Beenie Man
Photo: mtv.com

The Reggae Gold Live concert, which was intended to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, has been canceled amid weeks of controversy since its announcement.

Some activists protested the inclusion of acts such as Beenie Man and T.O.K. in the show, which was set for July 18 at New York's Webster Hall. The protesters said those two acts in particular have expressed homophobic views in their music in the past.

Foxy Brown and Wayne Wonder were also on the roster.

A statement released by LIFEbeat, the show's organizer, reads: "While the organization's staff and board believe very strongly in the positive purpose and intention of this event, the possibility of violence at the concert from the firestorm incited by a select group of activists makes canceling the event the only responsible action."

LIFEbeat also said it will continue to support the LBGT community and that it didn't want to cancel the event.

"It is very unfortunate, however, that the intended good that could result from bringing this community together around this potentially groundbreaking event will not be realized," the statement continues. "The Caribbean-American community needs our help in bringing attention to this unspoken and often stigmatized illness."

• Beenie Man
• T.O.K.
• Foxy Brown
• Wayne Wonder

Jay-Z
Photo: Walik Goshorn

Call it Black Friday. The release date for Jay-Z's next — and according to him, final — LP, The Black Album, has been set for November 28. The day after Thanksgiving is also the biggest shopping day of the year, and Jay-Z's gonna take advantage by dropping the black version of his signature S. Carter Reebok shoe on the same day. ...

Following last weekend's first audition for the next "American Idol," which drew more than 3,000 people to Pasadena, California, details on the next two tryouts have surfaced. Third-season hopefuls are being asked to begin lining up in Houston's Minute Maid Park on Monday for Wednesday's audition. In Atlanta, the line begins at the Georgia Dome on August 18 for tryouts two days later. Details on additional auditions in New York later this month and Honolulu in September are expected shortly. The third season of "American Idol" will air on Fox in January. ...

Coming on the heels of her Gap ad with Missy Elliott, Madonna's got another commercial enterprise up her sleeve. Her song "Love Profusion" will promote Estée Lauder's new tropical-floral fragrance, Beyond Paradise, in special-effects-heavy TV commercials directed by Luc Besson ("La Femme Nikita," "The Professional"). The ads are slated to hit the air in mid-September, and Madonna will not be appearing at them. ...

Wayne Wonder will be shooting a video next week for the single "Friend Like Me." The clip, from the album No Holding Back, finds Wonder playing a knight in shining armor rescuing a female childhood best friend. VP Records, Wonder's original label, will produce the video. ... "I Get Up," the first new INXS song since singer Michael Hutchence died six years ago, will appear on EA Sports' "Rugby 2004," expected in stores in mid-September. ...

After two postponements, the West Coast version of All Tomorrow's Parties has trimmed a day from its original three-day affair and relocated. ATP will take place November 8-9 aboard the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, California. Artists thus far confirmed for the festival, which is curated by "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, include Spoon, Modest Mouse, Cat Power, the Boredoms, Built to Spill, !!! and Mission of Burma. ...

Paul Rosenberg, Eminem's manager, is executive producing a reality contest for Showtime that will feature unsigned rappers competing in rap battles each week until all but one are eliminated. "Interscope Presents the Next," premiering in October, will differ from "American Idol" or "Last Comic Standing" in that winners will be determined by audience noise — plus cursing is allowed and there are no background checks. ...

A Mötley Crüe box set will hit stores on November 11, featuring B-sides, outtakes, live recordings and a healthy dose of hits. A DVD video collection will also be released. ... Ipecac Records, the label run by Mr. Bungle frontman Mike Patton, has just released the vinyl version of Queens of the Stone Age's Songs for the Deaf. Limited to 1,500 copies, the double-LP contains a bonus track cover of Roky Erickson's "Bloody Hammer" sung by Nick Oliveri. ...

After a four-year hiatus, Primus are returning with Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, a DVD/CD package due October 7 and featuring five new songs as well as all of the band's videos. Primus will launch the Tour de Fromage on October 15, which will include a set that varies nightly along with a full performance of 1991's Sailing the Seas of Cheese. ... D.H. Peligro, drummer for the Dead Kennedys, has been cast as the lead in the upcoming action film "The Four Horsemen." Peligro will perform his own stunts in the movie, which is being made by MarrLand Entertainment. Shooting begins September 15, and the studio is hoping for a spring release. ...

Former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin is now also a former member of Zwan. Lenchantin, who left the Circle in February to join Zwan, has decided to focus instead on Papa M, a band formed by Zwan guitarist David Pajo. Papa M plan to tour in October and will enter the studio before the end of the year. ... Matchbox Twenty's next video, "Bright Lights," will be based on live concert footage the band shot in Atlanta last month for a forthcoming live DVD. The clip is currently in post-production. Meanwhile, the band is planning a fall cross-country tour starting September 24 in Tallahassee, Florida. ...

08.07.03

Britney Spears is getting closer to announcing a release date for her fourth album, but the NFL may have prematurely announced one for her. The NFL Web page promoting the singer's upcoming appearance at a September 4 season kickoff concert in Washington, D.C., noted in three places that Britney's upcoming album would drop November 18. Those mentions have since been removed, but Britney's official Web site, having long gone without an update, has new information on it this week, including a line about the album coming out in November. Spears' label, Jive, has yet to announce or confirm an official release date. ...Aerosmith, meanwhile, have been added to the NFL kickoff festivities. The Boston band joins Spears as well as previously announced performers Mary J. Blige and Aretha Franklin, who'll sing the national anthem. ...

If you've ever wondered why and how a song gets stuck in your head, psychiatrists at Dartmouth College now have an answer. A team led by Dr. Petr Janata have identified the rostromedial prefrontal cortex — it's the spot just below the middle of your forehead — as the site where long-term, short-term and emotional memories come together in a vicelike grip. The Dartmouth docs did MRI scans of blood flow in that area while playing scales for test subjects — scales that resembled, we presume, that damn hook from "Jenny From the Block." ...

Clay Aiken's debut album, due this fall, will be self-titled, according to his publicist, clearing up rumors of other names. ... What could be more exciting than seeing Uncle Kracker's face go round and round at 100 mph? Kracker and Franky Perez have teamed up with NASCAR, and two cars will race in the two-day Chevy Rock & Roll 400 emblazoned with the artists' likenesses, logos and album covers. The event takes place September 5 and 6 at the Richmond International Raceway, in Richmond, Virginia. Both artists will also perform trackside, along with Sugar Ray, Trapt and Hootie and the Blowfish. ...

Craigslist.org is a lot of things to a lot of people: message board, roommate finder, matchmaker, etc. And soon it can add "documentary" to its string of descriptors. "Craigslist: The Movie" traces the lives of people who posted listings for wants ranging from husband to backing band to poodle on one day, August 4. Director Michael Ferris, a San Francisco-based actor, hopes to enter the 90-minute movie into next year's Sundance Film Festival. Craigslist was started in 1995 by former programmer Craig Newmark. Since debuting in San Francisco, it now serves 23 cities and receives 1.2 million postings a month. ...

Metallica, Linkin Park, the White Stripes, Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Used, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Audioslave and Evanescence are just some of the bands nominated for the 2003 Kerrang! Awards. The ceremony will take place on August 21 in London. ... Hoobastank have announced dates for their club tour with Die Trying and Letter Kills. The new slate of shows starts in San Antonio, Texas, on August 20 and finishes up September 27 in Salt Lake City. ...

N.E.R.D., O.A.R., Talib Kweli and Slightly Stoopid have added a New York date to their Sprite Liquid Mix Tour — they will be performing at the Summerstage site in Central Park on September 13. ... String Cheese Incident are suing Ticketmaster for attempting to halt direct ticket sales to fans. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Denver requests a court order barring the country's top concert-ticket retailer from anti-competitive practices. ...

S.T.U.N. will shoot their first video on Wednesday in Los Angeles for "Annihilation of the Generations." Joakim Ahlund, who helmed Refused's "New Noise" video, will direct. ... Milo is heading back into the studio. Seminal Los Angeles punks the Descendents are working on their sixth studio album, the follow-up to 1996's Everything Sucks, which they hope to release in March. Descendents offshoots All will also drop new records next year — two albums, in fact. The first will consist of all new songs, while the second will be composed of experimental instrumentals. ...

Female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife have lined up their first Stateside trek in five years. The three-week jaunt, beginning October 8 in San Jose, California, and ending in Detroit on Halloween, is in support of their latest album, Candy Rock, which was released in Japan in May. Shonen Knife formed in 1981 and 10 years later toured the U.S., opening for Nirvana. ... Pop-rock quartet the Shins will drop their second album, Chutes Too Narrow, October 21. The follow-up to 2001's Oh, Inverted World will be preceded by first single "So Says I," to be released September 23. Following their performance at the annual Bumbershoot festival in Seattle on August 29, the band will begin a three-week tour in New York on September 2, and wrap things up in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 24. ...

Blooze rockers Danko Jones are preparing to drop their second album, We Sweat Blood, October 6 overseas, with a North American availability expected shortly thereafter. The band is currently filming a video for the LP's first single, "I Want You," in their hometown of Toronto. Despite hailing from Canada, the trio do not have a North American label deal. They're signed to Sweden's Bad Taste Records. ...

• Jay-Z
• Madonna
• Wayne Wonder
• INXS
• Spoon

A Chicago judge has turned down R. Kelly's request to go to Los Angeles to shoot a video, making that the first time any of the singer's travel requests have been rejected since he was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography a year ago and ordered to stay in the jurisdiction as part of his bond. Kelly appeared in court Wednesday (June 4) to begin discussions regarding a number of trips he wanted to take this month, but prosecutors said that he had misled the court when he asked permission to travel to New York for a concert, since it turned out he was not scheduled to perform. Permission was denied for the video — Kelly's shot three videos in the last two months, and Judge Vincent Gaughan said that would have to be enough. Permission was granted, however, for Kelly to travel to Los Angeles to perform at the BET Awards on June 24, and to Dallas to perform at a fundraiser on June 28. Kelly is due back in court on July 14. ...

"American Idol" runner-up Justin Guarini's self-titled debut album, due Tuesday, will include a duet with winner Kelly Clarkson called "Timeless." Also on the album is a cover of "Unchained Melody" and tracks produced by Babyface, Soulshock & Karlin (Destiny's Child) and Wade Robson (Britney Spears). ... Ozzy's girl is leaving the nest. Kelly Osbourne recently bought a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the Hollywood Hills for close to the $1.2 million asking price, according the Los Angeles Times' real-estate section. The gated, Spanish-style split-level was built in the 1920s. ...

Though the Backstreet Boys won't be delivering a new album anytime soon, two members of the boy band are preparing solo LPs. Nick Carter has started work on his second solo project, for which he's co-written several songs with a collaborator, according to his management, while Howie Dorough is planning to record his first album. Dorough's LP will include songs in both English and Spanish. Details are still being finalized for both albums, though Dorough hopes to work with such producers as Emilio Estefan, Rudy Perez and Steven Morales. ...

After "2 Fast 2 Furious," Tyrese will star in "Extortion," a crime thriller based on a story idea by the singer. "Romeo Must Die" screenwriter John Jarrell will pen the script, about an undercover detective investigating the murder of his foster brother. ... If Field Day doesn't get grounded this weekend, look for a special guest to beat the skins with N.E.R.D. at the show. ?uestlove of the Roots will be filling in for Eric Fawcett, the drummer in N.E.R.D.'s backing band, Spymob. Fawcett will be with his wife in Minneapolis to witness the birth of their first baby. ...

Wayne Wonder might not want to let go, but his record label apparently doesn't feel the same way. Sources say Atlantic Records will not release a follow-up single to the reggae veteran's surprising hit, "No Letting Go," after a conflict between the label and Wonder on what the next single should be. ... Ben Lee's new album, Hey You. Yes You., will finally be released in the States on August 12, courtesy of F2 Music. ...

The Music are working on their second album in their native U.K. next week. The Leeds quartet will hash out as much of the follow-up to its self-titled debut, released in February, as it can before heading off to Australia and Japan for five shows and joining up with Lollapalooza beginning August 1. ... Rest assured that when songs are played on non-conventional radio outlets, the artists will see some scratch for their digitized tunes. The recording industry struck a deal with non-commercial webcasters (i.e. college stations) on Tuesday, putting the lid on their ongoing efforts to secure royalties. In the past few months, similar deals have been struck with satellite radio companies (XM, Sirius), cable services (Music Choice, Muzak), commercial webcasters (RealNetworks, AOL) and conventional radio stations for their online simulcasts. ...

6.3.03

Remixes of Britney Spears' "Stronger" and Mary J. Blige's "Keep Your Head" will be featured on Songs for Life, a benefit album supporting HIV relief in Africa. Enrique Iglesias, Gerald Levert, Patti LaBelle, Joan Osborne and Aretha Franklin with K-Ci & JoJo wrote new material for the collection, produced by Phil Ramone (Billy Joel) and due in July. ... In related news, TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas are launching an HIV education initiative this week called Dialogues: Education and Treatment for a Well Planned Future. Dialogues will deliver easy-to-understand HIV information via www.HIV-Dialogues.com and (800) 576-6600. ...

Before heading to Chicago this summer to shoot "Barbershop 2," Eve will join Kevin Bacon and Benjamin Bratt in "The Woodsman." "It's about a child molester who comes back in the world," Eve said at Saturday's taping of the MTV Movie Awards. "And I'm sort of a bitch who kind of blows his thing up at his job. It's a different kind of role for me, like my hair will be really short and black." ...

The King's daughter will perform during the first game to determine whether the Spurs or Nets are crowned NBA champs. Lisa Marie Presley will provide halftime entertainment at game 1 of the NBA finals, Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas, with "Lights Out" and "Sinking In," the second single from her debut, To Whom It May Concern. Four days later, Jewel will perform that same duty at game 3 with her current single, "Intuition." Then on June 11, jam band Phish will render their interpretation of the national anthem for game 4 in New Jersey. ...

Madonna shot a video for her next single, "Hollywood," in — surprise, surprise — Hollywood. Her rep calls the clip, which was shot Monday and Tuesday (June 3), "very glamorous" and says that the singer has "lots of different looks." ... It's expensive to get nude and lewd in Moon County, as Eve 6 frontman Max Collins found out Tuesday when Allegheny County District Court Judge Shirley Trkula slapped him with a $517 fine for disorderly conduct. Collins was arrested early Tuesday morning for prancing naked through the halls of a hotel following Eve 6's performance at a radio festival sponsored by Pittsburgh station 105.9 FM the day before. ...

After impressing executives by securing Justin Timberlake for the Black Eyed Peas' new album and developing an MTV2 show on his own, rapper Will.I.Am has been named vice president of artists and repertoire of A&M Records, the label releasing Elephunk on June 24. Will has already signed two artists: Brazilian pop star Sergio Mendes and Fergie, who sings on the Peas' album. ... Bruce Willis makes a return to music on the upcoming "Rugrats Go Wild" soundtrack, which includes the actor, who voices "Rugrats" family dog Spike, singing "Big Bad Cat" and covering Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." A remake of the Police's "Message in a Bottle" by American Hi-Fi is also included, along with material from the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, who voices Siri the leopard. ...

Green Day drummer Tre Cool recently had a bone fragment "the size of a marble" removed from his knee, according to Billie Joe Armstrong in a message on the band's Web site. The frontman said the group has 40 songs finished for its next release, but he likes only six of them. ... The Roots and Phish's Trey Anastasio will appear on Toots & the Maytals' upcoming duets album, due in the fall. ...

Former Weezer bassist and Rentals frontman Matt Sharp will drop his first solo offering, the EP Puckett's Versus the Country Boy, on June 17. After parting ways with Rivers Cuomo and company after 1996's Pinkerton, Sharp sued his former band for back royalties and performed sporadically around the country. ... On Friday, the Doors of the 21st Century settled a lawsuit brought against them by Stewart Copeland. The former Police drummer filed the breach-of-contract complaint against founding Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger for allegedly not staying true to their word to use him behind the kit on their current tour. ...

Mystic recently shot a video for her first DreamWorks Records single, "Learning to Breathe," which features Donell Jones. The rapper performed on a car six stories in the air in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park. ... Flaming Lips and Rusted Root will join moe. for the band's fourth annual moe.down festival August 29 to 31 in Turin, New York. In the meantime, moe. will join Dave Matthews Band on tour for a week from June 17 to 21. ...

British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden will release their 13th album, Dance of Death, in September. The disc was produced by Kevin Shirley, who worked on their last album, Brave New World. Iron Maiden will begin their U.S. tour July 21 in Worcester, Massachusetts. ... Johnny and Edgar Winter fared palely in court Monday, when the California State Supreme Court dismissed their lawsuit against DC Comics. The albino brothers sued the New York comic-book company over two characters called the "Autumn Brothers," a villainous pair of wormlike subhumans with green tentacles, which the Winters claimed made a mockery of their albinism. ...

• R. Kelly
• Kelly Clarkson
• Backstreet Boys
• Tyrese
• Wayne Wonder

• Sean Paul
• Wayne Wonder
• Buju Banton
• Bounty Killer
• Bob Marley

Beyoncé Knowles, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott are among the artists set to perform at the 16th annual Essence Awards June 6 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Talib Kweli, Common, New Edition, Lionel Richie and the Gap Band will also take the stage at the event, which this year will honor Mary J. Blige and Mos Def. ...

Rapping and acting just don't seem to be enough for some MCs. Today's well-rounded rhymers must get into the threads game as well. Ludacris, who'll be seen in "2 Fast 2 Furious," expects his clothing line, C.P. Time, to launch by the end of the year. ... R&B duo and two-time BET Award nominees Floetry are working on their new album, the follow-up to last year's Floetic. Meanwhile, Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart have thus far recorded two songs with soul diva Patti LaBelle for her album, and are planning to collaborate with 3LW in the summer for theirs. Floetry have six tour dates lined up, from June 7 in their hometown Philadelphia through July 5 in Los Angeles. ...

If you're a girl in Portland, Oregon, you too can now say, "This one time, at band camp ...": The third annual Rock 'N' Roll Camp for Girls, a day camp to familiarize 8 to 18-year-old females with the power of rock, will take place from June 16 to 21. This year, workshops, performances and instruction will be conducted by members of Sleater-Kinney, the King Cobra, DJ Pam the Funkstress of the Coup, the Gossip, the Quails, Cherchez la Femme and Queen Size Revolution. Girls will learn to play instruments, form bands, run sound boards, produce shows, design CD packaging and posters and develop self-defense skills. A showcase of bands formed at the camp will be held June 21 at the Aladdin Theater. ...

Now that "Para Que la Vida," Enrique Iglesias' latest single off his 2002 Spanish-language album, Quizas, has hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks, he now holds the record for the most #1 singles (16) by any artist on that chart. The crooner is currently in the studio working on a new English-language LP, the follow-up to 2001's Escape. ... On Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut, Wayne Wonder and Beenie Man will headline the Greatest One Night Reggae Show on Earth, a multi-artist festival that makes sporadic stops around the country, similar to Reggae Sunsplash in the 1990s. Sanchez, DJ Badda Flexx and Pickey round out the bill. ...

Rooney have scheduled a tour to support their self-titled debut. Dates begin Tuesday (May 20) in Cincinnati and go through June 17 in Anaheim, California. ... Fountains of Wayne will launch a tour in Milwaukee on July 3. Dates run through July 28 in Anaheim, California. The band will be on the road to support its upcoming disc, Welcome Interstate Managers, which comes out June 10. The first single will be "Stacey's Mom," a modern "Mrs. Robinson" with a new wave pulse. ...

Canadian rockers Default are working on their second album, the follow-up to 2001's The Fallout. The band has written at least 11 songs during pre-production in Seattle, and will move up to Vancouver Island to record the LP. The band has a half-dozen shows scheduled June 15-30 in Canada and the northern U.S., where the group is expected to preview some new tunes. ... Former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone has recorded a dozen Teenage Head songs with three of the four members of the early '80s Canadian punk band with longtime Ramones producer Daniel Rey. It's not known what will become of the tracks. ...

Adema have set an August 19 release date for their second full-length album, Unstable, which shares a title with the first single, due on radio in late June. The band will launch a headlining tour to promote the record June 1 in Chico, California, and stay on the road until a Los Angeles show July 12. ... Wu-Tang Clan member Cappadonna will drop his third solo album, The Struggle, in September. Track titles include "Get Away From the Door," which features Inspectah Deck, "Blood Brothers," "Cap Is Back," "Role of a Lifetime," "Season of Da Vick" and "I Don't Even Know You." ...

5.19.03

Ever wonder how the U.S. military is getting Saddam Hussein supporters to cough up valuable information? No, they're not offering them cigarettes and lap dances, they're playing them heavy metal music and children's songs. According to a U.S. sergeant interviewed by Newsweek magazine, Iraqi prisoners have never before heard the crashing rhythms, churning guitars and growling vocals common in metal, and it affects them like Chinese water torture. Songs of choice include Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and Drowning Pool's "Bodies." Also effective is the chirpy, sing-song quality of kiddy tunes, specifically the theme to "Sesame Street" and the music of Barney. ...

Sheryl Crow was among the luminaries who paid homage to the late June Carter Cash at her funeral service this weekend. Crow sang gospel covers along with Emmylou Harris during the ceremony, which was attended by Hank Williams Jr., Trisha Yearwood, Kris Kristofferson and the prime minister of Jamaica. ... Lisa Marie Presley's first tour, a co-headlining trek with Chris Isaak, will begin July 11 at the Fleet Boston Pavilion. The 17-city treks ends August 12 at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. ...

"Platinum," the UPN drama about the hip-hop industry, has not been renewed for the fall season. Onyx rapper Sticky Fingaz starred in the show and MC Lyte was set to be a reoccurring character. ... Ricky Martin has launched People for the Children, a project that aims to fight child pornography and prostitution. The program is an offshoot of the Ricky Martin Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on child-related issues. People for the Children will be based in Miami, and for its first function, Martin will meet with Mexican president Vincente Fox and his wife. ...

Festival promoters in Michigan have canceled a scheduled performance by self-described "Motor City Madman" Ted Nugent in response to the guitarist, singer, shock jock and outspoken outdoorsman's use of racial slurs during a recent radio interview. Nugent reportedly used derogatory terms for Asians and blacks during an interview with two Denver DJs last week, prompting organizers of the Muskegon Summer Celebration to scramble to find a replacement. ... The upcoming "Led Zeppelin DVD" set will be screened at eight movie theaters across the country on May 27, the night it goes to retail. The double-disc set features five hours of footage assembled by guitarist Jimmy Page, who also put together the triple-disc album How the West Was Won, which will come out the same day. Page, vocalist Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones will attend the New York screening of the DVD. ...

To commemorate a decade of block rockin' beats, the Chemical Brothers will issue a double-album retrospective and DVD in September. The LP will feature two new songs, rare cuts and remixes, along with a greatest-hits selection that fans can help compile at www.thechemicalbrothers.com. ... Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry unveiled a new guitar on Saturday at the House of Blues in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Gibson Joe Perry Signature model was conceived by Perry's wife Billie, who got together with designers at Gibson to create a surprise axe for her hubby. Last Christmas, she presented him with the instrument, and he liked it so much he decided to make it available to the public. ...

Ed Harcourt will launch a North American club tour June 2 in Los Angeles to promote From Every Sphere (May 20), the follow-up to his Mercury Music Prize-nominated 2002 debut, Here Be Monsters. Harcourt will also be joining R.E.M. on six dates in the fall. ... A hefty dose or rock action has been injected into the third annual Village Voice Siren Music Festival at New York's Coney Island on July 19. Performers added to the already indie-heavy lineup include Idlewild, the Datsuns, the Dirtbombs, Oneida and the Witnesses. Previously announced acts include Modest Mouse, Hot Hot Heat, Sahara Hotnights, dance rockers !!! and Radio 4, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, the Kills, rappers Northern State and the Pattern. While the majority of the lineup is in place, a few stray acts are expected to be announced shortly. ...

INXS aren't as afraid of SARS as Moby, Mariah Carey or the Rolling Stones, and they don't think travelers should be, either. Though numerous acts have canceled gigs in Asia since the health scare began, three members of the long-running Australian outfit played an acoustic gig in Singapore on Sunday in hopes of showing the public that traveling there is still safe. The band has also scheduled an appearance in Bali next month — despite heightened terrorism fears since a recent bombing killed more than 200 people — and told the BBC that "[terrorism and SARS] are a tragedy for any country, but it has been a lot of media hype that has caused the panic." ...

5.16.03

Soul crooner Barry White suffered a stroke on May 1 that affected his speech and the right side of his body, Reuters reports. The 58-year-old White, whose deep, mood-setting voice is as dependable as roses and candy on Valentine's Day, suffered kidney failure last fall and is awaiting a transplant when his condition improves. ...

Jennifer Lopez is being sued for $5 million for breach of contract by film director Adam Shankman, with whom she worked on the film "The Wedding Planner." Shankman claims that he and Lopez talked about having her play the lead role in a new film version of the classic opera "Carmen," but that she then turned around and sold the idea to Universal Pictures without his knowledge. ...

Metallica have chosen some openers for their May shows at San Francisco's Fillmore. CKY, who opened the ill-fated Guns N' Roses tour, will play Sunday; Systematic, who were signed to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's record label, will play Monday; and Death Angel, a reunited San Francisco-area '80s thrash band, will play Thursday. No act has been announced for Wednesday's show. ...

The White Stripes have announced dates for the first leg of their upcoming summer tour. Jack and Meg White will kick off the trek June 16 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and wind things down July 23 at Central Park's Summer Stage in New York. ... Several, if not all, of the finished tracks from the new Radiohead album, Hail to the Thief, surfaced online Thursday. Earlier versions of the tunes, purported to be stolen, were downloadable weeks ago. The follow-up to 2001's Amnesiac is slated for a June 10 release. ...

Great White have created a trust fund to which fans can donate money in order to help the group with its legal fees. While the bandmembers were recently dropped from the suits filed by at least one attorney because their pockets aren't deep enough to warrant suing, two other lawyers are still naming the rockers as defendants. There is also the possibility Great White will face criminal charges from the February 20 fire in a West Warwick, Rhode Island, club that ignited after the band shot off pyrotechnics during its show. ... T.A.T.U.'s manager, Ivan Shapovalov, was arrested in Moscow's Red Square on Thursday for disturbing the peace while filming a video for one of the group's new, untitled songs. The crafty manager already had two requests to film the allegedly lesbian duo in front of the Kremlin rejected when he set up cameras and invited 200 girls to parade around and make out in front of Lenin's Tomb and the church of St. Basil, a mere 200 yards from the Kremlin. Filming was scrapped after police intervened. Shapovalov was reprimanded by a judge, but was not punished. ...

On the heels of their split with Island Def Jam earlier this month, Hanson are being courted by two record labels. The brothers are aiming to release their upcoming album, Unleashed, in September. ... Coldplay will broadcast a two-hour live concert from the Hollywood Bowl to over 150 radio stations nationwide on May 31 at 9 p.m. The band launches a North American tour on Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta. Dates run through June 13 in New York. ... For the first time in more than four years, Blur will cross the pond for a North American trek beginning June 8 at the Field Day festival in Calverton, New York. The 10 confirmed dates, through June 21 in Vancouver, support the band's seventh album, Think Tank, which dropped last week. More dates are expected to be added to the itinerary. ...

Apparently feeling left out from sum of the summer fun, Sum 41 have decided to hop onboard the Vans Warped Tour for eight dates. The group will play on June 29 in Chicago, then July 8 in Pomona, California, through July 15 in Peoria, Arizona. ... Ivories abound when pianists Tori Amos and Ben Folds hit the road together beginning July 26 in Redmond, Washington. The 25-date run, supporting headliner Amos' latest LP, Scarlet's Walk, concludes September 3 in Orlando, Florida. ...

Raekwon is set to star in "The Coalition," a film that tells the story of a lucrative New York construction business and how it is exploited by minority nonunion labor. The movie begins filming in June. ... Wilco, R.E.M., Common, Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray and Rhett Miller are among the artists headlining the 33rd annual Bumbershoot festival in Seattle. Tickets to the event, taking place over Labor Day weekend at the Seattle Center, can be purchased at www.bumbershoot.com. ...

Ween will release their first studio album in three years, Quebec, on July 22. Fictitious brothers Dean and Gene Ween's follow-up to White Pepper is their first album for Sanctuary Records after residing for over a decade at Elektra. ... Ozzy Osbourne's son Louis Osbourne, a deep house/techno DJ, will embark on a U.S. club tour beginning June 12 at New York's Discotheque and wrapping up July 19 at Hollywood's Spundae. Kelly and Jack's half brother also recently signed on for a DJ mix compilation to be released by Blue Chip Records next year. ...

05.15.03

While Mark Romanek is handling Linkin Park's next video, the band's own Joseph Hahn will return to the director's chair for the group's third single from Meteora. That video and a clip for the next European single will be shot in Prague, Czech Republic next week, Hahn said Tuesday, although he wouldn't reveal what songs they will be for. "You need to focus on 'Faint,' " he joked. "I shouldn't be talking so far ahead." ...

Russian police barred T.A.T.U. from filming their new video in Moscow's Red Square on Thursday (May 15). Several hundred fans, many decked out in schoolgirl uniforms, showed up to be extras in what was supposed to be the duo's video for the Eurovision song contest. Russia chose the kissing crooners to represent the country at the contest, happening later this month in Riga, Latvia. ... Mandy Moore is giving fans a sneak preview of her upcoming covers album, Coverage. Four of the album's 12 tracks are available for listening on her official Web site, www.mandymoore.com. The songs are covers of John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me," XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Friends" and Joan Armatrading's "Drop the Pilot." Moore is also about to film Warner Bros.' "First Daughter," with co-stars Mark Harmon, Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra. ...

Chevelle have scheduled 14 shows during down days on this year's Ozzfest. Four of the shows will be with Korn, six will be with Disturbed and the rest will be headline gigs. The first date is June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, and the last announced show is August 31 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. ... "Revealing Jewel: An Intimate Portrait by Family and Friends," a book about the personal details of the star's life, is being released in June with her approval. The tome, by author Kenneth Calhoun, features interviews with Moby, Billy Bob Thornton, producer Arif Mardin, Jewel's father, Atz Kilcher, and her mother and manager, Lenedra J. Carroll, among others. ...

All proceeds from Santana's summer tour will be donated to Artists for a New South Africa, an organization dedicated to fighting the spread of AIDS in Africa. The trek starts June 11 in Atlanta and continues through July 14 in Los Angeles. Angelique Kidjo will open every show. ... Henry Rollins is planning to perform material included on the compilation LP he put together last year, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three, on a world tour kicking off June 1. Joining the Rollins Band on the U.S. dates of the outing will be Keith Morris, leader of the Circle Jerks and original singer for Black Flag. All proceeds from the shows will go to the West Memphis Three Defense Fund, created to help overturn the convictions of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, whom many feel were not given a fair trial in the 1993 murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. ...

• Beyoncé
• Mary J. Blige
• Ludacris
• Floetry
• Rooney

Eminem and Nas will receive awards at Saturday's Detroit Hip-Hop Summit at Cobo Arena. Em will be given the Outstanding Achievement Award for charitable contributions to Detroit, while Nas will receive the Heroes Award for "I Can," an "inspiring song in which he empowers young people to believe they can be whatever they aspire to be," according to organizers. ...

Jack Black plays the Mooney Suzuki's road manager in the group's new video for "In a Young Man's Mind." And to repay the comedian, the garage band will appear in Black's upcoming Tenacious D movie. ... Flawless Records signees the Revolution Smile and Detroit rapper Marz have been added to Ozzfest's second stage. Revolution Smile are enlisted for the first half of the tour, June 28 to July 25. Onetime Insane Clown Posse associate Marz then assumes the position from July 30 to August 28. New Zealand garage rockers the Datsuns will also bolster the tour, opening up the main stage for five dates between July 20 and 30. ...

Winona Ryder was in the VIP section at the Primal Scream show in New York on Wednesday. The diminutive actress leaned over the railing to watch the band, but left her perch after the fourth song. Near the end of the night, vocalist Bobby Gillespie dedicated a song to Ryder, who had apparently been backstage drinking the band's beer. ... After months of arduous negotiations, Jane's Addiction have signed with Capitol Records, which will release the band's third studio album, Hypersonic, in July. ...

Wayne Wonder has teamed up with hip-hop's eighth wonder for a remix. Wayne enlisted the services of LL Cool J for a new version of the reggae hit "No Letting Go." Cool J took the opportunity to give light to his new artist Duchess, who appears on the song as well. ... Patti LaBelle is working like a woman half her age. She's finishing up her still-untitled first album for her new label, Def Jam Classics. So far Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, R. Kelly, 7 Aurelius, Wyclef Jean and the duo of Andre Harris and Vidal Davis have either produced tracks or are slated to hit the lab with the singing legend. ... Meanwhile, LaBelle is on the road promoting her cookbook, "Lite Cuisine," which will drop around Mother's Day. She'll kick off her summer tour on May 30 in Oakland, California, with Jaheim and Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. ...

With the Oscars moving next year to February 29, around the time the Grammys are normally held, the Recording Academy is bumping up its annual awards show to February 8. In a chain reaction effect, the American Music Awards have moved from January back to November 16, 2003. ... MC Lyte, whose Da Undaground Heat Vol.1 is due May 6, will appear on the April 29 episode of UPN's new hip-hop drama, "Platinum," and may play a recurring role in the show. "I feel the series depicts the hip-hop game in a real authentic way," the rapper said. Ginuwine will guest in the same episode. ...

With their "Harder to Breathe" single picking up steam, Maroon 5 have been added to the John Mayer and Counting Crows summer tour. The soulful rockers will join the outing July 7 in Denver, after a co-headlining trek with up-and-coming singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. ... The second album by Mike Patton's group Tomahawk, Mit Gas, will come out on May 6. Afterward, the former Faith No More vocalist will focus on finishing the third disc by his other main band, Fantômas, titled Shaq Owns You and tentatively scheduled for release in September. ...

The Colorado venue Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where bands such as U2 and Radiohead have performed legendary shows, will reap the proceeds from the 10-track LP Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Carved in Stone. Featuring live contributions from Phish, Dave Matthews Band, the String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic, all recorded between 1994 and 2002, the album is available at all Best Buy outlets and online at www.bestbuy.com. ... Influential '80s funk metal band Living Colour will release their first album in 10 years on September 22. The band will record through June, and will hit the road for a two-week tour that starts May 15 in Irvington, New Jersey, and ends May 30 in Poughkeepsie, New York. ...

Paul McCartney has provided one of his previously unreleased songs for use in the film soundtrack for "The In-Laws." "A Love for You" was originally recorded in 1971. The LP will also contain a previously unreleased version of "Live and Let Die" and "I'm Carrying," which was on Wings' 1978 record, London Town. ... Trip-hop pioneer Tricky will issue his new album, Vulnerable, on June 17. The moody, confessional disc features vocals by Italian singer Costanza Francavilla and includes a cover of XTC's "Dear God." ...

Tony Hawk is tweaking some elements of his Boom Boom Huck Jam music and extreme sports tour before taking it out again this fall. "We'll have a whole new ramp setup and more choreography," he said recently. "That was an element people really enjoyed from the first one." ... Local H will release an EP titled No Fun May 27 on the band's new label, Chicago indie Thick Records. The collection includes three new tracks and covers of tracks by the Ramones, Primal Scream and the Godfathers. ... Beautiful Creatures guitarist Michael Thomas has left the band. In a post on the group's official Web site, he said the parting was amicable. The group has made no plans to replace him and will still play Thursday's show (April 24) in Los Angeles. ...

04.23.03

The S. Carter Collection, Jay-Z's new sneaker, hit stores over the weekend and sold out in a matter of hours, becoming the fastest-selling shoe in Reebok's history. The rapper, who released a CD sampler with the first 10,000 pairs sold, appeared at a Foot Locker in Philadelphia on Thursday to promote the product. ...

P. Diddy and his Bad Boy Entertainment will host Bad Boy Weekends in 10 U.S. cities this summer, beginning July 18-20 in Detroit. The rap mogul, New Edition, Carl Thomas, Loon and Dream will be attending the events, which will be open to the public and will include a Queens of Comedy show, a white linen party and a celebrity basketball game. ...

Wilco have scrapped plans to release a six-song EP commercially, and have instead made the disc available for free online at www.wilcoworld.net to fans who bought their last album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. A code inside the packaging of the LP can be used to unlock the treasures of the new record, which features the new songs "Handshake Drugs," "Woodgrain" and "More Like the Moon," as well as "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard" and the Foxtrot outtakes "A Magazine Called Sunset" and "Kamera." All six tracks were originally issued as bonus cuts of the Australian version of Foxtrot. ... Is Ryan Adams hanging up his spurs? The alt country singer/songwriter posted on his official Web site, www.ryan-adams.com, that he plans to retire. "I'm not drunk," he wrote before proclaiming that he'll continue pursing musical endeavors, he just won't sing. Although suspicion lingers that he might be pulling a Michael Jordan, Adams said his last show will be July 4 in New York. ...

In his near 20-year-long career as bassist for Flotsam and Jetsam, Metallica, Echobrain, Voivod and most recently Ozzy Osbourne, Jason Newsted had never let anything prevent him from taking the stage — that is until he encountered a bad batch of grapefruit juice. Newsted was forced to pull out of a Voivod gig in Anaheim, California, on Monday after being sidelined by a bout of food poisoning. He has since made a full recovery, and the band will resume the tour Friday in Newsted's former hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. ... Keith Flint has remixed Marilyn Manson's new single, "mOBSCENE," complete with his own vocals. Manson discussed meeting the Prodigy star on a recent posting on his Web site: "We discussed illegal behavior, participated in illegal behavior and became the best of friends over a bottle of Absinthe." ...

Master P and Lil' Romeo are busy filming episodes for their Nickelodeon sitcom "Pieces of the Puzzle," premiering this summer. "Hip-hop is going in a direction where everyone is talking about the bad stuff, so for me and Romeo to be able to be the first father and son of hip-hop to be able to do something positive and have fun with what we're doing is taking it to a whole new level," Master P said recently of the project. ... Kelly Rowland, who was scheduled to tour the U.S. this summer with Luther Vandross before his stroke last week, has booked a European headlining trek for September. "Thank the Lord I'm having a huge amount of success over there," she said last week. Vandross is listed in critical but stable condition in a New York hospital. ...

Hypercharged and newly reunited cult Norwegian rock band Turbonegro recently enlisted the joint talents of directors Spike Jonze ("Adaptation") and Jeff Tremaine ("Jackass: The Movie") to helm the clip for "Sell Your Body to the Night," the first single from their forthcoming comeback album, Scandinavian Leather. The video includes appearances by several members of the "Jackass" crew, including Johnny Knoxville, as well as a large grizzly bear. ...

Five songs Norah Jones recorded with New York singer/songwriter Peter Malick long before her debut swept this year's Grammys are being released June 10 on an EP. Titled New York City, the collection will include three of Malick's songs, along with covers of Bob Dylan's "Heart of Mine" and Magic Sam's "All Your Love." ... Public Enemy are releasing a CD/DVD single May 6 of "Son of a Bush," a track from last year's Revolverlution that attacks President Bush and his father. "Have you forgotten/ I been through the first term of rotten," Chuck D raps in the song. ... Björk is planning to re-release Debut, Post, Homogenic and Vespertine with live versions of each of the songs. The limited-edition Live Box Set is due this summer. ...

Seal, the crooner responsible for the 1991 hit "Crazy" and the Grammy Award-winning "Batman Forever" soundtrack song "Kiss From a Rose," will return with a new album this summer. The self-titled set, his first since 1998's Human Being and fourth overall, will be preceded by the single "Get It Together." ... Ric Ocasek, the former leader of '80s hitmakers the Cars, has added "senior VP of A&R for Elektra Records" to an impressive résumeé that already included "record producer" for bands like Weezer, No Doubt, Bad Brains and Guided by Voices. Workaholic Ocasek is also finishing a new solo album, Nexterday, and working with a film crew on a documentary about his former band. ...

Felice Bryant, who wrote "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye Love" and other songs for the Everly Brothers, died of cancer on Monday. She was 77. Bryant and her late husband, Bodleaux Bryant, wrote over 800 songs recorded by more than 500 different vocalists. ... The Eagles, poised for a three-month tour that kicks off on May 9, are planning to release their forthcoming album on their own label, not a major. The as-yet-untitled LP, prefaced by the single "Hole in the World," will be available through Amazon.com, Yahoo and Best Buy. ...

• Eminem
• Nas
• Revolution Smile
• Marz
• Tenacious D

Wayne Wonder
Photo: Atlantic

NEW YORK — Wayne Wonder isn't complaining about how long it's taken for him to achieve some measure of recognition by the masses; he's just happy to be here.

"I just write a song and hope that everyone can appreciate it, no matter what color or what class," Wonder, 30, said recently while visiting Manhattan.

Wonder's songwriting, producing and smooth serenading have made him a staple in clubs for almost a year and have kept him on the Billboard chart for the past 14 weeks. His hit "No Letting Go" has bubbled from an underground sensation to crossover success.

"It's just a personal experience," he said. "I wrote this song [about a girl] without calling her name in the song because she always said to me, 'You are always [calling] these other girls' names.' I said, 'I don’t have to call your name, I'll just write a song and you can appreciate it.' Everybody loves it, which is surprising to me. When I'm writing, I don’t think [about whether the song] will be a big hit."

The sexy swivels of Wayne's curvaceous backup dancers and Little X shot-calling on set have helped the video for "No Letting Go," the first release off of Wayne's No Holding Back, become an airwave favorite as well.

"Well, the video, it took us 24 hours [to shoot]," he said about the production, which took place in December in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. "It was raining in the morning and the shoot was supposed to start at like 6:30 a.m. and it never really got started until about maybe 8 o'clock. God was on our side. We prayed on the rain, and the sunshine came out. X is so down-to-earth, and he just lets you feel a comfort level in what you're doing. The video, to me, was a success; the dances, everyone enjoying themselves on the stage, there was no bad vibe."

Although his spokesperson said that Wayne's probable second single will be "Glad You Came My Way," the singer's vibe has him leaning toward "Friend Like Me."

"My choice of single is 'Friend Like Me' [because] it's real and personal for me," Wonder explained. "It's about [how] I met this girl and the vibe was so right. When I was leaving, she said she wanted me to pinky promise to always keep in touch with her. 'All she needs is just a friend like me/ All she needs is a good friend.' "

Wonder, who was born Von Wayne Charles in Buff Bay, Jamaica, cultivated his craft by working with such good friends as famed reggae producer David Kelly in the late '80s and throughout the '90s. Together Wayne and Kelly churned out hits in Jamaica like "I'm Only Human" and the dancehall classic "Saddest Day."

"Saddest Day" became Wayne's first big conduit to the U.S. when he sang on Foxy Brown's remake on her Broken Silence LP in 2001. Luck followed Wayne when his friend Joel Chin, who is in A&R at VP Records, signed him last winter. VP, which also had another hot commodity on its hands at the time with Sean Paul, was in the process of inking a deal with Atlantic, giving the label an option to release certain artists via joint venture. VP and Atlantic became partners in January, and Wayne's No Holding Back dropped in March.

"[It's called] No Holding Back because I finally got the opportunity to just express myself," Wonder explained. "My own creative freedom of doing this writing, producing, co-producing, arranging, so it's no holding back. I'm just going to give it to you all."

• Wayne Wonder

Wayne Wonder Photos

• Wayne Wonder

Lil' Kim Album Release Photos

• Lil' Kim
• Wayne Wonder
• Jagged Edge
• Mobb Deep