Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network will be holding a special tribute to Jam Master Jay outside the Queens Central Public Library in New York on October 30, the one-year anniversary of the pioneering hip-hop DJ's slaying. Jay's family is expected to announce updates on a biography, feature film, documentary and potential Queens street renaming in his honor. ...

Pearl Jam's benefit concert Wednesday at the Santa Barbara Bowl featured several special guests, including Chris Cornell, who, after playing solo acoustic versions of "Can't Change Me," from his 1999 Euphoria Morning album, and Audioslave's "Like a Stone," was joined by Eddie Vedder and the band for a Temple of the Dog reunion for "Hunger Strike" and "Reach Down." Former drummer Jack Irons, singer/songwriter Jack Johnson and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante also joined Pearl Jam during the show, which raised funds for the Louis Warschaw Prostate Cancer Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. ...

Outkast, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Eve, Ludacris and Chingy are scheduled to perform at the inaugural Vibe Awards, to be broadcast on November 21. The show, which will be taped the night before, will be hosted by Queen Latifah. ... Chingy is reissuing his platinum debut, Jackpot, on November 18 with a bonus DVD. The extra disc will feature all of the Ludacris protégé's videos, including alternate versions of "Right Thurr," as well as live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. ...

Hilary Duff will release her first music DVD, "All Access Pass," on November 4. Along with videos for "So Yesterday," "Why Not" and "I Can't Wait," the DVD will include making-of documentaries about the videos and acoustic performances of "So Yesterday" and "Little Voice" from her "Sessions @ AOL." ... Sniffing for hits? Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 14 features 20 more humdingers including Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," Justin Timberlake's "Senorita," R. Kelly's "Thoia Thoing" and Good Charlotte's "Girls and Boys." There are also a couple of surprises: Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" and Liz Phair's "Why Can't I?" ...

Hazen Street, the first signing to Good Charlotte brothers Benji and Joel Madden's D.C. Flag imprint, will enter the studio with producer Howard Benson (P.O.D., Papa Roach) next week to begin tracking their debut album. Boasting an all-star lineup of contemporary pop-punk rockers and hardcore heroes, Hazen Street are comprised of vocalists Freddy Cricien (Madball) and Toby Morse (H2O), guitarists Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory) and David Kennedy (Box Car Racer), bassist Hoya (Madball) and drummer Mackie Jayson (Cro-Mags, Bad Brains, Shelter). ...

The Transplants' Rob Aston and Tim Armstrong (also of Rancid) have collaborated with Cypress Hill on a song called "What's Your Number" for B-Real and the guys' upcoming seventh album, Till Death Do Us Part. Due in March, the record will otherwise focus more on hip-hop. ... After completing a tour with the Deftones, which runs through November 22, emo-metal band Poison the Well will embark on a headlining tour. The first date is November 23 in East Meadow, New York, and the final scheduled gig is December 12 in Savannah, Georgia. ...

The home of longtime Great White drummer, Audie Desbrow, burned down in the California blaze that has destroyed nearly 2,000 houses. Desbrow was living in the Del Rosa neighborhood of San Bernardino. Desbrow recorded with Great White from 1986 to 2000. ... The Dillinger Escape Plan, High on Fire and Meshuggah are among the bands slated for inclusion on the tribute album We Reach: The Music of the Melvins, due in the summer. The album will be the second release for Fractured Transmitter, the imprint owned by Mushroomhead frontman Jason Mann. The label's first offering will be a Meshuggah EP in the spring. ...

Rob Zombie bassist Blasko, who has also played with Prong, Fireball Ministry and the latest incarnation of Helmet, will unleash material from his project the Death Rays through Antidote Records, according to the label's Web site. New Death Rays music is expected to surface next year. ... Speaking of Helmet, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale confirmed on his Web site that Page Hamilton will be producing his solo debut. He also reported that guitarist Chris Traynor and drummer Charlie Walker recently split from his backing band, adding that Traynor has rejoined his former bandmate Hamilton in the new Helmet lineup. Rossdale is still working on material with Rival Schools bassist Cache Tolman and as-yet-unnamed replacement members. On the movie front, having shot his scenes for the Brittany Murphy comedy "Little Black Book," Gwen's hubby is now gearing up for a role in the Keanu Reeves comic-book flick "Constantine." ...

10.28.2003

Less than 24 hours after tickets went on sale, an Elliott Smith tribute concert in Los Angeles has already sold out. The show, double billed as a memorial and benefit for the Elliott Smith Foundation for Abused Children, will take place Monday at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and will feature Beck, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, Beth Orton, Grandaddy and others performing some of Smith's most beloved tunes. A screening of the experimental short film "Strange Parallel," featuring Smith, will precede the show. ...

P. Diddy's clothing company Sean John has been under investigation by the National Labor Committee for allegedly using overseas sweatshop labor to create its garments. The committee issued a report on Tuesday (October 28) that claims workers at the Southern Textiles factory in Choloma, Honduras, have been subjected to daily body searches, 11-to-12-hour shifts and contaminated drinking water. In addition, they are only paid for their productivity, not their time — 24 cents for each $50 sweat shirt they sew. Puffy may not be the only rap mogul under fire from the committee. While 80 percent of the labor at Southeast Textiles is for Sean John, the remaining 20 percent is for Roc-A-Wear, the clothing company founded by Jay-Z and Damon Dash. ... Reports in the U.K. press last week that Roc-A-Fella Records boss Damon Dash was suing Victoria Beckham's U.K. record label to be reimbursed for helming her hip-hop album are untrue, according to a spokesperson for Dash. It was reported that Beckham's label, Telstar, wasn't happy with the idea of the former Posh Spice doing an urban-oriented album, and would refuse to release such a project. But reps for both Telstar and Dash deny any serious conflict, and Dash's people maintain that he's still producing her album, expected in 2004. ...

With Try This just around the corner, Pink has already chosen her follow-up to first single "Trouble": the dance floor burner "God Is a DJ," produced by Billy Mann. She's currently deciding between directors and locations for the video shoot. ... New York radio station Z-100 should think about renaming their Jingle Ball holiday festival the "Gigli" Ball, since Jennifer Lopez will host the annual event. Set for December 11 at Madison Square Garden, the show will also feature performers Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Michelle Branch, Sean Paul, 3 Doors Down, Kelly Clarkson and Hilary Duff, among others. ...

Actor/director Tim Robbins will serve as master of ceremonies at the Johnny Cash Memorial Tribute concert in Nashville November 10. Tickets to the event, which will feature Sheryl Crow, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson and others, are being distributed by lottery. Unlucky Cash fans who miss that concert are still in for a windfall, however: new music from the man himself. Johnny Cash: Unearthed is a five-CD box set that will feature 79 tracks all recorded with producer Rick Rubin between 1994 and 2002, including collaborations with Tom Petty, Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson, Nick Cave and Joe Strummer. Sixty-four of the 79 tracks are previously unreleased and include acoustic covers of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," Roy Orbison's "Down the Line" and Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" (with Strummer). Rubin began assembling the box set this August and will release it in the spring. ...

Rocker Joan Jett has a soft side. Along with some family and friends, she appears on the next episode of "Crossing Over With John Edward" to get a reading in hopes of reconnecting with some departed loved ones. Since Edward ultimately fails to get her a psychic link to those she's seeking, she "serves as the conduit" for her friends to hear from a recently deceased daughter, according to a rep for the show. Jett's episode airs on UPN at 2 p.m. Wednesday. ... Annie Lennox has contributed two songs to the final chapter of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Return of the King." Her song "Into the West" will be used in the actual film, while a second track was recorded for the DVD. The soundtrack is due out November 25. ...

Less Than Jake are hitting the road once again in support of their latest album, Anthem, and they're bringing along a little something extra for their fans. On the tour, which runs from November 4 in St. Louis through mid-December, a six-song EP featuring two exclusive LTJ tracks and cuts from openers Yellowcard, Rufio, Fall Out Boy and Punchline will be on sale. ... Andrew W.K., Hoobastank and Die Trying will tour together for a month starting November 1 in Springfield, Missouri. The 21-date jaunt ends December 3 in Clifton Park, New York. Hoobastank's last date on the Nokia Unwired Tour, which also features All-American Rejects, Diffuser and Ozomatli, is Tuesday night in Seattle. Hoobastank's second album, The Reason, will be released December 9. ...

Oddball alternative band Ween will record three upcoming Chicago shows for a live DVD, guitarist Mickey "Dean Ween" Melchiondo wrote on the band's Web site. The gigs being taped are November 7, 8 and 9 at the Vic Theatre. Ween have seven other shows with which to warm up, starting Tuesday night in Northampton, Massachusetts, and running through November 5 in Detroit. ...

• Jam Master Jay
• OutKast
• Temple of the Dog
• Chingy
• Hilary Duff