krauss
Patty Loveless
Martina McBride
Dolly Parton

Vocal Group of the Year
Alabama
Diamond Rio
Dixie Chicks
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts

Vocal Duo of the Year
Bellamy Brothers
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Sons of the Desert
The Warren Brothers

Horizon Award
Gary Allan
Buddy Jewell
Joe Nichols
Blake Shelton
Darryl Worley

Vocal Event of the Year (Awards presented to artists and producer(s))

• "Beer for My Horses"
Artists: Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"
Artists: Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
Record Label: Arista Nashville

• "Picture"
Artists: Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow
Record Label: Lava/Atlantic

• "Tears in the Holston River"
Artists: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band featuring Johnny Cash
Record Label: Capitol Nashville

• "The Truth About Men"
Artists: Tracy Byrd (with Andy Griggs, Montgomery Gentry and Blake Shelton)
Record Label: RCA

Album of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s) and producer(s))

• American IV: The Man Comes Around -- Johnny Cash
Producer: Rick Rubin
Record Label: Lost Highway

• Home -- Dixie Chicks
Producers: Dixie Chicks and Lloyd Maines
Record Label: Open Wide/Monument/Columbia

• Man With a Memory -- Joe Nichols
Producer: Brent Rowan
Record Label: Universal South

• Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors -- Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors
Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw and Darran Smith
Record Label: Curb

• Unleashed -- Toby Keith
Producers: James Stroud and Toby Keith
Record Label: DreamWorks

Song of the Year (Awards presented to the songwriter(s) and publisher(s))

• "Beer for My Horses" -- Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Writers: Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick
Publishers: Tokeco Tunes and Big Yellow Dog Music

• "Celebrity" -- Brad Paisley
Writer: Brad Paisley
Publishers: EMI April Music and Sea Gayle Music

• "Have You Forgotten?" -- Darryl Worley
Writers: Darryl Worley and Wynn Varble
Publishers: EMI April Music, Pittsburg Landing Songs and Warner-Tamerlane Pub.

• "Red Dirt Road" -- Brooks & Dunn
Writers: Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn
Publishers: Sony and ATV

• "Three Wooden Crosses" -- Randy Travis
Writers: Doug Johnson and Kim Williams
Publishers: Mike Curb Music, Sweet Radical Music, Sony and ATV Tunes

Single of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s)and producer(s))

• Beer for My Horses" -- Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Producers: James Stroud andToby Keith
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "Celebrity" -- Brad Paisley
Producer: Frank Rogers
Record Label: Arista Nashville

• "Have You Forgotten?" -- Darryl Worley
Producers: Frank Rogers and James Stroud
Record Label: DreamWorks

• "Hurt" -- Johnny Cash
Producer: Rick Rubin
Record Label: Lost Highway

• "Three Wooden Crosses" -- Randy Travis
Producer: Kyle Lehning
Record Labels: Word, Curb and Warner Bros.

Music Video of the Year (Awards presented to artist(s) and director)

• "Beer for My Horses"
Artists: Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson
Director: Michael Salomon

• "Celebrity"
Artist: Brad Paisley
Director: Peter Zavadil

• "Concrete Angel"
Artist: Martina McBride
Directors: Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV

• "Hurt"
Artist: Johnny Cash
Director: Mark Romanek

• "Red Dirt Road"
Artist: Brooks & Dunn
Director: Steven Goldmann

Musician of the Year
Jerry Douglas -- Dobro
Paul Franklin -- steel guitar
Aubrie Haynie -- fiddle/mandolin
Brent Mason -- guitar
Randy Scruggs -- guitar

• Brooks & Dunn
• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Tim McGraw

Leggo my egos, says Def Jam head honcho Lyor Cohen — rumors that P. Diddy was wooing Foxy Brown to Bad Boy will remain just that, as Foxy has resigned with Def Jam and negotiated an Ill Na Na Entertainment label deal with the Universal Music Group in the process. The newly formed label is to be run by the rapper's brother-turned-CEO, Gavin "Pretty Boy" Marchand. ... Lil' Romeo's second album, Game Time, has been pushed back from its June 4 due date to July 16. That leaves Romeo with a little bit more time for pre-Game rituals, such as his radio Disney promo tour, and preparing for his post-Game campaign with McDonald's to push their Mighty Kids Meals, which begins September 13. ...

Mainstream country music legend Dolly Parton knows all that glitters is gold, and now she's buying the "Stairway to Heaven." Parton covered the Led Zeppelin classic for her upcoming record, Halos & Horns, receiving both Jimmy Page's and Robert Plant's blessings (though she took some liberties with the lyrics). ... The Neptunes have signed Minneapolis funk band Spymob as the first act on their on Star Trak Entertainment venture with Arista Records. Spymob are opening for N.E.R.D. and performing as their backup band on a three-week tour that kicked off Thursday in Los Angeles and crosses the country before wrapping up back there June 15. ...

While everyone keeps wondering if his film "House of 1,000 Corpses" will ever see the light of day, Rob Zombie's creepy video for Black Label Society's "Demise of Sanity" should soon be coming to a video outlet near you. Zombie is scheduled to shoot the clip on June 24 at a Los Angeles slaughterhouse. ... British pop rock foursome Gene will release their first Stateside album since 1997's Drawn to the Deep End on the new Artist Direct imprint iMusic in late summer. Libertine, which received rave reviews when it was released in the U.K. last fall, will feature four new tracks and will be promoted with a U.S. tour. ...

Fatboy Slim will stage another free beachside concert in his hometown of Brighton, England on July 13. Before Big Beach Boutique # 2, which will also feature John Digweed, Fatboy will be the official DJ at the World Cup soccer tournament in Japan in early June and will spin at a variety of events. ... Detroit rappers Slum Village will release their second album, Trinity, on July 30. The record finds acclaimed producer Jay Dee taking more of a back seat role to lyricists Baatin and T3. ... Tony Bono, the bassist for '80s thrash metal band Whiplash, died early Saturday morning from an apparent heart attack. He was 38. ...

Hulking singer Henry Rollins has enlisted what he deems an "amazing crew of people" to sing various songs by his former band, Black Flag, for a West Memphis Three benefit album. The LP, which will feature the Rollins Band playing backup, should see release in November ... Sense Field guitarist Rodney Sellars was forced to withdraw from his band's North American tour, which continues through June 14, after his four-year-old daughter, Leilani, and her mother were involved in a car accident on May 12 that left the girl in a coma. She's in critical but stable condition and is expected to require long-term medical care, for which a fund as been established to help the family with costs. Further information is available on the band's Web site (www.sensefield.com), and donations can be sent to Leilani Gutierrez c/o Globe Packaging, 179 E. 17th St., Box 400, Costa Mesa, California, 92627. ...

05.24.02

Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilminster had his trademark black cowboy hat swiped during the band's show at San Francisco's Club Townsend on May 17. Lemmy is offering an undisclosed reward for the hat — a concert favorite of the metal kingpin — and those with information are asked to e-mail the group's official Webmaster at acetrump@bigfoot.com. ... KRS-One says he's just getting better with time, as are some his pioneering peers. He recently revealed he's planning a group album with Doug E. Fresh and Big Daddy Kane under the moniker the Treacherous Three. ...

U2 and the songwriting team behind Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" were the big winners at the 47th Ivor Novello Awards held in London. U2's "Walk On" won Best Song Musically and Lyrically, while "Out of My Head" scribes Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis picked up a trio of trophies for Best Dance Single, International Hit of the Year and Most Performed Work. ... Silverchair were forced to cancel two Australian shows in Hobart, Tasmania and Sydney this week because frontman Daniel Johns, who suffers from the chronic condition reactive arthritis, was in too much pain to play. The band's new album Diorama will be released in the U.S. in July. ... Neil Diamond will kick off a 16-date North American tour September 5 in New Orleans. The Jazz Singer (and frequent target of Will Ferrell's scary love) will end the trek October 4 in Vancouver.

• Foxy Brown
• Lil' Romeo
• Rob Zombie
• N.E.R.D.
• Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton
Photo: Sugar Hill

Dolly Parton will play a concert New Year's Eve in Nashville to provide scholarships for families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. "The Red, White and Bluegrass Concert" at the Grand Ole Opry House will feature Parton with an "all-star acoustic band." "I wanted to show my true colors, which are red, white and blue, by being a good American and a good Samaritan," she said in a statement. Money will go to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. Guest artists and ticket information will be announced later. Parton said she would like to do an ongoing series of concerts featuring talent from the bluegrass and roots music community to benefit the fund. Bill Clinton and Bob Dole head up a $100 million fundraising campaign to support the scholarship fund. ...

Charges against Trace Adkins for DUI, speeding and violating the open container law have been carried over to November 26 in Williamson County, Tennessee. The case went to the grand jury Monday (October 8). Adkins was arrested July 5 in Nolensville, Tennessee, while on his way home from his farm in Rutherford County. ...

William E. "Smoky" Dacus, the first drummer for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, died Tuesday at Kellmark Nursing Center in Rogers, Arkansas. He was 90. One of country music's first drummers, Dacus joined the Texas Playboys in 1935 and played on classic recordings such as "Maiden's Prayer," "San Antonio Rose" and "Steel Guitar Rag." He left the band in the early 1940s when Wills went to Hollywood. In his Wills biography, "San Antonio Rose," Charles Townsend points out that Dacus played an important role in western swing and country music history. "This was the first time drums were successfully used in a string band," he writes of Dacus' tenure. Dacus helped create the solid dance beat Wills was after, and his drumming "moved the band further from traditional fiddle or string band music and even closer to jazz." Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday (October 11) at Immanuel Baptist Church in Rogers. ...

Billy Ray Cyrus appears barechested and tattooed in the David Lynch movie "Mulholland Drive," which opens Friday at selected theaters nationwide. The movie, which was originally written as a television pilot for ABC, won the Best Director award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ...

Martina McBride will perform a concert on Pay-Per-View on Saturday. Joining her on the "Greatest Hits: Live in Concert" show from the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis will be special guest Tim McGraw. ...

Vince Gill will take part in "The Motor City Revue" at Universal Studios in Los Angeles on Thursday. He'll join Shelby Lynne, Amy Grant, Smokey Robinson and others in the tribute to Motown at the City of Hope Spirit of Life dinner. ...

Tim McGraw and Charlie Daniels are the latest additions to the lineup for the Country Freedom Concert. They'll join George Strait, Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Lonestar, Vince Gill, Sara Evans, George Jones, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black and Martina McBride in the October 21 show at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center. The concert will benefit the Salvation Army. ...

Jeff Carson has been named national spokesperson for NASO, the National Association of Slain Officers, a non-profit organization created in 1998 to provide support and encouragement for the immediate family members of slain police officers. Carson will record a series of radio PSAs for national distribution and will perform at a November 17 fund raiser for NASO in Portland, Oregon. ...

A concert by Tracy Byrd and Mark Chesnutt on Wednesday (October 10) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will benefit the New York Firefighters 9-11 and WTC Police Disaster Relief Funds. ...

Doug Supernaw, known for his #1 country hit "I Don't Call Him Daddy," is behind bars in Houston for failing to pay $135,000 in overdue child support and for contempt of court, according to reports from a Houston media outlet. His official Web site, dougsupernaw.com, acknowledges the situation: "Doug was arrested on Oct. 4 for not paying back child support. After he has served 10 days for contempt he will go back to the judge. As it looks now, all shows appear to be on hold." Supernaw, 41, was held in contempt of court after allegedly lashing out at a Harris County court judge when she handed him a six-month jail sentence, Houston television station KPRC reports. ...

Lee Ann Womack and other country artists have been added to the upcoming Country Freedom Concert lineup. Clint Black, Vince Gill, Sara Evans, George Jones and Lonestar have been added to a bill that already includes George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and Martina McBride. The concert to benefit the Salvation Army will be televised live from Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center on October 21. ...

Billy Gilman met Elisabeth Wagner, the 21-year-old woman who inspired "Elisabeth," on Saturday at the State Fair of Texas. Wagner has struggled with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes small growths on her nerves, since she was 2 years old. Her positive attitude led her aunt and a friend to write the song, which Gilman recorded. … Garth Brooks' press conference to announce the release of his single "Wrapped Up in You" and a forthcoming album will take place Tuesday (October 9) at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame at 7:45 a.m. The public is invited to attend. …

Alan Jackson's induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, which was postponed due to the events of September 11, has been rescheduled for October 22 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. ...

Hal Ketchum, Kacey Jones and Billy Hoffman will join a number of pop and rock artists in Los Angeles for an unplugged benefit performance and auction to raise money for the American Red Cross. The Acoustic Americans Benefit will take place Tuesday (October 9) at the Renberg Theatre. ...

Chely Wright will make her movie debut in "Max Keeble's Big Move." She plays a homeroom teacher. ...

A previously unreleased single from the late rockabilly legend Carl Perkins should soon be available for download and for sale to benefit New York firefighters. Perkins recorded the spoken-word tribute "The Fireman" during his final 1998 recording sessions. His producer, Bob Johnston, who wrote the song, plans to make it available on a Web site and to release it as a single. It is scheduled to be included on Celebration, a Perkins CD set for January release. Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Tom Petty also appear on the album. ... Jo Dee Messina launches her fall tour Thursday (October 4) with a show in Salem, Virgina. She'll play 21 dates, winding up December 15 in Champaign, Illinois. ...

Lee Ann Womack has set dates for her Christmas tour with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, featuring Mercer Ellington. The tour will launch on November 29 in Sewell, New Jersey, and play 18 dates, finishing in Maryville, Tennessee, on December 22. ...

Brad Paisley has co-authored a book based on his hit single "He Didn't Have to Be." The song, about a stepfather taking on a new family, was a #1 hit for Paisley in 1999. Along with the song's co-writer, Kelley Lovelace, Paisley collected memories about the composition of the song as well as photographs, letters and messages from fans about the song's impact on them. The book comes with lyrics and a CD of the song. ...

The Dixie Chicks' a cappella recording of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is available for download on the trio's Web site, www.dixiechicks.com. While there is no charge to download the track, the Dixie Chicks are asking fans to make a donation to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund. "In this time of great need, together let's celebrate America's heroes by donating to the American Red Cross," the group said in a statement. "Let's support the families of those who gave their lives to preserve our wide open spaces." It is the trio's first recording since their 1999 album, Fly. ...

Two days after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Randy Travis and a team of writers composed a new song, "America Will Always Stand." Now Travis has recorded the song and made it available to radio stations across the country. "We pray that it will help America and its people, in the worst of times, to stay brave and united," he said in a statement. Co-writers include Mike Curtis, Yvonne Sanson, Becky Bluefield and Doc Walley. Travis recorded "Point of Light" during the Gulf War at the request of President George Bush. Relentless Records will release "America Will Always Stand" and "Point of Light" as a single in the next week. All proceeds from the sale of the single will go to the American Red Cross ...

George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith and Lee Ann Womack will perform new singles, while Diamond Rio will do a chart-topping hit from earlier this year on the 35th Annual CMA Awards show. During the CBS broadcast on November 7, Strait will sing "Run," from his upcoming album. Brooks & Dunn will do the flag-waver "Only in America," their summer set-opener. Keith's choice is "I Wanna Talk About Me" and Womack will sing the rootsy "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger." Diamond Rio will go with "One More Day," nominated for Single and Song of the Year. Vince Gill will host the awards for the 10th consecutive year. (MTVi's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS) ...

Tim McGraw has added a new beneficiary to his annual Swampstock charity softball game and concert in Rayville, Louisiana on October 28. Proceeds from the event will go to the New York Police & Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund in addition to McGraw's usual beneficiaries, area children's causes. Also taking part this year are McGraw's wife, Faith Hill; Martina McBride; Carolyn Dawn Johnson; the Warren Brothers; and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. ...

Daryle Singletary was hit with a DUI charge on Wednesday, although he wasn't driving at the time. The 30-year-old Singletary and a friend, Joseph Dockens, were pulled over in downtown Nashville at around 3 a.m. after an illegal turn. Dockens, who was driving Singletary's truck, failed a field sobriety test, refused a breath-alcohol test and was charged with DUI. Singletary was riding in the passenger seat and was arrested for DUI because he was allowing Dockens to drive, a police spokesman said. Singletary was released from the jail on his own recognizance. Dockens posted $3,000 bail. ...

Reba McEntire and Billy Gilman sing on Michael Jackson's new all-star recording, "What More Can I Give." Proceeds from the single will aid survivors and families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. McEntire and Gilman recently recorded their parts in Los Angeles. Jackson was originally inspired to write "What More Can I Give" in 1999 after a meeting with Nelson Mandela. No release date has been set for the single, and the tune will not appear on Jackson's upcoming album. ...

The first single from Garth Brooks' upcoming album will be "Wrapped Up in You," not the George Jones duet "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," as originally planned. Brooks explained his decision in a statement: "I think 'Beer Run' would have been the perfect first single from this album if it were not for the tragic events of September 11, but if we are to come with music now, 'Wrapped Up in You' is one of the best-feeling songs I've ever had the honor of recording." Brooks will launch the single October 9 — the day it goes to radio — during a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, where he will also discuss plans for his next album. "Beer Run" will be available Tuesday on Jones' The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001. ...

Merle Haggard will perform at the Christian Country Music Awards November 1 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. John Berry and Crystal Gayle will host and perform and Tammy Cochran, Jeff Carson and Stella Parton will sing. The awards show is syndicated to various cable outlets. ...

— sonicnet.com staff report

• Dolly Parton
• Trace Adkins

Emmylou Harris
Photo: Atlantic

The Concerts for a Landmine Free World scheduled for Wednesday (September 19) at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, and Thursday at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., have been cancelled by the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. The shows were to feature Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Prine, Bruce Cockburn, Nanci Griffith and Steve Earle. A statement said, "In light of Tuesday's devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation has decided to cancel its landmine awareness concerts. Our organization's focus and energies, and those of our singer/songwriters, are instead on the innocent people whose lives were taken or shattered by this week's vicious events" ...

Brenda Lee, the late Gram Parsons and Lynyrd Skynyrd are on the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot. Lee is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame; Parsons influenced a generation of country artists including Emmylou Harris; and Travis Tritt, Alabama and Hank Williams Jr. were among country artists who paid tribute to Skynyrd on the 1994 album Skynyrd Frynds ...

Dolly Parton says entertainers need to stay positive during trying times. "I think everybody is dealing with this tragedy in their own kind of way, based on what they feel and what their own fears and insecurities are," she told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "I'm a very patriotic person, but I also know that when things are at their worst that I need to be at my best." The terrorist attacks have stimulated Parton's creative side, she said. "I see how everybody deals with it, and I am able to write about their emotions. It allows me a way to express [sorrow], not just for myself, but for the people who can't put [their emotions] into words. It's very strange and deep places where I am going."

Alison Krauss has rescheduled her New Favorite tour with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas. The tour was originally scheduled to kick off in Cincinnati on September 12 but was postponed after the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. It will now begin September 28 at the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, Georgia, and will continue through November 11 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania ...

Wynonna Judd got a standing ovation for her emotional rendition of "How Great Thou Art" at the Grand Ole Opry Saturday evening. It marked her debut on the Opry. After the show, Judd suggested that her recent engagement to bodyguard D.R. Roach could last more than two years. "I'm thinking about around August or September of 2003," she predicted as a wedding date. " 'Course, I may just say that just to say it. We may get married next week. Who knows?" ...

Dolly Parton plans a $10 million expansion to her Dollywood theme park in east Tennessee. New features will include an interactive museum of her life. She also plans a $25 million Dixie Stampede dinner theater in Orlando, Florida ...

Country artist manager David Skepner died of a heart attack Tuesday while waiting on line at a gas station in Nashville. He was 63. Skepner managed Wylie & the Wild West Show, among others, and formerly managed Loretta Lynn and Riders in the Sky. Announcement of a memorial service is pending ...

Eddie Stoneman, of legendary country group the Stoneman Family, died Friday in Charles County, Maryland, after suffering an apparent cerebral hemorrhage. He was 81. The oldest child of country pioneer Ernest "Pop" Stoneman, Eddie Stoneman played banjo on his father's 1934 session for the Vocalion label. Visitation will be Wednesday and services will be Thursday at Hunts Funeral Home in Waldorf, Maryland ...

Doug Stone was erroneously listed on an early manifest of one of the downed jetliners. The singer reports he's safe at home in Nashville with his family. ...

Garth Brooks' press conference scheduled for Monday morning (September 17) at the Country Music Hall of Fame has been postponed. Brooks had scheduled the media event in Nashville to talk about his new single and upcoming album. His duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," was to be released to radio Monday but has been postponed "until a more appropriate time," according to Capitol Records. ...

Brooks was one of several country artists in New York on Tuesday (September 11) and stranded there following the terrorist attacks. Mary Chapin Carpenter was in town to tape the public television show "Live 360," which was canceled. Billy Gilman was in town for Monday's Michael Jackson tribute concert. Brooks had been in town to tape public service announcements for the Reading Across America program and had planned to leave for Washington, D.C., to attend an ASCAP tribute show, which was canceled. A number of country artists were also stuck in Toronto until flights resumed. Ricky Skaggs, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and others had been there for Monday night's Canadian Country Music Awards. ...

Due to Tuesday's events, the Oak Ridge Boys have postponed their celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Elvira" scheduled for Monday (September 17) at the Country Music Hall of Fame. ...

Lonestar will begin their I'm Already There tour October 6 in Salisbury, Maryland's Wicomico County Civic Center. The group will visit more than 30 cities before finishing in December. Jamie O'Neal will open a number of dates in October and November; Blake Shelton takes over opening duties in December. Announced dates include October 7 at Asheville, North Carolina's Ingles Food Festival; October 10 at Reading, Pennsylvania's Sovereign Center for Performing Arts; October 11 at Poughkeepsie, New York's Mid-Hudson Civic Center; October 12 at Buffalo, New York's Shea's Performing Arts Center; October 18 at Albany, New York's Palace Theater; October 19 at Norfolk, Virginia's Naval Base; October 20 at Jacksonville, North Carolina's New River Amphitheatre; and October 25 at Rama, Ontario's Casino Rama. …

Alan Jackson has been named opening-day headliner at the Texas Stampede rodeo at Dallas' American Airlines Center. Headliners include Jackson (October 25), Robert Earl Keen and Willie Nelson (October 26), Toby Keith and Sara Evans (October 27 matinee), Phil Vassar and Martina McBride (October 27 evening) and Clay Walker and Lee Ann Womack (October 28). … Connie Smith has missed a show for the first time in 27 years. The Grand Ole Opry member canceled three performances this month because her doctor directed her to rest her voice for three weeks. Smith began her recording and touring career in 1964. …

Billy Ray Cyrus underwent knee surgery Friday (September 7) in Nashville, but the operation won't keep him off the set of "Doc," his TV series. The singer's knee damage stems from years of stage and sports activity, according to a spokesperson. Cyrus expects to be in Toronto on Monday to begin work on the PAX series. …

Nashville's Broadcast Music Incorporated transformed its balcony into an outdoor Italian restaurant Thursday to welcome actor/singer Dominic Chianese. Chianese, who plays Uncle Junior in "The Sopranos" TV series, was in town to make his Grand Ole Opry debut Friday (September 7) and to promote his album, Hits, which was recorded in Nashville. After mingling with guests, Chianese mounted a small stage. He spoke wistfully of growing up in New York during the 1930s, hearing his grandfather sing to him and listening to an Italian-language radio station. "I got my first love of music from Grandpa Domenico and Gene Autry," he said. Chianese described his invitation to appear on the Opry as "the dream of my life." Although clearly a fan of traditional country music, Chianese made no pretense of being a closet "country boy." He poked fun at himself with a song called "Typical New Yorker," which appears on his album alongside other melodically gentle fare such as "For the Good Times," "Santa Lucia," "Guantanamera" and "Shady Grove." ...

"Unforeseen logistical challenges" have forced organizers to reschedule a benefit concert by the Dixie Chicks. Originally set for September 15 in Austin, Texas, the Texas Twilight Gala in support of the Pediatric AIDS League of Texas (PAL), would have marked the trio's first live performance of 2001. Shawn Colvin, Terri Hendrix and the Austin Symphony also were to appear. "The circumstances surrounding the postponement are beyond the control of PAL and the talent involved," said the organization's spokesperson. The concert will be rescheduled "as soon as logistically possible." ...

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers will present Garth Brooks with the ASCAP Golden Note Award at a dinner Tuesday in Washington, D.C. ASCAP president and chairman Marilyn Bergman will host the event, attended by members of Congress, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The award recognizes Brooks' contributions to American music as a performer and songwriter. Songwriters Pat Alger, Alan Bergman, John Bettis, Hal David, Dean Kay, Jimmy Webb and Paul Williams will be part of a musical tribute to Brooks. Past recipients of the award include Elton John, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder and Andre Previn ...

Willie Nelson collapsed onstage during a show at the Konocti Harbor Resort in Kelseyville, California, on August 28, according to the Fresno Bee. Shows subsequently canceled included California dates on August 30 at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore and the Pozo Saloon in San Luis Obispo on September 2. A spokesperson for Nelson declined to comment and said the singer is next scheduled to play the Farm Aid concert on September 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana ...

Mavericks lead singer Raul Malo has scheduled October 23 for the release of his first solo album. Today will include songs in both English and Spanish and will feature a duet with Shelby Lynne, "It Takes Two to Tango" ...

Martina McBride and folk singer Arlo Guthrie have been added to the Farm Aid benefit concert on Sept. 29 at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. The bill also includes Dave Matthews and Farm Aid founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp. ...

Garth Brooks has scheduled a September 17 press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville to talk about his duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," and his upcoming album. A Brooks spokesperson hinted the song will be delivered to country radio the same day. Brooks announced his retirement last year but promised one more record. The new track will appear on the album, his first collection of new studio recordings in four years (following 1997's Sevens). "Beer Run" also is slated to appear on Jones' upcoming CD, The Rock, now scheduled for October 2 release. …

Gail Davies says her labor of love — an album honoring the late Webb Pierce — is nearing completion and slotted for November 13 release. Profits will be split between the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Caught in the Webb: A Tribute to the Legendary Webb Pierce includes cuts by Dale Watson, Mandy Barnett, Charley Pride, Rosie Flores, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Robbie Fulks & Joy Lynn White, Allison Moorer, Matt King, Crystal Gayle, the Del McCoury Band, Lionel Cartwright, Guy Clark, BR549, Trent Summar & Chris Scruggs, Kevin Welch & Deborah Pierce, Billy Walker, Blue Highway and Pam Tillis. Pierce will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October. ...

Songwriter/performer Cecil Null, 74, died of cancer Sunday (August 26) in Bristol, Virginia. Null's most famous composition is "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know," a #1 hit in 1953 for the Davis Sisters. He was credited as the guiding force in uniting Chet Atkins and Merle Travis for their Grammy-winning 1974 album, The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show. Null wrote "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" in 1947. "It was turned down by nearly everybody in the business," he once said. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette covered the song on their 1993 album, Honky Tonk Angels. ...

With the four additional 2001 CMA Award nominations he received, Alan Jackson moves past Vince Gill in the career-nominations tally. Jackson now has 50, according to the CMA, while Gill, who received none this year, has 48. George Strait, with two nods this year, remains king with 66. Jackson has a long way to go to catch Gill in awards won, however. Gill rules that roost with 18 career honors, Strait follows with 14 and Jackson is well back in the pack with seven. …

Merle Haggard's next album, Roots, Vol. 1, features his hero, guitarist Norm Stephens, who played on a number of Lefty Frizzell recordings including "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways." Stephens has been retired from music for years, and Haggard recently discovered that they have long lived near each other in California. Haggard's pianist, Doug Colosio, noticed a classified ad Stephens placed in a local paper and called it to his boss' attention. After they reunited, they cut some songs. Recorded in Haggard's home, the album features Stephens with Haggard's band, the Strangers, romping through three new Haggard originals and songs by Frizzell, Hank Williams and Hank Thompson. Anti/Epitaph Records releases the LP November 9. ...

Lee Ann Womack has recorded a duet with Willie Nelson for his upcoming CD The Great Divide. They recorded the Bernie Taupin composition "Mendocino County Line." Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Rob Thomas and Kid Rock will also appear on the album, which was originally scheduled for a late September release, now moved to January. ...

A large crowd of music industry executives and artists crowded into the Country Music Hall of Fame's Ford Theater Wednesday for a preview of "Reba." The new TV sitcom, starring Reba McEntire, debuts September 14 on the WB TV network. At the party, MCA Nashville president Tony Brown said the company will release McEntire's Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor on October 23. The title track is also her sitcom theme and is now charting country. The album also includes a remake of Kenny Rogers' 1977 hit "Sweet Music Man," produced by Alison Krauss and featuring members of Union Station, drummer Jim Keltner and Chris Thile of Nickel Creek. Among those attending McEntire gala were Barbara Mandrell and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, as well as Martina McBride and newcomer Carolyn Dawn Johnson, both part of McEntire's support cast for the recent Girls' Night Out tour. McEntire donated seven costumes from her starring role in Broadway's "Annie Get Your Gun" to the Hall of Fame. The gesture, she said, tied together the worlds of Broadway and country music. The fringed leather outfit from the show's finale was on display during the party. "I want my fans to be able to see what I've gotten to do on Broadway by bringing a piece of it back to Nashville," McEntire said. "I'm bringing 'em home. This is the greatest place to display it, and I'm very proud to have some things here in the Hall of Fame". ...

Wynonna will marry her longtime security guard and road manager, D. R. Roach. Both have been married once before. Wynonna has two children, Elijah and Grace. Roach has one, Zachary. No date has been set. According to a news release announcing the couple's engagement, the proposal came on the second anniversary of their first date. Wynonna is at work on a new solo album, to be promoted by Universal Records New York. Plans are to release it in the first half of 2002. ...

George Strait plans to return to the biggest annual musical event in Texas, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The singer, who last played the rodeo four years ago, has agreed to headline the March 3, 2002 concert, which will be the last such performance in the Reliant Astrodome. Strait has also signed to play the first rodeo performance in the Astrodome's successor, the new Reliant Stadium, in 2003. The 2002 rodeo and concert series runs from February 12 to March 3. Country and pop artists perform daily. ...

Almost 18 months after it was announced, construction has yet to begin on a new Gilley's honky-tonk in Dallas. The new club is intended to be an upscale re-creation of the Pasadena, Texas, club that inspired the movie "Urban Cowboy." The new site, on 10 acres in downtown Dallas, is still awaiting city approval. Plans call for corporate suites, a large dance floor, several restaurants, two mechanical bulls, displays of country music memorabilia and a drive-in movie. The old Gilley's burned to the ground several years ago. ...

Trisha Yearwood will play Nashville's Ryman Auditorium October 14. The date was added recently to her 2001 tour, which began in June at the House of Blues in New Orleans and continues through October 21, when she plays Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Ryman has special significance for Yearwood. Aside from its country music connections, she was married onstage there, and in 1999, when the Grand Ole Opry returned to the Ryman, she was invited to become a member of the cast. ...

Singer/songwriter Bobby Bare and wife Jeannie will sell the Bobby Bare Trap, a shop in downtown Nashville specializing in stuffed animals and bear-related gifts. "Bobby's not retiring, slowing down some, but I am," said Jeannie Bare, who manages the shop. "I want to spend more time with my husband and children and my friends. I'll always love teddy bears." The Bares have had the Bare Trap since 1986. The store is home to "Big T," a 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high creature purported to be the world's largest teddy bear. ...

"Red Desert Sky," the story of Australia's musical Chambers family, will be released October 5 by Allen & Unwin, Ltd. The family — father Bill, mother Diane, daughter Kasey and son Nash — performed as the Dead Ringer Band. The band's U.S. manager, John Lomax III, who now manages Kasey as a solo act, wrote the book. Kasey Chambers has recently been in the U.S. to promote her award-winning album, The Captain, which made its debut in 1999. In October, Warner Bros. Records will release her second solo album, Barricades & Brickwalls, in the U.S. Nash Chambers produced both projects. "Red Desert Sky" is not being published in the U.S. but will be available through Allen & Unwin's Web site and from Amazon.com. ...

John Carter Cash, son of June Carter and Johnny Cash, has produced two new tracks for an album by the San Diego alternative country outfit known as The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. Led by Mark Stuart, the group recorded the tracks at the Cash Cabin studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, north of Nashville. "Nowhere Town" and "Spanish Eyes" will appear on a re-release of the group's 2000 release, Walk Alone. The younger Cash met the band in March at Nashville's Exit/In. His father, country's famed Man in Black, has given the group permission to use his name. "My father has always been open-minded, and he chose the right stars to use his name," said John Carter Cash in a statement. "The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are really good guys." The band appears Tuesday (August 21) in Bonner Springs, Kansas, and Wednesday (August 22) in Maryland Heights, Missouri, opening for Tim McGraw. Walk Alone will be released September 25. ...

Marking one his first public appearances after jail time and drug rehabilitation, Steve Earle appeared at Nashville's Bluebird Café in September 1995 to swap stories, jokes and tunes with his songwriting mentors Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Sixteen songs from the show will be released on October 9 by Koch Progressive under the title Together at the Bluebird Café. Earle's songs include "My Old Friend the Blues" and "Copperhead Road"; Van Zandt's selections include "Tecumseh Valley" and "Pancho and Lefty"; and Clark's numbers include "Dublin Blues" and "Randall Knife." Making a surprise appearance, Emmylou Harris joined in for group sing-alongs. Van Zandt, a hard-living troubadour, died of a heart attack at age 52, a little more than a year after the show. ...

Trick Pony have two nominations for Billboard Music Video Awards, and they may not be too happy about it. The new trio will compete against themselves, as both their nods are in the Best Country New Artist Clip of the Year category. Others in that division are Cyndi Thomson, Clark Family Experience and Tammy Cochran. Nominated in the Best Country Clip of the Year category are Steve Earle, the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina, and Dwight Yoakam. Cochran and Billy Gilman are nominated in contemporary Christian categories. The awards will be presented November 2 in Beverly Hills, California. ...

Pieces supposedly from the wreckage of Patsy Cline's death plane will be offered for sale on the eBay auction site. Two brothers from Jackson, Tennessee, own the pieces, ostensibly from the wreckage of Cline's Piper Comanche, which crashed March 5, 1963, killing her and three others. Scott and Eric Mills drove the wreckage in their pickup truck to Nashville on Wednesday to show to curators at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Curator Mark Medley said the Hall of Fame will not bid on the pieces, to be offered on eBay beginning August 31 with a floor price of $100,000, but would ask any potential buyers to loan them to the Hall, which already has parts of the plane in its archives. The Mills brothers say they bought the wreckage from a man who collected it shortly after the plane crash. ...

Longtime Wilco member Jay Bennett has left the group, a spokesperson for the band told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Creative differences" were cited as the reason for his split. Shortly before the news of Bennett's departure, Wilco separated from their longtime record label, Reprise, also over creative differences. In an earlier interview, bandleader Jeff Tweedy had said that Bennett did not play a big part in the band's latest LP, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which Reprise refused to issue in its present state. Wilco begin a fall tour in September as a quartet, with Tweedy joined by bassist John Stirrat, new drummer Glenn Kotche and multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach. ...

Chicago roots rock band Wilco, favorites with alternative country fans, have split with Reprise Records after three studio albums, founding member Jeff Tweedy said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. Reprise asked Wilco to make changes to their recently completed album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and the band refused. Wilco retain rights to the album and are looking for another label to release it. Tweedy was a member of the influential early '90s alt-country group Uncle Tupelo. Wilco will begin a fall tour September 21 at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas. ...

— sonicnet.com staff report

• Emmylou Harris
• Gram Parsons
• Dolly Parton

Alison Krauss
Photo: Rounder Records

Alison Krauss has rescheduled her New Favorite tour with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas. The tour was originally scheduled to kick off in Cincinnati on September 12 but was postponed after the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. It will now begin September 28 at the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, Georgia, and will continue through November 11 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania ...

Wynonna Judd got a standing ovation for her emotional rendition of "How Great Thou Art" at the Grand Ole Opry Saturday evening. It marked her debut on the Opry. After the show, Judd suggested that her recent engagement to bodyguard D.R. Roach could last more than two years. "I'm thinking about around August or September of 2003," she predicted as a wedding date. " 'Course, I may just say that just to say it. We may get married next week. Who knows?" ...

Dolly Parton plans a $10 million expansion to her Dollywood theme park in east Tennessee. New features will include an interactive museum of her life. She also plans a $25 million Dixie Stampede dinner theater in Orlando, Florida ...

Country artist manager David Skepner died of a heart attack Tuesday while waiting on line at a gas station in Nashville. He was 63. Skepner managed Wylie & the Wild West Show, among others, and formerly managed Loretta Lynn and Riders in the Sky. Announcement of a memorial service is pending ...

Eddie Stoneman, of legendary country group the Stoneman Family, died Friday in Charles County, Maryland, after suffering an apparent cerebral hemorrhage. He was 81. The oldest child of country pioneer Ernest "Pop" Stoneman, Eddie Stoneman played banjo on his father's 1934 session for the Vocalion label. Visitation will be Wednesday and services will be Thursday at Hunts Funeral Home in Waldorf, Maryland ...

Doug Stone was erroneously listed on an early manifest of one of the downed jetliners. The singer reports he's safe at home in Nashville with his family. ...

Garth Brooks' press conference scheduled for Monday morning (September 17) at the Country Music Hall of Fame has been postponed. Brooks had scheduled the media event in Nashville to talk about his new single and upcoming album. His duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," was to be released to radio Monday but has been postponed "until a more appropriate time," according to Capitol Records. ...

Brooks was one of several country artists in New York on Tuesday (September 11) and stranded there following the terrorist attacks. Mary Chapin Carpenter was in town to tape the public television show "Live 360," which was canceled. Billy Gilman was in town for Monday's Michael Jackson tribute concert. Brooks had been in town to tape public service announcements for the Reading Across America program and had planned to leave for Washington, D.C., to attend an ASCAP tribute show, which was canceled. A number of country artists were also stuck in Toronto until flights resumed. Ricky Skaggs, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and others had been there for Monday night's Canadian Country Music Awards. ...

Due to Tuesday's events, the Oak Ridge Boys have postponed their celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Elvira" scheduled for Monday (September 17) at the Country Music Hall of Fame. ...

Lonestar will begin their I'm Already There tour October 6 in Salisbury, Maryland's Wicomico County Civic Center. The group will visit more than 30 cities before finishing in December. Jamie O'Neal will open a number of dates in October and November; Blake Shelton takes over opening duties in December. Announced dates include October 7 at Asheville, North Carolina's Ingles Food Festival; October 10 at Reading, Pennsylvania's Sovereign Center for Performing Arts; October 11 at Poughkeepsie, New York's Mid-Hudson Civic Center; October 12 at Buffalo, New York's Shea's Performing Arts Center; October 18 at Albany, New York's Palace Theater; October 19 at Norfolk, Virginia's Naval Base; October 20 at Jacksonville, North Carolina's New River Amphitheatre; and October 25 at Rama, Ontario's Casino Rama. …

Alan Jackson has been named opening-day headliner at the Texas Stampede rodeo at Dallas' American Airlines Center. Headliners include Jackson (October 25), Robert Earl Keen and Willie Nelson (October 26), Toby Keith and Sara Evans (October 27 matinee), Phil Vassar and Martina McBride (October 27 evening) and Clay Walker and Lee Ann Womack (October 28). … Connie Smith has missed a show for the first time in 27 years. The Grand Ole Opry member canceled three performances this month because her doctor directed her to rest her voice for three weeks. Smith began her recording and touring career in 1964. …

Billy Ray Cyrus underwent knee surgery Friday (September 7) in Nashville, but the operation won't keep him off the set of "Doc," his TV series. The singer's knee damage stems from years of stage and sports activity, according to a spokesperson. Cyrus expects to be in Toronto on Monday to begin work on the PAX series. …

Nashville's Broadcast Music Incorporated transformed its balcony into an outdoor Italian restaurant Thursday to welcome actor/singer Dominic Chianese. Chianese, who plays Uncle Junior in "The Sopranos" TV series, was in town to make his Grand Ole Opry debut Friday (September 7) and to promote his album, Hits, which was recorded in Nashville. After mingling with guests, Chianese mounted a small stage. He spoke wistfully of growing up in New York during the 1930s, hearing his grandfather sing to him and listening to an Italian-language radio station. "I got my first love of music from Grandpa Domenico and Gene Autry," he said. Chianese described his invitation to appear on the Opry as "the dream of my life." Although clearly a fan of traditional country music, Chianese made no pretense of being a closet "country boy." He poked fun at himself with a song called "Typical New Yorker," which appears on his album alongside other melodically gentle fare such as "For the Good Times," "Santa Lucia," "Guantanamera" and "Shady Grove." ...

"Unforeseen logistical challenges" have forced organizers to reschedule a benefit concert by the Dixie Chicks. Originally set for September 15 in Austin, Texas, the Texas Twilight Gala in support of the Pediatric AIDS League of Texas (PAL), would have marked the trio's first live performance of 2001. Shawn Colvin, Terri Hendrix and the Austin Symphony also were to appear. "The circumstances surrounding the postponement are beyond the control of PAL and the talent involved," said the organization's spokesperson. The concert will be rescheduled "as soon as logistically possible." ...

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers will present Garth Brooks with the ASCAP Golden Note Award at a dinner Tuesday in Washington, D.C. ASCAP president and chairman Marilyn Bergman will host the event, attended by members of Congress, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The award recognizes Brooks' contributions to American music as a performer and songwriter. Songwriters Pat Alger, Alan Bergman, John Bettis, Hal David, Dean Kay, Jimmy Webb and Paul Williams will be part of a musical tribute to Brooks. Past recipients of the award include Elton John, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder and Andre Previn ...

Willie Nelson collapsed onstage during a show at the Konocti Harbor Resort in Kelseyville, California, on August 28, according to the Fresno Bee. Shows subsequently canceled included California dates on August 30 at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore and the Pozo Saloon in San Luis Obispo on September 2. A spokesperson for Nelson declined to comment and said the singer is next scheduled to play the Farm Aid concert on September 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana ...

Mavericks lead singer Raul Malo has scheduled October 23 for the release of his first solo album. Today will include songs in both English and Spanish and will feature a duet with Shelby Lynne, "It Takes Two to Tango" ...

Martina McBride and folk singer Arlo Guthrie have been added to the Farm Aid benefit concert on Sept. 29 at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. The bill also includes Dave Matthews and Farm Aid founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp. ...

Garth Brooks has scheduled a September 17 press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville to talk about his duet with George Jones, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," and his upcoming album. A Brooks spokesperson hinted the song will be delivered to country radio the same day. Brooks announced his retirement last year but promised one more record. The new track will appear on the album, his first collection of new studio recordings in four years (following 1997's Sevens). "Beer Run" also is slated to appear on Jones' upcoming CD, The Rock, now scheduled for October 2 release. …

Gail Davies says her labor of love — an album honoring the late Webb Pierce — is nearing completion and slotted for November 13 release. Profits will be split between the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Caught in the Webb: A Tribute to the Legendary Webb Pierce includes cuts by Dale Watson, Mandy Barnett, Charley Pride, Rosie Flores, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Robbie Fulks & Joy Lynn White, Allison Moorer, Matt King, Crystal Gayle, the Del McCoury Band, Lionel Cartwright, Guy Clark, BR549, Trent Summar & Chris Scruggs, Kevin Welch & Deborah Pierce, Billy Walker, Blue Highway and Pam Tillis. Pierce will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October. ...

Songwriter/performer Cecil Null, 74, died of cancer Sunday (August 26) in Bristol, Virginia. Null's most famous composition is "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know," a #1 hit in 1953 for the Davis Sisters. He was credited as the guiding force in uniting Chet Atkins and Merle Travis for their Grammy-winning 1974 album, The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show. Null wrote "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" in 1947. "It was turned down by nearly everybody in the business," he once said. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette covered the song on their 1993 album, Honky Tonk Angels. ...

With the four additional 2001 CMA Award nominations he received, Alan Jackson moves past Vince Gill in the career-nominations tally. Jackson now has 50, according to the CMA, while Gill, who received none this year, has 48. George Strait, with two nods this year, remains king with 66. Jackson has a long way to go to catch Gill in awards won, however. Gill rules that roost with 18 career honors, Strait follows with 14 and Jackson is well back in the pack with seven. …

Merle Haggard's next album, Roots, Vol. 1, features his hero, guitarist Norm Stephens, who played on a number of Lefty Frizzell recordings including "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways." Stephens has been retired from music for years, and Haggard recently discovered that they have long lived near each other in California. Haggard's pianist, Doug Colosio, noticed a classified ad Stephens placed in a local paper and called it to his boss' attention. After they reunited, they cut some songs. Recorded in Haggard's home, the album features Stephens with Haggard's band, the Strangers, romping through three new Haggard originals and songs by Frizzell, Hank Williams and Hank Thompson. Anti/Epitaph Records releases the LP November 9. ...

Lee Ann Womack has recorded a duet with Willie Nelson for his upcoming CD The Great Divide. They recorded the Bernie Taupin composition "Mendocino County Line." Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Rob Thomas and Kid Rock will also appear on the album, which was originally scheduled for a late September release, now moved to January. ...

A large crowd of music industry executives and artists crowded into the Country Music Hall of Fame's Ford Theater Wednesday for a preview of "Reba." The new TV sitcom, starring Reba McEntire, debuts September 14 on the WB TV network. At the party, MCA Nashville president Tony Brown said the company will release McEntire's Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor on October 23. The title track is also her sitcom theme and is now charting country. The album also includes a remake of Kenny Rogers' 1977 hit "Sweet Music Man," produced by Alison Krauss and featuring members of Union Station, drummer Jim Keltner and Chris Thile of Nickel Creek. Among those attending McEntire gala were Barbara Mandrell and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, as well as Martina McBride and newcomer Carolyn Dawn Johnson, both part of McEntire's support cast for the recent Girls' Night Out tour. McEntire donated seven costumes from her starring role in Broadway's "Annie Get Your Gun" to the Hall of Fame. The gesture, she said, tied together the worlds of Broadway and country music. The fringed leather outfit from the show's finale was on display during the party. "I want my fans to be able to see what I've gotten to do on Broadway by bringing a piece of it back to Nashville," McEntire said. "I'm bringing 'em home. This is the greatest place to display it, and I'm very proud to have some things here in the Hall of Fame". ...

Wynonna will marry her longtime security guard and road manager, D. R. Roach. Both have been married once before. Wynonna has two children, Elijah and Grace. Roach has one, Zachary. No date has been set. According to a news release announcing the couple's engagement, the proposal came on the second anniversary of their first date. Wynonna is at work on a new solo album, to be promoted by Universal Records New York. Plans are to release it in the first half of 2002. ...

George Strait plans to return to the biggest annual musical event in Texas, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The singer, who last played the rodeo four years ago, has agreed to headline the March 3, 2002 concert, which will be the last such performance in the Reliant Astrodome. Strait has also signed to play the first rodeo performance in the Astrodome's successor, the new Reliant Stadium, in 2003. The 2002 rodeo and concert series runs from February 12 to March 3. Country and pop artists perform daily. ...

Almost 18 months after it was announced, construction has yet to begin on a new Gilley's honky-tonk in Dallas. The new club is intended to be an upscale re-creation of the Pasadena, Texas, club that inspired the movie "Urban Cowboy." The new site, on 10 acres in downtown Dallas, is still awaiting city approval. Plans call for corporate suites, a large dance floor, several restaurants, two mechanical bulls, displays of country music memorabilia and a drive-in movie. The old Gilley's burned to the ground several years ago. ...

Trisha Yearwood will play Nashville's Ryman Auditorium October 14. The date was added recently to her 2001 tour, which began in June at the House of Blues in New Orleans and continues through October 21, when she plays Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Ryman has special significance for Yearwood. Aside from its country music connections, she was married onstage there, and in 1999, when the Grand Ole Opry returned to the Ryman, she was invited to become a member of the cast. ...

Singer/songwriter Bobby Bare and wife Jeannie will sell the Bobby Bare Trap, a shop in downtown Nashville specializing in stuffed animals and bear-related gifts. "Bobby's not retiring, slowing down some, but I am," said Jeannie Bare, who manages the shop. "I want to spend more time with my husband and children and my friends. I'll always love teddy bears." The Bares have had the Bare Trap since 1986. The store is home to "Big T," a 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high creature purported to be the world's largest teddy bear. ...

"Red Desert Sky," the story of Australia's musical Chambers family, will be released October 5 by Allen & Unwin, Ltd. The family — father Bill, mother Diane, daughter Kasey and son Nash — performed as the Dead Ringer Band. The band's U.S. manager, John Lomax III, who now manages Kasey as a solo act, wrote the book. Kasey Chambers has recently been in the U.S. to promote her award-winning album, The Captain, which made its debut in 1999. In October, Warner Bros. Records will release her second solo album, Barricades & Brickwalls, in the U.S. Nash Chambers produced both projects. "Red Desert Sky" is not being published in the U.S. but will be available through Allen & Unwin's Web site and from Amazon.com. ...

John Carter Cash, son of June Carter and Johnny Cash, has produced two new tracks for an album by the San Diego alternative country outfit known as The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. Led by Mark Stuart, the group recorded the tracks at the Cash Cabin studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, north of Nashville. "Nowhere Town" and "Spanish Eyes" will appear on a re-release of the group's 2000 release, Walk Alone. The younger Cash met the band in March at Nashville's Exit/In. His father, country's famed Man in Black, has given the group permission to use his name. "My father has always been open-minded, and he chose the right stars to use his name," said John Carter Cash in a statement. "The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are really good guys." The band appears Tuesday (August 21) in Bonner Springs, Kansas, and Wednesday (August 22) in Maryland Heights, Missouri, opening for Tim McGraw. Walk Alone will be released September 25. ...

Marking one his first public appearances after jail time and drug rehabilitation, Steve Earle appeared at Nashville's Bluebird Café in September 1995 to swap stories, jokes and tunes with his songwriting mentors Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Sixteen songs from the show will be released on October 9 by Koch Progressive under the title Together at the Bluebird Café. Earle's songs include "My Old Friend the Blues" and "Copperhead Road"; Van Zandt's selections include "Tecumseh Valley" and "Pancho and Lefty"; and Clark's numbers include "Dublin Blues" and "Randall Knife." Making a surprise appearance, Emmylou Harris joined in for group sing-alongs. Van Zandt, a hard-living troubadour, died of a heart attack at age 52, a little more than a year after the show. ...

Trick Pony have two nominations for Billboard Music Video Awards, and they may not be too happy about it. The new trio will compete against themselves, as both their nods are in the Best Country New Artist Clip of the Year category. Others in that division are Cyndi Thomson, Clark Family Experience and Tammy Cochran. Nominated in the Best Country Clip of the Year category are Steve Earle, the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina, and Dwight Yoakam. Cochran and Billy Gilman are nominated in contemporary Christian categories. The awards will be presented November 2 in Beverly Hills, California. ...

Pieces supposedly from the wreckage of Patsy Cline's death plane will be offered for sale on the eBay auction site. Two brothers from Jackson, Tennessee, own the pieces, ostensibly from the wreckage of Cline's Piper Comanche, which crashed March 5, 1963, killing her and three others. Scott and Eric Mills drove the wreckage in their pickup truck to Nashville on Wednesday to show to curators at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Curator Mark Medley said the Hall of Fame will not bid on the pieces, to be offered on eBay beginning August 31 with a floor price of $100,000, but would ask any potential buyers to loan them to the Hall, which already has parts of the plane in its archives. The Mills brothers say they bought the wreckage from a man who collected it shortly after the plane crash. ...

Longtime Wilco member Jay Bennett has left the group, a spokesperson for the band told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Creative differences" were cited as the reason for his split. Shortly before the news of Bennett's departure, Wilco separated from their longtime record label, Reprise, also over creative differences. In an earlier interview, bandleader Jeff Tweedy had said that Bennett did not play a big part in the band's latest LP, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which Reprise refused to issue in its present state. Wilco begin a fall tour in September as a quartet, with Tweedy joined by bassist John Stirrat, new drummer Glenn Kotche and multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach. ...

Chicago roots rock band Wilco, favorites with alternative country fans, have split with Reprise Records after three studio albums, founding member Jeff Tweedy said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. Reprise asked Wilco to make changes to their recently completed album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and the band refused. Wilco retain rights to the album and are looking for another label to release it. Tweedy was a member of the influential early '90s alt-country group Uncle Tupelo. Wilco will begin a fall tour September 21 at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas. ...

Following in the footsteps of his hero, Johnny Cash, Mark Collie will record a live album in a maximum-security prison. With producer Tony Brown at the helm, Collie will record at the Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex in East Tennessee in October. Collie is writing new songs for the project, tentatively set for release next spring by MCA. Collie recorded for MCA in the early '90s before moving to Giant. His last album of original material appeared in 1995. Cash, whom Collie has portrayed in an independent film, recorded landmark albums at Folsom and San Quentin prisons in California in the late '60s. Collie wraps up his national tour with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney on Aug. 25 in Nashville. "Private Radio," a song Collie co-wrote with actor/director Billy Bob Thornton, is the title track for Thornton's upcoming debut album, in stores September 25. ...

The Dixie Chicks and Emmylou Harris have agreed to perform at an all-star concert to benefit a breast cancer awareness campaign. The Women Rock! Girls & Guitars concert will be taped at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre on October 18 for airing on the Lifetime channel on October 26. Also performing will be India.Arie, Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Nashville songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, Nelly Furtado and Shea Seger. Allison Janney of "The West Wing" will host. Although the Dixie Chicks are taking a year off from performing and recording, they have also agreed to play a pediatric AIDS benefit in Austin, Texas, in September. …

The new album from Hank Williams Jr., The Almeira Club & Other Selected Venues, has been delayed. Originally scheduled for release September 11, the album has been pushed back to January 8, according to Williams' publicist. The roots-oriented project was recorded in locales of personal and historic significance for Hank Jr. and his late father and mother, Hank and Audrey Williams. Meanwhile, Hank Jr. is at work in the studio, recording his "Monday Night Football" drop-ins for the upcoming season. …

— sonicnet.com staff report

• Alison Krauss
• Wynonna
• Dolly Parton

Eric Clapton
Photo: Warner

Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eric Clapton will find himself in the company of yet another pantheon of greats in June, when he's inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

Clapton, who penned such hits as "Layla," "Wonderful Tonight," and "Tears in Heaven," released his latest album, Reptile, earlier this month.

Country icons Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson and hit-maker Diane Warren will also be inducted during the June 14 ceremony in New York, where Billy Joel and Gloria Estefan will receive special awards.

"This event represents such a special night in the music industry, where great songwriters get to honor their peers," former Burt Bacharach collaborator Hal David, CEO of the hall, said in a statement.

At last year's ceremony, Paul McCartney inducted Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, and Sean "Puffy" Combs inducted James Brown. McCartney, Brown, Hanson, Jill Sobule and Ben E. King all performed at the ceremony.

Performers for this year's event have not yet been announced.

• Eric Clapton
• Dolly Parton
• Willie Nelson
• Diane Warren

'NSYNC's Justin Timberlake
Photo: MTV

If the Recording Academy is trying to lure Eminem into accepting its invitation to perform at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards next month, it has offered up one of his favorite targets as fellow-performer bait.

'NSYNC, the subject of several of the controversial rapper's Marshall Mathers LP disses, have been added to the list of performers at the February 21 ceremony that includes U2 and Madonna. Pop sensation Destiny's Child and country stars Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton will also perform, Recording Academy President Michael Greene announced Monday (January 29).

Carlos Santana, last year's runaway Grammy winner, was among the first award presenters announced. R&B singer Erykah Badu and "Everybody Loves Raymond" actor Ray Romano were also named Monday.

'NSYNC, who performed Sunday in the Super Bowl halftime show, are nominated for three Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album, for 2000's top-selling No Strings Attached, and Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal, for "Bye Bye Bye".

Destiny's Child, whose Beyoncé Knowles tied Dr. Dre for the most nominations, received five nods, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best R&B Song, for "Say My Name" (see "Dr. Dre, Beyonce Lead Grammy Nominees").

Best New Artist Nominee Paisley will duet with Parton, who garnered nominations for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Travelin' Prayer," and Best Bluegrass Album, for The Grass Is Blue. Badu, who will launch a North American tour next month, is up for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, for "Bag Lady", the first single from her acclaimed Mama's Gun. The Recording Academy has asked Eminem to perform, but his spokesperson at Interscope Records said the rapper has not decided if he will be among the 10 to 12 performers at the ceremony, which will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS (see "Madonna, U2 Playing Grammys; Eminem Undecided").

Eminem won two Grammys last year but skipped the ceremony and later rapped, "Do you think I give a damn about a Grammy?" in the hit "The Real Slim Shady".

On Eminem's hit "The Way I Am" he raps, "I'm not Mr. 'NSYNC/ I'm not what your friends think/ I'm not Mr. Friendly/ I can be a prick." On "I'm Back," he quips, "And by the way, 'NSYNC, why do they sing?/ Am I the only one who realizes they stink?"

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

• *NSYNC
• Destiny's Child
• U2
• Madonna
• Dolly Parton

Who's Who In Hollywood: The 'Vanity Fair' Post-Oscar Party

• Three 6 Mafia
• Lindsay Lohan
• Madonna
• John Legend
• Ludacris