Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. line is expanding to include sneakers, which she plans to have in stores by fall. The singer's just inked a licensing deal with K-Swiss' Royal Elastics, which will land the shoes in high-end boutiques and department stores. "It's very much about my style and how I like to put things together," Stefani said in a statement, "and I'm really excited to be adding a collection of L.A.M.B. sneakers to my closet." The collection will feature classic silhouettes incorporating song lyrics and will cost from $99-$180 a pair. ... Speaking of sneaks, Stefani's partner in crime for her current single, "Hollaback Girl," is getting some action for his shoe line as well. Pharrell Williams (who produced Gwen's single) has started a street skate team led by pro Terry Kennedy and including the producer's younger brother, Kato. Dubbed the "Ice Cream" skate team (after Pharrell's sneaker line), they'll tour for seven months in Northern California before releasing a DVD this fall. ...

This fall, KnuckleBonz, Inc. will be releasing a collectible figurine of the late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott as part of its Guitar Hero series, which already includes Slash, Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. To be fashioned out of polyresin, the statue will display the Pantera/ Damageplan guitarist with his "Dean from Hell" axe. A limited edition of 3,333 of the hand-painted figures will be produced. Those who simply must have one can visit www.guitarhero.net and pre-order it for $99. ... Busta Rhymes is getting a lot of action thanks to the Pussycat Dolls, who recruited the rapper for their first single, "Don't Cha" (out April 19), as well as their video, which will be shot next week in Los Angeles with director Paul Hunter. The Dolls are planning a stint of radio shows this spring, including KIIS-FM's annual Wango Tango in Los Angeles, while their debut album is expected this summer. ...

Ryan Seacrest is bringing his "American Top 40" radio countdown show to the small screen. Ryan Cabrera, Gavin DeGraw and Maroon 5 are among the performers on the April 24 FOX special, while Avril Lavigne, Ciara and the Black Eyed Peas will also appear. The show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. ... Dude, next time your aunt wants to take you on a Bookmobile tour of the Library of Congress, you should totally go! Kurt Cobain's there! Flavor Flav too! The library just announced the newest additions to its U.S. National Recording Registry, which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings that document life in the American 20th century. And this year, those recordings include Nirvana's Nevermind, Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Other recordings making the cut this year include John Williams' 1977 soundtrack to "Star Wars," Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon and a 1923 recording of President Woodrow Wilson addressing Congress. ...

Russell Simmons wants you to get down with down dog. The hip-hop mogul is releasing a new series of yoga videos called "Yoga Live." Though he has been practicing yoga for more than 10 years, don't expect to see Simmons in full lotus on the workout tapes; the four videos covering the basics are taught by three different professional yogis. ... Sony BMG has come up with a novel way to convince kids to pay for music downloads: give them away for free. The world's biggest music company is currently footing the bill for dorm residents to download songs for free on a number of campuses, according to an Associated Press report. Several rival companies are also offering free or discounted downloads, and schools expect that students will eventually pay $5-$8 a month in dorm fees for the services, which some universities plan to use to help lure prospective students to their campuses. ...

Guitar-pop act the Shins will embark on a 25-date tour Wednesday night (April 6) at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. They'll be taking New Zealand's the Brunettes with them for the 19-city road trek that stops in Chicago, New York, Nashville, Seattle and Denver before eventually returning to Portland for two encore performances at the Crystal Ballroom May 15-16. ...

04.05.2005

Hilary Duff has yet to record the single for the soundtrack to her upcoming movie "The Perfect Man," but that's not stopping her from being "really excited" about it. "I've chosen a couple of writers and producers and I'm going to record four songs and pick my favorite from that," Duff said. "It's going to be a totally different sound, like nothing that anybody's ever heard from me before." After recording, Duff will launch a summer tour. ...

C-Murder has changed his stage name to C Miller, a shortened version of his real name, Corey Miller, The Associated Press reports. The rapper, who's serving time for a murder conviction, said he changed his name because he felt he was being misunderstood. "People hear the name C-Murder and they don't realize that the name simply means that I have seen many murders in my native Calliope projects neighborhood," he said in a statement. ...

The Black Eyed Peas have just been added to this year's Essence Music Festival bill, which had already included Destiny's Child, Kanye West and Alicia Keys. The festival, which takes place over July 4 weekend in New Orleans, also features Aretha Franklin, John Legend and Ruben Studdard on July 1; Teena Marie and Fantasia on July 2; and Maze, Mo'Nique and Lionel Richie on July 3, all on five stages within the Louisiana Superdome. ... Kabbalah adherents will be tying on more than a trendy red string with the launch of Kabbalah Energy Drink. Devotees like Madonna, Britney Spears, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Paris Hilton will be able to toss some of the blessed beverages down their gullets now that the $2 drink is hitting stores. Manufactured in conjunction with 7 Up and distributed by Kabbalah Enterprises, the citrus-flavored beverage is said to derive much of its metaphysical energy from the Kabbalah dynamic "living" water. Guzzling the concoction is supposed to lift you physically as well as spiritually, since the 16-ounce cans also contain taurine, B vitamins and a jolt of caffeine. ...

You're not going to hear the new Paris Hilton single in her upcoming movie "House of Wax," but don't worry, there will be plenty of mood music from more, um, established artists that are a bit more suited to the horror genre. My Chemical Romance, the Deftones, Disturbed, Har Mar Superstar, Joy Division, the Stooges, Marilyn Manson and the Prodigy all make appearances on the soundtrack, due in stores May 3 (the movie hits theatres on May 6). ... Will Smith isn't the only one in his house making music his focus. Wife and fellow thespian Jada Pinkett-Smith is taking a little break from acting to finish her debut album. "We've gotten a little harder," she said of her band, Wicked Wisdom. "We call it progressive/aggressive rock. We're just getting the sound together, but we'll be making some ears bleed in a minute." ...

If you're hungry, but low on cash -- and your name happens to be Angus -- well, you're in luck. You can head on over to the Hard Rock Cafe and grab a free Legendary Burger, and you've got AC/DC guitarist Angus Young to thank. According to The Sacramento Bee, the rock-themed restaurant chain is honoring the 50th birthday of everybody's favorite school-uniform-wearing-axeman by giving away a free burger (made from, of course, Angus beef) to any person who can prove their first, middle or last name is Angus. All you need is a valid government ID. ... Twenty rare tracks featuring the late Joe Strummer -- which were recorded prior to his punk rock heyday with the Clash -- will be released in early June through Astralwerks. Although there was a limited release of the album -- called Elgin Avenue Breakdown (Revisited) -- back in 1981, many of the tracks on the disc have never been heard before. All of the songs were recorded by the 101ers, Strummer's band up until 1976, the year he joined the Clash. The effort features all of the band's studio work including the sole 101ers single -- the first song Strummer ever wrote -- "Keys to Your Heart." Nine of the tracks have never been released, seven of those being live tracks recorded in pubs throughout London between 1975 and 1976. ...

The soundtrack to Jennifer Lopez's upcoming film "Monster-In-Law" boasts a surplus of emerging female artists. Due May 10, the album features Nellie McKay, Joss Stone, Tegan and Sara, Jem, Rachel Yamagata, Esthero and Ivy. The film, co-starring Jane Fonda and Michael Vartan, is due in theaters on May 13. ... Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden have signed a new artist to their DC Flag label. "MC Chris, he's a rapper and he's hilarious," Joel said. "He's a really skilled MC. His record's out and he's just a great rapper." ...