Cassidy, who was arrested last month for the murder of a 22-year-old man in his native Philadelphia, appeared in court Tuesday afternoon (July 19) for a preliminary hearing, during which his attorney hoped a judge would grant his request for a bail determination and he'd be released from jail. (The rapper has been behind bars since his arrest on June 17.) Unfortunately for Cassidy, he'll have to remain in jail for the next month, at least until August 16 -- the date set for the next hearing in his case. An eyewitness reported that Cassidy's criminal court judge ordered ballistics testing to be performed on weapons confiscated during the course of the detectives' murder investigation, in order to corroborate witness statements. The results from that testing are expected back between now and August 16. According to a spokesperson for Cassidy, the MC is in "good spirits" and his lawyers "are fighting hard for him." ...

New Ashlee Simpson songs are on the way -- her manager/father, Joe Simpson, played four new tracks for New York radio station Z100 last week, including "L.O.V.E.," "Goodbye," "Who's Gonna Catch Me When I Fall" and "Didn't Steal Your Boyfriend." People who heard the songs described them as being "rockish but girlish" and "fun, upbeat and a little dancey." The singer's label rep said that Ashlee's new album was tentatively slated for an October release, and that "L.O.V.E." would be one of the singles. ... Simple Plan, who are nominated for Choice Rock Group, have been added to the performance roster for next month's Teen Choice Awards, joining the previously announced Gwen Stefani. Also scheduled to appear are Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria, Jessica Alba, Ryan Seacrest, Rachel Bilson, Wilmer Valderrama, Eva Mendes, Jesse McCartney, Emma Roberts, Tyler Hilton and Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. The seventh annual awards show will air August 16 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. ...

Nelly is following in 50 Cent's footsteps by hooking up with Reebok for a new shoe line. Nelly's deal will include a signature collection of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories, to be launched this holiday season with expanded distribution next year. The collection will feature clean, aggressive, sports-inspired designs. "I've always been into sneakers and throughout my career I've always wanted to have a signature pair of sneakers that truly reflect my personal style," Nelly said in a statement. He'll also be featured in the "I Am What I Am" campaign. ... The Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, M.I.A. and a little act called Coldplay are among the 12 nominees for the U.K.'s prestigious Mercury Prize, awarded for the year's best album. The prize, now in its 14th year, honors the best albums made by British and Irish artists, with the winning act receiving £20,000. Previous winners include Franz Ferdinand, PJ Harvey and Pulp. The Mercury Prize winner will be announced on September 6. ...

Madonna's upcoming documentary, "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret," doesn't just focus on the staging of the Reinvention Tour -- it also includes her trips around the world, the singer told Vogue for its August issue cover story. "If I'm going to take people through a journey of my life, they are going to see all my journeys," she told the magazine, explaining the detour to Israel to visit Rachel's tomb as part of a Kabbalah experience. "I hope they will also be moved by it. The feeling in Israel is like no other place. I felt very comfortable there." As for her original documentary, 1991's "Truth or Dare," Madonna told Vogue that it was "hard for me to watch." "I was a very selfish person," she said. "You go through periods where the world does revolve around you, but you can't live your whole life that way. On the other hand, I kind of admire my spunk and directness!" ... Fans packed West Hollywood's Key Club to capacity Monday night to see Perry Farrell's new band, Satellite Party -- which also includes No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal, ex-Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and percussionist Gabriele Corcos -- play their first-ever live show. Cheering on the band was Kanal's No Doubt bandmates Adrian Young and Gwen Stefani, who had hubby Gavin Rossdale by her side. Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst and Audioslave's Tom Morello were also in attendance. ...

Head Automatica have been forced to cancel seven of their upcoming tour dates (those shows scheduled from Tuesday in Denver to July 28 in Los Angeles), due to frontman Daryl Palumbo's recent Crohn's Disease relapse. Palumbo, who is undergoing treatment at an undisclosed hospital, has lived with the condition for most of his life. ... The fight to save New York punk landmark CBGB is in full swing, with several fund-raising events and concerts planned for August -- what could very well end up being the club's final 31 days in existence. As expected, a number of high-profile acts are hopping on the bandwagon, the latest being Chevelle, who will perform at the venue on August 4. Proceeds generated from the group's performance will be donated to the Project Save CBGB campaign. "The list of artists that have performed at the club is endless, and many of them, including the Ramones, Quicksand and Living Colour, are responsible for launching a thousand careers," Chevelle frontman Pete Loeffler said. "This club is part of rock history. We can't let it go quietly." ...

Laurel Aitken, known among the rudest of the rude as the godfather of ska, died Sunday morning at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, England, from a heart attack, according to a statement from the music pioneer's family. He was 78. Aitken was known for his many firsts: He was Jamaica's first real recording star, one of the first artists to ever release a ska record and one of the first to record for the seminal Island label. He was perhaps best known for his slack songs "Fire in Mi Wire," "Pussy Price" (subsequently rearranged by the English Beat into "Ranking Full Stop"), "Rudy Got Married" and "Skinhead Train." ... Rick James' first European performance, on April 3, 1982, at the Rockpalast Festival in Essen, Germany, is coming to DVD on July 26. "Rick James: Superfreak Live 1982" features James performing with his Stone City Band. ...

Jamiroquai will release their sixth album, Dynamite (a nod to Napoleon Dynamite's memorable dance scene to "Canned Heat"), on September 20. Joseph Kahn (U2, Eminem) directed the video for the first single, "Feels Just Like It Should." ... Former Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine is getting some all-star help on her upcoming solo debut, Light Years, due September 6 on her own All for One label. Valentine, who produced the album and sings and plays guitar, is joined by drummers Clem Burke (Blondie) and Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello & the Attractions), former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley. ...

07.18.2005

After much suspense, Foo Fighters and Weezer finally have some tour dates confirmed. Their joint trek, which has been talked about for months, had only gotten as far as a list of target markets last week, but on Monday afternoon (July 18) a spokesperson for the tour released the first confirmed cities and venues: September 8 at Atlanta's Gwinnett Arena; September 10 at Sunrise, Florida's Office Depot Center; September 11 at Tampa's St. Petersburg Times Forum; September 13 at The Woodlands, Texas' C.W. Mitchell Pavilion; September 14 at Austin's Frank Erwin Center; and September 15 at Dallas' Smirnoff Center. ...

System of a Down shot the video for their next single, "Question!," earlier this month in Los Angeles with bassist Shavo Odadjian and Howard Greenhalgh (Soundgarden, Muse) co-directing. The clip's concept, based on a dream Odadjian had, ruminates about reincarnation and the cycle of life in a sort of surreal fairy tale, as the band performs in an opera house. "The subject of death is universal -- what is death? What happens afterwards? To me, it's very mystical," frontman Serj Tankian said. ...

The Backstreet Boys shot the video for their next single, "Just Want You to Know," this past weekend in Los Angeles with director Marc Klasfeld. Klasfeld co-wrote the treatment for the clip with the group's Kevin Richardson. ... Rapper Common's sex-fantasy single, "Go," is getting a steamy remix courtesy of Jay Dee, who produced two songs for the Chicago rapper's recent album, Be. The reworking will be notable for more than just sultry pillow-talk, though -- it'll also feature the return of D'Angelo, the troubled crooner who, save for a DUI arrest last November, hasn't been heard from since a 2002 collaboration with singer Raphael Saadiq. ...

Outkast's Big Boi and Cypress Hill are among the artists heading up the Flavor 2 Savor concert series, a four-city tour that kicked off Friday in Minneapolis with Gavin DeGraw and Aslyn. The tour will bounce between the four cities with alternating acts, continuing Tuesday in Washington, D.C., (with Common and Lyfe) and Thursday in Philadelphia (Q-Tip), then resuming August 17 in New York (with Talib Kweli, Res and Jean Grae) and finishing up September 17 in Philadelphia (with Cypress Hill). ... Silkworm drummer Michael Dahlquist was killed after an allegedly suicidal woman deliberately crashed her car into the vehicle carrying Dahlquist and two other Chicago musicians at an intersection in Skokie, Illinois, on Thursday. Jeannette Sliwinski, 23, was charged with first-degree murder and was being held under guard at a hospital after she was denied bond on Friday, according to The Associated Press. Police said the woman was driving at speeds of about 70 mph and ran three red lights before ramming into the 2001 Honda Civic carrying the musicians. Sliwinski was not seriously injured in the crash, and Cook County Assistant State Attorney Colleen Daly said prosecutors may seek the death penalty. ...

Much like Nine Inch Nails and Weezer before them, Death Cab for Cutie are taking to MySpace.com to premiere the first single from their upcoming album. "Soul Meets Body," off of Plans (due August 30), can be heard on the band's MySpace page from Monday (July 18) until Friday. ... Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago has been holed up in a studio writing the original music for Showtime's upcoming comedy series "Weeds," which debuts August 10. "Weeds" stars Mary-Louise Parker, who makes ends meet by dealing pot to the neighborhood. Santiago, who has also composed for "Undeclared" and "Crime and Punishment in Suburbia," hopes to continue scoring post-Pixies. "This is a lot of fun and something I can continue to do when I'll embarrass my kids by being onstage," Santiago said. Santiago also wrote the theme for the Cartoon Network's "Sunday Pants," which will premiere on September 25. ...

Susie Castillo of "TRL" is slated to co-host "Miss Teen USA," along with "Passions" star Galen Gering, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 8. Aaron Carter and Kimberley Locke will perform at the competition, which will air live on NBC at 9 p.m. ET. ... Also in MTV VJ news, congratulations are in order for Kennedy -- the onetime "Alternative Nation" host is now a mom. Her baby girl, named Pele Valentina Lee, was born on July 1 and is "so damn cute" and "so damn sweet," according to her proud mother. ...

The X Games are coming -- daredevil athletes will converge in Los Angeles for the Summer X Games, featuring the best in skateboarding, inline skating, BMX biking, motocross jumping, wakeboarding and other extreme sports. The games will be televised on ABC August 6-7, 3-6 p.m. ET both days. ... The Grammy Awards will air on CBS for the next five years -- the network just signed an extension on its broadcasting agreement with the Recording Academy that will keep the awards show on CBS through 2011. The current agreement was set to expire after the next ceremony, in 2006. ...