Lindsay Lohan is under fire from a group that advocates the rights of people with mental disabilities, since she's been using the word "retarded" to respond to press inquiries about her alleged breast implants and her supposed rift with Hilary Duff. The Arc plans to send the actress a letter explaining why it's upset with her use of the word, something the group did once before with Britney Spears when she used the word, according to a spokesperson. ...

After teasing the collaboration in a recent interview, Lil Jon has entered a Los Angeles studio with Ice Cube for a new, as-yet-untitled track. The song will appear on Jon's upcoming album, Crunk Juice, due in the fall. ... Festival organizers say all members of the Wu-Tang Clan have been confirmed to headline the Rock the Bells daylong concert in San Bernardino, California, on July 17. It would be the first time all the MCs of the Clan have performed together in almost seven years -- if it happens. Several times in recent years promoters have booked the group with no success. Other acts confirmed for the concert include Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis and members of Jurassic 5. ...

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who suffered an undisclosed medical emergency and missed the band's performance at the Download Festival in England on Sunday, will rejoin his bandmates Tuesday night (June 8) at a show in Ludwigshafen, Germany, according to the band's German Web site. ... Green Day cleaned up at the 2004 California Music Awards on Sunday by nabbing awards in four categories. The band took Most Downloaded Song for "I Fought the Law," and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool each picked up Outstanding Musician awards in their respective categories. AFI also won big with three awards: Outstanding Group, Outstanding Rock Album and Outstanding Debut on a Major Label for Sing the Sorrow. Other winners included the Red Hot Chili Peppers for California Favorite, the Offspring for Outstanding Alternative Album, No Doubt's Gwen Stefani for Outstanding Female Vocalist, Metallica's Kirk Hammett for Outstanding Guitarist, Blink-182 for Outstanding Hard Rock Album and Black Eyed Peas for Outstanding Hip-Hop Album. The awards ceremony, now in its 27th year, took place in downtown Oakland. ...

Ludacris was given the key to the city of Atlanta on Monday. The city council wanted to thank the boisterous rapper for his work through the Ludacris Foundation, which has provided college scholarships and organized young children to volunteer in their communities. The city also proclaimed June 7, 2004, to be Ludacris Day. ... Courtney Love got another breather in the felony drug case against her in California on Tuesday. The court postponed her pretrial hearing until July 15, one day before her sentencing in her misdemeanor drug case. ...

The corpses of two ex-members of Italian metal band Beasts of Satan were found in a two-meter deep grave in the woods in Northern Italy, Reuters reported. The two were allegedly murdered by their bandmates six years ago as part of a satanic human sacrifice. The musicians, 19-year-old Chiara Marino and 16-year-old Fabio Tollis, were last seen in January 1998 leaving a pizza restaurant. Four of their former bandmates were arrested for murder. ... Contestants in the Los Angeles area hoping to win a spot on the Ozzfest main stage through the tour's unsigned-band contest now have some direction. Bands will be interviewed Friday, beginning at 9 a.m., at the Hollywood Palladium. Applications are available at www.ozzfest.com, and bands are asked to leave their instruments at home. ...

Public Enemy's Chuck D is taking over the TRIO channel for one week in July. Not only did the rapper pick the programming, but he'll also introduce each selection and provide personal commentary on how the various films and documentaries shaped his life as an artist. Among his picks: the network television premiere of Nick Broomfield's documentary "Biggie & Tupac," the coming-of-age film "Cooley High," the 1964 segregation drama "Nothing But a Man" and Mario Van Peebles' historic film about the origins of the Black Panthers, "Panther." Chuck D's week on TRIO, which will also include the world premiere of "Public Enemy: Live From the House of Blues," starts July 2. ... A back ailment has forced Loretta Lynn to scrap a bunch of dates in support of her latest album, Van Lear Rose. The 69-year-old country legend canceled a show in Birmingham, Alabama (June 20), and postponed the remainder of her shows through June 26 in Jackson, Mississippi. ...

"Baywatch" and "Knight Rider" semi-hunk David Hasselhoff was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to Ventura, California, police. The 51-year-old actor and sometime singer was arrested Saturday night and released Sunday morning. Hasselhoff has a history of drinking problems; in 2002 he checked himself into the Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcoholism. ... It's no "Highway to Hell," but AC/DC might soon have a street named after them in Melbourne, Australia. City officials are considering renaming a downtown alley currently called Corporation Lane to AC/DC Lane. The decision on the name change is expected within the next month. ... The Raveonettes will play two weeks of shows in the U.S. starting August 14 in New York and running through August 29 in Chicago. The band continues to support its 2003 album, Chain Gang of Love, which came out in September. ...

6.7.2004

Fantasia Barrino, who has been telling reporters she will launch her recording career under the name Fantasia, will release her debut single on June 22. The A-side will be "I Believe," the Tamyra Gray-co-written song she performed during the "American Idol" finale, while the B-side is still being considered (with most bets on "Summertime"). ... "Idol" runner-up Diana DeGarmo, meanwhile, will release her single the following week so as not to compete directly with Fantasia like Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken did a year ago. She is still deciding on both the A- and B-sides. ...

Though most of Courtney Love's adventures lately have unfortunately revolved around drugs and the law, the one that will be available in comic-book stories starting next month is much more magical. Thanks to Japanese animation, Love gets a fresh start as Princess Ai, a mysterious young woman dropped from another planet in Tokyo, where she must piece together clues about who she is, why she's on Earth, and the secret of the heart-shaped box she carries. Oh, and there are other Nirvana references via the blondish, punkish boy named Kent, who helps her on the way. "I have always loved the Japanese culture and people," Love said in a statement. "Princess Ai is a great character, because she feels like my alter ego, but in a fantasy setting." The first volume of Princess Ai is available July 6. ...

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[article id="1488206"]Click for photos from "Princess Ai"[/article]

Britney Spears has revised some of her upcoming North American tour dates -- canceling some and adding others. Shows previously scheduled for Raleigh, North Carolina, on July 22; Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 24; and West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 27 have been canceled; refunds are available for ticket-holders. In the meantime, shows have been added for Atlanta at HiFi Buys Amphitheatre on July 21; Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Borgata Hotel Casino on July 23; and Greensboro, North Carolina, at Greensboro Coliseum on July 25. ...

January 10 is the trial date that's been set for Rosa Parks' lawsuit against Outkast and their label, Arista Records. The civil-rights icon claims Outkast violated her trademark rights and defamed her when they named a song from their 1998 album, Aquemini, after her. The group's lawyers want to question Parks, 91, but so far her lawyers refuse to allow it, citing medical reasons. A July 13 hearing has been set to decide whether Parks can be compelled to give a deposition in the case. Meanwhile, Parks has filed a star-filled witness list that includes Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. In December, the Supreme Court refused Outkast's plea to dismiss the lawsuit. ... An estimated 8,000 people attended the Ohio Hip-Hop Summit Thursday afternoon on the campus of Ohio State University for the latest event from Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. The summit -- which drew such artists as Kanye West, Loon and Petey Pablo -- registered 2,000 new voters. ...

Marilyn Manson's lawsuit against former bandmember Scott Putesky (a.k.a. Daisy Berkowitz) and Empire Musicwerks Records has been settled. In the suit, filed on April 28, Manson sought to stop the continued distribution of an album and DVD of material from his former band the Spooky Kids, as the cover made unauthorized use of the singer's image. On June 4, Empire Musicwerks announced that it would remove all artwork with Manson's likeness from the album and DVD. ... The emo flagwavers at Absolutepunk.net are about to launch their first package tour. Featuring several bands slapped with the "next big thing" label, Audio Karate, Say Anything, MC Lars and Lance's Hero, the 15-show trek begins June 17 in Sacramento, California. ...

Nick Lachey is already a big brother to his former 98 Degrees bandmate Drew, and now the "Newlyweds" star is going to take on the role for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Lachey is headlining a ceremony celebrating the youth mentoring organization's 100th anniversary, which will take place June 16 in New York's Bryant Park. "It's amazing to me how you can change a young person's life by spending as little as one hour a week with them, sharing simple things like a pizza or an ice-cream cone. It's really about being a friend," Lachey said in a statement. "I hope my involvement can help drive matches in the more than 5,000 communities nationwide where Big Brothers Big Sisters has a presence." ... Although she's on tour, Madonna's getting the next few installments in her children's book series ready. The third book, "Yakov and the Seven Thieves," is due out in stores on June 21, while the fourth book, "The Adventures of Abdi," will come out November 8. Of the third book, Madonna said in a statement that it's a story "about how all of us have the ability to unlock the gates of heaven, no matter how unworthy we are. For when we go against our selfish natures, we make miracles happen, in our lives and in the lives of others." ...

Fresh from his starring role in the HBO movie "Something the Lord Made," Mos Def has independently released an untitled EP. The five-song record includes the new songs "Excellence," "Summertime," "Pornographic," "Grown Man Business" and a Brooklyn-themed freestyle. ... A hit record can take you a very long way -- all the way to the bank and the boardroom. St. Louis' Trackboyz, producers of J-Kwon's "Tipsy," have inked a joint venture with Island/ Def Jam to form their own label, Trackboyz Entertainment. ...

Pearl Jam are expected to begin recording their next album, the follow-up to 2002's Riot Act, by the end of the year. The effort will be the band's first since leaving longtime label Epic Records. ... Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar has teamed up with country performer Toby Keith to work on new songs. One of the duo's tunes, "What Happens in Cabo Stays in Cabo," will appear on Keith's next album, which is due out later this year. Last April, Keith performed at the launch of Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. ... Fountains of Wayne will release an album of B-sides before the end of the year. The band begins a tour on June 16 in Charleston, South Carolina, and wraps things up July 25 in Pittsburgh. ...

Guitarist Robert Quine -- whose three-decade career included work with Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet, Tom Waits, John Zorn and Richard Hell -- died on May 31, apparently of an intentional heroin overdose. Quine's body was found last weekend by his friend Rick Kelly, who became concerned when phone calls weren't returned. According to Kelly, the guitarist left a suicide note. Kelly said that Quine, 61, had fallen into substance abuse (which had not previously been a problem) after his wife of many years died of cardiac arrest last year. Quine apparently attempted suicide about a month ago as well. ... Aerosmith canceled a Sunday concert near Birmingham, Alabama, hours before the band was to take the stage as one of the bandmembers -- the group's reps wouldn't say which one -- was ill. The show has been rescheduled for June 30. ...

Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes will release a solo album, Gibby Haynes & His Problem, on August 31. The disc will feature 11 songs including "Kaiser" and "Redneck Sex." Buttholes member Paul Leary guests on keyboards and mixed half the tracks. ... While Finch put the finishing touches on their second album in a Los Angeles studio, the band is gearing up for a summer tour to show fans what they can expect. Beginning Saturday with the first three dates of the roving Rolling Rock Town Fair festival, which kicks off in Boston, the band will stay on the road for two dozen dates through mid-September. The as-yet-untitled album is expected out before the end of the year. ...