The court hearing for DeAngelo Bailey's civil suit against Eminem, scheduled for Tuesday (August 26), was adjourned for about eight weeks while the judge reviews motions from both sides. Bailey is suing for damages he claims resulted from his being dissed as a bully in Eminem's song "Brain Damage," off 1999's The Slim Shady LP. ...

After their string of September shows with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queens of the Stone Age are slated to headline their own tour, according to the band's site. The jaunt will launch in Montreal on September 28 and end in Santa Barbara, California, on October 30. ... Michelle Branch, the Breeders, Blur, Aimee Mann and Bush, artists whose songs complemented poignant moments in the much-mourned TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," are among those set to appear on Radio Sunnydale, a 12-track LP due September 30. ...

R. Kelly has written the first single for ATL, an Atlanta-based R&B group formed through a talent competition. "Calling All Girls" will be featured on The ATL Project, due October 14. ... Avril Lavigne and fellow Canadian Chantal Kreviazuk have recorded "O Holy Night" for the upcoming holiday album Maybe This Christmas, Too. Other tracks slated for the album, due November 14, includes the Used's "Alone This Holiday," the Flaming Lips' "Winter Wonderland," Guster's "Donde Esta Santa Claus?," Badly Drawn Boy's "Donna & Blitzen," the Polyphonic Spree's "Winter Wonderslumber," Eisley's "The Winter Song" and something from the Barenaked Ladies. ...

David Banner will release Mississippi: The Chopped & Screwed Album on September 9. "Chopped and screwed is when a song is taken and the tempo is slowed down -- that's called screwed [after the late DJ Screw] -- and at the same time the lyrics and the beats are chopped up," Banner explained. "Like crunk, it's a form that I felt needs to be exposed to a broader audience." ... 12 Memories, Travis's follow-up to 2001's The Invisible Band, is due October 14. The first single, "Re-Offender," will hit radio and video outlets in September. ...

Soul singer Brian McKnight will launch his own ISP on Wednesday. For $14.95 per month, users can access all the major features offered by such competitors as AOL and Earthlink, including pop-up blockers and spam control, and will also receive an @bmcknight.net e-mail address. ... Sevendust will kick off a set of acoustic shows at the House of Blues in Chicago on September 3. The trek will take them through Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida and Nashville, among other places. A full itinerary can be found on the band's Web site, www.sevendust.com. Sevendust's new album, Seasons, hits stores October 7. ...

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have written a handful of new songs, which they plan to record when they hit the studio in the spring to follow-up Fever to Tell. Two new songs, "Down Boy" and "Rockers to Swallow," were performed at the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals over the weekend. A third new tune is titled "Ten by Ten." ... The Icarus Line, notorious for breaking open a display case containing a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar at South by Southwest in 2002, are putting the finishing touches on their second album, Penance Soiree. V2 is expected to release the follow-up to 2001's Mono early next year. ...

On September 21 Tom Waits will join several artists from around the world, including Hamza El Din and Philip Glass, at the New York benefit concert Healing the Divide, organized by actor Richard Gere to promote "peace and reconciliation." The event will include an address from Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama. Epitaph Records' Anti imprint has a new Waits album on its release schedule for March, though there are no further details available as of yet. … Yo La Tengo will hit the road next month in support of their upcoming Today Is the Day EP, which is scheduled for release through Matador Records on October 21. The CD and 12-inch set will be composed of six tracks, including alternate versions of the songs "Cherry Chapstick," from 2000's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, and "Today Is the Day," from this year's Summer Sun. ...

08.25.2003

Sean Paul and Black Eyed Peas have signed on as performers for this year's "MTV Video Music Awards Opening Act." The show airs live on MTV Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET. ...

The 2003 Lady of Soul Awards honored Floetry, Missy Elliott and newcomer Heather Headley, who all took home multiple awards at the show Saturday night. Floetry's "Say Yes" got the Best Single nod while the duo's album Floetic took home the Best Album award. Elliott's "Work It" won for Best Song of the Year and Best Music Video. Headley's two honors came for Best New Solo Artist and Best Solo Effort for her album This Is Who I Am. A full list of winners can be found at www.soultrain.com. ...

Jennifer Lopez has settled out of court for an undisclosed sum with director Adam Shankman, who sued her in May for allegedly stealing his idea to make a movie based on the Georges Bizet opera "Carmen." Shankman, who directed Lopez in "The Wedding Planner," said he talked to Lopez about playing the lead in the film, but she declined, then later sold the idea of the remake to Universal Pictures without crediting Shankman. The initial lawsuit was for $3 million. ... Since they'll already be in town for the MTV Video Music Awards, a bunch of rockers are making plans to attend a Lifebeat benefit at New York's Roseland on August 27 that will feature Iggy and the Stooges and Godsmack. Celebs who have requested tickets include Drew Barrymore, members of the Strokes, Linkin Park, AFI, Queens of the Stone Age, Sum 41 and Joan Jett. ...

After Britney Spears and Skechers broke up, the footwear company wasted no time in courting Christina Aguilera. The two have just announced an 18-month international marketing deal, in which Aguilera will endorse lines of the company's Sport, Active and Something Else shoes. The campaign, which kicks off in October, will be plugged during the European leg of Christina's tour with Britney's ex Justin Timberlake. ... "Velvet Teddy Bear" Ruben Studdard will be performing two free shows in his sweet home of Alabama: September 2 in Mobile and September 5 in Birmingham. The Mobile show gave out 8,800 tickets in 30 minutes, while the 10,000 tickets for the Birmingham show were distributed in 17 minutes. The Associated Press reports that Ruben's band, Just a Few Cats, and comedian Ced Delaney will also be performing. ...

"TRL" main man Carson Daly has started a record label. 456 Records, which Daly created with Loud Records co-founder Jonathan Rifkind, counts on its roster rockers Seymour Glass, rappers U.N. and electronic DJ Photek. ... Members of Third Eye Blind and Guns N' Roses are helping Kimya Dawson, one half of quirky anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches, record her follow-up to last year's I'm Sorry That Sometimes I'm Mean. 3EB's Arion Salazar plays bass on the effort, while GN'R drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, also of Primus fame, sits behind the kit. 3EB singer Stephan Jenkins and his girlfriend Vanessa Carlton contribute backing vocals to the album, which is due in January. ...

An anonymous computer user, whom the Recording Industry is seeking to identify using a subpoena against her ISP, has filed a motion challenging the constitutionality of those subpoenas. "Jane Doe," which is the way the legal motion identifies her, is one of more than 1,000 people accused of engaging in illegal file-sharing that face criminal prosecution. The motion was filed by two Sacramento, California, attorneys in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. ... Sugar Ray's cover of Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" may need to be overhauled into "Are They Really Going Out Like That?" With their new album, In the Pursuit of Leisure, making little noise, the band is looking to woo some new fans. On Monday (August 25), Mark McGrath and company are scheduled to perform following a Class A minor league baseball game in Staten Island, New York, between the Staten Island Yankees and the Aberdeen Ironbirds. ... After recovering from the flu, Mick Jagger finally returned to the stage on Sunday night to rock the first British show on the Rolling Stones' latest tour. Fifty-thousand fans weren't as lucky Saturday night when the Stones canceled a show at

Twickenham rugby field in Southwest London; that gig has been rescheduled for September 20. ...