Bobby Brown was released from the DeKalb County jail on Friday (August 29), seven days after being arrested in a restaurant while dining with his wife, Whitney Houston. According to a DeKalb County Sherriff's Office spokesperson, Brown was originally sentenced to 14 days in jail by a county judge for violating terms of his probation. While that time was cut in half for good behavior, Brown was not out of the woods yet -- he was released to police from the City of Atlanta to answer charges stemming from an arrest last year. Brown pleaded guilty to driving without a license and no contest to possession of marijuana. He must now comply with the rest of his sentence from the DeKalb judge, which includes rehab and house arrest. ...

Jay-Z and Lil' Kim lead the list of nominees for the 2003 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards with five each, including Album of the Year. 50 Cent, Nelly and Cam'ron and the Diplomats earned four nominations, while Missy Elliott, Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace, Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes, Eve, Scarface, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, LL Cool J, the Clipse, Baby and David Banner garnered three nods. Eminem, nemesis of The Source owner Ray Benzino, is not nominated. The show is scheduled for October 13 in Miami and will air on BET on November 11. ...

Murder Inc. head Irv Gotti has decided to fight his arrest for possession of ecstasy and Viagra. In Alameda County Court on Monday, Gotti's lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client, saying they are going to file a motion claiming the search of Gotti backstage at an R. Kelly concert in Oakland, California, was illegal. The court date to hear the motion is scheduled for November 10. ...

The Black Eyed Peas have just signed on to perform with Juanes at the Fourth Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The event's Web site reports that the performance roster will also include Banda El Recodo, who will appear with both A.B. Quintanilla III and the Kumbia Kings. The show airs September 3 at 9 p.m. on CBS. ...

Following their final two scheduled dates this weekend, New Found Glory will take about a week off before starting work on the follow-up to last year's Sticks and Stones. Pre-production will begin in an open space in the Hurley factory, located in Costa Mesa, California. NFG drummer Cyrus Bolooki recently shared some studio time with his younger brother Andrew's band All That's Left. Bolooki produced three tracks for the group, including "Please Don't," which features Ryan Key of Yellowcard. ... Mötley Crüe-bassist-turned-songwriting-gun-for-hire Nikki Sixx penned the title track for Meat Loaf's new LP, Couldn't Have Said It Better, due September 23. Others who lent Mr. Loaf a hand include ballad-writer extraordinaire Diane Warren (Aerosmith, Celine Dion) and Stephen Trask of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" fame. ...

Taking Back Sunday shot a video for "You're So Last Summer" on Sunday with a bunch of fans and Public Enemy faceplate Flavor Flav. The song is the third single from the hardcore band's debut, Tell All Your Friends. ... In other TBS news, the band and Blink-182 will perform a benefit concert for uninsured pro surfer Jason Bogle, who is suffering from bone cancer. The show is set for September 6 at San Diego's 4th & B. ... On Monday in Toronto, the Sex Pistols had to leave the stage for a minute, or five, to compose themselves after an antagonizing concertgoer in the front row kept spitting on frontman Johnny Rotten. The surly singer called the phlegmy fan a "f--in' lumberjack," then led the band offstage. The group returned with a cover of the Stooges' "No Fun" and finished the set. ...

8.26.2003

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. ...