Alicia Keys and Angie Stone will sing "America the Beautiful" during the NBA All-Star pre-game show on Sunday, before Elton John takes the court to perform "Philadelphia Freedom." ... Our condolences go out to Slayer vocalist and bassist Tom Araya, whose father died Wednesday night of a heart attack. The group has canceled its Friday (February 8) show in Dallas and may postpone or cancel other dates as well. ... A court date scheduled Wednesday for rapper Capone was adjourned until March 19. The MC is facing second-degree assault charges stemming from an alleged altercation involving a gun at a Queens, New York, nightclub in September. ...

The entire "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack — featuring new tracks penned by Korn's Jonathan Davis and interpreted by Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, Disturbed's David Draiman, Wayne Static of Static-X and Jay Gordon of Orgy — is available for preview at WBR.com via streaming audio. The album is due February 19. ... Ben Folds will embark on his first solo piano tour February 25 in Iowa City, Iowa. The 17-date outing, to support last year's Rockin' the Suburbs and his new single and video, "Still Fighting It," ends March 20 in Los Angeles. ... Marc Anthony will deliver Mended, his second English-language album, to stores on March 26. ...

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough will host a one-hour meet-and-greet February 16 at the Rock & Sports Experience, a weekend event held at the Washington Convention Center and sponsored by Washington, D.C. radio station Hot 99.5 FM. Dorough will promote awareness of the autoimmune disorder lupus via his Dorough Lupus Foundation, which provides financial assistance to victims who cannot afford treatment and aids in research of the disease, which took his sister's life in 1998. ... Mindless Self Indulgence and Dillinger Escape Plan will fight for marquee space when they jump aboard the System of a Down tour, which kicks off Valentine's Day in Las Vegas. ...

Soul Coughing will release a greatest-hits album, Lust in Phaze, on April 9. Along with radio favorites like "Soundtrack to Mary" and "Rolling," the album will include Ruby Vroom outtake "Buddha Rhubarb Butter," "Unmarked Helicopters" from the "X-Files" compilation Songs in the Key of X, a Propellerheads remix of "Super Bon Bon" and a live version "Casiotone Nation." ... Cornershop will attempt to break a record for the longest remix ever when their official Web site (www.cornershop.com) streams a dynamic, continuously mixed version of "Spectral Mornings" for 24 hours beginning February 12. The song, in its original 15-minute form with Oasis' Noel Gallagher on guitar, appears on Cornershop's Handcream for a Generation, which is now due April 9. ...

Turntablist ensemble the X-ecutioners will kick off a two-month tour to support their second album, Built from Scratch, at the South by Southwest music conference on March 14 in Austin, Texas. The trek wraps May 6 in Los Angeles. ... Hardcore band Speedealer will release their third album, Second Sight, on Palm Pictures on May 14. The record was produced by ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and features heartwarming songs such as "Leave Me Alone," "Slowly Burning Alive" and "Kill Myself Tonight."... Pro File 1, a collection of remixes by Meat Beat Manifesto (a.k.a. Jack Dangers) due February 19, will include the famed sound manipulator's takes on Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," David Bowie's "You've Been Around" and others. Pro File 2, featuring Frankie Bones remixes, is due in May. ...

02.06.02

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.

• Alicia Keys
• Angie Stone
• Elton John
• Slayer
• Capone -N- Noreaga

Badly Drawn Boy
Photo: Beggars Banquet

The original idea was for companies like Mitsubishi and the Gap to use artists like Groove Armada and Badly Drawn Boy to sell cars and clothes. But in the end, it may be that Groove Armada and Badly Drawn Boy were simply using cars and clothes to sell their music.

Exhibit A: As Seen on TV: Songs From Commercials, due June 5 from the people behind the chart-topping Now That's I What Call Music compilations. As Seen on TV includes some of the more memorable TV ad songs of recent months, from late singer/songwriter Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" — featured in a much-remarked-upon Volkswagen ad — to Badly Drawn Boy's equally delicate "The Shining," which the Gap used in a winter-themed ad.

The 20-song album also includes Trio's new-wave nugget "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha," used in a Volkswagen ad, the Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey's "History Repeating," used in a Jaguar ad, and Groove Armada's "I See You Baby," used in a Mitsubishi commercial.

Fittingly, As Seen on TV's makers plan to promote the TV-commercial comp with TV spots of its own.

Adam Starr, the UTV Records product manager who dreamed up As Seen on TV, said he hopes the compilation will give more exposure to acts like Drake and Badly Drawn Boy, whose sales hardly match their critical acclaim.

"When the Nick Drake commercial first happened, people were half disgusted by it and half, like, 'Great, he's getting attention.' And that's kind of the gist of what this is about," Starr said Tuesday (May 22).

Other tracks on the album, which UTV A&R Vice President Jeff Moskow described as "either cool or kitschy," include Handsome Boy Modeling School's "Rock n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)," the Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds," the Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get?" and, of course, Styx's "Mr. Roboto." UTV isn't the first company to see potential profit in the boom of hip commercial soundtracks — Volkswagen itself recently released the collection Street Mix — Music From VW Commercials Volume 1, which includes the same Trio, Drake and Styx tracks (see "Volkswagen Rolls Out Mix CD With Styx, Trio, Other Commercial Hits").

• Badly Drawn Boy
• Nick Drake
• Groove Armada
• Fatboy Slim
• Propellerheads

The future of the fast rising Brit electronic dance duo the Propellerheads is up in the air with the hospitalization of Will White for an undisclosed serious illness. Britain's "New Musical Express" reports that White has been unwell for some time but his illness was only recently diagnosed. He's expected to remain in the hospital for ongoing treatment, and once released, he'll be convalescing for months.

The magazine reports that White's partner, Alex Gifford, may make some solo DJ appearances at some summer festivals, but the band has canceled all their concerts and other obligations for the rest of the year.

The band, together since 1994, is signed to Wall of Sound in England. They recently released their American debut, "DECKSANDRUMSANDROCKANDROLL" on Dreamworks after the company won a bidding war.

• Propellerheads

Jaunuary 6 [12:00 EDT] -- Brit duo the Propellerheads were on a James Bond roll with the recent success of their track from the Bond songs compilation album, "Shaken Not Stirred," and they're still rolling 007's. Their contribution to that album, the theme from "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," made the Top 10 in their home country, and now they've issued a new single, "History Repeating," featuring Bond theme queen Shirley Bassey.

The tune debuted high on the British charts just before Christmas, giving Bassey her first commercial hit since 1973. She's probably best known for 1964's "Goldfinger" from the movie of the same name. It's her second foray into modern rock--she recorded with new wavers Yello in the mid-eighties.

The Propellerheads were reportedly long-time Bassey fans and wrote the song with her in mind on the off-chance she'd agree to record it with them. She did, and made the trek from her home in Monte Carlo to do so in September. The song is the first single off the band's pending album, "Decksandrumsandrockandroll," due out January 26 in England on the Wall of Sound label, and at a later date in the States on Dreamworks, who signed the much-heralded group after winning a U.S. bidding war. The band consists of Alex Gifford, 32, who once played sax for The Stranglers, and drummer/programmer Will White.

Meanwhile, the British music industry ezine Dot Music reports that the Propellerheads have just recorded new material in New York with the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul which will most likely surface this summer.

• Propellerheads