Destiny's Child are getting animated for their new music video. In the clip for their cover of "Rudolph the Red-Rednosed Reindeer," the girl group is transported to the North Pole via stop-motion animation, starting with their session at North Pole Studios where they lay down the vocals for the song. The camera tracks the ladies as they snowboard, meet "the most famous reindeer of all" and get down with Rudolph for a dance. Destiny's Child recorded the track for the 40th annual broadcast of the holiday special of the same name and collector's-edition DVD. ...

Lindsay Lohan's parents are about to get a divorce. Her mother, Dina Lohan, told People magazine that she's filing for divorce from her husband, Michael, who was sentenced on Tuesday to seek treatment at in inpatient alcohol- and substance-abuse facility. "Michael has problems that he needs to deal with," she said. "He needs to take care of himself." Meanwhile, the singer/actress' father told the magazine, "I just want to be a father. I just want to be Daddy. I want this over with, I want it done with." ... Lil' Kim has joined Trick Daddy for a remix of his "Sugar (Gimme Some)," which originally featured Ludacris and Cee-Lo. The Queen Bee and Trick have shot the video and it should be airing soon. ...

Many up-and-coming R&B singers want to be Stevie Wonder, but John Legend will actually become him ... at least for an episode of NBC's "American Dreams." Legend has also harnessed his inner Stevie for his cover of Wonder's classic "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing." The song was recorded for the new Will Smith film "Hitch," due in February. ... Pint-sized pop singer Kylie Minogue's greatest hits will soon be available in one convenient package. The two-disc set Ultimate Kylie will feature 32 of Minogue's hit singles from 1987 to the present, including "The Loco-Motion," "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "Slow," as well as a new track she co-wrote with the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and Babydaddy. ...

"My Life With the Fearless Freaks" isn't the name of a documentary about living with a daredevil circus troupe, but rather the title of the Flaming Lips' forthcoming biographic DVD. Due March 23, the film was directed by Bradley Beesley, who also helmed the band's latest video, for "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" off the "SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" soundtrack. "My Life" features cameos by Jack White, Beck and members of Mercury Rev. ... Seven months after releasing their last album, DC DJ duo Thievery Corporation will drop The Cosmic Game on February 22. The follow-up to The Outernational Sound features contributions from Perry Farrell, former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and members of the Flaming Lips. ...

Influential post-rockers Slint are reforming to play the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England, in February. But you don't need a passport to catch them live, because they've just announced four U.S. gigs for March. They'll play San Francisco's Great American Music Hall on March 11 and the Showbox in Seattle on the 12th. Then on March 25 and 26, they'll play two shows in Chicago. Tickets for all four shows go on sale this weekend. ... There's nothing quite like airing your dirty laundry on the Internet. The ex-wife of Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars put her ex-husband's red long underwear up for auction on eBay. In the posting, Emi Canyn, formerly half of the Crüe backing vocalist duo Nasty Habit, called the item, which is monogrammed with Mick's first name, a "unique one-of-a-kind article of clothing that was a gag gift one Christmas to Mick Mars from an unnamed bandmate." The winning bidder paid $42 for the skivvies and an autographed "glamour pic" of Canyn. ...

The 13th annual Noise Pop festival hits San Francisco from February 22 to 27. The Polyphonic Spree, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Nada Surf and Nicolai Dunger are among the artists scheduled to perform at the indie-pop fest. ... Phantom Planet will open for Sting on his college tour this spring. The Broken Music Tour, which begins at San Jose State on April 1, includes stops at the University of Oregon, University of Montana and University of Missouri, and will also hit a few conventional venues in between. Phantom Planet are currently in the studio working on their next album. ...

12.8.2004

Britney Spears is giving her little sister a push into the pop spotlight -- she wrote the theme song for Jamie Lynn's show debuting soon on Nickelodeon, a live-action comedy called "Zoey 101," in which she plays a 13-year-old attending a newly co-ed beachside boarding school. Jamie Lynn sings the song on the show, which will air on Sundays starting in early 2005. ...

Outside of a trek featuring Fat Joe, Bubba Sparxxx and that guy from Bowling for Soup, tours don't get much heavier than the one that begins March 4 that features Slipknot, Lamb of God and Shadows Fall. The tour runs through May 2. ... Mary J. Blige's cover of the Emotions classic "Best of My Love" -- currently heard in the Gap holiday ads starring Sarah Jessica Parker -- has been officially released as a single. "I've listened to the Emotions ever since I was a little kid," Blige said in a statement. "I have always wanted to perform 'Best of My Love' ... It was such a warm experience." The song was made available as a commercial download with all digital services on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Blige is currently in the studio working on her next album, due out late 2005. ...

Another day, another questionable piece of rock-star memorabilia up for auction. This time, it's a signed cast worn by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker while he was recovering from foot surgery. The cast -- personalized with stickers, graffiti and doodles -- is up for auction on eBay.com, and the current high bid is $405. Proceeds from sale of the cast will benefit "a charity that Travis has chosen," according to his clothing company, Famous Stars and Straps. ... While the world waits for a Fugees reunion, Pras isn't exactly at home waiting for Lauryn Hill and Wyclef's calls. Instead, he can be seen starring alongside Daryl Hannah in a short film commissioned by Amazon.com. "Careful What You Ask For," which can be seen on the Web site's home page, is about a pawnshop dealer who gets a deal he wasn't expecting. ...

The Backstreet Boys are hoping that their new album will come out in March, according to their official Web site. "We are looking at a March release date and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't change," the band wrote in an entry on Monday. "It really is amazing how many details go into making an album. Even the smallest thing can push a release date back." The boy band also noted that it's looking at a late January release for the first single. ... Dick Clark, host of "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," is recovering from a minor stroke he suffered earlier this week. Clark, 75, was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital where he is currently recovering, according to The Associated Press. "The doctors tell me I should be back in the swing of things before too long," Clark said in a statement on Wednesday, "so I'm hopeful to be able to make it to Times Square to help lead the country in ringing in the New Year once again." ...

Smoky-voiced chanteuse (and onetime Metallica collaborator) Marianne Faithfull has been forced to cancel the remainder of her European tour after she suffered a seizure just before hitting the stage in Milan on Wednesday. She was taken to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with chronic exhaustion. A statement released by her U.S. record label, Epitaph, blames the exhaustion on Faithfull's work in the U.K./U.S. production of the play "The Black Rider." In the statement, Faithfull herself calms fans, saying, "I'm sorry to have let my fans down, but I will be back." ... Unwritten Law have canceled their current headlining tour, effective immediately, due to a family emergency. Bassist Pat Kim's father was admitted to Kaiser Hospital in Los Angeles earlier this week due to an undisclosed but serious ailment. "We're extremely saddened to have to cancel the tour and let down our fans," frontman Scott Russo said in a statement. "Due to the unforeseeable circumstances and our concern for Pat and his family, we made the right decision to turn the bus around." The band had been on the road to support its forthcoming album, Here's to the Mourning, due out in early February, and plans to reschedule the dates early next year. ...

Twenty-one years after "This Is Spinal Tap" put the mockumentary genre on the map, the format is being turned into a series. Alanis Morissette will star in and is among the executive producers of the Comedy Central vehicle "We're With the Band," which sheds light on the life of a pop star on tour. ... Ray Charles may be gone, but he has been far from forgotten. To celebrate his legacy, this Friday has been designated "A Day for Ray." The day will include a host of Charles-related activities, including nonstop screenings of the film "Ray" in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Palm Springs, California; "Ray" soundtrack giveaways at the screenings; "Ray" music being played on radio stations all day, and more. The announcement comes a day after Charles' album Genius Loves Company earned seven Grammy nominations. ...

Kevin Seconds and his legendary hardcore band 7 Seconds return with their first new album in five years, Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over, due out January 25. Song titles include "Your Parents' Hardcore," "Where Is the Danger," "Big Hardcore Mystery" and "Our Core." Seconds said in a statement that the theme of the album is "the battle to feel valid and relevant as veteran punk-rock 'wise men' in a scene that is overwhelmingly dominated by younger, cuter, more fashionable boys." ... More than two years since the departure of Stuart Cable, Stereophonics have a new drummer. Javier Weyler will take Cable's place behind the kit as the band prepares to follow up 2003's You Gotta Go There to Come Back. ...