Britney Spears and her man, Kevin Federline, have dubbed their upcoming UPN reality series "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic." The six-episode series, which kicks off May 17 at 9 p.m. ET with a one-hour special, will track the pop star's courtship with the ballcap-wearing seed-spreader through their engagement and ending with their surprise September nuptials. If you just can't wait for your Spears fix, hop over to www.upn.com for a sneak peek of the show. ...

Dame Dash had a pretty busy birthday night on Tuesday. He had his b-day bash at his New York club, NA; Jay-Z and Cam'ron -- who pulled up in his blue Lamborghini -- were among those in attendance. The mouthy mogul also made an appearance at Glo, where Lyor Cohen and Kevin Lyles officially welcomed P. Diddy and Bad Boy Entertainment to the Warner Music Group. Usher, Naomi Campbell, Swizz Beatz, Mashonda, Irv and Chris Gotti, and Zac Posen came out for that event as well. ... Russell Simmons, no stranger to cash, wants to teach you how to manage yours. The entertainment mogul is teaming up with financial guru Suze Orman for a six-city tour that will focus on teaching young people the basics of money management. Fantasia and Eminem have signed on to take part for one of the dates: Detroit on May 14. The other dates are Washington, D.C., on June 7, Miami on July 15, St. Louis on August 20, Los Angeles on September 17 and Chicago on November 5. ...

After 45 days in court and 85 witnesses, prosecutors in the Michael Jackson trial rested their case (subject to items being admitted to evidence) on Wednesday (May 4) after spending the final day bolstering the conspiracy charges that accompany the child-molestation accusations against the singer. District attorney Tom Sneddon called witness Rudy Provencio, a former worker for Jackson associate Marc Schaffel, who testified that Schaffel once told him that the accuser's family "had escaped." Provencio, whose timeline was questioned by defense attorney Thomas Mesereau, also testified he heard Jackson's associates refer to "killers" being after the accuser's family and that he witnessed Schaffel coaching Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe in a rebuttal video, even telling her how to cry. Rowe said last week she was not coached, a major blow to the prosecution's theory that Jackson conspired to cover up his alleged crime. ...

A lawyer for Lil' Kim, who was served on April 28 with a $100,000 lawsuit by songwriters Anthony Jeffries and Vincent Hart, issued a statement in response on Wednesday. "The lawsuit is malicious and frivolous," L. Londell McMillan said in the statement. "Both of these individuals signed written agreements and were paid in full by Atlantic Records. They are now looking to undo the agreement and extract additional sums from Lil' Kim. We will vindicate her legal rights in this matter. In addition, Lil' Kim and her representatives have never made any threats to anyone. These allegations are absurd." ... On May 15, Master P will release his own line of custom wheels, called the P. Miller Signature Series by Asanti Luxury Wheels. In addition to chrome and silver, the No Limit general's line will also feature alligator skins and diamond-encrusted designs. P's 11th solo album, The Ghetto Bill Gates, is slated to drop June 21. "I Need Dubs" will be the first single. ...

Organizers have added a bunch more bands to the Lollapalooza lineup. Among the most recent acts announced for the show taking place on July 23-24 in Chicago's Grant Park: Ben Kweller, Drive-By Truckers, ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Mark Farina, the (International) Noise Conspiracy and the Ponys. ... 30 Seconds to Mars, actor Jared Leto's rock band, will release their Josh Abraham-produced second album, A Beautiful Lie, on August 16. In the meantime, the band is hitting the road from May 18 in Atlanta to June 20 in Denver to showcase the new tunes. ...

Mos Def was recently in Miami recording tracks for his untitled third solo album, due later this year, with producer Minnesota. He was also working on some tracks with the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams. Meanwhile, when time allows, his publicist said, Mos and Talib Kweli hope to record a second Black Star album. ... Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls is working to save the music via his own Music Is Art program, which includes a film about the importance of self-worth and confidence and live band performances. "Music and the arts are being eliminated from many public school systems," Takac said in a statement. "We hope to promote [students] to explore the prosperous and satisfying fields that are usually offered through conventional scholastic programs. We also try to stress the concepts of personal responsibility and decision-making through the message of music." Takac's MIA program is planning on expanding nationwide in the next school year. ... Gomez will release a two-disc live set titled Out West on June 7. Recorded over three nights at the Fillmore in San Francisco, the album will include covers of Tom Waits' "Goin' Out West" and Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog." ...

05.03.2005

Although Jacki-O told MTV News that she came to blows with Foxy Brown at Miami's Circle House Studio on April 25, Foxy told Miami's 99 Jamz radio station that the scuffle never happened. Jacki-O has since released a dis track called "TKO" aimed at the Brooklyn, New York, MC, which includes such lines as "Mutha----a Fox, wack bitch, I'm a hunter/ Set fire to many tracks and bitch, you're just a runner/ I didn't wanna deck ya, but how your man let ya/ Come to 305 and run up on a chin checka." ...

The producers behind "Ray" are developing a Broadway musical based on the life of Ray Charles. The play will not involve Jamie Foxx or "Ray" director Taylor Hackford. ... Fugees rapper Pras will release his second solo album, Win, Lose or Draw, in June. Filmmaker Rob Minkoff ("The Lion King," "Stuart Little") is making his music video directorial debut with the first single, "Haven't Found," a remake of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Meanwhile, Pras' Guerrilla Entertainment is in pre-production on a film adaptation of Robert Beck's "Iceberg Slim." ...

Ghostface and Cameron Douglas, Michael Douglas' son, are co-starring in a television pilot called "Hollyhood." The show, currently being shopped around, marries the worlds of hip-hop and house music and juxtaposes ghetto glamour with Hollywood glitz. The program will include guest interviews, performances, comedy sketches and original songs from both Ghost and Cameron. The show is being produced by Jen Gatien, daughter of Peter Gatien, the fallen New York '90s club king who once owned Limelight and Tunnel. ... A week after Infinity Radio announced that it would turn a terrestrial San Francisco station over to an all-podcast format, satellite radio broadcaster Sirius has announced its own podcasting deal. The #2 satellite network has tapped the "father of podcasting," former MTV VJ Adam Curry, to produce a daily four-hour roundup of the best podcasts in the world. The program, "PodShow," will debut on May 13. ...

Hard rockin' upstate New York quintet Gizmachi -- the first signing to M. Shawn Crahan's Sanctuary Records imprint, Big Orange Clown (you know, because Crahan is Clown in Slipknot) -- have been added to the second-stage lineup for this summer's Ozzfest. ... Canadian pop supergroup the New Pornographers have completed their third album, Twin Cinema, and have posted an MP3 of the title track on Matadorrecords.com. The group will release the album on August 23. It features 14 tracks, with names like "The Bleeding Heart Show," "Sing Me Spanish Techno" and "Falling Through Your Clothes." The Pornographers have also announced a handful of dates in support of Twin Cinema, which kick off June 23 in Hoboken, New Jersey. ...

British rapper Dizzee Rascal has launched his own record company, Dirtee Stank Records. Dizzee's already signed Leicester, England, rap trio Klass A to the label. The group's been "getting busy in the Dirtee Stank studios," according to Rascal's Web site. Klass A have been likened to N.W.A. ... Beastie Boys keyboardist Money Mark, DJ Logic and rocker Edgar Winter are among the acts slated to perform at Moogfest, the annual celebration of inventor Robert Moog's famous synthesizer. The event will be held May 31 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York. ...

Nellie McKay has collaborated with Cyndi Lauper on a song called "Bee Charmer" for McKay's next album, due in September. Meanwhile, McKay has landed her first movie role, in "Safety Glass," co-starring Mandy Moore, Amanda Peet and Michelle Williams. ...