Justin Timberlake already has one movie in the can -- the film "Edison," which still hasn't found a distributor -- and he's already on to a new role, in a picture that might make it into theaters first. Timberlake is just about to sign on for a role in the movie "Alpha Dog," according to The Hollywood Reporter. It's a supporting part, the best friend of a real-life character called Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to wind up on the FBI's most-wanted list. Also attached to the project are Emile Hirsch and Sharon Stone. The film will start shooting on October 25. ...

Britney Spears' wedding invitations are going for big bucks on eBay. The original invites for the October 16 wedding date, of which there are 100 total, feature hand-beaded lace and crystals and are worth approximately $300 each, but some are going for as high as $4,000 on the auction site. ... Coldplay's Chris Martin has been given a warning by police in England for attacking a photographer who was trying to take a picture of him and Gwyneth Paltrow. The incident, which left the freelance photographer with minor cuts and scratches, occurred in April as the couple were leaving a London restaurant. ...

Good Charlotte are planning to take over a block in New York for the release of their new album, The Chronicles of Life and Death. On the day of release, on Tuesday, the band will perform outside the Tower Records in New York's Greenwich Village, and will also sign CDs. ... Guns N' Roses may have found a replacement for departed guitarist Buckethead, who left Axl Rose's band in March. According to a post on the official site of the New York band Bumblefoot (www.bumblefoot.com), their guitarist Ron Thal says he was invited to join GN'R's tumultuous ranks, though he's yet to make a decision. ...

Courtney Love has more legal troubles — she's being sued by a travel agency that claims she owes them nearly $50,000 for airline tickets. The lawsuit claims Love asked the company to book tickets for herself, her family, agents and staff last year, but later withdrew authorization to her credit card and sent checks — one from a closed bank account and one that bounced. New Act Travel is seeking money for the tickets as well as service and bank charges, damages and court fees. ... G-Unit, DJ Clue, Dead Prez, the Sugarhill Gang, DJ Whoo Kid and others are set to perform on Comedy Channel's "The Block Party." The hip-hop and comedy concert, which will promote the importance of the youth vote along with Rap the Vote and Rock the Vote, will take place October 15 at New York's Beacon Theater at 8 p.m. ET. ...

John Kerry will be featured on a prime-time special on BET next week. The Democratic presidential candidate's interview will air on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. ... Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder and other artists on the Vote for Change Tour -- which kicks off Friday (October 1) in Pennsylvania -- have released a series of video statements explaining why they have joined the tour and why they feel the need to speak out against the current administration. "They went out of their way, I believe, to lie to the American people about Iraq and made us feel unsafe and that we had to do this when we really didn't," Vedder said. "There was no imminent danger. Saddam Hussein didn't have anything to do with 9-11." Springsteen said, "If you mislead the country ... you lose your job. It's not rocket science." Sundance is airing a documentary film about the tour and a live performance from the Washington, D.C., show called "National Anthem: Inside the 'Vote for Change' Concert Tour," on October 11, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. ...

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that the FBI must turn over its remaining secret files on John Lennon to a college professor who has waged a 20-year battle to obtain them. Jonathan Wiener, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, first sued the U.S. government back in 1983 to procure the late Beatles singer/guitarist's files under the Freedom of Information Act. In 1997 he received 248 pages as part of a settlement. Wiener originally requested the files for his 1984 book "Come Together: John Lennon in His Time." ... After curating the All Tomorrow's Parties Festival in Los Angeles on November 6, Modest Mouse's work is far from over. Three days later, they'll play New York's Radio City Music Hall before heading to London. Upon their return Stateside, a gig in Chicago on December 4 stands between the band and a four-night residency in Portland, Oregon. ...

Aerosmith, the Pixies, Aimee Mann and Fountains of Wayne were some of the winners at the 17th annual Boston Music Awards on Wednesday. The ceremony, which took place at the Avalon Ballroom in Beantown, honored the region's top musicians. ... The nominations for next year's Grammy Awards will be announced on December 7 at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Hollywood at 8:30 a.m. PT. Four new categories have been added -- Best Surround Sound Album (in the field of production), Best Electronic/Dance Album, Best Gospel Performance, and Best Hawaiian Music Album -- bringing the total number of categories to 107. The 47th annual Grammy Awards will be held February 13 and will air on CBS. ...

Billy Corgan has finished his solo record, and plans to spend the next three weeks mixing it, according to a post on his Web site. "I am very excited about the album, as I feel I have created something relatively fresh and vibrant and exciting to my ears," the former Smashing Pumpkins/ Zwan frontman wrote. "I know that I like it, and that makes me smile." He anticipates the album will be released in the spring. Meanwhile, he's also just released his first book of poetry, "Blinking With Fists," and plans to promote the book with a few appearances in San Francisco and Seattle next month. ... Jack Johnson is working on his third album, which will be released in March. Meanwhile, the singer/songwriter/surfer will perform with Donavon Frankenreiter and Tommy Guerrero on October 9 in Laguna Beach, California, at the Moonshine Festival of Film, Music, Art and Photography, where video directors the Malloys are screening their latest surf movie, "A Brokedown Melody." James Mercer of the Shins and Matt Sweeney (formerly of Zwan) are performing October 10. ...

Sasha has added six North American dates to his Involver world tour, beginning October 8 in Houston and hitting Toronto, New York, Minneapolis and Denver before ending October 23 in Los Angeles. The DJ is promoting the November 16 release of a special edition of Involver featuring a retrospective collection of remixes that includes tunes from the Chemical Brothers, U.N.K.L.E. and Gus Gus. ... Although she hails from north of the border, Alanis Morissette has some "American Dreams" in her future. The Canadian songstress is the next artist to appear on the NBC show; she'll perform an original song in an episode scheduled to air later this year. ...

9.30.2004

Britney Spears plans to post a letter to her fans on Friday, but you'll have to pay to read it. She made the announcement in the British entertainment magazine Ok! and said that she would be setting the record straight on a number of items, such as whether or not she's pregnant. She's calling it "The Letter of Truth: I Hope You Can Handle It" and says that this "life-changing" letter took her a week to write. "I owe it to my fans, they need to read it," she said. "It will explain any questions they have ever had, it will explain everything." Accessing the letter will cost $24.98. ...

Ashlee Simpson is getting more involved with Rock the Vote. Besides bowling at a Rock the Vote event at Lucky Strike Lanes in Los Angeles on Tuesday, she's offering a chance to win a concert by her and Ryan Cabrera for students who log on to a participating radio station Web site and take part in an online presidential election poll. The winning student's school will be treated to the "Rock, Vote & Win" concert during this school year. The deadline to register is Sunday. "It's very, very important for teenagers to vote," she said. "I think a lot of times, we don't realize being 18, 19, that our votes really do count. They make a difference." ... Ashlee's big sister, Jessica Simpson, has recorded a new duet with hubby Nick Lachey, "A Whole New World," for the platinum-edition DVD of Disney's "Aladdin," out October 5. The original version of the song was recorded by Regina Belle and Peabo Bryson in 1992. ... Meanwhile, Jessica is introducing her new fragrance line, Taste, at Sephora in New York's Rockefeller Center on Monday afternoon. Fans who buy any of her Dessert Beauty or Taste products will get them signed by the singer. ...

The Notorious B.I.G. wrongful-death trial -- in which his family is suing the LAPD, holding it accountable for his murder -- was slated to start this Tuesday, but it's been postponed. The trial will now commence in April, since a key witness was unavailable. Perry Sanders, the lawyer representing Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, and others who filed the suit, said, "We are very disappointed but will be ready in April." ... Courtney Love got a breather in court on Thursday (September 30). Though her felony drug trial was slated to start in Beverly Hills, California, the singer was granted a continuance until November 3. She hasn't been quite as lucky with California state tax officials, who are claiming she's stiffed them on payments dating back to 2002, and have filed a lien against her with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office, seeking about $38,000. Love has previously been hit with two separate liens for nonpayment of monthly fees on her New York condo. Meanwhile, she's added one more show to her brief California tour, October 30 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. ...

Ludacris, who's featured on the new Electronic Arts video game "Def Jam Fight for NY," is appearing at a four-day consumer electronics and digital technology show in New York in October. DigitalLife will be held October 14-17 at the Jacob Javits Center, and Luda, along with Shawnna, N.O.R.E., Cam'ron and Joe Budden, will be on hand to greet fans on October 16. Ludacris and Shawnna are also slated to perform. ... Adam Duritz is defending himself against the flak he's received from some fans about his collaborations with Mandy Moore for her upcoming record. The Counting Crows singer posted on his blog that it was premature for people to judge him -- or her. "You haven't heard it," he wrote. "This is a girl who made a few records she had little to do with when she was a kid ... the only record she made that she had any control over was the Coverage album and that's actually pretty good. She's growing up ... she wants to write songs and really make some music she can believe in. But all of this is up in the air until she produces her next record. Then you can have an opinion. Until then, let me respectfully request that you shut your f---ing pie holes." ...

Like Britney, A.J. McLean has also suffered knee problems requiring surgery, but the Backstreet Boy is recuperating nicely, according to his mother. Denise McLean posted on her Web site that "although the damage to his knee was more extensive than the doctor had anticipated, all did go fine." She's also posted pictures of A.J. in a leg brace and wheelchair, and noted that he managed to make a benefit show at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida, for hurricane relief, even though he could only hobble to the beat. ... Cash Money Records is getting into the pop-music game. The New Orleans-based imprint has launched Roun'Table Entertainment, a full-service record label that will focus on R&B and pop as well as hip-hop. The label has already signed 18-year-old singer KC. ... In other Cash Money news, Mannie Fresh will make his solo debut with The Mind of Mannie Fresh on December 7. Also on the way is Baby's second solo set, Fast Money, due in February. ...

The Digable Planets have reunited and are working on a new album. The hip-hop trio of Butterfly, Doodlebug and Ladybug first hit the music scene in 1993 with their debut single, "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," from their Grammy Award-winning album Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space). "It feels good to have the opportunity to come back and put the finishing touches on the legacy that we started," Doodlebug said. "We could have been a footnote in hip-hop history, but now we have the opportunity to take it further." The group also has plans for a reunion tour. No dates have been released for either the tour or the album. ... Having recently wrapped a tour in support of their second album, Take Them On, On Your Own, the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are not wasting any time and have begun working on their next album, though they've yet to secure a new label deal. ...

A Los Angeles jury has refused to close the door on the Doors, despite drummer John Densmore's lawsuit to prevent the surviving members -- keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger -- from calling themselves the Doors of the 21st Century. That doesn't mean that the name will stick: A judge will still have the final say on October 27. ... "The Professor" has taught his last class. Having schooled generations of listeners on the finer points of classic rock, Scott Muni, a New York radio institution, died Wednesday. He was 74. ...