Maybe now that she's not running around with Cam'ron so much, Mariah Carey will have time for Busta Rhymes. The pop princess is scheduled to finally team up with the animated MC next week in Los Angeles for the "I Know What You Want" video. Bussa Bus is scheduled to co-direct the clip with Chris Robinson. ...

The countdown to the Grammys continues. We've heard a lot about who will perform -- from Eminem to Nelly with Kelly Rowland -- but what about who will host? In fact, there won't be one singular host this year. In honor of the Grammys finally returning to the Big Apple, this year's ceremony will feature not one but several hosts, all with a New York state of mind. They include Queen Latifah, Marc Anthony, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Robin Williams, Paul Shaffer and "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley. More emcees remain to be announced. ...

The world premiere of the new DMX/ Jet Li flick, "Cradle 2 the Grave," is set to go down on Monday at New York's Ziegfeld Theater. In addition to the cast, which also includes Hollywood hottie Gabrielle Union and portly funnyman Anthony Anderson, the Cash Money Millionaires, the Clipse, the Neptunes and Ginuwine are expected to be in attendance. ...

More planetary shifts in the camp of A Perfect Circle: Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen has left because of touring commitments with Queens of the Stone Age, and has been replaced by ex-Nine Inch Nails member Danny Lohner. Last month, former Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez took the place of A Perfect Circle's departed Paz Lenchantin, who is now in Zwan. ... Hey, it's only right. With characters like Snoop Dogg, the Queen Bee and the Ticallion Stallion being hip-hop icons, why can't the original hip-hoofer be loved by the kids? According to a spokesperson for Fox, the network is planning to revive the classic TV show "Mr. Ed," which was centered around a talking horse. While the pilot episode has not been cast, let alone shot, the network rep said the current plan is to give Ed a decidedly more "urban" edge. ...

This year, England's legendary heavy metal hoedown, the Donnington Festival, will feature Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, Audioslave, Disturbed and Deftones. The event will take place in Donnington Park on May 31 and June 1, and will mark the first time the celebration will run more than a day. ... He's cherished more for his vulnerable vocals than his fleet-fingered leads. Even so, U2 frontman Bono has been nominated for a 2003 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Award. Other nominees include Sum 41's Deryck Whibley, the Donnas' Allison Robertson, American Hi-Fi's Drew Parsons, Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay and System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian. Winnners will be announced Thursday in New York. ...

So far, it looks like only 3,500 people will be able to see AC/DC in concert this year. The band's lone scheduled gig is March 11 at New York's Roseland Ballroom. Tickets will only be available to contest winners, press and employees of the band's new label, Epic. ... Music from Blink-182, P.O.D., Garbage, Weezer and David Bowie will be featured in the new remixing video game, "Amplitude." The sequel of sorts to "Frequency" allows players to compete online with other remixers. ... Bob Dylan, India.Arie, LL Cool J, John Mayer, Ben Harper and Musiq are just a few of the artists slated to perform at the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, taking place April 24 to May 4. ...

Godzilla crashes the Atlanta club scene in the new video for Bone Crusher's "Never Scared," featuring Killer Mike and T.I., shot last weekend by director Bryan Barber. Jermaine Dupri, who produced the track, Da Brat, Cee-Lo and Lil' Jon & the Eastside Boyz have cameos in the clip. Bone Crusher's Attenshun! is due April 15. ... Suge Knight has continued his humanitarian efforts, this time paying the funeral expenses for 57-year-old Betty Jean Rothchild, who was killed on February 5 by crossfire as she left her home in South Los Angeles to purchase groceries for a church dinner. In January, Tha Row Records chief provided funds for the families of two children murdered in Compton and Pomona, California. ...

The Haunted, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Cephalic Carnage, Converge, Eighteen Visions, Nevermore, Mastodon, Opeth and the newly reformed seminal death metal outfit Suffocation are among the many acts scheduled to perform at this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, set to take place May 16 and 17 at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. ... British black metal purveyors and Ozzfest second stage co-headliners Cradle of Filth will see their major-label debut, Damnation and a Day, issued Stateside March 25. The band has already shot a video for the album's first single, "Babalon AD (So Glad for the Madness)" with director Wiz (Marilyn Manson). ...

Some view it as sacrilege, others see it as keeping up with the times. Yoko Ono has teamed up with the Pet Shop Boys to record a dance pop version of John Lennon's last song, "Walking on Thin Ice." No release date has been scheduled. ... All of Cher's #1 singles will be available for the first time ever on April 1 on the best-of set The Very Best of Cher, which features early favorites like "The Beat Goes On" and "I Got You Babe" along with modern fare such as "Believe" and "If I Could Turn Back Time." Need more Cher? NBC will air a live, two-hour concert special on the diva on April 15. ...

02.18.03

Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body" video will debut on MTV's "Making the Video" on Thursday. Francis Lawrence, who helmed the singer's Britney revenge fantasy a.k.a. the "Cry Me a River" clip, again called the shots. "Cry Me a River," meanwhile, will be released Tuesday (February 18) as a limited-edition maxi CD, with remixes by Junior Vasquez, Basement Jaxx and Dirty Vegas. ... Another round of presenters has been announced for the now very imminent Grammy Awards. The aforementioned J.T. will hit the stage on Sunday to hand out a gramophone, as will last year's Grammy gobbler Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Raphael Saadiq, Peter Gabriel, Rod Stewart and more. ...

The American International Toy Fair is holding court in New York this week, and among the new collectibles with a rock bent is an 11-inch figure of the late punk icon Joey Ramone. The figure, expected to be in stores in spring, portrays the singer in his trademark motorcycle jacket, and features removable sunglasses and a mic stand. ...

Freeway got some hometown love from fellow Philadelphia native Ms. Jade last week when she came down to Free's video shoot for his next single, "Alright." Shot by Terry Heller in the City of Brotherly Love, the clip centers around occupants of a forlorn community. Glenn Lewis also makes a cameo. ... The 17th Annual Soul Train Music Awards has added Jennifer Lopez, a reunited Dru Hill, Chris Rock and actor Orlando Jones to its list of presenters. They join previously announced performers Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah and Justin Timberlake at the ceremony, which will be telecast live in syndication March 1 at 8 p.m. ET. ...

Lifehouse will embark on a North American tour, beginning March 13 in Arlington, Texas. Not only does the trek mark the band's first since the release of their second album, Stanley Climbfall, it's also their first Stateside jaunt with former Calling guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme, brother of Lifehouse drummer Rick, as a permanent band fixture. ...

The 2003 Bonnaroo Music Festival has chosen the newly crowned Dead, Widespread Panic, James Brown and the Allman Brothers Band, as well as hipster rockers Sonic Youth, Tortoise, and Smokey & Miho (guitarist Smokey Hormel and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori) to take the stage at the three-day festival, which expects more than 60 acts in all. Bonnaroo takes place June 13 in Manchester, Tennessee. ... Former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg is working on his second album for Vagrant Records. The follow-up to last year's Mono/Stereo double LP is slated to surface in late summer. ...