Janet Jackson is being celebrated yet again, this time as the recipient of the first Essence magazine readers' choice Entertainer of the Year Award at the 2002 Essence Awards ceremony at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on May 31. Alicia Keys, India.Arie and longtime Jackson collaborators James "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis will also be honored at the event, which Fox will air on June 6. ... The battle is on for diva suprema as Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Shakira duke it out for Outstanding Female Performer and Outstanding Music Video at the 2002 American Latino Media Arts Awards. Enrique Iglesias, Fat Joe, Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin are all in the running for Outstanding Male Performer at the ALMA ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on May 18 at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium and air June 1 on ABC. ...

Ashanti, Ja Rule, Pink and No Doubt will hit the stage at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on June 15 along with Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Alanis Morissette, O-Town, the Calling, Michelle Branch, India.Arie, Aaron Carter, Marc Anthony, Paulina Rubio and Craig David as part of the day-long KIIS-FM Wango Tango festival. Listeners can win tickets through the station starting Friday (April 19) or purchase them after April 27. ... Before they head West, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Alanis Morissette, Craig David, Michelle Branch, Celine Dion, Aaron Carter and Marc Anthony will appear at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 2 as part of Z100's Zootopia 2002. Bon Jovi, Shakira, P. Diddy, Goo Goo Dolls and Aaron's big brother Nick Carter will join them for the East Coast date. ...

Scarface — now known as just Face, according to Def Jam — begins work on the first clip from his upcoming The Fix. "My Block" rolls out May 12 and 13 in Houston with director Marc Klasfeld (Nelly, Alien Ant Farm) at the helm. ... The flag flown over the Woodstock stage in 1969 may proudly wave in some lucky bidder's home when the cultural artifact, displaying only 46 stars arranged in a peace sign, hits the Sotheby's auction block on May 23. Additional information on the flag, which was found on a farm adjacent to the one owned by Max Yasgur, can be found at

" target=new>sothebys.com. ...

04.18.02

Ashanti will begin shooting the clip for her second single, "Happy," at the end of the month, her spokesperson said. Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti will direct it. ... On "TRL" Wednesday, 'NSYNC's Joey Fatone told host Carson Daly that after the boys are done touring, they're going to take a few months off before they start their next album. Fatone said they would begin working on new material by December of this year or early 2003. ...

Voletta Wallace, mother of slain rap great the Notorious B.I.G., is soliciting help from the public to bring forth information regarding Biggie's murder and the handling of its investigation by the LAPD, as outlined in the recently-filed wrongful death suit (see [article id="1453388"]"LAPD Interfered With Biggie Murder Probe, Suit Says"[/article]). Those with information are urged to visit www.biggiehotline.com and leave tips. ... In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, Celine Dion, Jessica Simpson, Clint Black and Lonestar will perform on the deck of America's newest aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, according to USA Today. The performance tapes in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and will air May 25 on CBS. ...

Stripped-down blues-rock duo the White Stripes will perform 15 gigs in 11 U.S. cities from May 22 to June 10. The tour kicks off upon the band's return from London, where they're scheduled to film a video and begin recording their new album next week. ... On their official Web site, Coldplay revealed the titles for several tracks on their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, including "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," "The Scientist" and "Daylight." Ken Nelson (Gomez) is producing the album, due in late July or early August. ...

Soul Asylum singer Dave Pirner will release his as-yet-untitled solo debut July 16, a few weeks later than previously expected. "Never Recover," the LP's lead single, is expected to surface on radio June 24 and features legendary keyboardist Billy Preston, who played on the Beatles' Let It Be. ... Adema will release "Freaking Out" as the third single from their self-titled debut. ... Chris Fortier will mix the third installment of John Digweed's Bedrock label's Compiled and Mixed CD series, due  June 11.