JC Chasez has incurred the wrath of the publisher of Schizophrenia Digest because the artwork for his new album, Schizophrenic, depicts the singer in a straitjacket. The publisher of the magazine, Bill MacPhee, who suffers from the disorder, accuses Chasez of misrepresenting the ailment and contributing to the public's misunderstanding. In a statement, the singer claimed he chose the album title because of the "wide range of musical styles in the album" and added, "I apologize to anyone I may have offended with the title and cover." ...

N.E.R.D. have recorded a remix of their single "She Likes to Move" with Q-Tip, De La Soul and Busta Rhymes. It's Pharrell and Chad's tribute to the late-'80s/early-'90s bohemian rap collective known as the Native Tongues, with which all three guest artists were affiliated. The remix is expected to be released within a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, N.E.R.D. will appear on "Saturday Night Live" this Saturday, in anticipation of their upcoming album, Fly or Die. ... Beyoncé, Bernie Mac and Luther Vandross were a few of the big winners at Saturday night's NAACP Image Awards. Vandross won four awards, the always irreverent funnyman Mac took home two, and Beyoncé was named Entertainer of the Year. Other winners included Outkast and Cuba Gooding Jr. The 35th NAACP Awards air Thursday night on FOX. ...

Outkast have apparently cleared their schedules and set a concrete time to start filming their Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below movie for HBO. The flick, which is being co-written and helmed by "Hey Ya!" video director Bryan Barber, will shoot for the entire month of April. ... Jay-Z is scheduled to headline the Prince's Trust Urban Music Festival, which takes place May 8 and 9 at Earls Court in London. Considered Britain's largest celebration of black music, the festival will also feature Alicia Keys and native son Dizzee Rascal. ...

Basketball and football aren't in any jeopardy of losing their status as the hip-hop community's favorite sports, but before you know it, NASCAR racing could slowly creep up. The organization is continuing to reach out to the black community with "Welcome to Atlanta - NASCAR weekend" in the ATL from Wednesday to March 15. Jermaine Dupri and Bow Wow are confirmed to attend the series of events, which include the Celebrity Malibu Grand Prix Go-Kart Challenge, a celebrity car show and a fashion show. ... Sixties rock legend David Crosby was arrested for marijuana and gun possession at 1 a.m. on Saturday at a hotel in New York's Times Square. Crosby stayed at the Times Square DoubleTree Suites on Friday, but forgot his suitcase when he checked out the next day to play a college in Wayne, New Jersey, with his band CPR. A hotel worker found the bag, and when he searched it for identification he found an ounce of weed, a .45 revolver, 26 rounds of ammunition and a hunting knife. The hotel notified the police, and when Crosby called the hotel to say he was coming back to pick up his forgotten luggage, cops were waiting to meet him. The rocker was released on $3,500 bail. If convicted on the gun charge, he could face up to seven years in jail. ...

Courtney Love got a breather in her misdemeanor under-the-influence-of-drugs case, for which she was scheduled to go to trial on Monday (March 8). Instead, a Los Angeles judge granted the singer a continuance until April 5 to face the charges. In the meantime, Love is due back in court on March 16 in her felony drug-possession case. ... The arraignment of Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson was postponed until March 22. Lifeson faces charges for allegedly fighting with police and pushing an officer down a stairwell during an altercation on New Year's Eve. ...

A DJ inspired by Danger Mouse's The Grey Album, a mix of Jay-Z's The Black Album and the Beatles' The White Album, has been hit with a cease-and-desist order for his own blend of the Jay-Z disc with Metallica's The Black Album. The legal papers sent to DJ Cheap Cologne came not from Metallica, but from the RIAA, which ordered the DJ to stop distributing and selling what he was calling The Double Black Album. "It started out as a joke when I made one song," Cheap Cologne said, "but like a lot of jokes I guess it went too far." ... Brooklyn, New York's Liars are taking to the road in support of their second album, They Were Wrong So We Drowned. The 21-date North American trek will start March 16 in Montreal and wrap up April 18 in Philadelphia. ...

Electronic DJ Paul van Dyk wants you to vote. In conjunction with his upcoming tour and Rock the Vote, van Dyk will unveil a public service announcement he shot in support of the organization and youth participation in politics. The 30-second spots will be distributed to MTV and various regional TV outlets across the country beginning in mid-March. ...

03.05.2004

At the height of his beef with Jay-Z, Nas came out against the Roots for their decision to back Jay for his MTV "Unplugged" performance. But that's apparently all water under the bridge now, as Nas and the Roots' ?uestlove are pairing up to record a new song for an ad for MSN Direct's new Smart Watches. The clip was directed by -- and stars -- Spike Lee. ...

Ludacris and Kanye West aren't headlining stadiums yet, but they'll both be playing Chicago's Soldier Field soon. It's for the Boost Mobile Pro of Snowboarding competition, to be held March 26-27, featuring 45 of the nation's top male and female snowboarders. ... DJ Shadow, Blackalicious and their Quannum crew will trek across the country for a monthlong tour. It starts April 4 in Portland, Oregon, heads to the East Coast and then wraps up May 1 in the artists' hometown of San Francisco. ...

Velvet Revolver were all set to shoot their first video, "Slither," on Sunday in Los Angeles with Kevin Kerslake slated to direct. But during Scott Weiland's probation progress report hearing on Friday (March 5), a Pasadena judge denied the singer's request to join his bandmates for the shoot, which has since been postponed. Weiland is due back in court March 23 for another progress report. He's also due back in court March 15 to face charges of driving under the influence of drugs. ...

The Pixies will release their latest best-of compilation, Wave of Mutilation, and self-titled DVD on May 4 through 4AD records. The releases coincide with the end of their 11-city North American reunion tour. ... Joe Berlinger, the co-creator of the Metallica documentary "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," can't get enough of the boys in black. In November, he'll release the book "Metallica: This Monster Lives," which will chronicle the three years he spent making the movie and will address many issues that were impossible to explore in a two-and-a-half-hour film. ...

Artsy nü-metal band Otep have been added to the second stage of this year's Ozzfest. The band will have a new album out this summer. ... Great White have scheduled 17 more benefit shows for the Station Family Fund. The first gig is Friday night (March 5) in Hidalgo, Texas, and the concerts run through August 15 in Bellingham, Washington. Great White were playing in a Rhode Island club last year when their stage pyro ignited the walls and ceiling, causing a blaze that killed 100, including the band's guitarist Ty Longley. ...

The Cure's Robert Smith and the Smiths' Johnny Marr make special appearances on 2 a.m. Wakeup Call, the second LP by former Nine Inch Nails drummer/producer Chris Vrenna's Tweaker persona. The follow-up to 2001's The Attraction to All Things Uncertain is due April 20. ...