E! Online issued a public apology on Wednesday (May 25) after posting a bogus report on its Web site which claimed Jessica Simpson and hubby Nick Lachey had filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences." "E! deeply regrets that a draft report from E! Online, which contained some false information regarding the Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson marriage, was accidentally disseminated," the statement reads. "The couple has not filed for divorce. E! apologizes to Nick, Jessica, their families and their fans for any distress this may have caused." Simpson later issued a statement to Us Weekly about the matter: "It is completely false and we would sue them if they hadn't taken it down." ... Meanwhile, Simpson gets to show off her hot new exercise-video-ready bikini bod in her video for the "Dukes of Hazzard" soundtrack single "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," which she just shot with her co-star Willie Nelson. ([article id="1502938"]Click for the new "Dukes of Hazzard" poster and photos of Simpson in Us Weekly.[/article]) "I kind of had the idea to do Nancy Sinatra's [song] and redo the verses from Daisy Duke's perspective," Simpson said. "Willie loved the idea and wanted to come play on it." Jess says Willie "is one of the most angelic people you will ever meet. We had a blast while making the movie." Nelson added, "We've had so much fun, she's such a great gal and so easy to work with. She asked me to do it, and you can't say no to Jessica." ...

Forty-year-old Queensbridge rap legend MC Shan (real name Shawn Moltke) was arrested on Friday at his home in Central Islip, New York, for criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of marijuana. According to Suffolk County police, officers executed a search warrant of Shan's house on suspicion of drugs and found a loaded 9-millimeter Luger and weed. The rapper posted $10,000 bail on Tuesday. .... Whitney Houston's hubby, Bobby Brown, is "very confident" that his wife, who checked herself into a drug-rehabilitation center in March, is putting her past troubles behind her. Brown told "Access Hollywood" on Tuesday, "[Whitney] is doing wonderful. Everything about her spirit right now is great ... we're enjoying life again." Houston has completed a successful second stint in rehab and will be hitting the recording studio again, Brown says, hopefully with her longtime mentor Clive Davis. ...

P. Diddy told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he plans to appeal a ruling which would have the hip-hop mogul paying the biggest child-support order in New York state history, citing it was an attack on his character as a father. The ruling, issued last month by the New York Supreme Court, increased Diddy's monthly child-support payments to his ex-girlfriend Misa Hylton-Brim from $5,000 to $21,782. ... Unsure of his label status after Jay-Z's ascension to the top of Island Def Jam Records, the Diplomats' Juelz Santana shot the video for his "Mic Check" on his own dime. Now, though, Juelz can reimburse himself: He's re-upped with Def Jam and will release his new album, What the Game's Been Missing, on August 23. ...

The Used will embark on a U.S. tour with Glassjaw that's expected to run from August 17 through September 23. Finch and the Start will open, according to a spokesperson for Glassjaw. No word yet on what cities or venues the outing will hit. The news comes as some consolation for Glassjaw's fans, as the band has been the subject of relentless breakup rumors of late, given frontman Daryl Palumbo's involvement with Head Automatica and that when you Google the band's name, the official Glassjaw site comes up as "RIP GlassJaw." The group's site, meanwhile, features images of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and Ol' Dirty Bastard with the message, "It wasn't their time." ... The recording of Thrice's forthcoming album is running a little behind schedule. According to a message delivered to the band's fans via the power of MySpace, Thrice will be no-shows for the first 10 dates of this summer's Warped Tour so that they can "get the record finished." But there is some good news for the group's fans -- the posting reports that "everything is going amazingly well in the studio"; so well, in fact, that the band "can't wait to finally get it done and share it with you." ...

A lawsuit brought against punk veterans T.S.O.L. two years ago by two men who were shot backstage during the band's November 23, 2002, concert at the West Hollywood House of Blues has been dropped -- leaving the group with $20,000 in legal debt. According to frontman Jack Grisham, the lawsuit also named the House of Blues, which settled with the two plaintiffs ($1 million apiece) the day before the case was set for trial. But now, T.S.O.L., who had to retain the services of a defense attorney, are mired in debt, forcing a moratorium on any future touring plans. "We barely make money on tour," Grisham said. "We can't go on tour for a month and give all the money to an attorney. And not work. We have families, we have bills to pay. Until this is paid off, we can't tour because we can't afford to." Fans with PayPal accounts can contribute to the T.S.O.L. defense fund via the band's Web site. A donation will score you a live CD -- a recording of the same House of Blues gig. ...

Former Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan has never been shy about sharing his feelings. But the bald belter is really letting it all out in advance of the release of his solo debut, TheFutureEmbrace (June 21). Corgan has posted 25 intimately detailed chapters of his autobiography on his official Web site and on MySpace, covering his abuse as a child, his father's struggle with drugs, his mother's mental illness, his years spent living as a destitute musician prior to the Pumpkins' success, and the internal squabbles and drug addictions that brought the band down. ... Fresh off his stint as a Burger King pitchman, Darius Rucker has reteamed with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates for the group's first new studio album in two years. Looking for Lucky, due August 9, will hit on the band's own label, Sneaky Long Records. It was produced by Don Gehman, who did the honors on the band's massive debut album, Cracked Rear View, and it features guest spots from members of the Silos, Cowboy Mouth, Blue Dogs and Trick Pony. The first single is called "One Love." ...

If your idea of a hot Saturday night is a few hours of Xbox and a trip to the local Pink Floyd laser-light show, then Video Games Live is your dream date. Kicking off with a July 6 show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the national touring show will feature music from some of the most popular games of all time ("Myst," "Super Mario Bros.," "Legend of Zelda," "Halo," "Sonic," "Final Fantasy") performed live by orchestras and choirs, combined with video footage, lasers, lights and live onstage gaming characters. Audience members will be chosen at each stop to compete onstage head-to-head on a massive screen. ...

05.24.2005

Britney Spears comes across as a super-confident, super-sexy flight attendant in her "Toxic" video, so who knew that she's actually scared of flying? Considering all the air travel she does, you'd think she'd be used to it by now, but no. In the second episode of her reality show, "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic," we get to see Britney freak out a bit ([article id="1501842"]Click for photos from the show[/article]). "That was the first time you see me and I'm really, really scared," she says on the show. "Most of the time when we flew, one of us was fine and the other one wasn't," Kevin Federline adds. The episode, called "Who Said Anything About Love?," airs Tuesday (May 24) at 9 p.m. on UPN. Meanwhile, the show's premiere will rerun Thursday at 10 p.m. on MTV. ...

Tween queen Hilary Duff will release her best-of album of sorts, Most Wanted, on August 16. The album is a collection of some of Duff's most popular songs, along with three new tracks she's currently in the studio working on. ... Mariah Carey's making plans for her next single, which she's decided will be "Shake It Off," a track produced by Jermaine Dupri. "Jermaine is in such a great place musically," Carey told MTV News recently. "I mean, everything he's done over the past two years, it's just beyond huge, first of all. But second of all, he's just focused. Like he's very much in the space he needs to be in musically. And I feel like I am as well." Carey calls the song "totally one of my favorites," but hasn't decided yet on the director or concept for the video, according to her label rep. ...

Nas will headline the annual Rock the Bells festival, scheduled for July 30 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California. Redman, Cuban Link featuring Ghostface and Raekwon, Guru from Gang Starr, Cut Chemist, Hieroglyphics, Sage Francis, DJ Muggs and Q-Bert are also set to perform, and B-Real and RZA will host. ... The Black Eyed Peas, the Killers and the White Stripes are among the 30 acts on the lineup for the annual Street Scene in San Diego, taking place at Qualcomm Stadium on July 29 and 30. Also on the bill are Snoop Dogg, Garbage, Dashboard Confessional, Method Man, Social Distortion, the Pixies, Louis XIV, Kasabian, the Used and Hot Hot Heat. Tickets go on sale Thursday. ...

Nine Inch Nails are the first headliners to be confirmed for the seventh annual Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans on October 29 and 30. The massive music festival will host upward of 80 bands spread across seven stages, according to the festival's executive producer. Look for the complete lineup to be announced on June 24. ... Everyone's favorite skateboarding prankster Bam Margera will release a CD/DVD compilation on June 21 called "Bam Margera Presents - Viva La Bands." The album will contain 21 cuts -- many of them new and exclusive -- from some of Bam's favorites groups, including Clutch, Cradle of Filth, Kill Hannah, CKY, the 69 Eyes, Turbonegro and H.I.M. The DVD portion will contain several music videos Bam directed, outtakes, skating footage and a trailer of the forthcoming video game "Tony Hawk: American Wasteland." ...

Dave Navarro has signed on to co-host -- along with Brooke Burke -- the upcoming reality series that centers on the surviving members of INXS hunting for a singer to replace the late Michael Hutchence. "Rock Star: INXS" will be both a performance competition and a relationship-style unscripted drama, since the 15 contestants will be housed together in a home in California's Hollywood Hills. The show will debut with a one-hour premiere on July 11 at 9 p.m. and will then air regularly on Mondays at 9:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 10 p.m., and Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBS, with the Monday episodes focusing on the performers' relationships, Tuesday episodes featuring the performances and Wednesday episodes revealing the weekly results. ... A month before the reality show hits the air, INXS will release a greatest-hits video collection. "INXS - What You Need," due out June 7, includes 20 of the band's classics, including "The One Thing," "Need You Tonight," "Devil Inside," "New Sensation" and "Suicide Blonde." ...

It was a Wu-Tang Clan reunion of sorts Monday night at New York's B.B. King's Blues Club. During the GZA's headlining performance, he called up special guests Ghostface, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna. ... 112 are shooting a mini-movie video for their next single, "What If." Acting coach Tracey Moore-Marable, who has worked with Eve and Nelly, instructed the group, and Fat Cats are directing the clip. ...

AFI singer Davey Havok sang guest vocals with VNV Nation at a recent Los Angeles gig. AFI begin recording their new album this week. ... All of the original members of British ska pioneers Madness, who inspired bands like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and No Doubt, have regrouped and will release The Dangermen Sessions, Volume One on July 19 through V2. Consisting entirely of rock-steady and post-punk covers, Madness take on the Kinks' "Lola," Peter Tosh's "Shame and Scandal" and the Desmond Dekker classic "Israelites." The band is planning a North American tour, even in the wake of the recent departure of original member Chris Foreman, who did work on the new album but left due to "the petty, time-consuming bollocks that goes on in the band," according to a statement from the group. ...

Thurl Ravenscroft, the man who voiced Tony the Tiger's rumbly catchphrase "They're Grrrrreeeaat!," died on Sunday of prostate cancer. He was 91. Ravenscroft's growl first appeared in a Kellogg's Frosted Flakes ad back in 1952, and he also voiced characters in such Disney films as "Cinderella," "Mary Poppins" and "The Jungle Book." In the late 1930s, he sang backup for Bing Crosby, and after returning from service in World War II, he sang in a group called the Mellomen, who performed with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, among others. ...