The first single from Clay Aiken's self-titled debut will be a track called "Invisible." The album is due October 14. ...

C-Murder's murder trial is getting under way in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Jury selection started Monday, with jurors being asked their opinions about rap music and whether C-Murder's stage name — his real name is Corey Miller — is going to color their feelings about the case. The judge also imposed a gag order on attorneys and witnesses, which may be because prosecutors previously argued that some witnesses have been intimidated and fear for their safety if they testify against the rapper, who is accused of shooting and killing a 16-year-old during an MC battle almost two years ago. Jury selection should last most of the week, while the trial is expected to last for three weeks. ...

Vanessa Carlton is about halfway done with her as-yet-untitled second album. "This album is hugely personal and (not surprisingly) gothic," Carlton wrote on her Web site, adding, "a friend of mine is doing a film/documentary about the making of this album." ... Halloween's traditional black and orange had better make way for some red and white. The White Stripes have been added to the lineup of the fifth annual Voodoo Music Festival, taking place October 31 in New Orleans. The duo joins 50 Cent, Marilyn Manson, Godsmack and Queens of the Stone Age, among others. ...

In celebration of Nappy Roots Day in Kentucky, which governor Paul Patton declared last year on September 16, the group will perform a free show at the University of Louisville's Cardinal Stadium. The show will benefit the 100 Black Men of Louisville, a charity that promotes education for at-risk youth. ... Crunk kings Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, Killer Mike and Big Gipp will have cameos in the in-production indie film "20 Funerals." The crime drama is about four cops who turn vigilante when one of their own is murdered. ...

Staind will launch a 17-date tour on September 26 in Hartford, Connecticut. The jaunt, which combines radio festivals with headline gigs, runs through October 19 in Jacksonville, Florida. Sevendust and Lo-Pro (featuring ex-Godsmack drummer Tommy Stewart) will open select dates. ... Velvet Revolver are testing out more producers. After recording "Slither" with Bob Ezrin, the band tackled "Loving the Aliens (Sometimes)" last week in Los Angeles with Josh Abraham, and have also recorded the song "Fall to Pieces" with Douglas Grean...

Mike Patton, formerly of Faith No More and currently of Tomahawk and a zillion other bands, will play the lead in a movie called "Firecracker," a role once attached to Dennis Hopper. Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's will also act in the film. ... Along with hits like "Hot Stuff" and "She Works Hard for the Money," The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer will feature two new songs from the disco diva and her longtime collaborator, producer Giorgio Moroder. The collection is due September 30. ...

"A Concert for George," a film chronicling last fall's George Harrison tribute at London's Royal Albert Hall featuring Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty and others, will open in theaters in limited release on October 3. The movie, shot in high definition and recorded in 5.1 surround sound, is due worldwide on DVD in November. ... Phish bassist Mike Gordon will launch a tour in San Francisco on October 5. The trek will make multiple stops in nine different cities, ending in New York on October 16. Gordon will be touring for his solo album Inside In, which came out August 19. ...

Slayer's Kerry King is getting ready to market a line of clothing for KFK Industries, which will sell shirts, hats and other wares designed by the guitarist. The company will also peddle official Slayer merchandize. KFK's Web site is currently under construction, but features the message, "Sell your soul, buy our sh--." A launch date is expected soon. ... Teenage British garage and electronica act Dizzee Rascal surprised many by winning the Mercury Music Prize on Tuesday in London for his album Boy in Da Corner. He was presented the honor by last year's winner, Ms. Dynamite. Rascal beat out a host of higher-profile nominees including Radiohead, Coldplay, the Darkness, the Thrills and Floetry. ...

When the Offspring decided to call their new album Chinese Democracy, many thought it a foolish move. Now the band itself couldn't agree more. The follow-up to 2000's Conspiracy of One will now be called Splinter and is expected to arrive November 11. After the Offspring gave their LP the same name as the seemingly imaginary Guns N' Roses album, production ground to a halt, according to their official Web site. ...

09.09.03

There's a couple of changes going on with the stars of MTV's "Making the Band." Their official name has been expanded to Bad Boy's Da Band and the group's youngest and wildest member, Chopper, has had to officially change his moniker as well for legal reasons — he'll now be known as Young City. The group is still holding firm to the release date of its debut LP, Too Hot for TV, which is due September 30. ...

All this scratching without any irritation can only mean one thing, the Scratch U.S. Tour. Turntablists Z-Trip, Q-Bert, the X-ecutioners and the Original Jazzy Jay will take off together for a three-week stretch of tour dates that begins November 4 in San Diego. ... John Mayer went to Boston's Berklee College of Music, but he was born in Connecticut and currently resides in Atlanta. Yet the tenuous connection was enough for Boston Music Awards judges to award him Act of the Year honors. Genuine Bostonians Godsmack took Outstanding Rock/Pop Band, Mr. Lif won Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, Aimee Mann was awarded Outstanding Female Vocalist and Waltham won Local Song of the Year. Other awards went to James Taylor, Melissa Ferrick, Kicked in the Head and Piebald. ...

The self-titled debut album by To My Surprise, the side project of Slipknot's Shawn "Clown" Crahan, carries the release date of October 7. The LP was produced by Rick Rubin. ... Call it the Best of Both Worlds for the mature audience. Musical legends Ronald Isley and Burt Bacharach will release a joint LP on November 11. On the project, Isley sings some of Bacharach's most famous tunes, such as "Alfie" and "Make It Easy on Yourself," accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra. Two new songs, "Count on Me" and "Love's (Still) the Answer," will also be included. ...

U.K. space-rockers Spiritualized have completed the video for "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)," the first single from the band's new album, Amazing Grace, due Tuesday (September 9). The clip, which was shot in London two weeks ago by director Walter Stern (the Prodigy, the Verve), is expected to surface shortly. ... Dave Meyers, the director behind Missy Elliott's VMA-winning "Work It" clip, is working on a new opening sequence for "Saturday Night Live." Meyers is also preparing for Westside Connection's upcoming "Gangsta Nations" video. ...

Dope have set an October 21 release date for their third album, Group Therapy. "I Am" is the first single. ... Boomkat just began working on their second record. Taryn Manning said the material will head in a new direction, but offered no specifics. ... Estranged Libertines guitarist Pete Doherty was sentenced Monday to six months in jail after admitting to robbing a bandmate's home. Defense attorneys asked that Doherty be allowed to seek treatment for his drug addiction. ...

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns have consummated their relationship by recording their new Brides of Destruction album together. The as-yet-untitled effort has passed the mixing stage and is tentatively slated for a February 2004 release. "The album sounds insane," Sixx wrote on his Web site. Singer London LeGrand and drummer Scot Coogan round out the Brides lineup. ... The Hanoi Rocks reunion disc, 12 Shots on the Rocks, will be released in the U.S. on November 18. The album came out earlier this year in Europe after the group's nearly 18 years of inactivity. The first single will be "People Like Me." In the '80s, Hanoi Rocks were an up-and-coming Finnish hair metal band who called it quits after drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley was killed in a car accident. Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil was driving the car Dingley was in at the time of the crash. ...

The Barenaked Ladies and Train are going to jail. Both bands will perform at the now-defunct and onetime inescapable prison Alcatraz, in San Francisco Bay on October 16. The show will be cybercast on t-mobile.com and America Online at keyword tmobileallaccess. ... Rush's DVD "Live in Rio" is set to come out October 21. But those whose sound and video system aren't worthy can experience the magic during a same-day screening at one of 30 theaters across the country. The DVD was recorded at a November 23, 2002 show at the Maracana Stadium in Rio on the final night of the band's Vapor Trails tour. ... Nada Surf will launch a tour on September 25 in New York with Ozma and the Tyde. On October 16, Nada Surf will continue the tour with Death Cab for Cutie. Dates run through November 22 in Seattle. ...

• Clay Aiken
• C-Murder
• Lil Jon
• Vanessa Carlton
• The White Stripes