R. Kelly's been ordered to fess up -- a Chicago judge has ordered the R&B singer to give a deposition in a civil suit filed by a woman who claims her privacy was violated when Kelly taped them having sex without her knowledge. Tina Woods' lawyer, Susan E. Loggans, said the judge's decision was significant because Kelly had thus far avoided giving a deposition in this and other cases. Loggans said she doesn't want the deposition to take place until after Kelly's criminal trial for child-pornography charges, since his lawyer has said he'd likely take the Fifth so that he wouldn't incriminate himself in the criminal case. If the criminal trial doesn't start by this summer, Loggans said, she'd petition to have the deposition moved up sooner. ...

A defense attorney for Jesse James Hollywood is claiming the release of the movie "Alpha Dog," based on his client, could deny him the right of a fair trial, according to The Associated Press. The film, which features Justin Timberlake as a member of Hollywood's gang, will be released at the same time as the start of the trial. Hollywood is accused of plotting the kidnap and slaying of 15-year-old Nick Markowitz in August 2000 as payback for a drug debt owed to him by Markowitz's half-brother. ... With only two days to go before Live 8, the lineup for the concerts is continuing to shift. Sheryl Crow has pulled out of the Paris show, according to a post on her Web site, which cites "substantial and personal challenges" as the reason the 43-year-old singer will be unable to appear. Meanwhile, Canada's Live 8 organizers have confirmed that Darryl McDaniels (a.k.a. DMC of Run-DMC) has been added to the Barrie, Ontario, bill. ...

Lionel Richie, who was one of the principal players in Live Aid 20 years ago (and, of course, is Nicole Richie's dad), says now is "the exact time, the exact moment we can make a difference" with Live 8. Richie told MTV Radio that while he thinks putting together the simultaneous shows in several different cities will be a "huge undertaking" and a "logistical nightmare" compared to the original concerts, which only took place in Philadelphia and London, he thinks it will all be worth it if it impacts the G8 conference and the fate of the African continent. "It's pretty clear that those people have so much power, and we need to wake them up and say, 'We're letting an entire continent go straight to hell. It's not what we need to be doing.' Let's get in there and make the wise decision." ... On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former employee against James Brown, in which the woman claimed the singer raped her 17 years ago and then used threats to silence the claim. According to a Reuters report, Chicago U.S. Magistrate Sidney Schenkier ruled that the two-year statute of limitations on such a claim had expired. Accuser Jacque Hollander, 48 -- who said she recently developed Graves' Disease as a result of the 1988 rape -- plans to appeal the dismissal of the suit, which sought $100 million in damages. ...

Madonna's got another lawsuit on her hands. This time, she and her Maverick film company are being sued by two men, Jim McLay and Barry Kohout, who claim the Material Girl's company defaulted on a $100,000 loan. The suit was filed in Camden, New Jersey's federal court earlier this week. ... Jimmy Eat World, Local H, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and the reunited Promise Ring are among the acts booked for Flower 15, a six-night showcase and fund-raiser scheduled for November 8-15 at Chicago's Metro club. The concerts will benefit the local charity P.L.A.Y. (Possibilities in Life: Art for Youth), and with concerts running day and night, organizers hope to raise $50,000. Tickets go on sale August 27; more information on the festival can be found at Flower15.com. ... Switchfoot have chosen "Stars" as the first single from their new album, Nothing Is Sound. The LP is due September 13. ...

Rock scribe Dave Marsh will be penning yet another Bruce Springsteen book, this time chronicling the Boss' life on the road. Wenner Books just inked a deal with Marsh for him to write "Bruce Springsteen: On Tour," which will be a full-color, illustrated, tour-by-tour history, due by fall 2006. ... Mark Romanek, Anton Corbijn, Jonathan Glazer and Stéphane Sednaoui will be the next video directors featured in "The Directors Label" DVD series, which previously spotlighted the work of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham. The DVDs, which will collect the best videos from each of the directors, are due September 13. ... Before joining the John Mayer Trio for some dates in the fall, Ray LaMontagne will headline a theater tour beginning Friday in Northampton, Massachusetts. The 28-date tour culminates August 17 in Atlanta. ...

06.29.05

Bo Bice's single "Inside Your Heaven"/ "Vehicle" sold 106,000 copies in its first official week on shelves, according to SoundScan, less than Carrie Underwood's first-week sales of 170,000 but more than last season's "American Idol" runner-up, Diana DeGarmo, who saw debut-week sales of 65,000 for her single. Underwood sold another 70,000 of her version of "Inside Your Heaven" last week. ...

America's favorite "Idol" reject, William Hung, has convinced America's once-favorite mullet, Billy Ray Cyrus, to appear in the video for his new single, a cover of Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart," according to Koch Records. In addition to the country mega-hit, Hung also tackles tracks by Randy Newman, the Beach Boys and Richard Marx on his forthcoming LP, Miracle: Happy Summer From William Hung, which is due July 12. ... Nick Carter was fined $1,200 and ordered to attend a three-month alcohol rehab program on Tuesday, following a change in his plea last week from not guilty to guilty for driving under the influence on March 5 in Huntington Beach, California. The Backstreet Boy will be on informal probation for three years and also had his driving privileges restricted for 90 days, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. Carter's spokesperson said his required fulfillment of the alcohol program will not interfere with the Backstreet Boys' current tour. ...

Pink's been hard at work for the past six months on her fourth album, and now she's nearly done, according to her manager. The singer recorded some 25 songs, seven of which were with her latest collaborator, Butch Walker, including "Long Way to Happy" and "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)," which are being considered as potential singles, Walker's rep said. While Pink has plenty of songs in the can, she's still writing some more as the finished ones are being mixed. ... Along with Pink, Gwen Stefani, Velvet Revolver, Kelly Osbourne, Steven Tyler and several others are now going to have to wait until the holidays for the work they did on an all-star tsunami benefit single to be heard. "Tears in Heaven" has been pushed back for a Christmas release. December 26 is the one-year anniversary of the disaster. ...

Gwen Stefani named each one of her Harajuku Girls after the words in her album title Love, Angel, Music, Baby, and she's taking the same tack for the different shoe styles in her upcoming L.A.M.B. footwear line. "Love" shoes have a hand-stitched "L" and 18-carat gold-plated hardware (available in white or gold). "Angel" shoes have the L.A.M.B. logo hand-stitched on white and gold-foil-stamped on black (available in white or black). "Music" shoes come in both full-grain leather (if black) and soft canvas (if white), also with 18-carat gold-plated hardware. And "Baby" shoes are baby-soft, thanks to their cashmere lining (available in white or black). The shoes are currently available for preorder on shopkitson.com and will ship on July 30. ... The Recording Industry Association of America -- better known to illegal downloaders everywhere as the RIAA -- has just released its list of the 100 top-selling artists in the U.S. And no surprise, the Beatles top the list, with more than 168 million albums sold. Elvis Presley is second, with sales of more than 116 million records, followed by Led Zeppelin, with sales of more than 107 million albums. The top-selling female artist? Barbra Streisand, with more than 70 million albums sold. Other notables on the list: Tupac Shakur at #39 (more than 36 million records), Britney Spears at #51 (more than 31 million), Eminem at #71 (more than 25 million) and Jay-Z at #96 (more than 21 million albums sold). ...

A bunch of bands who got their start at CBGB are planning a series of benefit concerts in August in a last-ditch effort to save the 31-year-old New York punk venue. The dingy club is mounting a monthlong "Save CBGB" campaign to raise support and pressure the building's owner to renew its lease. Among the acts who will perform from July 31 to August 31 are Living Colour, Sick of It All, Liars, Circle Jerks, Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes, Gorilla Biscuits and '70s punk legends the Dead Boys, who will re-form for the final time at their favorite haunt. To sign a petition in support of the club, go to savecbgb.org. ... What do the bands Pig Destroyer, the Red Chord, Cryptopsy, Suffocation and Hatebreed have in common with controversial hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy? Until this week, not a thing. But that all changed when the rap group was added to the lineup for this summer's metal extravaganza Hellfest -- set for August 19-21 at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. And why not Public Enemy? After all, they've got a record they need to promote too -- Rebirth of a Nation hits stores August 23. ...

If you catch Liz Phair's tour this summer, you'll also get to hear some new tunes destined for her upcoming album, Somebody's Miracle. Due October 4, the album was recorded at the Village Studios in Los Angeles and was produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz) and John Shanks (Ashlee Simpson). ...

06.28.2005

U2's former stylist allegedly stole Bono's Stetson hat, and now the group is stealing it back ... well, sort of. The Irish rockers appeared in a Dublin, Ireland, court Tuesday morning (June 28), according to Reuters, with the hope of recovering more than $6,000 in memorabilia and personal effects from the band's ex-style guide, Lola Cashman, who worked for the group during much of the 1980s. Of the items U2 hope to have returned to them -- items Cashman has tried to auction off -- the Stetson hat, earrings and trousers Bono wore during the band's Joshua Tree tour and in the film "Rattle and Hum." ...

Disturbed, who've been working diligently in Chicago for the last few months, will be ready to deliver a new album this fall. Ten Thousand Fists -- which is in the mixing phase -- includes songs called "Stricken," "Guarded," "Deify" and "Decadence" and is tentatively slated to come out September 20. ... Devo, Ani DiFranco, Son Volt, Brazilian Girls, Digable Planets, the Decemberists and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists will take the stage for the 35th annual Bumbershoot Festival, slated for September 2-5. One of America's largest urban arts festivals, Bumbershoot unfolds in the heart of Seattle, at the 74-acre park that housed the 1962 World's Fair. ...

Forty years ago, Bob Dylan rose to prominence playing coffeehouses in New York's Greenwich Village, and very soon, he'll be making a return to the java circuit -- only on a much larger scale. Dylan has reached an exclusive agreement with corporate coffee juggernaut Starbucks to distribute one of his bootlegs, Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962, which captures one of his earliest shows at NYC's Gaslight Cafe. The bootleg will be professionally remastered and contains Dylan staples like "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." ... G. Love (of Special Sauce fame) has reworked the classic Coca-Cola jingle "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" for a new commercial for Coca-Cola Zero. While the soft drink's 1971 ad featured a diverse cast singing on a hill in Italy, the new version features G. Love and his friends on a rooftop in his native Philadelphia. ...

The Flaming Lips might not have released a new album in almost three years, but it's not like they've been relaxing: Aside from working on various reissues of past albums and a documentary about their career, they've also been working on a DVD called "VOID (Video Overview in Deceleration)," which will collect all of their Warner Bros. videos. According to a post on FlamingLips.com, the DVD (due August 23) will feature 18 videos -- including one for the new song "Mr. Ambulance Driver" -- all mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound. ... Paul Oakenfold is launching a summer dance-music tour also featuring Deep Dish, Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Junkie XL, Sandra Collins, Hernan Cattaneo and Liquid Todd on various dates. The Perfecto on Tour outing begins Sunday at New York's Crobar and ends July 23 at Red Rocks near Denver. Oakenfold also just remixed the theme from the "Transformers" series for the Cartoon Network. ...

U.K. dance act Faithless will release a greatest-hits album and DVD, both titled Forever Faithless, on July 26. The collection with include "One Step Too Far," featuring Faithless mastermind Rollo's sister Dido, as well as the new single "Why Go?" featuring Estelle. ...