Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Nelly, Creed and Mya are among the artists scheduled to present trophies at the 30th annual American Music Awards live on ABC on January 13. Sheryl Crow, Shaggy, Common, 3 Doors Down, Paula Abdul, Jakob Dylan, Mekhi Phifer, Tyrese, Carmen Electra and Daryl Hall and John Oates are also among those presenting. ...

R. Kelly has announced the track list for his seventh album, Chocolate Factory, due January 28. The LP will feature "Showdown" with Ron Isley, the single "Ignition" and a remix of the track, and 11 other songs. A bonus CD containing six tracks, including the single "Heaven I Need a Hug," the title track and other material from the unreleased Loveland, will accompany the album. ... Roc-A-Fella Films' "Paid in Full" and its director, Charles Stone III, have been nominated in the Best First Feature category for the 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards. The urban drama, based on the true story of three Harlem drug lords, stars Roc rapper Cam'ron, and was produced by the hip-hop label's co-CEOs Jay-Z and Damon Dash, along with director Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour"). The Spirit Awards, which serve as an independent alternative to Hollywood's Academy Awards, will take place on March 22 in Santa Monica, California, with director John Waters ("Hairspray") performing emcee duties. ...

Influential Manchester punks the Buzzcocks, whose 1979 singles compilation Singles Going Steady, featuring the classic "Orgasm Addict," is among the best punk offerings of the era, will release their seventh studio album March 18 on indie label Merge Records. The eponymous LP, the band's first since 1999's Modern, will be followed by a tour in the spring. ... Pulp may have performed their last gig together Saturday in the U.K. at Rotherham's Magna Centre, though no one from the band's camp has given any official indication as such. Following an encore of "Common People," the band's biggest Stateside hit, singer Jarvis Cocker told the crowd that it would be the last time they would see the band for a while, though hinted that they may meet again. Pulp's last album, We Love Life, their seventh since 1983, was released in October 2001. ...

Industrial metal band Pitchshifter had to shift their rehearsal schedule after drummer Jason Bowld broke his wrist playing soccer over the weekend. The drummer, who sustained the injury in a fall, is currently wearing a cast, and expects to be fully recovered when the plaster comes off in early January. ... New York garage rockers the Mooney Suzuki were signed to Columbia Records, by A&R rep/ former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield. ...

R.E.M. took a break from recording in Vancouver on Sunday to play a three-song set during the intermission of a show by Minus 5, a side-project band featuring guitarist Peter Buck. The mini-show at Richard's on Richards was comprised of "She Just Wants to Be" from Reveal, the previously unreleased '80s song "Bad Day" and the new tune "Weatherman." ...

In the latest round in its war against piracy, the Recording Industry

Association of America (RIAA) issued letters to 78 small music retailers

(convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.), warning them of the

consequences of selling pirated CDs and tapes, and threatening litigation.

The first phase will target stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and parts of Texas

and Florida before expanding to the rest of the country. Retailers will pay

$150,000 per artist pirated if sued, as part of a comprehensive anti-piracy campaign that

began months ago. ...

12.16.2002

And you thought Snoop Dogg coaching his son's football team was outrageous? Now, the D-O-Double G is hitting gridiron himself as he and his all-stars are squaring off against none other than the Inland Empire Police Department. The first annual Snoop Bowl, a fundraiser for the Lama Linda Children's Hospital, will be held Thursday at Long Beach City College Veteran Stadium. ...

While his album God's Son just dropped on Friday the 13th, Nas already has more music hitting the streets. The remix of "Made You Look," which has just popped up on mixtapes, features the same beat and chorus, but new lyrics by guest stars Jadakiss, Ludacris and Nas himself. ... From one diva surrounded by dilemmas to the next, Nelly just loves collaborating with the ladies. The harmonious rhymester appears on the remix to Whitney Houston's "One of Those Days," rapping in a reggae-like rhythm. ... Good friends Mariah Carey and Kelly Price have hooked up again for some musicmaking. The two singers have collaborated for a remix of M.C.'s "Through the Rain." ...

It may not have eyes, a nose or mouth, but at least it's got a title. Godsmack have nearly completed their third album, which they've dubbed Faceless. The follow-up to 2000's Awake is slated to drop April 8. ...

"Jackass" wunderkind Steve-O was granted a continuance for his arraignment Monday in his upcoming obscenity and battery trial in Louisiana. The stuntman, whose real name is Stephen Glover, hopes to plea bargain his felony charges down to misdemeanors. Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Carlos Lazarus said that they're currently discussing a deal that would reduce the obscenity charge from a three-year felony to a six-month misdemeanor, and reduce the principal to second-degree battery charge from a five-year felony to another six-month misdemeanor. Reducing the battery charge, however, requires the victim's approval. Glover's arraignment is now set for February 10. ...

Zalman Yanovsky, the 58-year-old guitarist for 1960s group the Lovin' Spoonful, died Friday of a heart attack in his home near Kingston, Ontario. Two years after the band's big hit "Do You Believe in Magic" in 1965, Yanovsky left the band following a drug bust in San Francisco. He escaped severe punishment, including deportation, by rolling over on his dealer, a move which didn't sit well with most of the counterculture. ...

Ryan Adams is the latest act to get the coveted opening slot on the Rolling Stones' Licks World Tour. He will join the outing for eight dates from January 10 in Pittsburgh to January 28 in Oklahoma City. ... Cult favorite raven-haired singer/songwriter Nick Cave and his band the Bad Seeds will release Nocturama, their first album since signing on with punk staple Epitaph's Anti imprint, on February 3. Cave, who has duetted with Kylie Minogue in the past, collaborated with Chris Bailey (The Saints) on "Bring It On," the album's first single. ... Alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo, members of whom went on to form Son Volt and Wilco after the group disbanded in 1994, will have their long out-of-print first three albums reissused on March 11. No Depression, Still Feel Gone and March 16-20, 1992 will all boast bonus tracks, newly remastered sound and expanded packaging. ...

Lenny Kravitz is locked down in Miami, working on his new album in his home studio. Rough ideas and demos of the tentatively titled The Funk Album began more than five years ago in New Orleans. ... Whitesnake are getting ready to go again, but they won't be on their own. The recently resurrected band -- which consists of original vocalist David Coverdale, drummer Tommy Aldridge, and new members Doug Aldrich (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) and Timothy Drury (keyboards) -- will hit the road with Dokken and the Scorpions starting January 31 in West Palm Beach, Florida. ...