Paris Hilton has done her share of confessing, and now she says it's your turn -- she's doing a sequel to her book "Confessions of an Heiress" that's part empty journal called "Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me," due in November. More than 150 photos of Hilton will be contained in the book, along with messages from her guiding the reader on subjects to write about. ...

Ricky Martin worked with a lot of big producers on his forthcoming album, Life, due October 11, from current Paris Hilton favorite Scott Storch to Will.I.Am, Sean Garrett and the Matrix. Besides Fat Joe and Amerie guesting on the first single, "I Don't Care," Martin's also got another Black Eyed Peas member on the album -- Taboo appears along with Daddy Yankee on "Drop It on Me." Other tracks include "Stop Time Tonight," "Save the Dance," "I Won't Desert You" and a reggaeton remix by Luny Tunes of the Spanish version of "I Don't Care." "I wanted to start from zero, as if it were the first album that I was recording, so I could present a new sound," Martin said. The singer's new sound includes Middle Eastern music, Asian music and hip-hop. ... Ludacris is coming full circle. The radio-DJ-turned-rapper has signed on to host a show on XM Satellite Radio's unedited hip-hop channel RAW (channel 66). "Disturbing Tha Peace Presents Ludacris' Open Mic" will begin in January. ...

Another season of teen drama "The O.C." means another Seth Cohen-inspired mixtape of lovelorn soon-to-be indie classics. Due November 8, The O.C. Mix 5 will feature cuts by Gorillaz, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Stars, LCD Soundsystem, "O.C." theme-song writers Phantom Planet and others. ... Courtney Love is saddened by the tell-all her mom, Linda Carroll, is planning to publish in January. Love's manager said they find it "astonishing and profoundly depressing" that Carroll makes the allegations she does about Love's childhood in "Her Mother's Daughter," considering Carroll "abandoned her daughter when she was 7 years old," resulting with her "barely" knowing her at all. The claims Carroll makes about Love's childhood antics contain "numerous substantial inaccuracies and several scurrilous falsehoods," the singer's manager Peter Asher said, noting that they wouldn't dignify them with individual responses since the book is a "work of vicious and greedy fiction." "Ms. Love will have no further comment on this sad situation." ...

On Tuesday, federal officials charged eight people with crimes in connection with the Internet distribution of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" before the final chapter in George Lucas' space epic hit theaters in May. The illegal copy of the movie was traced to a post-production facility in California, where officials charged that employee Albert Valente, 28, of Lakewood, California, took a copy. Valente has pleaded guilty to copyright infringement. Six others were charged with copyright infringement and other misdemeanors for copying and distributing Valente's tape. Marc Hoaglin, 36, was charged with a felony for putting the movie online, which could result in three years in jail. ... Michael Jackson's dad is getting back into the music business. Joe Jackson's starting up a hip-hop boot camp, and he's currently on a search for young talent. The first competition is being held this weekend in New York, where unsigned artists over the age of 18 are invited to come and try out. More info can be found at HipHopBootCamp.com. ...

Simple Plan have scheduled a short fall tour to promote their new live album, MTV Hard Rock Live, due October 4. The trek, which also features Straylight Run, Plain White T's and Paramore, kicks off October 22 in San Diego and wraps up November 19 in Universal City, California. ... Bam Margera's continual quest to take over the world will move one step closer to completion on November 19, when he launches his Viva La Bands Tour in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Bam faves H.I.M., Finch and Skindred are along for the ride, which will feature Margera and his cronies "performing" in between sets. The jaunt wraps November 24 in Philadelphia. ...

Duran Duran are "moving on" from promoting their reunion album, Astronaut, bassist John Taylor said, and spending this month writing their next full-length. The '80s heartthrobs are crashing at a place in San Francisco owned by tennis player Andre Agassi. "He's kindly lending us his house for the month," Taylor said. "It's a great place to work. The music and culture of San Francisco are so strong." ... It's been five years in the making, but former Pharcyde member Fatlip's solo debut is finally on its way. Theloneliest Punk will be released by Delicious Vinyl on November 1, bundled with a DVD featuring a Spike Jonze-directed documentary called "What's Up Fatlip?" If you're wondering what took so long, skip to the song "Writer's Block" for the answer. ...

Cagey guitar virtuoso Buckethead will be hitting the road starting October 21 in Orlando, Florida -- the first date of his Disney World to Disneyland Tour. Buckethead, who'll release a solo album, Enter the Chicken, on October 25, will hit 13 other cities before wrapping things up on November 22 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. ... On October 18, Immortal Records will release the soundtrack to "Masters of Horror," a 13-episode series directed by some of today's most respected horror directors. The double-disc CD will include new and previously unreleased material from Mudvayne, Thursday, Shadows Fall, Andrew W.K. and others, as well as a collaboration between Buckethead and System of a Down's Serj Tankian. ...

09.27.2005

Mariah Carey, Rob Thomas and Kenny Chesney are the first performers announced for the 2005 American Music Awards. Cedric the Entertainer is hosting the show, which airs live November 22 on ABC. ...

Jessica Simpson is at it again -- she's launching yet another candy-coated beauty line, which she's naming after her 1999 album, Sweet Kisses. This will be the fourth of her kissable collections -- following Dessert, Taste and Treats -- but this time, it'll be available exclusively at Wal-Mart, instead of Sephora, which has carried most of her previous lines. Sweet Kisses, hitting shelves in October, comes in the new flavors of vanilla cupcake, crème brûlée and strawberry sorbet, and will include flavored fragrance, hair and body shimmer mist, body frosting and lip gloss. "Sweet Kisses is very personal to me, and I can't wait to share it," Simpson said. ... The Memphis, Tennessee, chapter of the Recording Academy is honoring Justin Timberlake, Isaac Hayes and "Hustle & Flow" filmmaker Craig Brewer at the Recording Academy Honors 2005, which celebrates outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community. The gala will be held October 22 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, and it will benefit the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund. ...

Franz Ferdinand are hard at work clogging your entertainment center. On October 4, they'll release two versions of their album You Could Have It So Much Better: a standard edition and a deluxe DualDisc version with interviews, studio footage and an uncut version of the video for their song "Do You Want To." Then, on November 22, they'll drop a two-disc live DVD. The still-untitled home video features two complete performances, from London and San Francisco, plus behind-the-scenes footage and special karaoke films for some of their biggest hits, including "Take Me Out" and "The Dark of the Matinee." ... Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell and his wife, Vicky, are expecting a son sometime in November, according to a band spokesperson. The impending birth isn't expected to cut into the group's fall tour with Seether and 30 Seconds to Mars, which runs through November 18. The child will be the couple's second -- they have a 1-year-old daughter named Toni -- but Cornell's third; he also has a 5-year-old daughter named Lily with ex-wife/former Soundgarden manager Susan Silver. ...

So Lil' Kim isn't in solitary confinement, and she's not having that tough a time in prison. She issued a statement on Monday on her condition at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, saying that she's "in good spirits." "I will be fine," she said. "Contrary to the rumors, I am in general population at FDC and I have adjusted to the facility and to my fellow inmates, who are all cool people." While there, she said, she spends her time working on her personal development. "Each day, I read, sharpen my focus and grow." ... The Roots will headline the Bounce Tour, a fall outing sponsored by "NBA 2K6" and featuring video game consoles at the venues where concertgoers can play the game and listen to the Roots and others on the soundtrack. The trek begins October 6 in Chicago and ends November 12 in Granville, Ohio. ...

Mötley Crüe will return to Atlanta's Philips Arena -- the site of frontman Vince Neil's September 16 onstage spill, brought on by a ripped calf muscle -- on March 15. The band had promised to come back for a makeup show, having had to cut its set short that evening because of Neil's bum leg. Tickets from the September 16 gig will be honored at the redo concert this spring. ... It ain't easy filling Howard Stern's shoes, and that's why Infinity Broadcasting, home to his syndicated morning show, isn't even going to try. Instead, the company (owned by MTV's parent company, Viacom) will be selecting "five or six" different hosts to spread out over the 27 markets formerly headed by Stern, who is making the switch over to Sirius satellite radio in January, according to Infinity CEO Joel Hollander, who broke the news to TV and radio host Bill O' Reilly during a chat at the Museum of Television and Radio on Monday. The chosen few, who will be announced shortly, will then be evaluated on their performance over the next year or two. ...

Phil Spector's murder trial is likely to begin in January, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler told the producer in a hearing on Monday in Los Angeles. Pretrial motions were also scheduled for October 27 and 28. ... Bruce Springsteen will release a 30th anniversary edition of his Born to Run on November 15 that will include a DVD of his legendary 1975 show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The box set will also feature a new film, the 90-minute documentary "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run," a remastered version of the album and a 48-page booklet with previously unseen photos. ...

Suicidal Tendencies, the Germs, the Dead Kennedys, Marky Ramone and Flipper will perform at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on October 29 for a concert dubbed "Waking the Dead." The Germs will be joined onstage by actor Shane West, who plays late Germs frontman Darby Crash in the forthcoming film "What We Do Is Secret." West will handle vocals for the gig. ...