The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is coming to the Big Easy. On Thursday at the New Orleans Arena, the New Orleans Hip-Hop Summit will feature appearances by Reverend Run, LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, Bone Crusher, David Banner, Choppa, and B2K's Raz-B, among others. The event will be hosted by Russell Simmons, Def Jam president Kevin Liles and the Cash Money family. ...

Nick Lachey was spotted sharing ice cream in the park with a blonde babe Wednesday afternoon -- and it wasn't his wife. Lachey and Olympic Gold Medalist Oksana Baiul were scooping ice cream for a Big Brothers Big Sisters benefit in New York's Bryant Park. Lachey is the "Official Centennial Spokesperson" for the organization. ... Courtney Love issued a statement late Tuesday in which she pledged to reschedule her tour, starting with a headlining gig at the Fuji Festival in Japan on August 1. She also called her latest legal trouble -- a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon -- "frivolous, malicious ... merit-less assaults" on her person. ...

It's not exactly surprising that bleeding-heart rocker Rivers Cuomo is the latest artist to jump on the blog bandwagon. On the Weezer frontman's Myspace.com page, he's posted three new cover songs with something in common: "Invincible" by pop newcomer Ann Poonkasem, "Annie's Song" by John Denver and "Tomorrow" from the play "Annie." ... Hundreds of musicians hoping to hit it big auditioned last Friday in Los Angeles at the first day of Ozzfest's unsigned-band contest, and now their East Coast counterparts can step up to the challenge Friday at the New York auditions to be held at the Roxy (515 W. 18th Street). The winning band will be rewarded with a spot on the main stage at this year's Ozzfest, a space on the second stage at Ozzfest 2005, free music equipment and cash prizes. ...

Drowning Pool, Dropbox and Flaw will tour together from June 30 in Springfield, Missouri, through July 24 in Madison, Wisconsin. Drowning Pool will also appear on June 19 at the 98.9 Rockfest in Kansas City, Missouri, and June 28 at Summerfest in Milwaukee. ... Conceptual metalheads Coheed and Cambria's latest LP, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 will be reissued by major label Columbia on June 29. The band, whose songs concern the lives of fictional couple Coheed and Cambria in an alternate universe, will help kick off the Vans Warped Tour on June 25. ...

Eminem's ex-wife, Kimberly Mathers, was arrested in an Ann Arbor, Michigan, hotel Tuesday night, on a two-month-old arrest warrant. In April, a Macomb County Judge issued a felony probation violation warrant for Mathers after she failed to return to a court-ordered drug treatment program. In January, Mathers was initially ordered to serve 30 days in county jail and an additional 90 days in treatment for drug violations. ... Flavor Flav is going from the rap life to "The Surreal Life." The clock-toting Public Enemy member will join the cast of the third season of the reality show, which will also feature Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block, Dave Coulier of "Full House," Ryan Starr of "American Idol," Charo, seen often on '70s show "The Love Boat," and action star Brigitte Nielsen. The cast moved into its Hollywood mansion on Tuesday. The third season premiers on VH1 September 5. ...

Phantom Planet singer Alex Greenwald says that chicks love vegetarians, and to prove his point, he's posing with a baby chick for a new PETA campaign. "There's a lot of horrendous things that go on, not to everyone's knowledge" in the chicken-farming industry, Greenwald said while posing for the campaign poster last week. "People should be aware of it, and not just how cute little chicks can be." ... The Lostprophets shot a video for their next single, "Last Summer," on Tuesday in Los Angeles with the Malloys, who have recently worked with 311 and Metallica. The group is currently riding the wave of its current single "Wake Up (Make a Move"), so no radio add date has been announced for "Last Summer." ...

Pearl Jam will release a mostly acoustic live double disc on July 27. The 24-song Live at Benaroya Hall October 22, 2003 will feature more than two hours of material. Highlights include the first live performance of "Man of the Hour" and covers of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War," the Ramones' "I Believe in Miracles" and Johnny Cash's "25 Minutes to Go." ... The University of St. Andrews in Scotland will award Bob Dylan with an honorary degree at this year's summer graduation ceremony on June 23. This is the second honorary degree that the rock icon has accepted -- the other was from Princeton University in 1970. Currently on a European tour, Dylan will play one of two Glasgow dates that evening. ...

Whether you like him or not, Uncle Kracker's new album will sound the best. That's because Seventy Two and Sunny, due June 29, will be the first album to feature 5.1 surround sound on a standard CD. ... Pioneering Los Angeles punk band X are releasing what's being touted as their first-ever best-of collection, out July 27. Compiled by John Doe, X: The Best - Make the Music Go Bang will be a two-disc, 46-track set, spanning their entire recording career. Songs from X's alt-country offshoot, the Knitters, will also be included ...

06.15.04

Ray Charles fans wishing to pay their final respects to the legendary musician will be able to do so on Thursday. A public memorial and viewing for Charles is scheduled to take place in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Clint Eastwood and Stevie Wonder will be among Charles' friends who will come out to honor him at the two-hour ceremony. On Friday, there will be an invitation-only funeral at the First AME Church on Harvard Boulevard in Los Angeles, after which the funeral procession will pass by Charles' studios, recently designated a city historical landmark. The cortege will then drive to the cemetery where Charles, who passed away last Thursday of complications resulting from liver disease, will be buried. ...

When he's not rolling across the globe with 50 Cent, DJ Whoo Kid is planning on putting together a special mixtape. According to his spokesperson, the Queens street rep is working with Rap the Vote to put out a street CD promoting voting. So far, according to Whoo Kid's people, 50, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Talib Kweli and Dead Prez are donating records, while the NBA's Rookie of the Year, LeBron James, will be hosting the mixtape. There is no street date for the project yet. ... "American Idol" runner-up Diana DeGarmo will release her version of "I Believe," the song Tamyra Gray co-wrote for the "American Idol" finale that will be Fantasia's first single, as the B-side to her debut single, a double A-side featuring two Desmond Child-produced songs, "Dreams" and "Don't Cry Out Loud." DeGarmo's single drops June 29, a week after Fantasia's single, which will include a studio version of her much-lauded "Summertime" cover as the B-side. ...

C-Murder's second murder trial will start September 13. The rapper was convicted last September for the shooting death of a 16-year-old in 2002, but a new trial was ordered earlier this year after a judge determined the prosecution withheld evidence from the defense. ... Alanis Morissette and "Van Wilder" star Ryan Reynolds are engaged. "It was very simple, pure and sweet -- and shocking," Morissette told Us Weekly of the proposal, which came with a 2.5 carat platinum ring. ...

TLC's T-Boz has filed for divorce from her husband, rapper Mack 10. According to The Associated Press, court documents filed by T-Boz allege that Mack 10 committed adultery and threatened to kill her. The singer reportedly seeks full custody of their 3-year-old daughter, Chase Anela. T-Boz filed the divorce papers, as well as a temporary restraining order against her husband, on June 8. Mack 10 denied the allegations and has been ordered to appear in court on June 22. A spokesperson for T-Boz declined to comment. ... Sparta have stepped in to replace the Vines as the opening act on Incubus' North American tour, which runs from June 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to August 18 in Los Angeles. The opening slot for Incubus, however, prevents Sparta from performing on the Lollapalooza tour, for which they had been scheduled. While on the road, Sparta will release their second LP, Porcelain (July 13). The Vines withdrew from the Incubus tour last week, citing exhaustion. ...

The Polyphonic Spree, Gomez and the Thrills will tour together on off nights during Lollapalooza. The outing, which begins July 16 in Vancouver, will feature the Spree trading in their white robes for a Technicolor look. ... James Brown has decided not to contest domestic-violence charges made by his wife in an effort to avoid a trial and keep his family life private. The Godfather of Soul was arrested in Columbia, South Carolina, in January after his wife, Tommie Rae Brown, called police, saying she feared for her life. When cops arrived, they found scratches and bruises on her right arm and lacerations on her hip. Tommie Rae said her husband had thrown her to the floor, then threatened her with a wrought-iron chair. Brown and his wife are currently in Ireland. ...

Damon Dash and his Team Roc athletic-clothing line are sponsoring the Kingdome Basketball Classic, a 10-week summer basketball league to be held in New York's Harlem neighborhood. Kingdome kicks off June 19 with a special concert featuring Roc-A-Fella artists. Dash has renovated the courts and provided all the teams with new uniforms. ... PlayStation 2 has hopped on board Russell Simmons' voter-registration drive through his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. The video-game company will ferry each summit's guest panelists in a PlayStation 2 private jet, supply video games to those guests and provide giveaways for fans who come to each event. Upcoming summits are set for New Orleans (June 17), Boston (July 26) and St. Louis (August 21). ...

An 18-year-old Californian has won David Bowie's Mash Up Remix Contest. David Choi was selected from thousands of entries by a panel of judges that included Bowie himself for his remix "Big Shaken Car," a creative hybrid of "She'll Drive the Big Car," from Bowie's 2003 album, Reality, and "Shake It," from 1983's Let's Dance. Choi, who finished high school last week, is celebrating his graduation with his grand prize, a 2004 Audi TT Coupe. ... Icelandic pop icon Björk has announced a late August release date for her next album, Medulla. Following a greatest-hits compilation in 2002 and Vespertine, released the year before, the LP features the electronic experimental duo Matmos, who opened for and backed Björk on her Vespertine tour. ...

On their current European tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have indulged in retro musical flashbacks with covers of popular '70s songs. Looking Glass' "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Cat Stevens' "Hard Headed Woman" and Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (which first appeared in the band's set during the last tour) have so far been given the Chili treatment. .... Swedish rock import Sahara Hotnights will release their third album (the first on a major U.S. label), Kiss & Tell, on July 27. The first single, "Hot Night Crash," will hit radio at the end of June and the accompanying Cinco de Mayo-themed video will be out soon. Sahara Hotnights will play a few Scandinavian festivals before opening for country mates the Hives on the band's U.S. tour, which kicks off July 20 in Washington, D.C. ...

Eric Clapton is selling some of his favorite guitars, the ones he calls the "cream of my collection," via auction house Christie's New York on June 24. One of the highlights of the lot is "Blackie," a composite Fender Stratocaster that Slowhand played throughout the '70s until the mid-'80s, and which is expected to bring in between $100,000 and $150,000. Some of the guitarist's friends, including the Who's Pete Townshend, have contributed instruments to the auction as well. All proceeds from the sale will go to Clapton's Crossroads Centre in Antigua, founded in 1997 "for the treatment of alcohol, drugs and other addictive disorders." Interested buyers should check out >www.christies.com for details. ...